Each day through May 28, TheGameNashville.com will post the Top 10 moments of the Nashville Predators’ 2015-16 season. We encourage your feedback. Feel free to tweet us your reaction to @1025thegame.
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Let’s be honest. You already knew what the top moment of the 2015-16 Nashville Predators season would be the second this countdown started.
That said, who cares? It’s worth listening to and watching over and over again.
On May 5, Game 4 between the Preds and San Jose Sharks started. The Sharks led the series 2-1 and, with a win, would head home for Game 5 a single win away from the Western Conference Final. Put another way, the Preds would need to win three consecutive games in order to advance all while the Sharks would need to win just one.
The two teams traded goals until Brent Burns scored on the power play to put San Jose up 3-2 in the third period. The 17,188 inside Bridgestone Arena held their breath for nearly 10 minutes until James Neal bagged his fourth of the post-season in the closing minutes to force overtime.
Pekka Rinne made 25 saves in the overtime sessions alone, giving his team every opportunity to win. The Predators also received two power play opportunities in the extra sessions but were unable to convert.
“Sometimes you start feeling like you’re snake bitten,” Colton Sissons told the Radio Network after the game. “You feel like maybe next game you’ll get better bounces. But Peks made huge stops when he had to.”
Over halfway through the third overtime — at the tail end of what was essentially a double-header — Mike Fisher took an innocent Mattias Ekholm shot from the point and ended the longest game in franchise history.
How incredible was the moment? The radio call by Pete Weber and Brent Peterson has been listened to over 38,000 times.
“When we went out through the Lexus Lounge, I had never seen fans going crazy like that,” Fisher said. “That, to me, showed the fans were so into it, the city was in it and the city was behind us. It was a really special feeling.”
At 1:03am on May 6 — the day after the game started — Nashville got a moment it won’t soon forget. Relive it over and over again by clicking “play” below and keep in mind that it’ll be a long time before the planets align for a similar jubilant moment.
Thank you for following along with the countdown. If you missed any of it, you can click on each installment below. Also, please note that there were a handful of moments that just missed the cut. There will be an “Honorable Mention” post with those moments soon.
Miss any of the previous moments?
CLICK HERE :: #10
CLICK HERE :: #9
CLICK HERE :: #8
CLICK HERE :: #7
CLICK HERE :: #6
CLICK HERE :: #5
CLICK HERE :: #4
CLICK HERE :: #3
CLICK HERE :: #2