Predators Use Fast Start, Strong Finish to Crush the Coyotes

The Nashville Predators traveled to Phoenix to take on a struggling Arizona Coyotes team. While the Coyotes have struggled so far this season, this was a team that the Predators could not take lightly. The Coyotes desperately needed a win and they would like nothing more than to secure one against the Predators who had beaten them in a shootout earlier this year in Nashville.

Pekka Rinne was in net for the Predators while Mike Smith was between the pipes for the Coyotes.

Antoine Vermette opened the scoring for the Coyotes on the power play at 4:11 of the first period. Vermette was alone in the high slot and beat Rinne, who was screened on the play.

Once again, the Predators found themselves in a hole to open the game. They would need to respond and get momentum back on their side.

They did just that in a big way.

Mike Fisher answered on a Predators power play as he redirected a pass from Shea Weber past Smith at 6:57.

What on earth is going on here!? We CAN score on the power play.

The Predators scored just as their second power play expired as James Neal was crashing the net and was able to redirect the rebound of a Mike Fisher shot past Smith at 11:06 of the first period.

The Predators made it 3-1 at 18:30 of the first period as James Neal drove into the zone and through the Coyotes defense. His drive to the net made Smith come out to respect the shot. Instead, Neal found Ryan Ellis alone at the side of the net. Neal slid a pass to Ellis, who tapped it into a wide open net.

Response delivered.

The second period was scoreless, but the Predators used their speed to create some scoring chances. On the defensive end, the Predators did a good job of disrupting the Coyotes offense.

Calle Jarnkrok made it 4-1 at 2:33 of the third period by battling in front of the net for a loose puck. Jarnkrok managed to get his stick on the puck and poke it past Smith in a maze of bodies around the crease.

Olli Jokinen made it 5-1 when a pass from Colin Wilson deflected off Jokinen's skate and between the pads of Smith at 7:20 of the third. This was Jokinen's second goal of the season.

That was it for the scoring and the Predators pocketed their second win on this three game road trip by the 5-1 margin.

Some observations:

• Derek Roy returned to the line up after missing 4 games due to injury.
• A power play goal!! Mike Fisher finally notched one for the Predators off assists from Shea Weber and Filip Forsberg. this was Fisher's first goal since returning to action.
• I really like the hustle and effort of Colin Wilson. He was physical and flying all over the ice tonight. If there is an example of a player responding to a new voice in the room, it is Wilson.
• Roman Josi is quietly emerging as an elite defenseman. He can be physical if necessary, but his real strengths are his puck handling and playmaking ability. He is a perfect compliment to his defense partner Shea Weber.
• Calle Jarnkrok has also elevated his game recently. He has shown strength on the puck and a willingness to battle as was evidenced by his goal tonight. I think Jarnkrok has a lot of upside in his game and it is good to see him playing a strong game in all zones.
• The Coyotes came into this game having lost their last 7 games on home ice. Facing a fragile team, the Predators did just what they needed to do- get pucks on net and make Smith scramble. The response after the Coyotes opened the scoring was perfect: pressure Smith and make him move and they were rewarded for their efforts.
• The Coyotes travails on home ice point out the necessity of defending home ice. How good is it that the Predators have done just that this season? Defending home ice is critical to securing playoff position, and so far this season, the Predators have done just that.
• The Predators out shot the Coyotes 38-32. They also blocked 15 shots by the Coyotes.

This was a good road win by the Predators against a team they should have beaten. That they did so in such a convincing fashion is encouraging.

The Predators will have to continue to play a complete game. They will get a big test against the Sharks on Saturday night.

My three stars:

1. Mike Fisher

2. James Neal

3. Calle Jarnkrok

Big Brother Predators Bop Little Brother Blue Jackets 4-1

If you have ever had a little brother, you know how annoying they can be. They get in your stuff, they are a constant source of irritation, and occasionally, they can get the better of their big brother. Once big brother has had enough, they usually bop them rather forcefully and they are once again put in their place.

Tonight at the Bridgestone Arena, the little brother Blue Jackets were irritating for a period, taking a 1-0 lead over the Predators going into intermission. The BJ's scored on the first shot of the game, as R.J. Umberger tipped in a shot from the point by Marc Methot. The Predators defense was caught flat footed and left Umberger alone in front of the net, and he was able to re-direct the shot past Nashville's Pekka Rinne just 37 seconds into the contest.

After the first intermission, big brother woke up and started to exert their will over the BJ's. I would suspect that Head Parent  Coach Barry Trotz had a few choice words for his charges when he took them to their room. Whatever was said, it worked, as the Predators started to dominate the contest.

Shea Weber tied the game with a blast from the point with Nick Spaling and Jerred Smithson screening in front of Jackets goaltender Steve Mason. Mason never saw the shot until it hit the back of the net at 2:59 of the second.

The Predators continued to put pressure on the BJ's in the offensive zone, and their effort was rewarded at 6:09 of the second as Nick Spaling was able to find a puck at the side of the crease and knock home a rebound of a Weber shot from the point. Mason was able to make the initial save, but could not control the rebound. Taking a page from Patric Hornqvist's book, Spaling fought into the hard area at the net and was able to slap home the rebound past an out of position Mason.

Hornqvist was not going to let Spaling have all the fun at the net, as he lifted a puck over the shoulder of Mason while being knocked to the ice. Hornqvist's goal came on the power play at 16:50 of the second with Fedor Tytutin in the box for holding. This goal showed the strength of Hornqvist, as he was being hit and knocked to the ice. He still had the strength and ability to lift the puck and find the back of the net.

With a 3-1 lead going into the third period, everyone knew that the pesky little brother Jackets would come out pressing, and it was going to be important for the Predators to answer. They thwarted several BJ scoring chances with some strong goaltending from Rinne and solid defense in front of him. The Predators rarely gave up a secondary scoring chance and did a good job of slowing the BJ rush through the neutral zone.

The Predators iced the win as Colin Wilson ripped a shot from just inside the face off circle. The shot beat Mason, and it  hit the crossbar and appeared to go in. The officials did not rule it a goal, but Sergei Kostitsyn was crashing the net and tapped the puck into an open crease while it was lying on the ice in the blue paint at 5:53 of the period.

The Predators spent the remainder of the game throttling the BJ's offensive effort and notched their second win in three contests against little brother Columbus.

For the contest, Rinne stopped 19 of 20 shots.

This victory kept Columbus winless in Nashville since April of 2006.

This win was not without a price, however. The Predators lost Cal O'Reilly mid-way of the third period with a broken fibula. Once again, the injury bug has bitten the Predators hard.

After a first period that found the Predators on their heels for the most, they came out and played solid, Predator hockey for the next two periods. They shot the puck and challenged Mason, and when he has to move side to side and track pucks through traffic, he is average. Tonight, the Predators offense made him look average.

More importantly, the Predators aggressive forecheck and solid defense in the neutral zone and in the defensive zone limited the Jackets offense. The Jackets top line of Rick Nash ( 1 SOG), Derick Brassard (1 SOG), and Antoine Vermette (3 SOG), were limited to 5 shots on goal and were held in check all night by the Predators. This is the key to any Predators win, moreso against the Jackets.

The Predators will now embark on a west coast swing, and it is going to be essential that they bring this kind of effort every night. This is a team that is built for the grind of the regular season, built for the wars that are the Western Conference contests.

Skate like this, shoot the puck and crash the net, and play solid defense, and you will continue to play the role of big brother.

My three stars:

1. Shea Weber

2. Nick Spaling

3. Pekka Rinne