DeSmith makes 29 saves, Canucks edge Predators in Game 3

NASHVILLE -- Casey DeSmith made 29 saves for the Vancouver Canucks, who held on for a 2-1 win against the Nashville Predators in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round at Bridgestone Arena on Friday.

DeSmith, who earned his first career playoff victory, was making his second straight start in place of Thatcher Demko, who is week to week with an undisclosed injury. DeSmith allowed three goals on 15 shots in a 4-1 loss in Game 2 on Tuesday.

“That was a lot of fun,” DeSmith said. “Great atmosphere. The guys earned it. Every single person in this locker room buckled down in the third, played great the whole game. Power play, can’t say enough about that. That’s huge for us, two goals on the road. That’s the kind of stuff you need to win.”

J.T. Miller had a goal and an assist, and Quinn Hughes had two assists for the Canucks, who are the No. 1 seed from the Pacific Division.

“[DeSmith] was very important for us today,” Miller said. “These are going to be two hard road games for us. Obviously, to step in and come up with a performance like that, so timely, is really big for us. We always talk about how much confidence we have in him, and he showed us today."

Luke Evangelista scored, and Juuse Saros made 10 saves for the Predators, who are the first wild card from the West.

Vancouver leads the best-of-7 series 2-1. Game 4 will be here on Sunday.

“That’s the most [offensive zone] possession time we’ve had, the most shots, the most Grade A’s,” Evangelista said. “It all stems from the forecheck, good puck placement. We were able to spend a lot more time down there. Obviously, we had the momentum for most of that game, especially in the third there. If we keep playing like that we’ll be in a good spot.”

Miller gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead on a power play at 13:23 of the first period. Hughes passed the puck over to Miller above the left circle, and he beat Saros glove side with a wrist shot.

“I can’t say enough great things about [Miller],” Vancouver defenseman Ian Cole said. “He’s one of our emotional leaders. He’s one of our elite players that we have, and we’re fortunate to have a lot of them. He’s a guy that everyone looks to lead this team. He gets fiery. He is not afraid to say what’s on his mind, but everyone knows it comes from a place of wanting to win and pushing everyone.”

Brock Boeser made it 2-0 with another power-play goal at 4:33 of the second period. He redirected a centering pass from Miller five-hole on Saros.

Vancouver was 2-for-3 on the power play. Nashville was 0-for-5.

“The timing of that goal, that’s [Boeser],” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said. “... Obviously, the downhill shot by [Miller], we’ve seen that before. I think it’s huge for our team if our power play can find it.”

Evangelista cut it to 2-1 at 16:48 of the third period. He cut to the inside of the left circle after taking a pass from Jason Zucker and beat DeSmith glove side.

“They’re doing a good job of boxing out,” Nashville forward Filip Forsberg said. “I think playoff hockey is going to be more about battles and getting to the inside. I think that was kind of the message for them as well. I thought we did a great job of keeping them on the outside last game, and then tonight, obviously, we didn’t have to defend too much because we played mostly offense.”

NOTES: Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers returned to the lineup after missing Game 2 because of an illness. He finished with three blocked shots in 21:58 of ice time. … Predators defenseman Spencer Stastney left the game in the second period because of an upper-body injury.