Mark Humphrey/Associated PressRyan Kesler’s overtime heroics after a questionable penalty created a celebration among the Canucks.If you’re looking for excitement and drama in the N.H.L. playoffs, check out the No. 1 seed in the West, the Vancouver Canucks.
Their playoff run has been filled with overtime games, dramatic comebacks and collapses, and enough stress to make Canucks fans chew their nails down to a nub watching Canada’s last playoff team standing.
Tuesday’s Game 3 in Nashville was another installment, as the Canucks took a 3-2 overtime win over the Predators in Nashville. The Canucks lead the series, 2-1, with Game 4 coming Thursday.
The game-winning goal came off a power-play tip from Ryan Kesler, at 10:45 in overtime. Kesler had two goals in the game, a welcome relief from his painful, nine-game playoff drought.
“For me, it comes in bunches,” Kesler told the Vancouver Sun about his goal scoring patterns. “I didn’t change my game (in Game 3). I put the same game on the ice and finally got the results.”
Kesler, and his linemates Chris Higgins and Mason Raymond, accounted for all the goals in Game 3.
The Predators and their fans were clearly unhappy with the penalty and the costly overtime power play. Preds captain Shea Weber got hit with a hooking call at 10:05 in overtime, a whistle that appeared to be a borderline judgement by officials.
“They’ll say it’s a good penalty. I’ll say it’s a bad penalty,” Predators Coach Barry Trotz told the Nashville Tennessean. “…They grabbed the momentum. It’s our job to grab it right back.”
