Colton Sissons, Ryan Johansen, Eeli Tolvanen and Mikael Granlund all found the back of the net in the first period on Friday night as the Preds jumped out to a 4-0 lead just 6:57 into the contest. The first three of those tallies came in just 2:51, a franchise record for the fastest three goals from the start of a game.
But the Coyotes chipped away, and by the time the second stanza had concluded, Arizona trailed by a 4-3 count. In the final frame, the Coyotes got two more past Preds goaltender Connor Ingram to finish their season with a victory in their last game ever at Gila River Arena.
"It was a disappointing loss for us," Preds Captain Roman Josi said. "We came out strong in the first and then we just kind of sat back. We should have gone for that next goal and been more aggressive and played the same way, and we didn't do that. And that's how it works in the NHL - like, everything's good, but if you relax or sit back for a second the other team's going to make you pay, and they did tonight."
"It's mindset," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. "We knew coming in that this was an important game, and we didn't stay committed to what we needed to do for 60 minutes."
The Predators have seen a bit of everything over the past week to conclude the campaign, including an impressive comeback win over their first-round opponent in Colorado on Thursday, and Nashville will be taking the lessons learned over that time as they prepare to head back to Denver.
"We've kind of been in playoff mode for a long time now, and we've had a lot of emotional games, a lot of big games," Josi said. "The goal was always to make the playoffs. I'm proud of this team, how we've fought, how we've battled down the stretch. Every game was important. There were a lot of high-intensity games and high-emotion games. This loss is disappointing, but we've got to turn the page, get some rest here and get excited for playoffs."
The Preds will soon travel to Colorado in preparation of Game 1 against the Avalanche, which comes on Tuesday, to begin a series that is sure to have plenty of action and animosity from the start.
"They're an unreal team," Josi said of the Avalanche. "They're one of the best teams in the League this year. They're a really fast team with lots of skill, and we just played them. I think every game we played them this year were really tight, fast games. We'll do our homework the next couple of days and be ready for Tuesday."
