Series Even at 2 as Predators Outworked and Outplayed in 4-1 Loss

The Nashville Predators returned to Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday with a 2-0 lead and control of their series with the Anaheim Ducks.

By Thursday night, they had pissed it away.

For the second straight game, the Predators were outworked, lost puck battles, and were stymied in all aspects of their game by the Ducks, losing 4-1 and making it a 3 game series with the Ducks in total control.

The Predators gave up the slot all night and the Ducks took advantage. Ryan Getzlaf, Nate Thompson, Jamie McGinn, and Andrew Cogliano all scored from prime scoring areas as the Predators defense hung Pekka Rinne out to dry.

Frederick Andersen had a busier night than Tuesday, but turned away all but a close in scoring chance from Mike Fisher.

Some observations:

• The Predators have been outworked all over the ice in these last 2 games. The Ducks have made a commitment to forecheck aggressively and attack the puck, and the Predators look completely confused and helpless against the pressure by the Ducks. It is not like they haven't seen this before, but the Predators have been totally inept in handling the pressure.
• Speaking of inept, the power play was 0-6. The Predators have only 1 power play goal in 19 attempts in this series. I know the Ducks have the top rated penalty kill, but the Predators have looked particularly bad. If, and that is a big if, they get in the zone, the Ducks have done a good job of attacking the puck and taking away shooting lanes. It doesn't help the Predators that they usually fail to get net front presence and take away the eyes of Andersen. This unit has to get going or it will continue to bite the Predators in the butt.
• The failure to keep the Ducks out of the slot is disappointing and it will cost the Predators this series. Where the Predators can't get to the slot, the Ducks, by contrast, have had free rein from in close. This has to get cleaned up quickly or the series will be over in 6.
• Mike Ribeiro has been awful. A non-factor in this series, he has contributed nothing to the play of the team in any zone. This is not a time to be a passenger, but Ribeiro has been nothing but excess baggage. 
• At least the Predators broke their scoring drought. Until Fisher's goal, the Predators had not scored a goal in 5 periods.
• The Ducks have the number one power play in the League, and the Predators penalty killers have played their tails off. They killed off all 5 Ducks power plays tonight.

Let's face it, the Ducks have exerted their will on the Predators, and the good guys haven't matched the intensity and effort of their opponent.

Unless they do, this series is over in 6 games.

The next test comes Saturday in Anaheim. We will find out what kind of character this team has.

Hopefully, it will be a positive response.

My three stars:

1. Frederick Andersen

2. Nate Thompson

3. Mike Fisher

Predators Play Smart Hockey in 3-2 Victory Over the Ducks

The Nashville Predators looked to take a 2-0 lead in their first round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks. The Predators held a 1-0 lead after a 3-2 win in their first game at the Duck Pond...uh...Honda Center.

The Predators knew that the Ducks were going to come out with great intensity and fire as they tried to even the series. They also knew the Ducks would goon it up to take the Predators off their game.

The Predators refused to engage the Ducks in their style of play, instead playing smart hockey in capturing a stellar road win by a 3-2 margin.

Andrew Coglianio staked the Ducks to a 1-0 lead when he blocked a shot a came in on a breakaway and beat Rinne 5 hole to give the Ducks a 1-0 advantage.

That goal was answered by Mattias Ekholm in the last minute of the first period as he beat John Gibson with a beautiful backhand from the slot. 

Craig Smith and Shea Weber added second period goals to give the Predators a 3-1 lead.

Nate Thompson scored with 2:27 to make it 3-2 and increase the heart rate and pucker factor Predators fans everywhere.

With Gibson pulled for the extra attacker, the Predators defenders did their job, thwarting any quality scoring attempts by the Ducks and secured the 3-2 victory.

Some observations:

• You can see why the Ducks have the number one penalty kill. They attack the puck and do a very good hob of clearing lanes in front of their goalie. The Predators are going to have to do a much better job of getting motion and moving the puck if they are going to be successful in this series.
• HUGE save in the first period by Rinne. Mattias Ekholm had the puck stripped from him behind the net by Jakob Silfverberg and he fed Ryan Kessler coming down the slot alone. That save was vintage Rinne and is the kind of save that can get into the heads of the Ducks.
• Matty Ek! Ekholm pinched down low, cruised into the slot, and lifted a beauty of a backhand past Gibson to tie the game with less than a minute to go in the first period. Ekholm has quietly emerged as a solid defender that has some surprising offensive pop. His goal was Forsberg-esque and something you don't expect to see from a blue liner. 
• The Ducks are a very talented team, but it is in their DNA to be a goon squad. The Predators showed great discipline in not being drawn into the thuggery that the Ducks were trying to foment.
• How great is it to have an asset like Roman Josi on your blue line. His speed and vision on the ice make him such a dangerous playmaker. He used those assets to help set up the goal by Craig Smith to give the Predators a lead in the second period.
• Speaking of Smith, his work to find a soft spot in the defense was excellent and his shot was a perfectly placed rocket inside the post for his first goal of the playoffs. The Predators need the Honey Badger to contribute and he is off to a good start.
• What a rocket by Shea Weber. He just kept pounding away on the point on the power play. Gibson had a clean look, but the Captain just blew a bullet past him for the team's third goal.
• Full marks to the defense for collapsing in front of Rinne and clearing the front of the net. The Ducks made an intentional effort to run Rinne and crowd him, especially in the third period. The D did a good job of cleaning up rebounds and getting the puck out of danger.
• For the first time in franchise history, the Predators have won the first two games of a playoff series.
• The Predators showed superb discipline in not engaging the Ducks in their goonish style of play. Yet the Predators were the more cleanly physical team, pounding the Ducks with hard and clean hits all night. This is a side of the Predators that is fun to watch and I believe has surprised the Ducks.
• Absolutely stellar defense by the Predators in the third period. Everyone knew the Ducks would be pressing to get back into the game, and the Predators limited the Quack Attack to just 5 shots in the third period.
• Shea Weber had 27:36 TOI, followed by Roman Josi with 25:47.

This was a quality win by the Predators. They refused to engage in the thuggish play of Anaheim's goons and instead were physical and solid in all zones. Playing disciplined hockey, while the Ducks are running around after the whistle, will continue to frustrate the Ducks and set the Predators up for more success.

This series isn't won, but the Predators have seen the formula to capture it.

Now to bring it home and close it out.

My three stars:

1. Craig Smith

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Shea Weber

Ducks Defeat The Predators 3-2 in a SO

The Nashville Predators faced off against the Anaheim Ducks at the Bridgestone Arena in a contest of two teams that were evenly matched in personnel and on the scoreboard.

How evenly matched?

Once again, the two teams went to a shootout, and once again the Ducks came out with the win by a 3-2 score.

Although the Predators dropped this game, there were numerous positives. The Predators out shot the Ducks 34-22 and controlled the game for long stretches of time. Pekka Rinne had another solid game. The offense created some great scoring chances.

But once again a couple of breakdowns cost the Predators the victory.

The Predators were facing one of the hottest goalies in the NHL in Viktor Fasth, who was 8-0 coming into the contest, and they challenged him throughout the game. Fasth continued his strong play, making some excellent saves against the Predators.

The Predators opened the scoring at 13:31of the first period as David Legwand gathered in a rebound of a Jonathan Blum shot and jammed the puck five hole on Fasth from the top of the crease. Legwand had 6 shots on net and was a +2 along with his goal for the night. It is good to finally see Legwand get involved with the offense, as the Predators are going to need production from him.

The Ducks only had 6 shots in the first period, but most of them were from the low slot as the Predators defensive coverage broke down. The Ducks made the Predators pay for their lapses as Matt Belesky was left alone in the low slot and he rifled a shot past Rinne to tie the game at 17:31 of the first period.

The Predators would regain the lead at 9:31 of the second period as Shea Weber would notch his first goal of the year off a wrist shot from the blue line. The puck appeared to hit a Duck defender and re-directed past Fasth to give the Predators a 2-1 lead.

The Ducks tied the game at 16:08 of the second period as Kyle Palmieri took a shot that was re-directed by Patrick Maroon, who was left alone at the front of the net.

Marty Erat had a great scoring chance as he got the puck alone in the low slot but was stopped by Fasth to keep the game tied.

The third period was scoreless, but not for lack of effort by the Predators. They outshot the Ducks 9-5 and had some good chances but could not finish.

After a scoreless overtime, the game went to a shootout.

The Ducks got scores from Nick Bonino in the first round, while David Legwand was stopped by Fasth.

Rinne  stopped Andrew Cogliano in the second round while Craig Smith scored on the backhand off a sweet move.

Corey Perry scored in the third round, and Gabriel Bourque had the puck roll off his stick to give the Ducks the win.

Some observations:

• The line of Nick Spaling, Craig Smith, and Matt Halischuk was dynamic. Although they did not get on the scoresheet, they showed lots of jump and created some good scoring chances. The speed of this line presented problems for the Ducks all night. I especially liked the nose for the net that this line showed, and Craig Smith showed some good flashes of offense.

• Marty Erat needs to get his game untracked. Marty had two shots on goal and a great scoring chance that he could not finish. He has the talent to be a more effective scorer and the Predators need him to elevate his game.

• This was the best game of the season for David Legwand. He went to the net, created some space and scoring opportunities, and shot the puck. This is the kind of effort that Legwand needs to bring every night.

• The defense had a couple of breakdowns, and it cost the Predators. The first period saw the Predators leave Duck forwards alone in the low slot, and Rinne had to make some quality saves before Belesky finally got one past him. Overall, the effort was solid, limiting the potent Ducks offense, but the miscues were costly.

The Predators offense has shown some jump and has been getting the puck on net. The quality of chances tonight were very good. The Predators need this effort and mentality every night.

They just need to finish some of those chances.

With the shootout loss, Nashville is 7-3-5 and 19 points. They are 4th in the West and second in the Central Division.

The point is important. More important for the Predators is to build on this offensive effort that has been demonstrated the past few games.

Do that, and the points will come.

My three stars:

1. Viktor Fasth

2. Shea Weber

3. David Legwand

Predators Eclispse Edmonton 3-1

The Nashville Predators defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 in a game that at times featured surgical precision by the Predators, at times was workmanlike, and at times was frankly tedious. With the win, the Predators ran their record to 39-25-10 and are tied with Los Angeles for 5th with 88 points.

The Predators opened the scoring at 4:08 of the first period as Joel Ward drew the defense and Edmonton netminder Devan Dubnyk to him as he drove the net. Ward slipped a beautiful pass to Martin Erat who buried a shot into the open net to put the Predators up 1-0.

That score was significant for the Predators because in their previous losses to the Oilers they had poured shots on the Edmonton net but had not been able to solve Dubnyk. Scoring first lifted the onus of not scoring off the Predators and built their confidence. They now knew they could score against Dubnyk, and more importantly, put the struggling Oilers in an early hole.

The Predators continued to pressure the Oilers, and with Kurtis Foster in the box for tripping, made them pay on the power play. Patric Hornqvist took a nice drop pass from Sergei Kostitsyn and banged a puck off the post and into the net at 7:40 of the first period to give the Predators a 2-0 lead.

The Predators played an excellent first period of hockey, firing 15 shots at Dubnyk, while Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne was hardly tested as the Oilers were only able to muster 5 shots on goal.

In the second period, the Oilers came out with more jump and controlled the puck on the cycle for lengthy stretches in the period. The Predators defense did a good job of keeping the Oilers to the perimeter and rarely allowing good scoring chances, but the Oilers were controlling the puck. For Predator fans, there was concern about the lack of offensive push.

That would change at 13:00 of the second as David Legwand took a stretch pass from Ryan Suter and drove the low slot. Legwand lifted a backhand that beat Dubnyk high glove side to give the Predators a 3-0 lead on their first shot of the second period.

Edmonton cut the deficit to 3-1 on the power play. Sergei Kostitsyn took a lazy tripping penalty at 8:45 of the second. Andrew Cogliano fired a shot from the low slot that Rinne kicked out with his right pad, but the rebound came right to Jordan Eberle who buried the shot at 9:38.

In the second period, the Oilers outshot the Predators 7 to 5, with each team able to tally a goal. Although the Predators had a 2 goal lead, it was going to be important to come out and control play in the third period and capture the victory and the all important 2 points.

The Predators did just that. Edmonton did not record their first shot on goal until there was only 3:23 remaining in the period. The Predators defense forced the Oilers to the outside and did not give them any quality chances.

When the Oilers did generate chances late in the period, Rinne was sharp. The save of the night came when Rinne made an outstanding glove save on a follow up shot by Tom Gilbert from the low slot.

The Predators outshot the Oilers 10-8 in the period, and most of the shots the Oilers created were with the extra attacker late in the period.

This was a big win for the Predators because this was a game they should have won and because the Oilers have vexed the Predators this season. These are the types of games that can be a mental test, but the Predators were equal to the task.

The level of competition is going to get tougher for the Predators with Anaheim, Dallas, and Vancouver coming to town in the next three games. There are areas that the Predators will need to improve upon, notably puck management. Nevertheless, this is a win the Predators can savor.

With the upcoming games and the tight playoff race, it is going to be important for the Predators to be focused, mentally tough, and physically ready to compete. This is a team that seems to have reclaimed their mojo, and they are going to have to bring it in the next three games.

Your fate is in your hands, boys. Seize the opportunity.

My three stars:

1. David Legwand

2. Martin Erat

3. Pekka Rinne

Predators Slide Past the Oilers in a SO 3-2

The Nashville Predators continued their lengthy road trip with a stop in frigid Edmonton, and for moments in the game, it looked as if the Predators had a brain freeze in their defensive zone. The Predators prevailed over the Oilers 3-2 in a shootout, but it was a game that shouldn't have been this close and yet was a game the Predators nearly threw away.

There is no doubt that the Oilers have some very fine young talent on their squad, and these young players at times show flashes of excellence. At the same time, the Predators made the likes of Taylor Hall and Linus Omark look very good.

The Predators opened the scoring at 11:53 of the first period as Alexander Sulzer was on the ice after spending two minutes of shame in the sin bin for holding. Cody Franson got an outlet pass to Sergei Kostitsyn, who drove hard to the net. Sulzer jumped in the play on the rush and was the beneficiary of a nice pass from Kostitsyn as he tipped a backhand past Edmonton netminder Devan Dubnyk. Congratulations on your first first NHL goal, Mr. Sulzer.

After a scoreless second period, the third period became more frenetic and the Predators once again demonstrated a frustrating inability to put away a team.

The Oilers tied the game at 2:03 of the third period as Liam Reddox made Cody Franson look like a pylon at the blue line. Franson got trapped in no man's land as he neither played the puck nor took the body and Reddox easily chipped the puck off the boards and past Franson. Shane O'Brien had Andrew Cogliano on the off side of the ice, but left his man to pick up Reddox. Reddox had an easy pass to make to Cogliano, who beat Pekka Rinne with the game tying goal.

Three players broke down on this play, and it cost the Predators. Franson was beat at the blue line; O'Brien overplayed the puck; and the forward coming back, Patric Hornqvist, was late getting in on the play. On unfortunate set of breakdowns and now we have a tie game and new life and energy for the Oil.

The Predators would regain the lead on the power play as Joel Ward was battling in front of the net and was able to tip in a shot from Alexander Sulzer at 14:05.

2-1 Predators and just under six minutes to go in the game. Lock this one down and skate away with the win.

Uh, what part of "lock this one down" did we not understand?

The Oilers would tie the game at 16:13 a Dustin Penner dug a puck off the boards and slipped it to Taylor Hall. Hall is dangerous, but when he breaks in on the goaltender alone, he is nearly unstoppable. That is what the Predators allowed- Hall breaking in on Rinne. Alone. Hall roofed a shot to the top corner to tie the game at 2.


The game remained scoreless for the the rest of regulation time, and the Predators and Oilers were heading to overtime.

Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne was outstanding in this game, and I cannot fault him for the two goals allowed. Rinne made some outstanding saves to keep the Oil off the board. The two goals allowed in regulation were off of a 2 on 1 breakaway and a breakaway goal.

Rinne would make his most amazing save in the OT period, however. Amazing because he didn't touch the puck, yet managed to keep it out of his net. Let me tell you how we got there.

The Predators would have an abbreviated power play of 1:14 going into OT. The Predators could not capitalize on their man advantage, so they figured they would see if the Oilers could score with the man advantage.

Ryan Suter was called for tripping at 1:21 of OT, and the Oil did a good job of buzzing the Predators net and generating some scoring chances. In a scramble around the net, Rinne dropped his stick, but continues to battle and try to locate the puck. The Oilers put a shot on net that got past Rinne and appeared to be going in the net at the far side post.

Remember that dropped goalie stick? Guess where it was laying. On the ice, just inside the far side post. The puck hit the stick and deflected out. For the Oilers, the puck tantalizingly lay on the goal line before spinning harmlessly away. For Predator fans, there was a massive and collective sigh of relief.

No scoring in overtime and we were heading to the shootout, where Rinne has been dominant. Tonight was no different.

The Oil elected to shoot first , and phenom Linus Omark was the first shooter. Omark approached with speed, tried to deke Rinne, who said O-No-You-Don't-Mark, as he poked the puck away from the rookie. Marcel Goc was stopped by Dubnyk, and the teams were tied after one round.

Rinne stopped Edmonton's second shooter, Sam Gagne.

The second shooter for the Predators was an exciting forward....wait...what? A defenseman? Cody Franson?!

Sure enough, Cody Franson came over the boards to take the second shot for the Predators, and he buried a quick snap shot over the glove hand of Dubnyk. Franson looked incredibly poised in his first attempt at the shootout and also made the coaching staff look like geniuses for sending him out.

Rinne stopped Taylor Hall and the Predators had a hard fought victory. Frankly, harder than it should have been.

Focusing on the positives, the Predators continued to pile up the points, and these two points were important and were going to be difficult to capture. As stated earlier, this is an Oilers team that has good young talent, and they are going to be dangerous in a few years. This was a team that the Predators could have overlooked if they just looked at records. They almost did. Operative word: almost.

The Predators now stand at 27-15-6 and have 60 points. They are currently second in the Central Division, behind Detroit, who has 64 points. The Predators are in 4th place in the West, 2 points ahead of Anaheim.

The Predators have now captured 6 of the possible 8 points on this road trip. They play in Calgary tomorrow night.

Bring your "A" game boys and you want have to slide by the Flames

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Alexander Sulzer

3. Cody Franson











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