How Predators beat Canucks in NHL playoffs Game 5 with Alex Carrier's unlikely career moment

VANCOUVER — With the Nashville Predators tied 1-1 in the third period against the Vancouver Canucks in Game 5, they needed a goal to keep their season alive.

With all the goal scorers on this Predators team, you'd expect someone like Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly, or Roman Josi to be the one to do it.

Instead, Alex Carrier — with only 10 career goals to his name, none of them in the playoffs — stepped up to the blue line and fired in the go-ahead goal.

It was a huge moment for the Predators - who held on to win 2-1, forcing the best-of-7 series to Game 6 on Friday at Bridgestone Arena - but an even bigger moment for Carrier.

"I was really happy for him," coach Andrew Brunette said after the win. "He's a heart-and-soul kid. Highly competitive."

Incidentally, the goal wasn't the first notable moment for Carrier in this series. During the Predators' third-period collapse in Game 1, it was Carrier's misplay that led to Dakota Joshua's go ahead-goal. The next day, Brunette chalked up the mistake to "rust" but seemed confident he would recover later in the series.

Then on Tuesday, Carrier scores the biggest goal of his life, keeping the Predators' season alive.

"It was nice to see him get rewarded with a big time moment and a big time play," Brunette said.

Alex Carrier, Roman Josi react to go ahead goal in Game 5

After the game, Carrier was quick to credit teammate Gustav Nyquist for help with the goal.

"It was great pass from (Nyquist) going low to high," Carrier said. "I just saw traffic. Took it to the middle and shot it."

Nyquist, who collected the puck after a near scoring chance on the back side of the Vancouver net, kept the play alive along the boards. He sent the puck immediately on to the tape of Carrier's stick, allowing him to launch the shot toward the Canucks' net.

As for the shot itself, what it lacked in power, it gained in accuracy. A screen in front of the net by Ryan O'Reilly prevented goalie Arturs Silovs from seeing the puck.

Carrier said that after the game, fellow defenseman Roman Josi ribbed him about the lack of power on the shot.

"(Josi) said it was the hardest shot he'd seen in his life," Carrier said, joking. "I'm just happy it went in."

Josi added: "It was a great shot, I think it was like 69 miles an hour maybe."

The Nashville Predators will return home to play in Game 6 against the Vancouver Canucks on Friday. A game time has yet to be announced.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Predators beat Canucks in NHL playoffs with Alex Carrier's goal