The Nashville Predators missed out on a big chance to take control of their first-round series with the Vancouver Canucks, falling 2-1 in Game 3 at Bridgestone Arena.

Here are three takeaways from Friday night's game:

Predators, Canucks combine for 24 penalty minutes

This game was a slugfest. It started when Dakota Joshua hit Spencer Stastney behind the net in the first period, drawing a major penalty. The penalty was downgraded to a minor, but that opened up more hits by both sides.

Stastney left the game briefly, returned for a few shifts, then missed the entire third period. The Predators eventually ruled him out of the game with an upper body injury.

The problem for the Predators was the timing of the penalties. It seemed like every time they had momentum going in the offensive zone, a quick play the other way would result in a penalty. That's what happened in the second period when Roman Josi was called for tripping Connor Garland, with Brock Boeser giving the Canucks a 2-0 lead on the ensuing power play.

And with so many penalties, special teams became a huge factor.

Nashville Predators' special teams hurt more than it helped

The Predators' power play was just not good enough Friday night. Not only did they not score, they generated only a handful of chances. At times they looked lost in the offensive zone, without any semblance of a strategy. On zone entries, they struggled to enter cleanly, allowing the Canucks plenty of time to pressure and dump the puck out.

The penalty kill wasn't much better. They allowed two power play goals, one to Boeser and one to J.T. Miller. More than once, the Predators had a chance to clear the puck, but the Canucks kept it in. That's exactly how Miller scored his goal — Mark Jankowski had a chance to dump the puck, but sent it right to a Vancouver attacker. Moments later, Miller scored.

Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi held in check by Canucks' defense

With the way the first two games of the series unfolded, even with the series tied 1-1, Predators coach Andrew Brunette knew his team would have to approach Game 3 with a different tactic. Canucks coach Rick Tocchet was pleased with the way his team played in the first two games, and looked for more of the same in Game 3.

The Canucks' defense rose to the occasion; the Predators' star players did not.

The list of players who could not get going is long. Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Ryan O'Reilly, Gustav Nyquist — all of them seemed hapless trying to get any quality looks on net. Vancouver's defense, led by Quinn Hughes, managed to keep most of the dangerous shots away from the Canucks net. Goaltender Casey DeSmith, filling in for injured Thatcher Demko, played well enough to pull out a win.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: 3 takeaways from Predators' NHL playoff Game 3 loss to Canucks