Predators Embarrassed By the Ducks 5-2

In a prime time battle between the top two teams in the NHL, the Nashville Predators proved one thing.

They are not ready for prime time.*

The Anaheim Ducks came into the Bridgestone Arena and owned the Predators, winning most every puck battle and dominating the Predators on the way to a 5-2 win.

The Ducks led 4-0 on two goals by Jakob Silfverberg, the first of which came off a horrible gaffe between Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber while the Predators were on the power play. Rinne and Weber botched a simple dump in by the Ducks and left the puck laying in the crease, which Silfverberg happily deposited into the net.

Sami Vatanen, Matt Belesky, and Silfverberg again scored for the Ducks, who had a 4-0 lead going into the third period.

The Predators finally showed a little bit of life in the third period as Colin Wilson scored at even strength and James Neal added a power play goal.

Whatever dreams of a miraculous comeback by the Predators were snuffed when CoreyPerry added a late period empty netter to make the final margin 5-2.

Some observtions:

• The Predators acted like they had never seen an aggressive forecheck like the Ducks employed and they were flummoxed and discombobulated throughout the game by the pressure the Ducks brought. this is disconcerting, because the good teams are going to forecheck the daylights out of their opponents, especially in the playoffs, and the Predators had better quickly learn how to handle the pressure.
• The Predators had very little compete level until the third period, and by then it was too little too late. The Ducks won puck battles all night and the Predators had no answer. The disturbing aspect of this is that the Ducks played hard and the Predators had little push back.
• Colin Wilson was the best player on the ice all night for the Predators. He hustled and competed, something most of his teammates did not. Kudos to Wilson for notching his 17th goal and his 36th point, both career highs.
• Pekka Rinne returned to the net and got no support in front of him. The first goal occurred because of a brutal mishandle of the puck between he and Weber. The second goal was a redirect that completely eluded him. He had little chance on the other two goals that occurred on a power play and a defensive breakdown. all in all, Rinne looked like he moved well, but there was the inevitable rust after the layoff.
• When you are down 2-0 at the start of the second period, it is probably not good to give the opponents about 5 minutes of power play time. Yet that is what the Predators did. Undisciplined and sloppy play and the Predators couldn't climb out that hole, giving up a power play. Frankly, it could have been worse.
• The Predators out shot the Ducks 24-2 in the third period, but could only get two pucks past Frederik Andersen. If they had brought that effort in the first two periods, the outcome might have been different.

This was an incredibly disappointing game for the Predators. They were completely outclassed in the first two periods and had too many sloppy plays and little fight.

It's a learning experience.

And I hope we learned our lesson.

My three stars:

1. Jakob Silfverberg

2. Anyone in a Ducks sweater

3. Colin Wilson


*stick tap to my friend Scott Roland for the suggestion

Ducks Defeat the Predators In A Shootout 4-3

Apparently the Nashville Predators really like playing hockey.

So much so that for the second game in a row, 60 minutes and overtime was not enough to decide a contest.

The Ducks defeated the Predators in a shootout 4-3 in a spirited contest.

The Predators were in the Honda Center to face the Anaheim Ducks in a battle of two of the top teams in the NHL.

The Ducks got a first period goal from Matt Belesky to take a 1-0 lead at the first intermission.

Mattias Ekholm answered with a goal early in the second to tie the game. That goal was promptly answered by Corey Perry on a redirected shot past Carter Hutton.

The Predators answered with two power play goals as they peppered Frederik Andersen with shots. Seth Jones tallied from the point with a shot through traffic and Craig Smith potted a goal from up close off an Andersen rebound.

The Ducks tied it up with 2:17 remaining in the game as Francois Beauchemin was able to jam home a puck in  scramble in front of Hutton.

In the shoot out, Jakob Silfverberg and Craig Smith scored. Wtih the game on the line, Ryan Kessler beat Hutton for the game winner.


Some observations:

• James Neal missed his second game due to injury. Matt Cullen was also out of the line up, also due to injury.
• Mattias Ekholm continues to grow his game. He has been sound defensively and has not been one to shy away from the physical aspects of the game, but his offensive game is starting to show some emergence. Matty Ek has a surprisingly good shot and he has done a good job of picking his spots to jump into the offensive zone.
• The Predators power play has started to show some life. Better puck movement and screening in front have worked to drag the PP out of the dumps. Seth Jones tallied on the Predators first power play of the game and that goal was made possible by Colin Wilson screening in front and taking away the eyes of Andersen.
• Mike Ribeiro had an outstanding game, distributing the puck and picking up three assists. Ribeiro has been unquestionably one of the best- if not the best- off season acquisitions by David Poile.
• Craig Smith has great hockey sense and his score on the power play was just a result of knowing where to go at the front of the net. Smith uses his speed and hockey savvy well to get to the scoring areas and it is good to see him rewarded for his efforts.
• There is no doubt the Ducks are a talented team. They are also a team that likes to try to throw their weight around and goon it up when things don't go their way. The Predators matched the physicality of the Ducks hit for hit and refused to yield the ice in front of their net, somehting they didn't do against the Kings the previous night. That said, the Predators gave up the tying goal late in the game when they were unable to clear traffic in front of Hutton, allowing the Ducks to jam home the tying goal.
• The Predators forecheck did a good job of disrupting the Ducks rush through the neutral zone. When the Ducks come into the zone with speed, they are extremely dangerous. They had some opportunities tonight, but the Predators for the most did a good job of slowing down the Ducks attack.
• Carter Hutton played his best game of the season in net. The first goal he gave up to Belesky was definitely stoppable, and Hutton has shown a disquieting tendency to give up those types of goals. Yet after that, he battled and made some great saves. He had no chance on the Perry redirect, and he needed some help from his defense to clear the front of the net on the tying goal. Regardless, I thought he competed well and was solid throughout the game.
• A tough back to back with four critical points on the line and the Predators picked up three of the possible 4. I hate giving that second point to the Ducks, but keep it in perspective. The team battled two quality opponents and captured the points. They took the best team in the League to a shootout on the second night of a back to back and with the back up netminder between the pipes. I will take that.

The Predators competed but couldn't capture the second point tonight. Yet this team is competing hard and playing well and I certainly will take their effort and the results that they are generating.

With their 54 points, the Predators are second in the NHL, having played 38 games.

Just gotta keep it rolling.

My three stars:

1. Mike Ribeiro

2. Ryan Ellis

3. Ryan Kessler 

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 Outlast the Ducks 4-3, Take 2-1 Series Lead

The Anaheim Ducks ventured into Bridgestone Arena and found out that the fans in Nashville aren't granola eating, patchouli wearing, tie dyed types as the raucous sellout crowd willed the Predators to victory over the Ducks by a 4-3 margin. Frankly, the game was much closer than it should have been as the Predators dominated the Ducks in all phases of the game.

With the win, the Predators now have a 2-1 lead in the series.

It is apparent that the Ducks need the power play to generate their offense. Five on five, the Ducks have been quashed by the Predators. Should the Predators decide to stop taking stupid penalties- I'm talking to you Shane O'Brien- this series could be over quickly.

Ray Emery got the start for the Ducks, and he was outstanding early on, making some big saves to keep the Predators off the board. Pekka Rinne, on the other hand, had plenty of time to listen to his I-Pod and relax as the the Predators only allowed 10 shots through two periods. Although Rinne didn't get a tremendous amount of work- the Ducks only mustered 16 shots total for the game- he was still challenged and was called upon to make some big saves for the Predators.

The Predators fired 37 shots on Emery.

The Ducks were without Stompy McStomperson Stompin' Bobby Ryan, who is serving a two game suspension for an egregious stomp with his skate on the foot of Jonathan Blum in game two.

The Predators opened the game with good pressure in the offensive zone and a stifling defense that throttled the Ducks. As good as the pressure was by the Predators, they could not get a puck past Ray Emery, who was solid and made some good saves to thwart the Predators.

That would change in a 38 second span of the first period.Marty Erat would lift a puck over the shoulder of Emery at the 15:00 mark while the Predators were on the power play. Erat tallied with just 8 seconds left on the man advantage as he took a pass from Cody Franson and was able to beat Emery with the high shot.

On the next shift, Jordin Tootoo would drive hard to the net and bang a shot off the post. Tootoo followed his shot and backhanded the puck into the net to give the Predators a 2-0 advantage.

The Predators would continue their domination of the Ducks in the second period, creating some good scoring chances but unable to pot the nest goal. While the Predators looked in control of the game, one knew that the Ducks would assert themselves at some point in the contest.

That would occur with just under two minutes left in the second period. The Predators took an ill-advised penalty for elbowing- I'm looking at you Shane O'Brien- and the Ducks made them pay. Teemu Selanne was the beneficiary of a nice cross ice pass from Corey Perry to beat Rinne to make the score 2-1 at 18:10.

Selanne would strike again just 30 seconds later as he tallied an even strength goal off an assist from Perry. This was just the Ducks 4th even strength goal in the series, and we were knotted at 2-2 going into the third period.

The third period would see the Predators take a 3-2 lead on a goal by David Legwand, his first of the playoffs.Legwand's tally came at 5:25 of the third period off an assist from Ryan Suter.

Anaheim tied the game at 6:48 of the third as Saku Koivu launched a shot from the point. The puck hit a falling Matt Blelesky and caromed off the skate of Cody Franson and past Rinne to tie the game at 3. At best, this was a fluke goal, but a goal nevertheless.

The Predators would take a 4-3 lead as Mike Fisher nailed the game winner off a beautiful pass from Sergei Kostitsyn at 10:21 of the third. Kostitsyn had the puck outside the faceoff circle and spied Fisher driving the net. He rifled a nifty backhand pass to Fisher who beat Emery for the game winner.

The final 10:21 of the contest saw the Predators defense choke the life out the Ducks, as they mustered only three shots on goal in the remainder of the contest. Saku Koivu was called for a hooking penalty at 17:10, effectively limiting the chances of the Ducks to get Emery off the ice for the extra attacker.

As this series unfolds, the Predators have shown that they can absolutely dominate the Ducks five on five. The key for the Predators is to stay out of the box, as the Ducks are dangerous and have made the Predators pay for their crimes.

I'm talking to you, Shane O'Brien.

It was good to see the third and fourth lines have such a strong game. Jordin Tootoo has been very strong in this series, and it was good to see him rewarded with a goal tonight. The Predators are going to have to continue to have strong play out of these lines in this series.

The acquisition of Mike Fisher looks better and better. Fisher now has 3 goals in this series, has been solid on defense, and tonight continued to frustrate Ryan Getzlaf. Getzlaf got so frustrated, he dropped the gloves with Fisher, who got in some very good shots before the linesmen stepped in to separate them.

The Predators are going to have to play another strong game in the fourth game. I expect another push back from the Ducks. If the Predators play their game, it won't matter. They are better than the Ducks.

This win feels good. You got to get two more in this series, boys.

Continue to take care of business. Continue to play the strong game that you are playing. Continue to frustrate the Ducks and this series is yours.

Oh yeah, stay out of the box.

The Ducks can't score otherwise.

My three stars:

1. Mike Fisher

2. Teemu Selanne

3. Jordin Tootoo

Predators Paste the Ducks 4-1

The Predators opened their Stanley Cup match up with the Anaheim Ducks in the hostile confines of the Honda Center. The Predators made themselves right at home in the Ducks nest with a 4-1 victory.

It was obvious that the Ducks were going to try to exert their physical will against the Predators. The Ducks finished their checks with vigor, but the Predators answered with some thunderous checks of their own. As the period wore on, the Predators gave a solid physical response to the Ducks, showing that the physical play would not back them down.

The Ducks over aggressive play led to a cross checking penalty by Matt Belesky against Kevin Klein. The Predators made the Ducks pay for their transgression with the first goal of the playoff series with a blast from Shea Weber from the point that blew past Dan Ellis at 4:13 of the first period.

Pekka Rinne was called upon to make some big saves for the Predators, and the most amazing was a right pad save on Teemu Selanne. Selanne took a cross crease pass and had an open net, but Rinne was cat quick in sliding across and getting the pad on the shot.

The Predators were determined to put pucks and traffic on the net and did that often in the first period. Dan Ellis made some good stops with an abundance of traffic in front of him.

The second period was like a heavyweight fight with both teams trading checks and probing for the others weakness. Play was intense and up and down the ice. As the period wore on, the pace slowed a bit, but the Predators kept up a strong forecheck that bottled up the Ducks offense. When the Ducks did establish their offense, Rinne was strong in net.

The Predators finally cracked the Ducks defense when Cody Franson chipped the puck off the glass to the far blue line. Steve Sullivan gathered in the puck and broke in alone on Ellis, who stopped the first shot sprawling to the ice. Sullivan did not give up on the puck and was able to get his stick on the rebound lying in the blue ice and tap it under the pads of the prone Ellis at 15:16.

The Predators kept the pressure on the Ducks and capitalized at 18:08 when Mike Fisher  took a pass from Patric Hornqvist and blistered a shot over the shoulder of Ellis from the left face off circle.

The Predators outshot the Ducks for the period 14-8 and held a 22-16 advantage through two periods. So far, the defense had done a great job of shutting down the weapons of the Ducks.

You knew the Ducks would come out flying in the third as they attempted to get back in the game. Mike Fisher thwarted that momentum and ripped the heart out of the Ducks with his second goal of the game just 56 seconds into the period off an assist from Jonathan Blum. Fisher split the defense and rifled a shot from just inside the blueline that handcuffed Ellis for a 4-1 Predators lead and Fisher's second of the game.

The fourth goal by the Predators was a Dan Ellis problem, as he was pulled and Ray Emery came into the game.

The Ducks reverted to their thuggish ways in the third and goaded the Predators into penalties.Blake Geoffrion and Luca Sbisa got coincidental roughing penalties at 9:30. David Legwand got a hooking penalty at 9:50. Kevin Klein got a double minor for roughing and Corey Perry got a minor for roughing at 10:28. With a 5 on 3 advantage, the Ducks were finally able to find the back of the net as Teemu Selanne tallied at 11:24.

Since the Ducks could not solve Rinne and could not outscore the Predators at even strength, their strategy was to try to run Rinne and get the Predators to take penalties. For the most, the Predators did a good job of keeping their emotions in check and continuing to frustrate the Ducks.Keeping those emotions in check proved to be a Herculean task as the Ducks took every opportunity to try to draw penalties, hit after the play, and run at Rinne. Kudos to the boys for keeping their composure.

The best way to deal with the goons from Anaheim? Shane O'Brien did it when he pointed at the scoreboard after a late game scrum.

The Predators closed out the Ducks by playing solid defense and staying disciplined for the remainder of the game.

This feels good, but the Predators have to remember they are playing the NHL's equivalent of the Hell's Angels. The Ducks are a dirty team- witness Corey Perry's spear of Pekka Rinne at the end of the second period- and they will attempt to goon it up in the rest of this series. The Predators are going have to be physically AND mentally tough to survive this series. They cannot let the Ducks goad them into penalties. They have to control their physical play. This series will be a war. Be ready.

Punish the Ducks for their play, but do it within the confines of the rules.

This is one. One win out of 16 that you need for the prize. Your second step toward that prize comes on Friday night.

My three stars:

1. Mike Fisher

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Steve Sullivan