Home sweet home ice? For Vegas, maybe. Nashville, not so much lately.

The defending return home to their 鈥淔ortress鈥� on the Strip looking to avoid being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs after to Dallas. The Predators are back in 鈥淪mashville鈥� in that best-of-seven series.

Vegas went 9-3 at home on its title run last year. Nashville hasn鈥檛 won at home in the playoffs since 2021. The challenge for each team is the same: win Friday night and force a deciding Game 7 this weekend.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 something we鈥檙e certainly capable of,鈥� said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not this obstacle that we can鈥檛 do. It鈥檚 a home win, so let鈥檚 get after it.鈥�

CANUCKS at PREDATORS, Vancouver leads 3-2, 7 p.m. EDT (TNT)

The Predators have lost five in a row in the postseason at Bridgestone Arena dating to a first-round exit four years ago against Carolina. They blew a two-goal lead in the final three minutes of Game 4 this series, despite fans bringing and slinging catfish in the Music City hockey tradition.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got a great opportunity to win a big game at home here,鈥� first-year coach Andrew Brunette said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 kind of all I鈥檝e been looking at here.鈥�

The Canucks haven鈥檛 won a series away from the Edmonton bubble since their run to the final in 2011. This season, they won 23 of 41 games on the road. Vancouver is already just the third team in NHL playoff history to get wins from three different goaltenders in the same series: All-Star Thatcher Demko in Game 1 before going down with injury, backup Casey DeSmith in Game 3 before he was unexpectedly unavailable; and rookie Arturs Silovs winning his playoff debut in Game 4.

Nashville bounced back in Game 5, which forward Michael McCarron believes gives him and his teammates some momentum.

鈥淲e got to win to stay alive again,鈥� McCarron said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to need the same effort and the same mindset going into the game on Friday. I think keep the same mindset that we had last game I think will give us the best chance to win.鈥�

STARS at GOLDEN KNIGHTS, Dallas leads 3-2, 10 p.m. (TNT)

This has been a weird series, with the road team winning each of the first four games. in Dallas, then gave it right back with at T-Mobile Arena, around the league the most difficult place to play as a visitor.

Cassidy expects his team to lean on Stanley Cup-winning experience.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not the first adversity that this team has faced,鈥� said veteran defenseman Alec Martinez, who won it all last year and twice before with Los Angeles in 2012 and 鈥�14. 鈥淭o expect to win or get to a Stanley Cup Final or win a Stanley Cup and to not ever have your back against the wall, I think that鈥檚 probably fairly unrealistic. This is what playoffs are all about. Learn from this (Game 5) and go home and see what we鈥檙e made of.鈥�

One lesson: Cut down on undisciplined penalties. Vegas was whistled for four Wednesday night, and Dallas went 2 for 4 on the power play, including Jason Robertson鈥檚 game-winning goal.

鈥淲e let our emotions get the best of us in the second there, obviously penalty trouble,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e just got to handle the emotional side of it.鈥�

So, too, do the Stars from the perspective of not getting too ahead of themselves with Colorado waiting in the second round after rolling over Winnipeg. No team in the NHL had more road wins during the regular season than their 26, and Dallas already has at Vegas this series to draw from.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e the Stanley Cup champs from last year,鈥� longtime center Tyler Seguin said. 鈥淭hey won on that ice. It鈥檚 a hard place to play. The rink is loud. Play simple. Follow the thought process we鈥檝e had the last few games in there and see what happens.鈥�

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