Casey DeSmith makes 29 saves as the Canucks take 2-1 series lead over the Preds

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Backup goalie Casey DeSmith finally has his first postseason victory, and he helped the Vancouver Canucks take back home-ice advantage in the process.

DeSmith made 29 saves as the Canucks held off the Nashville Predators 2-1 Friday night for a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven series to open the NHL playoffs.

“It couldn’t come at a better time," DeSmith said of his first playoff victory. "I was really disappointed with how I played the other night. I thought the team played great the other night and didn’t get the result they deserved. And tonight I thought we really brought it. We earned that one. So it means a lot.”

This was DeSmith's second straight start and third all-time in the playoffs with Thatcher Demko out since the series opener with an injury. DeSmith gave up three goals on 15 shots as Vancouver lost Game 2.

“His demeanor is just great for that role,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said of DeSmith.

J.T. Miller had a power-play goal and an assist, and Brock Boeser's power-play goal wound up the game-winner. Quinn Hughes had two assists.

Game 4 is Sunday in Nashville.

Luke Evangelista helped Nashville avoid being shut out as he put a wrister top shelf with 3:12 remaining. Coach Andrew Brunette then took his timeout with 2:10 left and pulled goalie Juuse Saros. Nashville couldn't get the puck past DeSmith again.

Brunette said it was a fun game and credited the Canucks with defending well.

“Like I said, the whole series is going to be muddy,” Brunette said. "It’s going to be hard. And we still got to do a better job getting inside.”

The Canucks became the first team to win a playoff game with only 12 shots on goal since Pittsburgh beat Nashville in Game 1 of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final.

Vancouver went 2 for 3 on the power play and held Nashville scoreless on five advantages. The Predators are just 1 for 14 in this series on the power play. Brunette said they have to move the puck faster and work harder to get closer to the net against the Canucks' bigger defensemen.

Predators captain Roman Josi said they have to get more movement with the man advantage.

“Their box doesn’t move much, so I think we’ve got to get some movement and then just get some shots through, maybe get a dirty goal, a tip or just a rebound,” Josi said. "That’s definitely one thing we need to be better.

The Predators fell to 11-4 in Game 3s on home ice, and this was their second straight loss. They lost Game 3 when they were swept by Colorado in 2022.

When Jankowski failed to clear a puck on the penalty kill, Miller, who had 103 points in the regular season, scored his first goal this postseason at with 6:37 left for a 1-0 lead on their first shot on net.

Boeser put the Canucks up 2-0 with his power-play goal at 4:33, tipping he puck past Saros from in front off a pass from Miller.

The Canucks goalie also made a nice stop at the right post in the third on Cole Smith to preserve the shutout. He had help as the Canucks blocked 30 shots after Nashville matched a playoff franchise-record by blocking 30 shots in regulation to win Game 2.

“We had some big blocks tonight," Boeser said.

STASTNEY OUT

Nashville defenseman Spencer Stastney was boarded in the opening minutes by Canucks defenseman Dakota Johnson. The penalty originally announced as a major, then changed to a minor. Stastney returned then went to the locker room in the second period. He played 6:36.

The Predators didn't have an update postgame. Brunette said he didn't get an explanation for changing the penalty to a minor.

UP NEXT

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Nashville Predators head coach Andrew Brunette, second from left, talks to his players in a timeout during the third period against the Vancouver Canucks in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Friday, April 26, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. The Canucks won 2-1. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A worker skates a catfish off the ice before Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series between the Nashville Predators and the Vancouver Canucks, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Vancouver Canucks left wing Nils Hoglander (21) and Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan McDonagh (27) fight during the first period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Friday, April 26, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) lets a Vancouver Canucks shot on goal get past for a score during the first period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Friday, April 26, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Vancouver Canucks center Pius Suter (24) reaches for the puck past Nashville Predators defenseman Alexandre Carrier (45) during the first period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Friday, April 26, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nashville Predators defenseman Luke Schenn (2) fights with Vancouver Canucks right wing Conor Garland (8) and defenseman Nikita Zadorov (91) during the first period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Friday, April 26, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nashville Predators Luke Schenn (2), Michael McCarron (47) and Ryan McDonagh, right, fight with Vancouver Canucks center Dakota Joshua (81), J.T. Miller (9), Nikita Zadorov (91) and Conor Garland (8) during the first period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Friday, April 26, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Nashville Predators center Ryan O'Reilly (90) and defenseman Roman Josi (59) skate off the ice after the team 2-1 loss against the Vancouver Canucks in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Friday, April 26, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Vancouver Canucks center J.T. Miller (9) celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Nashville Predators, Friday, April 26, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Ian Cole (82) and goaltender Casey DeSmith (29) defend the goal against Nashville Predators center Ryan O'Reilly (90) and center Colton Sissons (10) during the third period in Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Friday, April 26, 2024, in Nashville, Tenn. The Canucks won 2-1. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hardline Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tried and failed in sudden action Wednesday to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, her long-shot effort swiftly and resoundingly rejected by Democrats and Republicans tired of the political chaos.

One of Donald Trump’s biggest supporters in Congress, Greene stood on the House floor and read a long list of “transgressions” she said Johnson had committed as speaker. Colleagues booed in protest.

Greene of Georgia criticized Johnson’s leadership as “pathetic, weak and unacceptable.”

No sooner than Greene triggered the vote on her motion to vacate the speaker from his office, the Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise countered by calling first for a vote to table it.

An overwhelming majority, 359-43, kept Johnson in his job, for now.

“As I’ve said from the beginning, and I’ve made clear here every day, I intend to do my job,” Johnson said afterward. “And I’ll let the chips fall where they may. In my view, that is leadership.”

It’s the second time in a matter of months that Republicans have worked to oust their own speaker, an unheard of level of party turmoil with a move rarely seen in U.S. history.

The tally shows the strengths but also the stark limits of Johnson's hold on the gavel, and the risks ahead for any Republican trying to lead the GOP in the Trump era. Without Democratic help, Johnson would have certainly faced a more dismal outcome.

All told 11 Republicans voted to proceed with Greene's effort, more than it took to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy last fall, a first in U.S. history. And the threat still lingers — any single lawmaker can call up the motion to vacate the speaker.

Johnson said he hoped it “is the end of the personality politics.”

As Greene pressed ahead with the snap vote despite pushback from Republicans at the highest levels, including Trump, GOP lawmakers filtered towards Johnson, giving him pats on the back and grasping his shoulder to assure him of their support.

The Georgia Republican had vowed weeks ago she would force a vote on the motion to vacate the Republican speaker if he dared to advance a foreign aid package for Ukraine, which was overwhelmingly approved late last month and signed into law.

But in recent days it seemed her effort had cooled, as she and Johnson met repeatedly for a potential resolution.

Johnson of Louisiana marched on, saying he had been willing to take the risk to approve the foreign aid, believing it was important for the U.S. to back Ukraine against Russia’s invasion and explaining he wanted to be on the “right side of history.”

In a highly unusual move, the speaker received a boost from Democrats led by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, whose leadership team had said it was time to “turn the page” on the GOP turmoil and vote to table Greene’s resolution — almost ensuring Johnson’s job is saved, for now.

“Our decision to stop Marjorie Taylor Greene from plunging the country into further chaos is rooted in our commitment to solve problems,” Jeffries said after the vote.

Trump had also weighed in after Johnson trekked to Mar-a-Lago last month for support, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee giving the speaker his nod of approval. And Trump’s hand-picked leader at the Republican National Committee urged House Republicans off the move.

Ahead of House voting, Trump said on social media, “I absolutely love Marjorie Taylor Greene,” but he said Republicans need to be fighting now to defeat Democrats in the November election. He urged Republicans to table Greene's motion.

“At some point, we may very well be, but this is not the time,” Trump said, to oust the speaker.

The move now poses its own political risks for Greene, a high-profile provocateur who has moved to the forefront of the party with her own massive following and proximity to Trump.

Greene was determined to force her colleagues to be on the record with their vote – putting them in the politically uncomfortable position of backing the speaker and seen as joining forces with Democrats to save him.

“I’m proud of what I did today,” Greene said afterward on the Capitol steps.

While reporters and camera crews crowded around Greene and ally Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a group of other Republicans gathered on the steps trying to shift the attention away from her and make their own views known.

Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., said of those trying to remove the speaker, “They’re pretty good at getting attention, but they have not been recognized for their ability to get things done."

He said if they keep pushing to oust the speaker, "I think you can expect more of the same: Failure.”

Reps. Carlos Giménez, a Florida Republican, said of Greene: “She doesn’t represent the Republican Party. I’m tired of of this being the face or the voice of the party and getting attention. That’s all she wants, is the attention.”

Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., called for Greene and Massie to be punished for their actions.

Had Democrats not taken the unusual move to help, the vote would most likely have ended differently for Johnson who holds one of the slimmest majorities in the House in modern times, with no votes to spare.

Last year, the House chamber was hurled into chaos when eight Republicans voted to remove McCarthy from the speaker’s office and Democrats declined to help save him.

Ousting McCarthy resulted in a nearly monthlong search for a new GOP leader, bringing the chamber to a standstill with an episode Republicans wanted to avoid ahead of the November election.

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Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Mary Clare Jalonick, Michelle Price and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., joined by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., speaks to reporters after she tried and failed to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, her long-shot effort swiftly and resoundingly rejected by Democrats and Republicans tired of the political chaos, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., joined by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., speaks to reporters after she tried and failed to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, her long-shot effort swiftly and resoundingly rejected by Democrats and Republicans tired of the political chaos, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., joined by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., speaks to reporters after she tried and failed to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, her long-shot effort swiftly and resoundingly rejected by Democrats and Republicans tired of the political chaos, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., joined by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., speaks to reporters after she tried and failed to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, her long-shot effort swiftly and resoundingly rejected by Democrats and Republicans tired of the political chaos, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks to reporters after she tried and failed to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, her long-shot effort swiftly and resoundingly rejected by Democrats and Republicans tired of the political chaos, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., joined by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., speaks to reporters after she tried and failed to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, her long-shot effort swiftly and resoundingly rejected by Democrats and Republicans tired of the political chaos, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., speaks to reporters after she tried and failed to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, her long-shot effort swiftly and resoundingly rejected by Democrats and Republicans tired of the political chaos, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., joined by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., speaks to reporters after she tried and failed to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, her long-shot effort swiftly and resoundingly rejected by Democrats and Republicans tired of the political chaos, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., leaves a meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, heads to a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Rep. Good has criticized Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., for continuing her push to oust Speaker Mike Johnson from his position. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., leaves a meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., whom she has vowed to remove from his leadership post, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference amid threats that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, is threatening to oust Johnson from his leadership post, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., leaves a meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., whom she has vowed to remove from his leadership post, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)