How the Predators beat the Ducks 6-3 in Game 6

FINAL

Filip Forsberg and Austin Watson score empty net goals to clinch Nashville's first ever trip to the Stanley Cup Final.

Lots to unpack on this one, but the Predators pulled out two wins with a depleted roster. That's huge. That's gritty. That's incredible.

The next round starts a week from tonight. They'll play the Penguins or the Senators. See you there.

THIRD PERIOD

Colton. Sissons. Hat. Trick.

Predators lead 4-3 and the game is winding down. There was a delayed reaction with the hats because the arena never announced that the goal was changed from Aberg to Sissons.

Previously...

Roman Josi sends the puck over the glass and the Predators go to the penalty kill for dealy of game.

Cam Fowler scores. Game 6 is tied 3-3. Corey Perry ran into Rinne and knocked him down, but on the ensuing coaches challenge the refs deemed that Rinne had enough time to reset after the initial contact.

A Forsberg shot completely surprised Bernier. He flinched and dropped his stick.

Nashville finally got some shots, and they go through Bernier. Colton Sissons gives the Predators a 3-1 lead. Bedlam in Bridgestone. Pontus Aberg was credited in house, but it sure loks like Sissons on the replay.

But don't breathe just yet, as Chris Wagner scores for the Ducks to give them back a one-goal hole. Thirteen minutes left in the period.

Peter Laviolette is having his team go with a 1-3-1 trap in the neutral to try and slow the Ducks down. That says he's more concerned with disruption than with scoring, so we'll see how this plays out.

Anaheim had two good scoring chances to start the third. Picking up where they left off. Pekka Rinne is playing very, very well.

SECOND INTERMISSION

I'll go ahead and repeat my main point after the first period: the result outweighs the process but that doesn't mean the process doesn't matter.

Rinne was the only reason Nashville is not behind by a goal right now. The Ducks, for the most part, completely owned that period. They are trying to win this in regulation.

The injuries the Predators have are becoming much more prevalent than they were on Saturday. Can they escape this game the way they are playing? Again, any shot on Bernier is a good one, but they need more than eight.

SECOND PERIOD

The Predators are relying on Rinne this period way too much. This whole period has been Anaheim peppering him with shots, and the Preds spitting the puck out of the zone if it gets blocked or stopped. Nashville needs this period to end.

Nashville kills the penalty again. Just about four minutes left in the second period.

Miikka Salomaki now goes to the box for boarding. Nashville had been starting to get their shooting stick on, and now have to go back to the penalty kill.

Unofficially, shot attempts are 17-4 in favor of Anaheim this period. Not great if Nashville wants to try keeping the score where it is. Total shots are 21-6. The Predators may just be trying to hang on and/or trying to catch Bernier sleeping.

Nashville kills off the penalty and the arena gets loud again.

Singing Austin Watson's praises and he takes a high sticking penalty. Anaheim to the power play.

The Ducks are on the board thanks to Ondrej Kase. An icing kept some tired Predators on the ice, and Anaheim took advantage. Kenny Albert on NBC Sports notes that since the Predators goal, the Ducks are out-shooting Nashville 9-2.

Yannick Weber broke up an Anaheim rush with his stick. Play seems to be more in front of Rinne to starts this period so far.

Austin Watson is blossoming before our eyes. He's been chipping in on offense when he needs to, even though he doesn't always need to. He's been a physical force and just blocked about three shots on his first shift of the 2nd period.

FIRST INTERMISSION

The Predators lead on the scoreboard even though the Ducks hold a 12-4 shot advantage.

This is a game where the process doesn't matter as long as the result is a win. However, Nashville should be wary of the amount of pucks Rinne sees since there is still so much game left to play.

Jonathan Bernier would not be a starting goalie on most NHL teams, so anything Nashville can get to him has a chance of going in. But they also want to play in front of him more than they did in that period. Especially if their power play isn't going to help them.

40 minutes left. The crowd is firmly behind the home team and the Ducks apparently want to take as many dumb penalties as they possibly can. The game is there for Nasvhille.

FIRST PERIOD

That was a tremendous waste of a major power play for Nashville. The Ducks held them without a shot for the entirety. It'll be the first place the narrative starts if the Ducks start to mount a comeback.

Nick Ritchie drilled Viktor Arvidsson from behind with a textbook dirty hit. The exact kind of hit the NHL is trying to get rid of. 

Ritchie was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

If Nashville had any nerves to start this one, they didn't show them. They are eating the Ducks alive right now, and Colton Sissons scores to give them a 2-0 lead. There's still a lot of time left, but if Nashville doesn't give Anaheim any room to breathe, it's going to be a fun night for those in gold.

P.K. Subban is going to the box for cross-checking. Ducks to the early power play.

And Ryan Kessler negated the power play with an interference penalty.

Before the game was two minutes old Austin Watson gave the Predators a 1-0 lead. Not long before that Pekka Rinne made an incredibly difficult save on Andrew Cogliano. This game is going to be nuts.

PREGAME

Mike Fisher is not on the ice for warmups, but Craig Smith is. Also, Jonathan Bernier leads the Ducks onto the ice, so he'll get his first playoff start.

And look who is in the building ready to cheer for his team: