Canucks advance to second round, beating Predators 1-0 in Game 6 on Pius Suter's late goal

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet told Pius Suter to keep shooting. Suter did just that, and it paid off.

Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 win over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.

If you keep going to those spots, it will happen, and it happened for Suits and the big game-winning goal for us, Tocchet said of the forward who had three of his five shots in the third.

Nashville had one last chance to force overtime on a power play with 33.9 seconds left after Elias Lindholm was called for cross-checking Gustav Nyquist. Even as goalie Juuse Saros looked for an extra attacker, the Predators couldn't beat rookie goalie Arturs Silovs before time expired.

The last four games in this series were decided by one goal. First-year Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said this might have been the most exciting series he can remember. Replaying the final 33 seconds, the Jack Adams finalist said he saw opportunities his Predators missed.

You're going to compete in one of these games, and hockey can be cruel sometimes, Brunette said.

Silov made 28 saves and became the 14th rookie goalie in NHL history to end a series with a shutout and just the fifth in 30 years. In that select group, he joined Akira Schmid (2023), Matt Murray (2017 against Nashville in the Stanley Cup Final winner), Carey Price (2008) and Ilya Bryzgalov (2006).

He intervened and what a crazy scenario he got himself into, Canucks forward JT Miller said of Silovs. He made the saves when he needed to in such a big and crazy environment. Were happy for him.

Vancouver plays against Edmonton. The Oilers finished second to the Canucks in the Pacific Division and defeated the Los Angeles Kings in the first round.

“Honestly, I thought about it for more than two seconds,” Miller said of the showdown with the Oilers.

The Canucks continued the streak that started in Game 2, with the road team winning each of the last five games. They won their first playoff series outside the pandemic bubble since 2011 when Vancouver reached the Stanley Cup Final, a run that included a Game 6 victory over the Preds in Nashville.

The Predators have lost six straight playoff games on home ice, taking some of the shine off the franchise's reputation as Smashville. They haven't won a postseason series since 2018 after winning the Presidents Trophy a season after Nashville's unexpected run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017.

Suter scored only his second of the series from the front on a pass from Brock Boeser, beating Saros who also made 28 saves in a game that appeared to be heading into extra time.

I tried to take away a little bit of the pass option, but I couldn't reach it at all with my stick, Saros said. And then you just try to reach with your path, but you know, there's a little margin.

Vancouver had the most shots in a game this series after holding a total of 92 shots through the first five games. That was the second-fewest total in a five-game playoff series since 1960, trailing only Washington (90) in the 1998 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Silovs got into the mix when Vezina Trophy finalist Thatcher Demko was named week after week with an injury after winning Game 1. Casey DeSmith started Games 2 and 3 before his own injury, after which Silovs made his postseason debut and won Game 4 for a 3-1 lead.

“I just embraced the challenge,” Silovs said. I knew I had played on big stages before. I was already familiar with what would happen, what kind of games they would be. It was a great opportunity for me to play for the big club and take this opportunity.

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AP NHL Playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup And https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL