Rick Tocchet expects boos to rain down when his Vancouver Canucks take the ice on Friday.

ThatB次元官网网址檚 exactly how it should be, the head coach said.

The Canucks will be in hostile territory as their first-round playoff series with the Predators shifts to Nashville for Game. Being the despised opponent is a role players should relish, Tocchet said.

B次元官网网址淚 love getting booed,B次元官网网址� the former NHL forward said. B次元官网网址淣ashvilleB次元官网网址檚 got great fans, they donB次元官网网址檛 throw stuff at you. Sometimes itB次元官网网址檚 nice to be the villain with somebody booing you. I think it brings out the best in certain guys. So use it to your advantage.B次元官网网址�

The Canucks head to Tennessee with the series tied at 1-1 after the Predators won Game 2 on Tuesday.

Vancouver took a pair of victories in Nashville during the regular season, but the atmosphere inside Bridgestone Arena is sure to be different come playoffs.

B次元官网网址淵ou know itB次元官网网址檚 going to be loud, you know theyB次元官网网址檙e going to be on top of you. TheyB次元官网网址檝e had some big playoff games here before,B次元官网网址� said forward Teddy Blueger.

B次元官网网址淲e expect it to be rowdy and loud. It could be challenging at times, but I think we need to embrace that, stick together and do a good job supporting one another.B次元官网网址�

The first five minutes of Game 3 will be key, Tocchet said. The coach wants his team to start with a smart game where they get a good hit or a good shot in while settling into the rhythm of play.

B次元官网网址淚f you look at the coachB次元官网网址檚 handbook, everything says simplify,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎nd if nothing exciting happens on your shift, thatB次元官网网址檚 OK. You donB次元官网网址檛 have to press the issue at the start.

B次元官网网址淎nd stay disciplined. Sometimes when the crowdB次元官网网址檚 loud, you tend to get over juiced and take penalties. So I think staying disciplined is a big key, too.B次元官网网址�

Frustration crept into VancouverB次元官网网址檚 play during Game 2 when the Canucks struggled to get shots on net. The home team had 84 shot attempts but saw the Predators block 33 of them and another 33 miss the net.

Elias Pettersson dropped to his knees in apparent disbelief late in the first period when he got a golden opportunity on a mostly empty net, only to see his shot skitter off the outside of the post.

The star centre bobbled pucks several times in Game 2 and failed to register a single shot on net.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 always my biggest critic and I take a lot of blame for this (loss),B次元官网网址� he said afterward.

Part of the struggles come from Pettersson experiencing his first real playoff series, Tocchet said.

The 25-year-old forward played during VancouverB次元官网网址檚 post-season run in 2020, but the games took place in the Edmonton bubble, away from the noise B次元官网网址� and eyes B次元官网网址� of a live crowd.

B次元官网网址�(PetterssonB次元官网网址檚) a young kid. This is his first taste of pressure playoff thing,B次元官网网址� Tocchet said after Game 2.

B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 got to learn. HeB次元官网网址檚 got to dust himself off and be ready for Game 3. HeB次元官网网址檚 got to be decisive with the puck. HeB次元官网网址檚 got to take it. But I think heB次元官网网址檒l be fine. This is good for him, a good learning lesson.B次元官网网址�

The way to deal with frustration in the playoffs is to stay level-headed, said Blueger, a veteran of 26 playoff games who won the Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights last year.

B次元官网网址淚n these environments where the crowd is going nuts, especially on the road, itB次元官网网址檚 easy to let the emotions get the best of you. And I think once that happens, you lose your game and itB次元官网网址檚 hard to play at your best,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淪o I think itB次元官网网址檚 just retaining your composure and staying focused on the task at hand. YouB次元官网网址檝e just got to focus on your next shift and then build momentum and create chances.B次元官网网址�

If the group can weather the challenge of a tough road matchup, it will be an experience they can lean on going forward, Blueger added.

B次元官网网址淚 think sometimes that can kind of galvanize the group and bring us closer together, just because everyoneB次元官网网址檚 rooting against us and on top of us and things like that,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淲hen you have success in an environment like that, I think that kind of bands everyone closer together.B次元官网网址�

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