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Nashville Predators vs. Winnipeg Jets: Game 5 prediction

By Bruin Belisle

NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 29: Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators stares down Patrik Laine #29 of the Winnipeg Jets in Game Two of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena on April 29, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Patrik Laine;Pekka Rinne
NASHVILLE, TN - APRIL 29: Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators stares down Patrik Laine #29 of the Winnipeg Jets in Game Two of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Bridgestone Arena on April 29, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Patrik Laine;Pekka Rinne /
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The Nashville Predators host the Winnipeg Jets for Game 5 on Saturday. Here’s what we know, and what to expect from the most important game in this series.

The players or coaches would never tell you this, but everyone in the Nashville Predators locker room knows one thing: The Predators are in a must-win situation tonight. They will not win a second straight game in Winnipeg.

Winnipeg led the league in home wins (32) this season and prior to Thursday’s game, had not lost at home since Feb. 27 (to the Predators). The Jets are too good and too healthy right now to drop another home game (maybe in these entire playoffs).

Nashville has no problem with this. It’s the top team in the Western Conference and it showed why in its Game 3 win in Winnipeg. Pekka Rinne was great, making big stops when his team needed to. The defense was what we expected to see out of Nashville. The game played out as close to what “on paper” would imply in this series. Rinne was himself on Thursday, doing unthinkable things like this:

Game 3 was the first game that the winning team did not score four or more goals in the process. That is an absolutely ridiculous stat when you think about the two Vezina Trophy candidates in goal for each team. Don’t expect the same from Game 4. Fully expect this to go back to a “High event” series.

Here are your Game 5 predictions:

Patrik Laine will score one, maybe two goals

Laine had not scored a goal in this series up until the last minute of Game 4. Now that he’s broken the seal, expect the flood gates to open. Laine will be back to his usual self with at least a goal on the night.

The first team to five goals will win

This series has been ridiculously exciting. It’s the perfect series to show your friend who isn’t really in to hockey. One game, he’ll be hooked. Two games, he’ll be showing up to your house in a Jets or Preds uniform. The scores in these games have been 4-1 Jets, 5-4 Predators, 7-4 Jets and 2-1 Preds. Game 4 was an outlier. Expect this to be another high-powered offensive performance.

The Jets will win Game 5

There is something special about this Jets team. The entire province of Manitoba is buzzing. The Jets will bounce back fom their home loss and win Game 5 by a score of 6-4, with goals from Laine, Tanev and Scheifele, among others. They will then turn their focus on closing this series out at home in Game 6.

Regardless of what happens, expect some incredible hockey. Game 6 takes place Saturday at 9:30 p.m. ET.

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