NHL playoffs 2017: Kelly Clarkson sings national anthem before Game 4 (Video)

The Nashville Predators are pulling out all the stops in the NHL Playoffs, as Kelly Clarkson sang the national anthem before Game 4. 

Nashville is a city well known for its music. It might be the most influential city in America in terms of the music industry. So when the Nashville Predators made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history, they made sure to bring out all the singers. Before Game 4, Kelly Clarkson sang a beautiful rendition of the national anthem.

There might have been some better choices, but you can’t go wrong with Clarkson. The former American Idol winner from season 1 is among the most popular musical artists in the world. She’s also one of the most popular winners from the show.

Nashville has been very aggressive in winning the national anthem game, using Lady Antebellum before Game 3. They just set the bar high with Clarkson. But if there’s a city who can outdo someone like her, it’s probably Nashville. Maybe they’ll have Garth Brooks out there for game 6 (if it’s needed).

Entering Thursday’s game, the Predators have a 2-1 series lead over the Anaheim Ducks. They have yet to lose at home this postseason with a 6-0 record entering Game 4. Thanks to some outstanding play from Pekka Rinne, Nashville has overcome a lack of production from captain Mike Fisher and most of their forward lines.

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They’ve ridden their top forward line of Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg and James Neal quite a bit. Viktor Arvidsson has always been huge for them. But the Predators’ success is mostly due to Rinne and their defense. Head coach Peter Laviolette has his team playing at an impressive level. They find themselves just two wins shy of the first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in the franchise’s history.