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Series at a glance: Phoenix-Nashville playoff preview

Coyotes Predators

Schedule

All times Eastern; *if necessary

Game 1: Friday, April 27 at Phoenix, 9 p.m. (NBCSN, TSN)
Game 2: Sunday, April 29 at Phoenix, 8 p.m. (NBCSN, TSN)
Game 3: Wednesday, May 2 at Nashville, 9 p.m. (CNBC, TSN)
Game 4: Friday, May 4 at Nashville, 7:30 p.m (NBCSN, TSN)
Game 5: *Monday, May 7 at Phoenix, TBD
Game 6: *Wednesday, May 9 at Nashville, TBD
Game 7: *Friday, May 11 at Phoenix, TBD

Three storylines to follow

1. The goaltending. Much like St. Louis-Los Angeles, this series will focus heavily on the men between the pipes. Vezina nominee Pekka Rinne was outstanding for Nashville in the opening round, stopping 151 of Detroit’s 160 shots on goal -- good for a .944 save percentage. Phoenix’s Mike Smith was equally outstanding against Chicago, finishing with a .950 save percentage and 1.81 GAA.

2. Uncharted waters. This will be Nashville’s second-ever trip beyond the opening playoff round, the first coming last year. Phoenix, meanwhile, has never made it past the first round since moving from Winnipeg in 1996.

3. Balanced scoring. Rather than rely on a few prolific scorers, both teams lean on a series of players to put pucks in the net (Phoenix had nine players score 11 goals or more this season, Nashville had 10. ) This approach served both well in the opening round as two unlikely scorers emerged: Gabriel Bourque led Nashville with three goals in five games while Antonie Vermette and Gilbert Brule combined to score six in six -- this after the pair notched eight goals total during the regular season.

Records (reg. season)

No. 3 Phoenix: 42-27-13, 97 points (1st in Pacific Division) | No. 4 Nashville: 48-26-8, 104 points (2nd in Central Division)

Leading playoff scorers

Phoenix: Antoine Vermette (4G-1A-5PTS), Keith Yandle (0G-5A-5PTS) | Nashville: Alexander Radulov (1G-4A-5PTS)

Starting goalies

Phoenix: Mike Smith (4-2, 1.81 GAA) | Nashville: Pekka Rinne (4-1, 1.81 GAA)

Head-to-head

Season series tied 2-2

Oct 13: Phoenix 5, at Nashville 2
Nov. 3: Nashville 3, at Phoenix 0
Dec. 6: Phoenix 3, at Nashville 2
Mar. 12: Nashville 5, at Phoenix 4, SO

Playoff history

First meeting

2012 playoffs

Phoenix: Def. Chicago 4-2 (WC quarters) | Nashville: Def. Detroit 4-1 (WC quarters)

2011 playoffs

Phoenix: Lost to Detroit 4-0 (WC quarters) | Nashville: Def. Anaheim 4-2 (WC quarters); lost to Vancouver 4-2 (WC semis)

Stanley Cups

Phoenix: None | Nashville: None

Injuries

Phoenix: Michal Rozsival (face), Raffi Torres (suspension), Kurt Sauer (concussion) | Nashville: Hal Gill (lower body) |

Poll

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