Predators - 2, Canucks - 3: Sissons, Sherwood Score But Missed Opportunities Late Cost Preds

The 3-2 Vancouver Canucks arrived in Nashville following their Saturday 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers. The team has generated a lot of offense in their first five games of the season and gotten quality goaltending from Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith. Tonight Demko got the start in net for the Canucks. 

Vancouver came out ready to hit to the ice, and Ilya Mikheyev scored for the Canucks on a shot from above the circles at 4:29. The goal seemed to wake Nashville up and they began to get more time in front of Thatcher Demko. 

The Predators got the first power play opportunity as Vancouver was called for too many men on the ice. Nashville got two shots on goal but couldn't capitalize. 

Colton Sissons evened up the score later in the first period with a quick move to keep the puck in the offensive zone and skated the puck to the bottom of the circle to score. The first period ended with a tie in shots on goal 6-6 and a tie on the scoreboard of 1-1. 

Phillip Di Giuseppe scored just :22 seconds into the second period after he swept a bouncing puck past Saros. Almost three minutes later a tired Predators five were stuck on the ice after a long shift and an icing call, and Nils Holglander scored on a shot from the blue line to give the Canucks a two goal lead early in the middle period. 

Kiefer Sherwood, Tommy Novak, and Luke Evangelista got a three on two chance, and Sherwood scored on a one timer from the circle to get Nashville back within one goal at 9:18. Play went back and forth during the remainder of the second period, but Vancouver had more sustained offensive pressure and recorded seven more shots on goal in the middle twenty than Nashville. 

The Predators began the third period with a quality chance as Colton Sissons found himself net front with the puck, but Demko made the save look easy on the high danger opportunity. The Predators had more puck possession in the beginning of the final period but couldn't capitalize on offensive chances. 

Nashville got their second power play at 13:18 as Mark Friedman headed to the penalty box for interference. The power play units set up in the offensive zone but couldn't capitalize. As the penalty expired, Tyler Myers swapped out with Friedman after being called for cross checking Juuso Pärssinen in front of the net. 

On their second power play chance, Nashville had good chances, but with :35 seconds remaining on the man advantage, Luke Evangelista headed to the box for interference. Neither team scored on the brief four on four, and Nashville successfully killed off the remaining penalty. 

With 1:04 left, Juuse Saros abandoned his place in net in favor of the extra attacker. Vancouver took several shots at the empty net while Nashville battled for possession, but the game ended with a final score of 3-2.