Nashville, TN -- Leading by one going into the third period, the Nashville Predators (1-1) rattled off three unanswered goals against the Chicago Blackhawks (1-1) to defeat them 6-2 in front of a raucous Bridgestone Arena.
Now tied at one game apiece, the series shifts back to Chicago for Game 3 on Sunday afternoon.
Another strong first period
Nashville needed to come out with the same mentality it had in Game 1. To be frank, it didn't come as a surprise that the Predators had a repeat performance to start a game where they needed to have their absolute best effort possible.
Not only that, but they scored early and late -- another similarity to Wednesday night's game.
Colin Wilson -- who is tied for the NHL lead in playoff goals -- tallied on the power play only 91 seconds in. Roman Josi scored his first ever Stanley Cup playoff goal with 3.6 seconds remaining in the period.
"He picked up the puck in our end with less than ten seconds on the clock," Predators head coach Peter Laviolette said. "You're thinking the period is probably just going to run out, but Roman has carried the puck so many times for us this year coming through the neutral zone.
"Even then, with less than six seconds on the entry, to cut it across the ice and find a little bit of wiggle room to get a shot off. (Mike Santorelli) made a nice screen in front of the net. That was a big moment in the game."
Both were fantastic goals and guaranteed, for the second straight contest, that Nashville would go into the middle stanza with an important lead.
"I think we came out with a lot of energy," Josi said. "We did in the first game too. I thought we played solid over 60 minutes."
The Predators haven't had any reason to be concerned about their effort to open the game so far in this series. It's been absolutely stellar. While other problems may exist in other periods, they have to be pretty happy with the effort that's been shown in the first 20 minutes.
Better second period, but a bigger loss than on the scoreboard
You would think Chicago scoring a tying goal with six men on the ice, outside of a power play, would have been the biggest story of the period, but you'd be unfortunately wrong tonight.
While the Blackhawks did indeed grab a Patrick Kane goal to tie the game midway through the period on a controversial non-call, the bigger loss was Nashville missing the services of Shea Weber due to a lower body injury after a collision with Chicago forward Brandon Saad.
Over a minute before the tying goal, Weber and Saad knocked legs behind goaltender Pekka Rinne. Weber would limp off the ice -- not appearing to put much weight on his right leg -- and it would later be announced that he wouldn't return for the remainder of the game.
"A guy like (Weber) is hard to replace," said Rinne. "As a group, you try to do your best. I think it brings maybe even more desperation out of you. I thought as a group we did a great job."
Some would argue that, because of his mediocre possession numbers, Weber isn't the top defenseman in the lineup for Nashville. That may be the case, but the fact remains that Weber is the captain of the Predators, their leader on the ice and is a monster presence in all zones.
"If you lose your captain, your best player, it's never a good thing," Josi said. "Hopefully he'll be OK."
If the Predators lose Weber for a game or more this series, it could be a massive difference-maker. After the game, Nashville's media relations team were unable to provide any further update on Weber's status for the remainder of the series, let alone Game 3. Stay tuned.
The ending Nashville needed
Up by one goal going into the third period, there was a large part of me that believed Nashville was bound to allow a tying third goal and enter the depths of overtime playoff hockey for the second time in three nights.
But in a span of 2:19 late in the third, Filip Forsberg, Craig Smith and Mike Santorelli launched the Predators into a four-goal lead to square the series going into Sunday afternoon's Game 3 in Chicago.
Nashville set two franchise records in that flurry: quickest three goals and most goals scored in one playoff game.
Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford, who already looked shaky at best during the night's contest, took another hit to his already deflated confidence. His nine goals allowed in two games to start the postseason provides Chicago with an undeniable goaltending controversy.
Yes, Nashville tied the series up at one.
Yes, there are questions for both teams going into Game 3.
Yes, things will get much nastier than we've seen so far.
"It's a confidence boost," Rinne said. "Things were going our way in the third. It doesn't happen every game, we know that, but for sure it's a great confidence booster. I thought that for the second game in a row we played really well.
"Starting from Game 1, I thought that we continued tonight. They came back again in the second period, but I thought that overall we handled things way better.
Regardless of what happens on Sunday, the Predators needed the end they earned Friday night. In the worst way.
"You definitely don't want to go down 2-0 after two home games," Josi said. "It was a huge win for us. It definitely gives us a lot of momentum going forward in the series."
Craig Smith: It never fails to capture my attention when a player who has been on a never-ending cold streak lights the lamp. Smith needed it just as much as Wilson did in Game 1. Smith's three-point night was tops for both teams in Nashville's big win.
Mike Ribeiro: Ribeiro has been a constant force for the Predators since the regular season's first game, but he earned his stripes in Game 2 of the divisional semifinals. His two assists paces the Predators for helpers tonight.
Seth Jones: Jones may not have scored any points on the night and ended it as one of three Nashville players with a minus-1, but he was thrust into the spotlight after the Weber injury. His 21:52 time on ice was third on the team and he looked more comfortable with every passing minute.
