Kesler Dazzles, Vancouver Takes 3-1 Series Lead

At 7:28 of the 3rd period, Ryan Kesler split the defensive pair of Shane O'Brien and Shea Weber and beat Pekka Rinne far side to give the Vancouver Canucks a 3-2 lead.

Cody Franson had previously tied the game at two with a shot from the point that beat Luongo and stuck in the back of the net.

The Bridgestone Arena crowd urged the team to tie the game up with a standing ovation late in the 3rd period, but Henrik Sedin fired the puck into the empty net to sign, seal, and deliver game four.

This marks the first time that the Nashville Predators have lost both game three and four at home.

The home ice advantage that the Predators speak so highly of has seemingly been a non-factor with Nashville playing uninspired hockey at times. The will to win has been at a minimal for a team that had to will its way in to the playoffs. Credit Vancouver. They have forced the Predators off their game and are just a minute away from having sweapt this series.

The Predators however have not been widely outplayed for the most part and are capable of winning game five.

The biggest question is: Do they want it enough?

The Predator Way Has Never Been Easy

Fans exited Bridgestone Arena Tuesday night with long faces and a feeling of helplessness. What do the Predators have to do to catch a break? Well If you haven't figured out by now: the Nashville Predators will never have an easy road to success.

The initial expansion that included Nashville was questioned and criticized by many NHL fans and media across North America. Why would the NHL put a team in Tennessee? How will this ever work? The franchise then made its inaugural playoff appearance in 2004 taking a huge step as an organization to gain just a little respect as a team. But three years later, despite the growth in fanbase and the die-hard fans that supported their Predators every night, the Nashville Predators looked to be heading to Hamilton, Ontario in Canada. The NHL had become impatient with Nashville's inability to fill the arena night in and night out, but the Predators faithful would have none of that. On July 19, 2007, Pred Nation came through. A rally held at Bridgestone Arena answered any questions of whether the city of Nashville deserved an NHL franchise.

But the opposition was still there. The Canadian media continued to give Nashville the cold shoulder and often times just ignoring them all together. A team in Nashville, Tennessee could not be taken seriously. As the media continued to turn a blind eye to Nashville, something special was happening. Attendance was going up and the atmosphere was getting better game by game. Music City was slowly and quietly becoming a hockey town.

These playoffs have shed some light on the subject however. Predator fans have been credited by TSN's Farhan Lalji as one of the two loudest buildings in the league. Both TSN and Versus have now carried games in Nashville and have had high praise for Pred Nation. The Predators are also getting some respect. Pekka Rinne, in the shadows for most of the regular season, has now been recognized as what we in Smashville have known all along: one of if not the best goalie of the year. Shea Weber has also flown under the radar in every market not named Nashville and Vancouver. The Norris Trophy nominee and his beard has received national media attention for the leadership shown down the stretch of the regular season and these playoffs. Additionally, both Barry Trotz and David Poile are finalists for the trophies awarded to the best in their respective positions.

So yes, the Predators got a raw deal Tuesday night. Yes, they are down 2-1 in a series against the best team in the NHL. But resiliency says they are only three wins away from the series win. Hard work says who cares who we're playing. The Predator way says anything is possible. It has already shown that earlier in the playoffs when history was made. The Predators are a win away from evening the series, and we all know anything can happen in game five. Anything can happen when Nashville Predator hockey is executed correctly no matter who the opposition may be. Smashville, we must believe as we have all post-season. The team will feed off of that energy and can even the series Thursday night.

MCM

They Play Hockey in May?

To say that the Nashville Predators are in unchartered territory is now an understatement.

The Predators and their fans are getting love from the Canadian media and are looking to take their first ever lead in a conference semi-final series.

The experience seems unreal to many die-hard Pred fans who have seen countless first-round failures and an irritatingly large amount of moral victories. A new standard has been set for hockey in Nashville from the on-the-ice performance to the 17,113 that pack Bridgestone Arena when the Predators hit the ice. Nashville will once again take the ice on Tuesday night in front of a sold out Bridgestone Arena in their first home conference semi-final game. The word around Nashville is that the intensity of games goes up the further you go in the playoffs. Predators fans have already witnessed this intensity but only from the friendly confines of the average American couch or perhaps one of the viewing parties around town. But Nashville will finally get to witness conference semi-final action up close and personal on 501 Broadway. The gold out will be in full effect with a chance of catfish and standing ovations when the Canucks come to visit Tuesday night.

Predator fever has even extended outside of Bridgestone Arena. Over the past two weeks, I have seen more Predators gear than ever before. I never thought I would see so many bandwagon fans either. Never before has there been a reason to jump on the Nashville Predator bandwagon. But more importantly, the interest in hockey has grown across the mid-state. The popularity of ice and inline hockey leagues have grown over the past few years. Tennessee ranks 4th in the nation in increase of USA Hockey registrations over the past 10 years. The popularity of hockey in middle Tennessee will only go up from here, already at it's peak.

The Nashville Predators are carrying a city that just 11 years ago did not know the difference between a hockey puck and a burnt biscuit and could not correctly pronounce the name Patrick Roy. The city has bought in to hockey and the Nashville Predators and is now behind them in their quest for The Cup. The glass ceiling has been raised. The question is if the Predators can once again rise and shatter that ceiling placed on them by low expectations and going up against the Goliath of the NHL Playoffs in the Vancouver Canucks.

If you're heading to Bridgestone Arena Tuesday night in hope of an offensive, high-scoring hockey game then you might want to sell your ticket. Just make sure it finds its way to a Predators fan with an able and ready voice.