Predators beat Vancouver Canucks in 4-3 shootout – BC

Another third period meltdown cost the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

Going 3-1 heading into the final frame, the team had to settle for a single point after losing to the Nashville Predators in a 4-3 shootout.

“We sat down instead of chasing them, and next thing we know, they have two goals,” Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau said.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m afraid to win. Then we fixed the ship, and they didn’t have a lot, but it was too little and too late.

The Canucks (3-6-3) gave up five multi-goal leads this season, going 22-13 in the third period.

No record has been lost against Vancouver’s opponents.

“As soon as I scored the first goal, I felt like they had a mental advantage,” said Nashville defenseman Matthias Ekholm, who had two assists in the win.

“They looked like they were stepping in a little bit. They were just flipping the puck, but we kept pushing at them and scored another goal. Then we put pressure on them for the fourth time. I thought I was going to be on the ball, but that didn’t happen until this penalty shootout.

Matt Duchen found space between Vancouver goalkeeper Thatcher Demko and his post to put away the lone strike in the shootout and seal the win.

All three of Vancouver’s goals came in the first period, with JT Miller scoring a goal and a helper, Ilya Mikheyev and Andrei Kuzmenko each finding the back of the net, and Quinn Hughes providing two assists.

Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros stopped 43 of 46 shots in regulation play and overtime. Demko had 27 saves with the Canucks.

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Vancouver nearly took the lead again midway through the final frame when Miller streaked in on a breakaway as two Predators chased him and blasted his shot at the net. Saros pulled the puck out of the air to keep the game tied.

“[Saros]had my number, that’s for sure,” said Miller. “I was able to interrupt a lot early in the game and open up a lot.

Vancouver were 1-for-4 in man-advantage on Saturday, while Nashville was 1-for-5.

Kuzmenko gave the Canucks a 3–0 cushion with a power play goal at 17:32 of the game after Cole Smith was sent to the box for high sticking.

Vancouver jumped out to a 2-0 lead at 3:41 of the first when Miller collected a Nils Hoglander rebound and smashed through Saros’ pads.

The Canucks made a quick move on Saturday night after an 8-5 blowout win over the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.

Mikheyev scored his third goal of the season with a shot from the confrontation circle at 1:56 and the puck over Saros’ glove.

“We knew the game wasn’t over just because the first period was almost all the way in our favor. And we were ready,” Miller said.

“And obviously, at this point, we’re sick of having teams coming back. But it’s not all bad, and I think we’re a lot closer than people think.”

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The Canucks start their five-game Eastern swing against the Senators in Ottawa on Tuesday. The Predators battle the Kraken in Seattle that same night.

This report by the Canadian Press was first published on November 5, 2022.

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