The Predators had everything to play for. They needed two points to clinch a seventh consecutive postseason berth. The Canes, meanwhile, had already punched their return ticket to the playoffs and secured first place in the division. With a partial, sizable and noisy crowd behind them, the Preds predictably came out with a physical push.
"It was a playoff atmosphere out there tonight," Morgan Geekie said. "We knew what they were playing for, and we tried to match that. I think we've got another gear."
"They were fighting for their playoff lives. They came out and showed that," Steven Lorentz said. "We had some good stretches where we took some energy and took it to them."
Luke Kunin's two goals - a backhander in the second period and a breakaway tally in the third - were the difference, but the Canes were never not in the game. Alex Nedeljkovic made 28 saves, and for much of the game, the Canes were a shot away from tying the score.
"I give my guys a ton of credit," head coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "I thought we had a good bounce back in the third and played pretty hard."
In the end, the Preds came out on top for their first victory in seven tries against the Canes this season. It was Carolina's first regulation loss in nearly a month.
Seven regular-season games down, one to go. And then these two teams will gear up for their first-ever match-up in the playoffs.
"We just know that we have to match their intensity or get them back on their heels a little bit," Lorentz said. "We're not just going to sit back and be satisfied with our accomplishments this far. … Hockey is hockey, and at the NHL level you have to come ready to battle every single night."
