Predators confident strong road play will continue in Game 3 against Jets

NASHVILLE -- The Nashville Predators are preparing for what could be their toughest task of the Stanley Cup Playoffs so far, going on the road for Game 3 of their Western Conference Second Round against the Winnipeg Jets.
Kevin Fiala scored in double overtime Sunday to give Nashville a 5-4 win and even the best-of-7 series 1-1. Game 3 is at Bell MTS Place on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; CNBC, CBC, TVAS).

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"I think as a group there was a calm confidence about us," Predators defenseman Matt Irwin said Monday. "We felt like we weren't losing [Game 2]. They tied it late. You don't expect them to roll over and die, and it just makes for good hockey. It was entertaining. There was chances both ways in overtime, and every guy that went over the boards knew they had a job to do. There was a big goal out there for someone to be a hero, and Kevin was huge."

The Predators were an NHL-best 25-9-7 on the road in the regular season, then went 2-1 away from Bridgestone Arena in their Western Conference First Round series against the Colorado Avalanche.
"Getting on the road is always fun as a team," Nashville forward Nick Bonino said. "You go out to dinner, there's not really any distractions. You're there for hockey. You get up and treat it as business as usual. We kind of just roll the lines. We've got four lines that can really go and don't worry about matchups or anything. We just play and have had some good results."
Winnipeg had the best home record in the League at 32-7-2, and won its three games at home in the first round against the Minnesota Wild.
The Jets have won 12 consecutive home games, but their last loss at Bell MTS Place was 6-5 against the Predators on Feb. 27.
"I can't remember that far back," Bonino said. "I'm sure we played a solid road game. It's a really fun arena to play in. They've got the white-out going, they're loud. It's always fun to play in front of fans like that. It's just like Nashville, it's a loud arena with passionate fans."
The Predators went 1-0-1 on the road against the Jets in the regular season and are 16-3-4 in their past 23 road games, including the first round against the Avalanche.

"Our guys show up and compete," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "They play hard. I think there's good leadership in the room. There's always been good leadership in the room. I think that's probably a good start to it, just making sure that you're doing the right things on the road like you do at home."
Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne is 4-1-1 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in six career games at Bell MTS Place.