NASHVILLE, Tenn. _ Despite being on the road, where the Blues have found great comfort in the last couple of months and particularly in the playoffs, the Blues could not find any at Bridgestone Arena.
Nashville won 3-1 in Game 3, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series on an afternoon when the Blues weren't nearly competitive enough, according to Mike Yeo.
"We scored one goal tonight and fact of the matter is, we weren't even competitive," Yeo said. "We obviously have to be way better. We had to make a couple of changes personnel-wise for the next game and look at the tape and see what we can do differently a little bit better than tonight because it wasn't good enough."
Game 4 is Tuesday in Nashville at 8:45 p.m.
The response to the team's victory in Game 2 was committing four more minors before the game was out of reach and losing the faceoff battle 62-38 percent, which created more possession time for the Predators, who in turn outshot the Blues, 34-23.
The Blues' only goal of the game went in off Alexander Steen's glove on the Blues' first shot of the second period with 7:01 left in the period. They were being terribly outplayed at that point, but somehow found themselves trailing just 2-1 with 27 minutes still to play.
However, with 5:49 left in regulation, Nashville defenseman Roman Josi gave the Predators a 3-1 lead, two-goal cushion that they wouldn't relinquish while sending the Blues to their first road loss of the playoffs.
"It's a hard-fought game," Steen said. "It's their home barn, they came out hard in the first. I think as the game progressed, we got to our game a little bit more. We had some good scoring chances and the game's at 2-1 and then get hemmed in a little bit and ends up costing us that third goal, which is tough."
The Blues saw what staying disciplined did for the bottom line in Game 2, taking just one penalty and winning 3-2 to even the series. But that outcome somehow didn't impress the benefits of good behavior in Game 3 Sunday.
The Blues were whistled for three penalties in the first period, and though Nashville didn't pick up any power-play goals, the Predators scored twice shortly after their man-advantages expired.
Ryan Reaves took the first 8:01 into the game, an elbowing penalty that the Blues killed off. But three seconds after Reaves exited the box, Nashville's Ryan Ellis buried his third goal of the postseason for a 1-0 lead with 9:26 remaining in the period.
So for third time in three games in the series, the Predators had the game's first goal.
The Blues lost Paul Stastny for the final six minutes of the first period after an apparent _ and while he came back _ it took a while for their offense to return.
The Blues were leading 8-4 in shots at the time of Reaves' penalty, but then went nearly 11 minutes with a shot on goal before getting two at the end of the first period.
Already playing four on four late in the period, Patrik Berglund put the club in more danger with a high-sticking penalty at the 20-minute mark that gave the Predators a four-on-three power play to start the second, but the penalty-killing unit did its part.
However, 29 seconds after Nashville's power play expired, fourth-liner scored his third-ever postseason goal for a 2-0 lead. The Predators carried possession into the zone, where Colton Sissons' shot was redirected by McLeod. Allen made the save, but McLeod banked the rebound off his pads and in.
"Again, it's the consecutive penalties, we're getting ourselves into trouble," Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo said. "We've got to continue to make sure we keep it five on five and take away those opportunities."
Nashville had the first 15 shots of the second period for a run of 21-2, and for a stretch of 9:30 the Blues didn't register a shot of any kind until Vladimir Tarasenko had one blocked with 10:51 left in the middle frame.
It would make sense then that the Blues' first shot of the period _ off a glove, no less _ would finally find the back of the net.
Pietrangelo ripped a blast that brushed off Steen's left mitt and sneaked inside the far post for a 2-1 deficit 7:01 left in the period.
But in the third period, after a potential game-tying shot by Blues defenseman Robert Bortuzzo hit the post early in the period, Nashville picked up the goal from Josi and held on.
"It's two tough teams," Steen said. "We knew it was going to be a tough series and up until this point it hasn't disappointed."
