There will be no storybook ending to the Nashville Predators’ 2017-2018 National Hockey League season.
The Predators fell to the Winnipeg Jets 5 to 1 in the decisive Game 7 of their Western Conference semi-final series in Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Thursday.
This year, it’s the Jets who now going on the the Western Conference finals, where they will face the Vegas Golden Nights.
The Washington Capitals, coached by former Predators head coach Barry Trotz, face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference finals.
The official Predators post game tweet summed up the evening:
It ended sooner than anyone would have wished. #StandWithUs | #WPGvsNSHhttps://t.co/L5Ju352xIa
— p-Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) May 11, 2018
The night started poorly for the Predators and got progressively worse.
The Jets’ Tyler Myers scored at the 8:41 mark of the first period to put the visitors up 1 to 0. Then his teammate Paul Stastny scored at the 10:47 mark to put the Jets up 2 to 0.
P.K. Subban scored the Predators first and only goal at the 15:54 mark to narrow the deficit to 2 to 1.
Predators coach Peter Laviolette pulled Goalie Pekka Rinne after the first period, replacing him with Juuse Saros
Saros didn’t fare much better, giving up three goals in the final two periods to while the Jets held the Predators scoreless.
The final score was Winnipeg 5, Nashville 1.
