Phoenix 1, Nashville 0
When: 7:30 PM ET, Friday, May 4, 2012
Where: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
Referees:
Dan O'Halloran, Wes McCauley
Linesmen:
Scott Driscoll, Pierre Racicot
Attendance:
17113
By SportsDirect Inc.
COYOTES 1, PREDATORS 0: Mike Smith turned aside all 25 shots he faced to make captain Shane Doan's first-period goal stand up as visiting Phoenix pushed Nashville to the brink of elimination in the Western Conference semifinals with a Game 4 triumph.
Smith preserved his second shutout of the postseason by stopping 10 shots in both the second and third periods. The Coyotes can clinch a berth in the conference finals with a home win Monday.
Doan opened the scoring with 5:35 remaining in the first period. The captain's backhanded attempt caromed off defenseman Roman Josi and Pekka Rinne before entering the net.
Rinne finished with 23 saves for the fourth-seeded Predators, who once again played without Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn. The pair was originally suspended for Game 3 after violating team rules, but coach Barry Trotz elected to keep both players out Friday.
Patric Hornqvist nearly leveled the contest midway through the second period, but he was unable to redirect a centering feed past Smith.
Nashville also nearly tied the contest with 7:12 remaining in the third period, but officials whistled the play dead prior to the puck crossing the goal line after a scrum on the doorstep.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Phoenix has killed off its last 16 road shorthanded situations. ... Rinne's shutout streak ended at 90 minutes, 50 seconds. ... The team that has scored first has won all four games in the series.
Top Game Performances
| Phoenix |
|
Nashville |
|
Shane Doan 1 |
Points |
N/A |
|
Shane Doan 1 |
Goals |
N/A |
|
Mikkel Boedker 1 |
Assists |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Mike Smith 1.000 |
Save Percentage |
Pekka Rinne .958 |
|
Mike Smith 25 |
Saves |
Pekka Rinne 23 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Phoenix
|
24 |
1 |
0-2 |
3-3 |
11 |
29 |
| Nashville
|
25 |
0 |
0-3 |
2-2 |
9 |
30 |
Upcoming Games
-
Nashville will play their next game on the road against Phoenix. The Predators have a W/L % of .542 after a win and .647 after a loss.
-
Phoenix will play their next game at home against Nashville. The Coyotes have a W/L % of .476 after a win and .550 after a loss.
For more information, contact us