Corey Perry scored his third overtime winner of the 2017 postseason to lift the Anaheim Ducks to a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators in game four of their…
Corey Perry scored his third overtime winner of the 2017 postseason to lift the Anaheim Ducks to a 3-2 win over the Nashville Predators in game four of their NHL playoff series.
Perry fired a shot from the far boards towards the goal and it deflected off the stick of Predators defenseman P. K. Subban to give Anaheim the win and a 2-2 tie in the Western Conference finals series.
„Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nate (Thompson) come from bench so I just threw the puck towards the net. It hit someone and went into the net, “ said Perry.
Perry, who is coming off one of the worst regular seasons of his all-star career, has now scored overtime goals in all three of the Ducks playoff series. He has four goals and 11 points in 14 games.
Game five is Saturday in Anaheim.
Once again, the Ducks made it more difficult than it had to be. They blew a two-goal lead in the third period, allowing the Predators to tie up the game with just 35 seconds remaining in regulation, in front of a crowd of 17,000 at Bridgestone Arena.
Canadian Perry said each day the Ducks review a list of qualities each player must possess to be successful.
„We have a list we go through every single day. Adversity is one of them, “ Perry said. „You can’t sit back and play it safe and hope to win. Not in this league.“
John Gibson made 32 saves in goal for Anaheim, while Finland’s Pekka Rinne stopped 34 of 37 shots for Nashville, who had their 10-game home playoff winning streak snapped.
Subban pulled the Predators within 2-1 at 13: 33 of the third, firing a slapshot from just inside the blue line for his second playoff goal.
The Predators didn’t give up as Filip Forsberg, of Sweden, poked home his own rebound at 19: 25 to cap a stunning comeback from a two-goal deficit.
Nashville coach Peter Laviolette credited the loss to bad luck.
„It was just a tough break. A tough bounce, “ he said. „We were on our heels. They were quicker, they were everywhere, and that dictates the play.
„We competed better in second period then, in the third, we really got going. It is about consistency.“
