Anaheim came into Game 3 with the momentum on their side, but needed a better start if they wanted a good shot at taking a lead in the series. If you were wondering what was going to happen with the Kesler vs Johansen thing, they were cross-checking each other off the faceoff, so there’s that.
While the Predators had quite a few dangerous scoring chances early in the first, Anaheim did a good job of keeping them outside. John Gibson also looked great from the opening faceoff. A guy who has had a lot of criticism directed his way these playoffs, Gibson has seemed to be able to shut out all the noise and came out ready to play to start Game 3.