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Richardson’s OT goal gives Coyotes series win over Predators

coyotes predators richardson

EDMONTON, ALBERTA - AUGUST 07: Brad Richardson #15 of the Arizona Coyotes shoots the puck past Juuse Saros #74 of the Nashville Predators for a game winning overtime goal at 5:27 in Game Four of the Western Conference Qualification Round prior to the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place on August 07, 2020 in Edmonton, Alberta. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)

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Brad Richardson’s goal 5:27 into overtime gave the Coyotes a 4-3 win Friday, sending Nashville out of the Stanley Cup Qualifying Round in four games.

The series win is Arizona’s first since 2012 when they beat the Predators in five games to advance in the Second Round.

As they’ve done in the series, the Predators dug holes that led to opportunities for Arizona. Continued mistakes in the defensive zone not only hindered their ability to create scoring chances (won by the Coyotes 27-26 at 5-on-5), but led to goals against.

On Arizona’s first goal, Craig Smith’s pass to Kyle Turris in order to exit their zone led to a turnover that ended up on Michael Grabner’s stick. The forward then wristed a shot over Juuse Saros’ glove for his second goal of the series.

[NBC 2020 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF HUB]

Phil Kessel slapped home Arizona’s second tally thanks to a poor pass from Saros to Roman Josi.

The Predators didn’t go down without a fight. Matt Duchene and Viktor Arvidsson tied the game in the second with goals four minutes apart. Jordan Oesterle looked to have put the Coyotes ahead for good, but a fantastic combination between Ryan Ellis and Filip Forsberg forced overtime with 31.9 seconds left.

Extra hockey didn’t last long with Richardson’s putting home his own rebound on the doorstep.

Darcy Kuemper (.954 even strength save percentage in the series) was once again solid in net for the Coyotes. He made 49 saves in Game 4, the third time in the series he’s had to stop 40-plus shots.

Arizona will face either the Avalanche or Golden Knights in the First Round, which will begin next week.

(6) Nashville Predators vs. (11) Arizona Coyotes (ARZ wins series 3-1)

Sunday, Aug. 2: Coyotes 4, Predators 3 (recap)
Tuesday, Aug. 4: Predators 4, Coyotes 2 (recap)
Wednesday, Aug. 5: Coyotes 4, Predators 1 (recap)
Friday, Aug. 7: Coyotes 4, Predators 3 (OT)

MORE:
2020 NHL Stanley Cup Qualifiers schedule

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.