Predators Use High Energy First Period to Defeat the Hurricanes

The Nashville Predators opened their season with a dominant first period highlighted by goals from Craig Smith and Viktor Arvidsson to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in front of a sellout crowd at Bridgestone Arena.

Eric Staal scored the Canes lone goal at 18:20 of the third period when his shot toward the net caromed off the skate of Shea Weber and into the net.

Pekka Rinne was solid and made some good saves, stopping 25 of 26 shots. Cam Ward took the loss for the Hurricanes as he stopped 23 of 25 shots.

The Predators out skated and out worked the Hurricanes in the first period, dominating offensive zone time and shots, out shooting the visitors 14-5.

With the Predators on the power play, Craig Smith took a slap pass from Ryan Ellis and redirected the puck between the pads of Ward for a 1-0 lead.

Viktor Arvidsson went to the front of the net and deflected a shot from Seth Jones for his first NHL goal and a 2-0 Predators lead.

The Predators got some push back from the Canes in the second and third period as Carolina started to control the puck and pinned the Predators in the defensive zone for long stretches at a time. Rinne made some good saves to keep Carolina off the board until the deflected Stall shot late in the third period.

Some observations:

• Viktor Arvidsson went to the hard area in front of the net to get the deflection and his first goal. I really liked the way Arvidsson played, and although a smaller player, did not shy away from contact, was strong on the wall, and showed a willingness to go to the front of the net. And how about that celebration after his goal? I loved the enthusiasm and exuberance.
• Craig Smith played with his usual hustle and energy. He just looks more mature and confident on the ice. He scored the first goal tonight, and for you trivia fans, also scored the first goal of the season last year.
• Seth Jones had a strong game, picking up 2 assists. Last season, Jones did not have a multi assist game all year. Jones made some good decisions with the puck and was positionally sound in the defensive zone.
• What Barret Jackman brings to this team can be summarized in one play. A shot went to the net and Rinne was trying to cover the puck. Eric Staal was poking around for the puck when Jackman cleaned him out of the front of the net and pinned him to the ice. He was paired with Seth Jones and Jones seemed very comfortable with Jackman as his D partner. Jackman is not flashy, but he is solid and tough and takes care of the defensive end very well. He was a good pick up by David Poile in the off season.
• Pekka Rinne is looking like his usual solid self. Good glove, great positioning, and amazing reflexes. He did a good job of thwarting the Canes when they were pressing in the last 40 minutes, and this team is going to need that kind of play from him this season.
• I have to say that the eye test shows this team has lots of talent and speed. The eye test also reveals that this team cannot let off the gas, because good teams will make the Predators pay for not playing for a full 60 minutes. The Hurricanes out shot the Predators 21-11 over the final 40 minutes, a trend that cannot continue throughout the season.
• The Predators are 4-1-1 in their last 6 home openers.
• Shea Weber led the Predators in TOI with 23:07, showing no ill effects after off season surgery
• Roman Josi led the team with 5 blocked shots.

The Predators showed flashes of how good they can be in this opener. There is lots of talent on this team. Now they need to put it together for 60 minutes.

My three stars:

1. Viktor Arvidsson

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Seth Jones

Predators Storm Back With 3 Third Period Goals to Defeat the Hurricanes 3-2

Fresh off two tough road games against Western Conference opponents, the Nashville Predators returned to Bridgestone Arena to face Eastern Conference foe Carolina Hurricanes.

Although the Hurricanes defeated the Predators in early December by a 2-1 margin, they have struggled to string together wins.

On paper, it should be a fairly easy contest for the Predators.

Well...

The Hurricanes played an excellent road game and challenged the Predators throughout the contest before the Predators turned it on in the third period to capture a 3-2 win.

A lethargic first period by the Predators saw them fall behind 1-0 as Eric Staal banged home a puck from the top of the crease with the Canes on the power play.

The score could have been worse but for Pekka Rinne making some good saves, including one with his back to the ice and flicking his leg out to catch the puck behind his knee off a shot from Nathan Gerbe.

The Predators had more jump in the second period but could not get a puck past Hurricanes netminder Cam Ward, who looked rock solid through two periods. The game had all the makings of a hot goalie stealing a game from the Predators.

That changed in the third period when Ryan Ellis drove down the wing and put a shot on net. Ward looked to have the post, but somehow the shot snuck through and trickled over the goal line to tie the game at 1.

That lead was short lived as Justin Faulk fired a shot through traffic with the Canes on another power play. That shot eluded Rinne and went just inside the post to give the Canes a 2-1 lead.

Mike Fisher tied the game at 2 when he was able to slap a puck past Ward from the slot.

The Predators got the game winner from Roman Josi as he blasted a puck from the face off circle over the shoulder of Ward at 15:17 of the third period.

Some observations:

• I really liked the play of Gabriel Bourque and Viktor Stalberg tonight. Both players had jump, played with speed, and were aggressive in the offensive zone. Stalberg picked up two assists tonight with the primary assist on both the goal from Ellis and Josi. 
• Filip Forsberg picked up an assist tonight to give him 38 points on the season, which is a rookie record for the Predators. He broke the previous record of 37 points set by Alexander Radulov.
• Roman Josi has 7 points (3G-4A) in his last 6 games.
• The Hurricanes played an excellent game and disrupted the Predators offensive flow with an aggressive forecheck. Once in the zone, the Canes worked hard to keep the Predators to the outside and away from the net. Full marks to the Predators for battling through and capturing the win and a critical two points. For a while, it just looked as if it was not going to be the Predators night, but they kept coming and got the win. That is the mark of a team playing at a championship level.
• The Predators still have not lost back to back games this season.
• The Predators PK struggled tonight, giving up 2 power play goals on 3 chances for the Hurricanes. Once again, the Predators power play failed to connect on home ice, going 0-2.
• The Predators were woeful in the face off circle, going 29 for 65 for 44%.
• The Predators are 15-2-1 on home ice this season. They are 17-4-4 in one goal games.
• I know Olli Jokinen brings a veteran presence to this team and contributes on the PK. That said, I think Olli is a liability on the second line, where he played much of the game with Mike Fisher and Colin Wilson. The Predators started to get their game going when the lines got juggled and Olli dropped down a line. Frankly, Olli doesn't have the speed and jam to play higher than the third line, and more reasonably belongs on the 4th line.
• One cannot overstate the contribution of Mike Fisher. He battles in front of the net, is strong on the puck, and is good in the face off circle. Fisher can score the timely goals that this team has to have. He lead all forwards tonight with 19:47 in TOI. Fisher has 10 points in his last 12 games (6G-4A), and the Predators have not lost a game when Fisher scores a goal (6-0).
• The Predators are now 26-9-4, and coupled with the loss by the Blackhawks now sit first in the Central Division with a 2 point lead over Chicago with 56 points.

This wasn't a pretty win by the Predators, but it was a good win, an important win in that the team escaped a trap game and collected two important points. It was a scrappy win, and sometimes you have to win games in that manner.

The Predators jump back into divisional play on Thursday against the Dallas Stars.

Time to bring it for this one.

My three stars:

1. Roman Josi

2. Mike Fisher

3. Eric Staal

Predators Blow the Game to the Hurricanes 4-3

The Nashville Predators, playing the second of back to back games, traveled to Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes. The Predators welcomed their newest member of the team Andrei Kostitsyn to the active roster and paired him on a line with David Legwand and Patric Hornqvist. The Predators other acquisition at the trade deadline, Paul Gaustad, was scratched with an upper body injury.

Anders Lindback got the start in net for the Predators, while Cam Ward was between the pipes for the Hurricanes.

Lindback was looking for goal support from the team in front of him, as the Predators had been outscored 19-9 in his previous starts this season. The Predators obliged Mr. Lindback at 2:42 of the first period as the line of Matt Halischuk, Gabriel Bourque, and Craig Smith went to work in the Hurricanes zone. Halischuk battled and got control of the puck behind the Canes net and flipped the puck out front. Bourque took several whacks at the puck and Ward could not control the rebound. The puck squirted out to Smith, who gathered it in and roofed it over the fallen Ward to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

The Canes began to press the attack, but Lindback made some good stops to hold the Canes off the board. The Predators were out shot in the first period 13-8, and the period ended with the Predators on the PK with David Legwand in the box for high sticking and a 1 minute carry over of the Canes power play at the start of the second period.

The Predators had nearly killed off the Legwand penalty to open the second period when they were called for too many men on the ice, giving the Canes a 6 second 5 on 3 power play. The Predators killed off the brief two man advantage, but now had to kill off another penalty. The Predators were flirting with trouble with these penalties, bur fortunately were able to kill them off.

The Canes tied the game at 1 at 5:17 of the second as the Predators failed to clear the zone and Jamie McBain launched a shot from the blue line that beat Lindback. The puck deflected off Hal Gill and although Lindback got a piece of the shot, but it ricocheted off his arm and into the back of the net for the equalizer.

The Predators offense was non-existent in the second period, going over 10 minutes without a shot on goal. The Canes had totally dominated the Predators with shots on goal and zone possession.  That changed at 12:31 of the period when Colin Wilson and Jordin Tootoo aggressively pursued the puck on the forecheck and forced a Carolina turnover. Wilson took a shot that hit Ward on the shoulder and caromed over, landing just outside the goal line. The puck had enough momentum to trickle over the goal line to give the Predators a 2-1 lead.

That lead was short lived as the Predators once again took another penalty. With Andrei Kostitsyn in the box for hooking, the Canes quickly scored on the power play as Jeff Skinner's shot bounced off Lindback and Eric Staal was able to gather the rebound and slam it into the open net to tie the game at 2 at 13:04 of the second. It took the Canes just 12 seconds on the power play to tie the game.

Once again, the Predators took another penalty as Shea Weber was in the box for hooking. and once again, the Canes made the Predators pay. With a scramble in front of Lindback, the puck was jammed past Lindback by Tim Brent to give the Canes a 3-2 lead at 17:24 of the second. The Predators had taken five penalties to none for the Canes, and their undisciplined play had cost them two goals.

The Predators played a horrific second period, mustering only 5 shots in the period to 13 for the Hurricanes. Their undisciplined play had cost them two different leads, and they were heading into the third trailing by one. It remained to be seen whether the Predators would come out and play their brand of hockey in the third period or if they would continue their lackluster play.

The Predators fell behind 4-2 as Bryan Allen came out of the box where he had been serving the Canes first penalty of the night and Eric Staal sent him in on a breakaway and he beat Lindback five hole at 1:28 of the third.

Gabriel Bourque answered the Canes score as he took a from behind the net from Jordin Tootoo and banged the puck past an out of position Ward from the low slot at 2:18 of the third.

The Predators play was markedly better in the third period, as they got shots on net and played with more energy, but could not solve Ward or the Canes strong forecheck and neutral zone defense. The final horn sounded and the Predators saw a game and two points they pissed away.

It is easy to say that this was an Eastern Conference opponent and it didn't matter that much if they lost the game. Bull hockey. This was two precious points the Predators threw away by their lackadaisical play in the second period. Trying to keep pace with their Western Conference opponents means that every point is dear, and to waste a game like this team did tonight is unacceptable and frustrating.

This team does not play again until Saturday, and I hope this loss burns for a few days.

The time to get back to playing Predator hockey starts Saturday.

My three stars:

1. Eric Staal

2. Gabriel Bourque

3. Jeff Skinner