Predators Defeat the Kings 2-1, Sweep Season Series

The struggling Nashville Predators needed a win to right the ship and stay in the hunt for the Central Division lead.

They got that win at the Staples Center as the Predators defeated the Kings 2-1 and swept the season series from L.A. 3-0.

Jeff Carter opened the scoring on the power play as Ryan Ellis blocked a shot and it went right on the stick of Carter in the slot. His wrist shot beat an out of position Pekka Rinne to give the Kings a 1-0 lead.

The Predators played with lots of jump and created some good scoring chances, but could not solve Kings netminder Jonathan Quick through two periods.

This game had all the hallmarks of a good effort but bad results for the Predators.

That changed in the third period as Craig Smith scored on the power play and 1:06 later a shot from Viktor Stalberg deflected off the stick of Jake Muzzin and past Quick for the game winning goal.

Some observations:

• James Neal was out of the game with an upper body injury. Mike Santorelli moved to the top line with Mike Ribeiro and Filip Forsberg. Calle Jarnkrok drew back into the lineup and centered the third line with Matt Cullen and Viktor Stalberg on his wing.
• Same song, same verse. Once again, the Predators gave up the first goal of the game, this on the power play as Jeff Carter tallied.
• That power play was the result of a Mattias Ekholm penalty. Matty Ek has had a rough two games, taking three penalties, two of which resulted in the opponent scoring a power play goal.
• Let's be honest- the Predators power play is not a threat to score. Not even close. And this is hard to understand given the talent that we have at forward. Entries into the zone are scary at best and more often than not result in a turnover that is sent down ice. What puzzles me is that this has been on-going for most of the season. If the man advantage unit is struggling so much, one would think that the system would need to be modified to make it more effective. One would think.
• That said and the Predators score a power play goal as Craig Smith worked hard in front of the net to poke one past Quick. Smith is not afraid to go in front of the net and he was rewarded for his hard work with his 22nd goal of the season. Prior to Smith's goal, the power play had been 0-18 in their previous games.
• Viktor Stalberg got his first goal of the season and played a solid game. He had lots of jump, forced some turnovers, and created in the offensive zone. I sure would like to see him build on this and get his game going.
• Pekka Rinne had no chance on the Kings power play goal, but after that, he was in control. Rinne looked more relaxed in the crease and tracked the puck exceptionally well.
• I really like the play of Craig Smith, and not just that he scored a power play goal. Smith is absolutely relentless in hunting down the puck and attacking the net. He certainly is not afraid to shoot and drives the puck to the net which creates opportunities for his line mates.
• The effort by this team was strong and consistent all game. That is a good sign for this team as they have not let the rough patch cause their energy and effort to drop.
• Maybe the hockey gods are starting to smile on the Predators. Stalberg's shot was one that Quick would have easily handled but the deflection off his defenseman's stick wound up in the back of the net.
• The Predators win tonight was the 600th for the franchise. It was also Pekka Rinne's 200th win. Does anyone have any doubt about the value of Rinne to this franchise?
• Before the goal by Craig Smith, the Predators had gone 113:33 without scoring a goal. Ouch.
• The Predators played some disciplined hockey tonight, taking two penalties for the game, one of which was a coincidental penalty with Stalberg and Dwight King both going to the box for roughing.
• The Predators blocked 18 shots.

This team has continued to battle through the difficult patch that they have faced. And the only way to get out of a funk is to battle.

They did that tonight.

As long as this team continues to compete like they did tonight, they will be fine.

They will have to. It won't get any easier.

My three stars:

1. Craig Smith

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Jonathan Quick

Predators Fire Blanks, Shut Out By the Sharks

The Nashville Predators continued their road swing out West as they traveled to San Jose to take on the Sharks. San Jose is outside a playoff spot, so the Predators knew they were going to play a team that was desperate and would bring the intensity.

The Predators would match the intensity of the Sharks and would outplay them for most of the game, but as has been the story of the Predators lately, they couldn't finish their chances.

Despite out shooting the Sharks 35-21, the Predators gave up a power play goal to Tomas Hertl and an empty net goal to Tommy Wingels to drop their 7th game in their last 8 outings.

Pekka Rinne did not have a lot of work but did make some good saves from close in. His counterpart, Antti Niemi absolutely stood on his head and thwarted the Predators scoring chances all night.


Some observations:

• The Predators were guilty of two penalties in the first period and yet still out shot the Sharks 14-6. The Sharks started the game with good territorial advantage but the Predators got a good push back and peppered Niemi with shots. Colin Wilson was especially active in the first period, creating some good scoring chances.
• Although he hasn't been rewarded in the past few games, Craig Smith has been playing some very good hockey. Smith hunts the puck down in the offensive zone and is dynamic with the puck on his stick. I really like the fact that he goes to the hard areas in front of the net and is willing to battle for rebounds.
• The Sharks have the 5th best power play in the NHL. The Predators certainly tempted fate by taking 4 penalties in the first two periods and it finally bit them on the 4th penalty kill. The Predators had done a good job killing penalties until the penalty late in the second period when the defense lost Tomas Hertl in front of the net.
• With the Sharks scoring first, that is 12 times in the lst 13 games that the Predators have allowed the first goal. Ugh!
• As much as the Predators dominated the first two periods of play, they came out in the third period and were just blah. They managed one shot on net in the first 7 minutes and struggled to even get the puck in the zone.
• Head Coach Peter Laviolette put his forward lines in a blender in the third period to try to generate some offense. Some chances were created but the Predators couldn't finish. At all.
• This game played out exactly like the game the Predators played in San Jose in December, a 2-0 loss where the Sharks sealed the win with an empty net goal.
• The Predators had two power play opportunities and didn't look good against a team that is 25th in the NHL in killing penalties. Once again, they struggled to get in the zone and their movement once in the zone was not good. The lack of an effective power play is going to haunt this team in the remainder of the regular season and in the playoffs.

I can't fault the effort by the Predators in 5 on 5 play. I can fault the inability of the the forwards to finish some very good scoring chances. This team has to finish when they create the prime chances like they did tonight. This has been one of the problems that the Predators have faced in this funk they have been in.

The Predators have now slipped to second in the Central Division. They, like the Blues, have 91 points, but the Blues have 2 games in hand.

If this team doesn't get its mojo back quickly, they run the risk of slipping further.

My three stars:

1. Antti Niemi

2. Tomas Hertl

3. Pekka Rinne

The Streak Is Over! Predators Get Back In the Win Column With Victory Over the Coyotes

The Nashville Predators traveled to Gila River Arena to take on the Arizona Coyotes in a game they desperately needed to win. A six game losing streak has seen the the Predators fall back to the pack in the Central Division and relinquish their top spot in the NHL

It wasn't easy, but the Predators captured a 2-1 overtime victory over the Coyotes.

It wasn't easy at all.

Despite firing 32 shots at Louie Domingue in regulation, the Predators could only find the net once as Paul Gaustad slapped a puck inside the post.

The Coyotes tied the game in the third period on the power play as a shot from John Moore was going well wide of the net but hit Kyle Chipchura's skate and was lofted over the glove of Pekka Rinne.

In the overtime period, the Predators had the only 6 shots taken, and it was the last one from James Neal that was the game winner. He gathered in a shot that had been blocked in the slot and fired the puck home to end that awful 6 game losing streak.

Some observations:

• Viktor Stalberg was recalled and in the line up tonight. He was on a line with Mike Santorelli and Matt Cullen. Stalberg has all the physical tools, and it sure would be great to see him get his game going. He could add some pop to the Predators offense if his game starts to step up.
• Finally! That horrific streak of 11 games giving up the first goal is finally over. Paul Gaustad's third goal of the season was the first tally of the game and the first time in what seemed forever that the Predators have had a lead in a game. Getting that particular monkey off the back of this team has got to be helpful.
• Once again, the Predators have no hockey luck. A shot well wide of the net caroms off Kyle Chipchura's skate and past Pekka Rinne for a goal. That was a power play goal set up by James Neal taking a double minor for high sticking.
• The Predators power play has got to start converting with some consistency. The unit did improve somewhat in that they got some shots on net, but goodness, if this unit cannot find some consistency and get some pucks in the net, then we will continue to struggle in games. Tonight, the Predators were 0-5 with the man advantage.
• Maybe it is just me, but it seems that Filip Forsberg is pressing a bit. No doubt he possesses elite skills, but there are times where passing to a teammate instead of trying to carry the puck alone would be the wiser course of action.
• I liked the jump that the Predators brought to the game tonight. The were energetic and moving well in the offensive zone. They just need to finish some of the quality chances that they had, but this is the kind of offensive effort that should bolster the confidence of the team.
• The Predators were not as good in the faceoff circle as they have been recently. They won 28 of 57, just under 50%.
• The Predators out hit the Coyotes 46-32 and blocked 20 shots, both indicative of the effort the team brought to the rink tonight.

Goodness gracious, it feels good to stop that losing streak1

Now that we have stopped it, we have to build on this win and start piling up some points.

This is a good first step.

My three stars:

1. James Neal

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Louie Domingue

Predators Wilt Under the Pressure From the Jets, Fall 3-1

The Winnipeg Jets continued the Nashville Predators recent misery, handing them a 3-1 defeat at the Bridgestone Arena for the Predators 6th consecutive loss.

The Jets opened the scoring when Andrew Ladd blew past Seth Jones and slipped a pass to Michael Frolik, who had beaten Cody Franson badly driving to the net. Frolik's shot was partially stopped by Pekka Rinne but it was not enough to keep the puck out of the net.

The Predators tied the game at 1 in the second period when a shot from the point by Ryan Ellis made its way through traffic and over the shoulder of Michael Hutchinson.

The elation of that goal was short lived, however, as Rinne kicked out a rebound of a Tyler Myers shot. Shea Weber lost track of Blake Wheeler and he pounded the puck home to give the Jets a lead they would not relinquish.

Drew Stafford added an empty net goal for the final margin.

Some observations:

• My view of this team is that they overachieved in the first half of the season and are now reverting to who they really are. Many pundits spoke of this team as elite. They are not. Not even close. They are most certainly a good team, but far from elite. When this team plays their game and limits mistakes, more often than not, they will win games. Right now, they are making mistakes and those mistakes are ending up in the back of their net. And they are certainly not playing their game- attacking the net and aggressively fighting for rebounds and position on the ice.
• The Jets gave the Predators fits all night. They trapped coming out of the defensive zone and in the neutral zone, sending two forecheckers after the puck carrier. This baffled the Predators all night and forced them into bad passes and turnovers. When the Predators could get into the offensive zone, once again the Jets pressured the puck carrier and disrupted the offense. The Predators puck support was terrible and they lost just about every battle for the puck along the boards. Part of this speaks to the effort of the Jets. More troubling is that the Predators didn't adjust and step up their game to match the intensity of the Jets. Elite teams adjust their game. The Predators did not.
• To that point, their were only two Predators that seemed to be able to consistently handle the puck against the Jets pressure. Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi could carry the puck into the zone against the trap. Rarely could any other Predator. This is going to be a serious problem in the playoffs.
• How stifling was the Jets defense? They held the Predators to 4 shots on goal in the first period and 7 in the third. The Preds got 10 shots in the second for a total of 21. The Jets had 26 shots on goal.
• I really like the play of Gabriel Bourque. He was physical and created some scoring chances. He certainly went hard to the net, including a scary first period collision with Hutchinson when he was forchecked into the Jets netminder by Adam Lowry.
• The defensive pairing of Seth Jones and Cody Franson looked out of sync all night. The Jets first goal was a direct result of bad plays by both. These two just look like they have no chemistry at all. 
• Franson took a knee on knee hit and crashed into the boards in the second period, and it looked bad. He left the ice with the assistance of the training staff and could put no weight on his left leg. Fortunately, he did return for the third period.
• It sure would be nice to see Mike Santorelli get his game going. Santorelli has been invisible since he was acquired from the Maple Leafs.
• Someone on the coaching staff please tell Mike Ribeiro it is okay to take the puck to the net and especially to shoot the puck. Ribeiro had a couple of open looks at the net but chose to try to pass instead. Never pass up a good shot at the net, Ribs.
• For the 11th straight game, the Predators gave up the first goal. Can we stop this trend? PLEASE! Remember early in the season when we were doing that and we were still winning games? Now the Predators are 19-18-3 when giving up the first goal. See my first bullet point above.
• Thankfully, this is the last time we play the Jets in the regular season. The Predators captured the season series 3-2.

No doubt this isn't fun for the team and the fans. As fans, we can just sit and stew and vent our frustration. Getting out of this funk is on the team. They are going to have to elevate their game to break this losing streak.

More importantly, they are going to have to play smart. They are going to have to play with heart and passion.

That is the only way out.

My three stars:

1. Blake Wheeler

2. Michael Frolik

3. Ryan Ellis

The Skid Continues: Predators Fall to the Islanders 4-3

The Nashville Predators dropped their 5th game in a row, falling to the New York Islanders 4-3 at Bridgestone Arena.

Once again, the Predators dug a hole that they had to climb out by allowing the Islanders to jump to a 2-0 lead.

John Tavares scored at even strength and Anders Lee scored on the power play to stake the Isles to that 2-0 lead.

Colin Wilson scored off a rebound and scramble around the crease with just 1.2 seconds remaining on the clock in the first period to cut the deficit to 2-1.

The Islanders extended their lead to 3-1 in the third period as Nick Leddy beat Pekka Rinne under his arm. This was definitely a stoppable goal that Rinne just didn't play well.

The Predators came storming back to tie the game as a shot from Ryan Ellis that was going over the crossbar hit Mike Ribeiro in the arm and deflected down and past Jaroslav Halak.

31 seconds after that goal, Craig Smith took a sweet pass through the slot from Filip Forsberg and roofed it from in close to tie the game.

Brock nelson got the game winner when a puck bounced over the stick of Seth Jones in the slot and he buried a shot past Rinne.

Some observations:

• As good as Pekka Rinne has been this season, he was not sharp tonight. The goal by Leddy was very stoppable. The first goal from Tavares should have never happened. Tavares threw the puck at the crease from a sharp angle and it hit Rinne in the leg and slid through the five hole. Look, Rinne has carried this team this year and has been stellar, but right now he is not cleaning up every mistake. In this skid, there have been some bad defensive breakdowns in front of him. Tonight, he just didn't have his best game. I still believe in him and think he will be fine, but he- and this team- are going to have to fight through this funk.
• For the 10th straight game, the Predators have given up the first goal. Look guys, this is getting old. No, it is old. In the past five games that we have lost, we have held a lead just once (3-2 going into the third period against Detroit). The task at hand gets a lot easier if you are playing with a lead instead of trying to claw your way back into a game.
• Colin Wilson's goal was his 20th of the year. This is the first time in his career that Wilson has recorded 20 goals.
• Filip Forsberg picked up an assist and is tied for the team lead in points with 53 (tied with Ribeiro).
• During this skid, their has been some miserable periods of hockey played by this team. I cannot fault the effort tonight. The out shot the Islanders 31-26 and played with some good jump for most of the game. That said, the Islanders third goal was a direct result of the Isles outworking the Predators in their zone and keeping them hemmed in for a long stretch.
• Jaroslav Halak played a good game and made some great stops. The Predators consistently put pressure and shots on the net, and if they continue to do that, they will reverse this skid.
• Mike Fisher has been playing some inspired hockey and picked up an assist tonight. Fisher has 7 points (3G-4A) in his last nine games.

This is not a fun time for the team or its fans. Let's just let go that "best team in the NHL" line and realize that every team goes through these stretches. The critical aspect is how this team is going to respond to this adversity. The objective now should be to play sound, fundamental hockey and to play with heart and effort.

If they play like they did tonight with that kind of effort, they will get back to their winning ways.

My three stars:

1. Jaroslav Halak

2. Nick Leddy

3. Craig Smith

Predators Play for 40 Minutes; Not Enough to Beat the Devils

A passionless and lethargic first period doomed the Nashville Predators in their game against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center.

The Predators fell 3-1 to drop their 4th straight game in an embarrassing loss.

Adam Larsson opened the scoring just 58 seconds into the game. Eric Gelinas added a power play goal. Both scores came in the first period when the Predators looked like they thought they could just throw their sweaters on the ice and pick up the win.

Mike Cammalleri was awarded a goal when Seth Jones tripped him as he broke in on the empty net with Carter Hutton pulled for the extra attacker.

After sleepwalking through the first period, the Predators poured 31 shots on net in the final 40 minutes but could only get one puck past Cory Schneider. Mike Fisher got that goal off an assist from Craig Smith.

Some observations:

• Guess what? For the 9th straight game the Predators gave up the first goal.
• The Devils scored on 2 of their first 3 shots. Absolutely awful.
• Part of the problem for the Predators is that the defense looks disorganized if not lost at times. Forwards in particular are doing a lousy job of picking up defenders coming down the slot or forwards that seem to skate through prime scoring areas untouched. This is an aspect of the Predators game that we have not seen recently. And it is a troubling development to say the least.
• If you are in a slump and having a bit of a struggle, one solution is to get pucks on net and some traffic in front of the net. The Predators didn't get their first shot on net until there was 10:27 remaining in the first period.
• They managed just 3 shots in the first period. Right now, there is absolutely no jump or push back from this team.
• Wonder what was said in the locker room at the first intermission? After mustering just 3 shots on goal in the first period, the Predators fired 21 shots on Schneider in the second period while holding the Devils to 6 shots.
• Generally speaking, I have never been a fan of lots of line juggling. I know there are times it needs to be done to get a player's game going or for match ups, but often time the chemistry of a line is disrupted when a new player is inserted. Mike Fisher's line was partially put back together with Craig Smith joining Filip Forsberg. Fisher's goal was a result of Smith working hard in front of the net and knowing where Fisher would be as he slid the puck to him through traffic.
• The Predators lost Eric Nystrom to an injury in the second period as he slammed awkwardly into the boards and seemed to injure his ankle.
• The slow starts and lack of passion by the Predators is baffling, to say the least. This team has had a pretty easy go of it until this recent skid. Now the intensity and the effort is ratcheting up significantly and the Predators haven't remotely kept pace with the play of their opponents.

The Predators can say it wasn't their night (as Mike Fisher did in his post game comments), but the fact is that the Predators haven't played at all like the best team in the NHL. Lacking energy, passion, and desire, the Predators have had their heads handed to them. Expecting to just show up and win these games is a fools errand, and right now,  the Predators are playing the fool.

This funk will not change or dissipate until the players on the ice make it change. And until they decide to make it change, the Predators will continue to skid.

My three stars:

1. Cory Schneider

2. Adam Larsson

3. Eric Gelinas

Predators Dominated By the Rangers 4-1

The Nashville Predators traveled to Madison Square Garden to take on the Rangers and attempt to end a two game losing streak.

The Predators now have a 3 game losing streak.

The Rangers out skated and outworked the Predators all night on the way to a 4-1 victory.

The Predators did not give much help to goaltender Pekka Rinne, often leaving the slot wide open for uncontested snots.

Mark Staal, Chris Kreider, and Dominic Moore all tallied for the Rangers. Derek Brassard picked up 2 assists. Rick Nash finished the scoring with an empty net goal.

Matt Cullen got the lone goal past Cam Talbot off a beautiful assist from Taylor Beck.

Some observations:

• Lines were juggled for this game. Colin Wilson moved to the top line with James Neal and Mike Ribeiro. Mike Fisher centered Craig Smith and Filip Forsberg. Mike Santorelli centered Matt Cullen and Taylor Beck. Calle Jarnkrok was a healthy scratch.
• Once again, the Predators gave up the first goal of the game. This is the 8th straight game that the Predators have fallen behind 1-0. While the team has shown great resiliency and the ability to (usually) overcome these deficits, this is a disturbing trend that needs to change. This will be especially true come the playoffs.
• The defense in front of Rinne has dropped off significantly. Rinne had no chance of the Rangers second goal as Craig Smith was abused by Chris Kreider going down the slot. He blew past Smith and had an easy redirect past Rinne. Dominic Moore was left alone by Taylor Beck for an easy score off a rebound. The cohesiveness and positioning has broken down on several occasions and has allowed the opposition prime scoring chances. Rinne made some great saves in this game, but he cannot be expected to clean up so many mistakes by the D in front of him.
• Taylor Beck has been in and out of the line up recently and has been a healthy scratch the last three games. His play from his knees to set up Matt Cullen's goal was not only a beautiful play, but it was just a no quit, compete play. This is the type of play that has to happen from all of the forwards for the Predators to be successful. Beck is showing that he wants to stay in the line up with this kind of play.
• How tough are hockey players? Seth Jones took a puck in the mouth in the second period, which stunned him and left him spitting blood. The puck was in the Predators defensive zone when this happened, so Jones kept his defensive position and blocked another shot. Once the puck was cleared, Jones got to the bench, got some attention from the trainers, and was back on the ice for his next shift.
• The Predators have been getting a taste of playoff hockey- games that are tight checking and are a fight for space on the ice. They have come up short in these contests, and perhaps more disturbing is that they have been getting outworked for broad stretches of these games. Hopefully, these games are a learning experience and the lesson is learned quickly. Playoff hockey is a different animal, and the Predators have been the prey in these types of games.
• The Predators power play has reverted to abysmal status. They had 3 power plays in the game that generated just 2 shots, and on two of them did not get a shot. The Predators struggle to enter the zone and get set up, and if this aspect of their game does not improve, it will come back to haunt them. The power play unit has little movement, making it easy to defend, and is awfully predictable. That predictability makes it easy to defend. Too easy.
• The Rangers jumped on the Predators early and never let them in the game. They out shot the Predators 40-26. They had better jump, won more puck battles, and wanted the game more than the Predators.

The reality of the situation is the play of the Predators has dropped off.

No, that's not exactly right.

They opponents have elevated their intensity and level of play and the Predators have not. Like I said, this is a taste of playoff hockey as the Predators are playing some teams that are desperately fighting for playoff position. This is hungry hockey, and right now the Predators are not playing like a hungry team.

Now it gets interesting.

We will see if the Predators can get hungry and raise their game.

Or if they will continue to get outworked by their opponents.

My three stars:

1.  Derek Brassard

2. Mats Zuccarello

3. Chris Kreider