Boeser's hat trick helps Canucks rally, push Preds to brink of elimination

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Elias Lindholm scored 1:02 into overtime as the Vancouver Canucks stunned Nashville 4-3 Sunday and grabbed a 3-1 lead putting the Predators on the brink of elimination in their best-of-seven, first-round series.

Lindolm beat goalie Juuse Saros over his stick with a wrister from just in front of the crease off a pass from Conor Garland.

Brock Boeser had his first hat trick in the playoffs and seventh of his career. He scored on Vancouver's first shot and got the Canucks into overtime scoring twice in the final 2:49. His third came with 6.2 seconds left in regulation to quiet a Nashville crowd that celebrated much of the third period.

J.T. Miller had three assists. The Canucks now will have a chance to advance Tuesday night in Vancouver in Game 5.

Filip Forsberg, Gustav Nyquist and Mark Jankowski all scored for Nashville, which also blew a 2-1 lead losing Game 1 giving up three goals in the third period.

The Canucks won with Arturs Silovs making 27 saves in his NHL playoff debut as their third different starting goalie.

The sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft from Riga, Latvia, replaced Casey DeSmith, who got his first postseason win Friday night in Game 2. He took over in net for All-Star Thatcher Demko who is week-to-week after winning Game 1.

The Canucks became only the second team in NHL history with three different goalies to win each of their first three games in a postseason. Vancouver also did it during the 2004 Western quarterfinals with Dan Cloutier in Game 1, Johan Hedberg in Game 3 and Alex Auld in Game 6.

Chicago in the 1972 quarterfinals was the only other team in NHL history with three different goalies to win a game at any point in a series. Tony Esposito won Game 1, Gary Smith took Game 3 and Gerry Desjardins was in net for Game 4.

This felt much more like a Smashville playoff game with Little Big Town handling the national anthem in style followed by seven catfish hitting the ice before the puck dropped.

Will Levis, quarterback of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, also helped ramp up the home crowd. His new center Lloyd Cushenberry III snapped a catfish to Levis on the band stand, and the quarterback kissed the fish.

Boeser put Vancouver up 1-0 with a wrister just 2:55 in from the front edge of the left circle for his second goal in as many games. Jankowski got his stick on Jeremy Lauzon’s slap shot and tied it up for Nashville at 5:34 with the teams skating 4-on-4.

Nyquist put Nashville up 2-1 at 5:21 of the second, finishing off a 2-on-1 with a wrister from the right circle for his first goal in this series. Forsberg seemed to clinch the win with captain Roman Josi's pass going off his right skate 12 seconds into the third until Vancouver's late rally.

OUCH

Josi, who tied retired goalie Pekka Rinne by skating in his 89th career playoff game for most in Predators’ history, took a puck off his right ear in the first period. An official sent him off the ice for treatment.

Vancouver defenseman Tyler Myers took a puck in the face with 1:35 left in the first. Myers dropped to the ice, and a trainer rushed out to put a towel to his face before going with him to the bench.

Both defensemen returned for the second period.

UP NEXT

The Canucks can win their first playoff series since 2020 during the pandemic and first on home ice since the 2011 Western Conference final.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl