NASHVILLE, Tenn. _ The St. Louis Blues managed only one goal for the second consecutive game, so they have little to complain about in terms of not winning Game 4 against Nashville on Tuesday, but they weren't happy with a turn of events that triggered the Nashville Predators' 2-1 victory.
There was extracurricular activity throughout the game between members of the fourth lines, but when it happened with 15 minutes, 49 seconds left in regulation, the penalties handed out were not what many except the Bridgestone Arena crowd expected.
The sequence resulted with the Blues' Joel Edmundson and Ryan Reaves, along with Nashville's Cody McLeod, being assessed roughing penalties, and on the ensuing power play Ryan Ellis broke open the scoring. The Predators added a goal by James Neal with 6:57 to play, and that stood as the game-winner after Edmundson scored with 3:49 to go.
The game finished close, but with Nashville's victory, the Western Conference semifinal series no longer is, as the Preds built a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, which now heads back to Scottrade Center for Game 5 on Friday.
"If we keep putting that effort forward," said Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo, who felt the game was a step forward from their performance in Game 3, "we'll get a better result."
"It's a seven-game series," Reaves said. "We're obviously in a little bit of a hole _ we're in one, I guess _ but we're definitely not out of it. We've got to win three in a row, which we've done throughout the season."
The Blues felt the game turned on the Nashville power play after Edmundson and Reaves were sent off.
"Surprised, disappointed, I think it's a terrible call," Reaves said. "I disagree with it 100 percent. There's 10 guys all grabbing one guy and you pick one extra on one team in a crucial part of the game in a big series ... I think it's bad judgment."
Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo said he didn't get an explanation on why there was an extra penalty on the Blues.
"First time I've ever seen the ref not let the captain even talk to him," Pietrangelo said. "I'm pretty sure that's what the C's for. The league can deal with him. ... Not a great call."
Kay Whitmore, the league supervisor for the series, declined to comment, calling it a judgment call.
The Blues outshot Nashville 33-25 but have just two goals in their last two games. Meanwhile, the Predators continued to get more offense from their defense Tuesday, with Ellis scoring the fifth of the series by a blueliner Tuesday. He also has a seven-game point streak.
The Blues went 0-for-2 on the power play in Game 4, and that doesn't tell the story of shooting themselves in the foot in the third period. They were trailing 1-0 on Ellis' goal when they went on the man-advantage with 10:35 left in regulation and took a penalty for too many men on the ice, nullifying the power play.
Moments later, David Perron turned a puck over to Neal, who roofed a shot past goalie Jake Allen for a 2-0 lead with 6:57 remaining in regulation. Edmundson's goal let the Blues avoid their second shutout of the playoffs, but it couldn't help them avoid the loss.
A series that had seen 16 goals scored in the first three games went to the third period scoreless.
It was the goaltending duel between Allen and Nashville's Pekka Rinne _ the top two netminders through the first round _ that was expected at the start of the series.
There were 33 shots through two periods and not an abundance of scoring chances, but Allen and Rinne more than managed the ones they saw.
Nashville's Viktor Arvidsson scored 31 goals in the regular season and netted two in the Predators' first-round sweep of Chicago, but he was still looking for his first against the Blues. And after a team-high five shots through two periods, Arvidsson was still looking for it, as Allen was showing flashbacks to Game 1 of the Minnesota series.
There were plenty to pick from Tuesday, but a toe save on Neal early in the third period took the cake and took a goal away from the Predators.
It would take a power play to put one past Allen and the sequence that led to Nashville's man-advantage four minutes into the third period left much room for criticism from Blues' fans.
A tussle in front of the Nashville bench that began between Edmundson and McLeod eventually put two Blues, including Reaves, and one Predator in the penalty box.
That would turn out to be an extremely important call because 58 seconds into the power play, Ellis broke open the game with the game's first goal.
Nashville's Filip Forsberg put the puck on net, and Allen kept it out initially. But Ellis pounced on the loose puck and scored for the third straight game in the series.
The Blues played the Predators evenly through two periods.
The visitors lost forward Alexander Steen briefly in the first period, after he blocked a shot. Steen, who continues to participate in games but not practice because of a lower-body injury, may have taken the shot in the injured area. But he returned a short time later and didn't show any effects, so that was a good sign for the club.
But the top takeaway for the Blues in the first period was not giving up a goal, marking the first time in this series Nashville did not come away with one in the opening 20 minutes. The club didn't control the early part of the game like it had in the first three games, but nonetheless, they gladly accepted a scoreless game at the first intermission.
The shots were 9-7 in favor of the Blues in the period, with the two best scoring chances coming back-to-back from Vladimir Tarasenko nine minutes into the game. But Rinne turned aside the pair from Tarasenko.
The Blues kept battling through the third period, but were outscored 2-1 in the frame.
