Predators not worried about Game 1 loss to Jets

NASHVILLE -- There was no worry in the Nashville Predators dressing room Friday, no matter the 4-1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets in Game 1 of the Western Conference Second Round.

"That's probably the best I've felt after being minus-3 in a game," defenseman P.K. Subban said. "I'll take it and move forward."
Across the room, center Ryan Johansen already had plans for Saturday that didn't include stewing about a home-ice loss, despite the Predators having outshot the Jets 48-19.
WATCH: [All Jets vs. Predators Game 1 highlights | Complete series coverage]
"I'm looking forward to hanging out with my dogs (on a) nice day, maybe take them to the park, then get back to work," Johansen said.
Game 2 of the best-of-7 series is here Sunday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, TVAS).
This was a record-breaking night for each team.
The Predators' fourth shot of the third period was their 39th of the game, the most ever surrendered by the Jets in a 60-minute playoff game. Nashville's 20 first-period shots established its high for one period in the postseason.
Everyone in the Predators room after the game was talking about a performance that showed them dominant in shots, face-offs (66 percent won) and hits (29-22). No one was stressed about being on the short end of the only statistic that truly mattered.

"We're an upbeat group in here," said Subban, who played a game-high 28:24 and had five of the 48 shots on Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck. "If I'm being honest, that's the best game we've played probably in the playoffs and maybe one of our best of the year. The bounces didn't go our way. That's one we're OK (with). We'll all sleep well tonight and we'll be ready to go back at it on Sunday. There's no question how well we played tonight."
The loss wasn't a case, Subban said, of the Predators failing to take advantage of their opportunities.
"It's not even about being opportunistic. I don't think that's how you win championships in professional sports," he said. "You play the right way, and I think we played the right way tonight. We were fast, we were strong, we cycled the puck, we got pucks to the net. We did a lot of things. We hit, we hit early, I think we were first on a lot of pucks.
"For us right now, there's a few things we have to clean up. A couple of mistakes cost us, but bounces are going to happen in a hockey game, that's just the way it is. We'll be ready to go on Sunday. Let's do that for the rest of the series, we're going to be a happy bunch at the end of it."
Captain Roman Josi said the Predators "did a pretty good job of shooting the puck. We had a lot of zone time trying to create chances."
Indeed, the Predators directed 87 shots at Hellebuyck, with 26 blocked and another 13 missing the target.
"They played well," Josi said. "They have some big (defensemen), some big players. They protect the net pretty good … they played well defensively, and the goalie played well. I thought we started well, we had a good first period and kind of followed it up. The pucks just have to go in."
Johansen, already having shrugged off the result, said the Predators "can't let frustration creep in. You've just got to focus on your next shift. There's a lot of things that go on in a best-of-7 series. We'll look at the positives, the things we can do better, and move on from here. ... We have a smart group. We know how to handle situations, especially this one."
Forward Austin Watson, whose seven points (four goals, three assists) lead the Predators, was in the lineup after having missed Nashville's two practices before Game 1 with an undisclosed injury. But he played 4:09 in the first period before leaving for the night. His status should be updated Saturday.

Defenseman Ryan Ellis had a scare in the third period when he was nicked in the face by Winnipeg defenseman Ben Chiarot's skate. He left the ice bleeding but returned to the game soon after, appearing in the dressing room afterward with stitches in his left cheek.
Predators coach Peter Laviolette took just a little comfort from the confidence flowing from his players about a splendid performance that, at night's end, simply hadn't been rewarded.
"I think you can hang your hat on that sometimes in the regular season when you're talking about a process and a long haul and a big picture," he said. "But right now, if you give me two choices on where to be -- our game or their win -- I'd take the win. It's about winning hockey games right now. We'll look at it and try to get better."