For the first time in the NHL playoffs, the Nashville Predators face elimination in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, but they may have one more trick left up their sleeves – home ice advantage.
On Sunday night, Bridgestone arena will be electrified once again. Tens of thousands of Preds fans are expected downtown, both in the arena and outside on the plaza and Lower Broad.
It’s that energy the team has drawn from so often throughout the last few weeks.
Willy Daunic calls play-by-play for the team. He as well as anyone knows like a good power play, there's still hope.
“[A 6-0 loss] is hard, but it's only one loss and you have to put it behind you,” says Duanic.
The sentiment is shared all across Nashville.
“They're coming home Sunday… they'll be okay,” says Cindy Tomlinson at the Preds pro store.
At the store it’s hard to tell that the team is on the brink of elimination.
“You just put it behind, it's water under the bridge,” says Tomlinson. “We're going forward from here. It's a seven game series.”
The boys in blue and gold, still have this city's trust.
For all the gloom and doom on sports talk shows Friday, the Predators players remain upbeat. They know as bad as Thursday night’s 6-0 loss was, it's just one game.
"It's June 9 and we're still playing hockey. It's not over yet,” says defenseman Yannick Weber.
The Predators have history on their side for Game 6. They have a 7-0 record all-time in the playoffs at Bridgestone Arena when planning in close-out games. They’re 4-0 when they have a chance to clinch a series, and 3-0 when facing elimination.