Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Tuesday 23 May 2017

Predators reach 1st Stanley Cup Final, oust Ducks in 6 games

TERESA M. WALKER came the latest to handle
AP Sports Writer the honors. Former Tennes-
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — see Titans running back Ed-
Colton Sissons scored his die George waved the rally
third goal with 6:00 left, en- towel to crank up the fans.
suring the Nashville Preda- That didn’t even include
tors’ magical postseason the throngs packing the
now includes the fran- plaza outside the arena’s
chise’s first trip to the Stan- front doors and the park
ley Cup Final after elimi- across the street.
nating the Anaheim Ducks The Ducks, who came in
with a 6-3 win in Game 6 on 2-1 when facing elimina-
Monday night. tion this postseason, out-
The Predators, who’ve shot Nashville 6-2 to start
never won even a division the game trying to force
title in their 19-year history, this series back to Anaheim.
came in with the fewest But they had goalie Jona-
points of any team in these than Bernier making his first
playoffs. career playoff start with
Now they’ve swept the John Gibson scratched
West’s No. 1 seed in Chica- with a lower-body injury.
go, downed St. Louis in six in Gibson, who went out after
the second round and then the first period of Game 5,
the Pacific Division champ skated Monday morning
in six games. Peter Lavio- only to be scratched with
lette became the fourth Jhonas Enroth dressed as
coach to take three differ- Nashville Predators players including defenseman P.K. Subban, second from right, celebrate with Bernier’s backup.q
ent teams to the Final, and goalie Pekka Rinne, of Finland, left, after winning Game 6 of the Western Conference final against Watson’s third this postsea-
the first since the playoffs the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Monday, May 22, 2017, in Nashville, son deflected off the left
split into conference play Tenn. skate of Anaheim defense-
in 1994. Associated Press man Brandon Montour just
“It feels so good,” Sissons season when trailing by ond career goal — both in the Ducks trying to crash 81 seconds into the game.
said. “Listen to this crowd. multiple goals. this series — giving Anaheim the net every opportunity. Sissons skated on the top
Our fans are amazing, a But Sissons, who scored on a chance to tie the NHL re- He helped the Predators line with Ryan Johansen
great group of guys. We the third shot of the game, cord with a fifth rally when improve to 7-3 in one-goal out after needing season-
just believe in ourselves. scored twice in a wild third trailing by multiple goals. games. ending surgery on his left
That’s all it is.” period to give the Preda- Chris Wagner banked the Music City buzzed all day thigh and captain Mike
The Predators will play ei- tors a 3-2 lead at 3:00 and puck off Rinne’s head for a leading up to the puck Fisher scratched for a sec-
ther defending champion then 4-3 three minutes later. goal at 5:00 of the third to drop waiting for one of the ond straight game with an
Pittsburgh or Ottawa for Austin Watson scored on keep the Ducks close. biggest sports parties this upper-body injury.
the Stanley Cup. Game 1 is Nashville’s first shot and But this has been the best town has ever seen. Notes: Laviolette won the
Monday. had an empty-netter with postseason ever for Rinne, Superstar Garth Brooks Stanley Cup with Carolina
Anaheim lost in the confer- 1:34 to go. Filip Forsberg a three-time Vezina Tro- spoiled the usual mystery in 2006 and coached Phila-
ence finals for the second also had an empty-net phy finalist, a stretch rank- of who would sing the na- delphia to the Final in 2010.
time in three years. goal. ing among the NHL’s best. tional anthem with Twit- ... The Predators now have
Cam Fowler tied it up at Pekka Rinne made 38 saves And the 6-foot-5 Finn used ter hints hours before the clinched five of the six se-
3-3 at 8:52 of the third for to improve to 12-4. his big body to turn away game. Sure enough, his ries won in franchise history
Anaheim as the Ducks tried Ondrej Kase scored his sec- shot after shot even with wife Trisha Yearwood be- on home ice. This was their
to rally for the fifth time this third this postseason.q

Former NHL All-Star Bill White dies at 77

CHICAGO (AP) — Bill White, hawks’ blue line with Pat adding seven goals and 32 for the 1972 Summit Series
a former Chicago Black- Stapleton and helped the assists in 91 playoff appear- against the Soviet Union af-
hawks all-star defenseman team reach the playoffs in ances. ter Game 1, finishing with a
and a member of Cana- all seven of his seasons in “The Chicago Blackhawks series-best plus-7 defensive
da’s 1972 Summit Series Chicago. organization extends its rating while acting as a key
team, has died. He was 77. He appeared in six con- thoughts and heartfelt part of Canada’s penalty-
The Blackhawks an- secutive All-Star games condolences to Bill White’s killing unit.q
nounced White’s death between 1969 and 1974 family as we mourn his loss,”
Monday. and briefly served as head the team said. “He will be
White, a Toronto native, coach of the Blackhawks remembered as a lead- Chicago Blackhawks’ Rob
started his career with the for the final 46 games of the er, generous teammate Palmer [24] takes down
Los Angeles Kings in 1967 1976-77 season. and tough player to play Vancouver’s Andre Boudrias
before being traded to White finished his career against. His energetic style [7] as the Hawks’ Bill White (2)
Chicago during the 1969- with 50 goals, 215 assists helped the Blackhawks see controls the puck on Dec. 15,
70 season. and 495 penalty minutes great success during his 1974, in Chicago.
He formed an imposing in 604 NHL games with Los tenure with the team.” Associated Press
tandem on the Black- Angeles and Chicago, He joined Canada’s squad