The Nashville Predators continue their lengthy West coast road trip with a visit to the Shark Tank to take on the undefeated San Jose Sharks. The Predators are looking to build on their momentum from their shootout win on Thursday night against the L.A. Kings, while the Sharks are looking to continue their torrid pace lead by veteran Patrick Marleau, who has led the Sharks to a 7-0 record. The Predators enter with a record of 2-2-3.
The task for the Predators was going to be more difficult as they would be without the services of Marty Erat, who took a shot off the foot in practice and was out of the line up due to swelling. The Predators were already without Patric Hornqvist, who has been lost for 3-4 weeks with a knee injury.
The Predators had Pekka Rinne in net while the Sharks went with Antii Niemi.
Les than a minute in the contest, Brandon Yip was called for holding, and the potent Sharks power play was going to test the Predators PK. Fortunately, the Predators PK unit did their job.
The Predators had a subsequent power play, and although they did not score, they had good puck possession and created some chances.
The first period ended scoreless, but the Predators had good jump and were skating hard. The shots on goal were 8-6 in favor of the Sharks. The Predators would open the second period on the power play and would have 1:50 of power play time.
The forecheck and the effort by the team in the first period was the best it had been all season. The Predators needed to build on this momentum for the second period.
The concern for the Predators was the health of Sergei Kostitsyn. Kostitsyn was hammered on a check and left midway of the first period. He was bleeding from a cut on the bridge of his nose, and hopefully he was just getting that cut repaired and not dealing with a more serious injury.
Kostitsyn did return for the second period for the Predators.
The Predators were the beneficiaries of two power play opportunities in the first 10 minutes of the second period but could not take advantage. By the same token, the Predators PK was effective in killing off the Sharks man advantage.
The Sharks nearly cracked the scoreboard at 10:17 of the second on the power play as a shot trickled through the pads of Rinne but hit the post. He did not know the puck was in the blue paint and Martin Havlat had a chance to tap the puck in the net but skated past it in celebration as he thought the puck had gone in the net. The Predators defense swarmed the crease and safely tucked the puck under Rinne.
The second 20 minutes was scoreless, but both teams moved the puck and created some chances. Shots were 11-7 for the Sharks.
The Predators continued to skate hard and the forecheck looked like the Predators forecheck that had been missing in many of the games this season. The Predators needed to continue this effort in the third period.
The Predators would get on the scoreboard first just 59 seconds into the third period as Colin Wilson worked hard to get control of the puck off the boards in the Sharks zone. He slid the puck to Sergei Kostitsyn who let go a quick wrist shot that beat Niemi glove side to give the Predators a 1-0 lead and notch his first goal of the year.
The Predators continued to put pressure on the Sharks in their zone and generated some good scoring chances. Their offensive zone presence and stout pressure in the neutral zone was not allowing the Sharks to get speed through the neutral zone and prevented them from getting the offensive zone cleanly.
The Sharks tied the game on the power play as the Predators were called for too many men on the ice. The puck took a funny bounce off the end boards and careened to Martin Havlat who backhanded the puck past Rinne to tie the game at 13:39.
The Predators had flirted with trouble by taking penalties, but had been successful in the kill until this point. The Sharks have a potent offense and on the power play are deadly. This penalty was the one that finally cost the Predators.
The remainder of the period was scoreless, but the Sharks nearly tallied a second goal in a furious goal mouth scramble.
So once again, the Predators were heading to overtime for the fifth time this season.
The Sharks had some good pressure early in the overtime period, but the Predators had a good response. David Legwand nearly ended the game on a drive to the net but Niemi made a great toe save on his backhand attempt.
The Predators got a power play as Martin Havlat got a hooking call at 2:48 of the extra period. The Predators threw shots at the net but couldn't get a puck past Niemi, and once again, the Predators were heading to the shootout.
The Predators were 1-3 on shootouts this year.
In the shootout, the Sharks elected to shoot first.
Rinne stopped Michael Handzus and Niemi stopped David Legwand in the first round.
In the second round, Rinne stoned Ryan Clowe while Craig Smith deked Niemi and roofed a backhand shot for the score.
Rinne sealed the Predators win in the third round as his glove hand swallowed up the wrist shot from Joe Pavelski.
Down two key forwards and playing against a team that had not previously suffered a loss, the Predators gave their best effort of the season. Tonight, the Predators looked like the Predators team that we have come to expect: relentlessly forechecking; getting pucks to the net; and a solid effort for 60, uh, 65 minutes.
This is the type of win the team can build upon. They won against one of the best teams in the NHL with character, grit and effort.
Keep it going, boys.
My three stars:
1. Pekka Rinne
2. Sergei Kostitsyn
3. Craig Smith
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
Predators Defeat the KIngs in a SO 2-1
The Nashville Predators have struggled to generate offense so far this young season. Their task is to get shots on net and quality scoring chances, to get back to playing Predator hockey. A game built on grit, speed, and effort.
That task was going to be made more difficult as they faced the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center.
The Predators had Pekka Rinne in net, while the Kings were going with Jonathan Quick.
The Predators got the start they wanted as just 58 seconds into the game David Legwand won a face off in the Kings zone and the puck came to Brandon Yip at the top of the face off circle. Yip loaded up the shot and beat Quick high glove side to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.
The Predators gave the Kings a golden opportunity to tie the game. Scott Hannan was called for interference at 11:10 of the period. One minute later, Paul Gaustad was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct for chirping the officials. The Kings had 1 minute of 5 on 3 power play time, which they immediately short circuited by taking a tripping penalty off the face off, resulting in a minute of 4 on 3 hockey and the Kings with the advantage.
The Kings made the Predators pay for their transgression just as Hannan's penalty was about to expire. Mike Richards shot the puck over the net and it rebounded right in front of the net. Hal Gill did not see the puck and Dustin Brown pounced on the loose puck at the top of the crease and hammered it past a defenseless Rinne to tie the game at 13:08 of the period.
The Predators continued to tempt fate as Hal Gill was called for cross checking, the fourth penalty that the Predators took in the period. The Predators were able to kill the penalty, but would open the second a man down for another 32 seconds. That is until Dustin Brown took a penalty at the 20 minute mark for interference.
The Predators skated better in this opening frame than they have in their past few games.The undisciplined play of the team gave the Kings the opportunity to out shoot the Predators 10-3 and disrupted any offensive flow the Predators tried to establish. The Predators were going to have to play a more disciplined game and stay out of the box to be successful. The potent Kings offense did not need help with the man advantage.
Scott Hannan continued to get familiar with the officials in the penalty box as he took his third penalty of the game for tripping at 3:05 of the second period. Fortunately, the Predators were able to kill off the penalty.
The second period was scoreless. The Predators power play was ineffective, and even though the shots were 5 apiece in the period, the Kings had the territorial advantage for much of the period. Through two periods, the Predators offense continued to struggle, mustering just 8 total shots on goal.
The same sad song.
If the Predators were going to have a chance, they were going to have to commit to getting the puck onnet and create some havoc in front of Quick. So far, they had failed to do that.
The third period started to open up with both teams moving the puck up and creating some chances. The Predators had a chance to take the lead with Quick caught out of position but the Predators unable to corral a bouncing puck at the side of the net. Rinne made a huge stop as the Kings converted a turnover and Jeff Carter got loose in front of the net.
The Kings pressed late in the third period, but the Predators were able to keep them off the board. Neither team could find the back of the net, so the game was going to overtime.
The Kings out shot the Predators 22-11, and the Predators failed to register a shot on goal over the final 10 minutes of the period.
It would be an understatement to say that the Predators stole a point in this game.
The Predators created some great scoring chances in the overtime period off their effort down low in the Kings zone. Ryan Ellis had a good scoring chance but could not bury it and Sergei Kostitsyn could not put home a rebound.
The Predators kept up the effort and the forecheck and showed their best offensive zone possession of the game, but could not get the puck in the net. So for the fourth time this season, the Predators were heading to the shootout.
In the first round, Pekka Rinne stopped Jeff Carter. David Legwand beat Quick to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.
In the second round, Mike Richards beat Rinne five hole. Craig Smith fired a shot that hit Quick's pads and bounced in the goal. to restore the Predators lead.
In the third round, Dustin Brown beat Rinne with a great fake. to tie the shootout. Marty Erat missed the net on his attempt.
The fourth round saw Drew Doughty miss the net. Colin Wilson had a chance to end the game, and was missed off the backhand.
The Kings had Jarrett Stoll shoot in the fifth round and Rinne was able to stop the shot with his left pad. Brandon Yip hit the side of the net.
Anze Kopitar gave the Kings the lead as he beat Rinne stick side. Gabriel Bourque had to score in the sixth round and he made a sweet move and beat Quick off his backhand just under the crossbar.
Rinne stopped Justin Williams as he got enough of the shot and it trickled wide. Roman Josi fired wide on his attempt.
In the eighth round, Simon Gagne was stopped by the pad of Rinne. Sergei Kostitsyn faked Quick to the ice and beat Quick to the far post for the win.
Although there were stretches where the Predators were outplayed by the Kings, this game was a different game for this team. They did not cave under pressure and played with some heart, qualities that had been lacking in some of their previous games.
This is the kind of effort that, while far from true Predator hockey, showed flashes of what this team can do.
It is time to build on that effort, boys.
My three stars:
1. Pekka Rinne
2. Brandon Yip
3. Sergei Kostitsyn
That task was going to be made more difficult as they faced the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center.
The Predators had Pekka Rinne in net, while the Kings were going with Jonathan Quick.
The Predators got the start they wanted as just 58 seconds into the game David Legwand won a face off in the Kings zone and the puck came to Brandon Yip at the top of the face off circle. Yip loaded up the shot and beat Quick high glove side to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.
The Predators gave the Kings a golden opportunity to tie the game. Scott Hannan was called for interference at 11:10 of the period. One minute later, Paul Gaustad was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct for chirping the officials. The Kings had 1 minute of 5 on 3 power play time, which they immediately short circuited by taking a tripping penalty off the face off, resulting in a minute of 4 on 3 hockey and the Kings with the advantage.
The Kings made the Predators pay for their transgression just as Hannan's penalty was about to expire. Mike Richards shot the puck over the net and it rebounded right in front of the net. Hal Gill did not see the puck and Dustin Brown pounced on the loose puck at the top of the crease and hammered it past a defenseless Rinne to tie the game at 13:08 of the period.
The Predators continued to tempt fate as Hal Gill was called for cross checking, the fourth penalty that the Predators took in the period. The Predators were able to kill the penalty, but would open the second a man down for another 32 seconds. That is until Dustin Brown took a penalty at the 20 minute mark for interference.
The Predators skated better in this opening frame than they have in their past few games.The undisciplined play of the team gave the Kings the opportunity to out shoot the Predators 10-3 and disrupted any offensive flow the Predators tried to establish. The Predators were going to have to play a more disciplined game and stay out of the box to be successful. The potent Kings offense did not need help with the man advantage.
Scott Hannan continued to get familiar with the officials in the penalty box as he took his third penalty of the game for tripping at 3:05 of the second period. Fortunately, the Predators were able to kill off the penalty.
The second period was scoreless. The Predators power play was ineffective, and even though the shots were 5 apiece in the period, the Kings had the territorial advantage for much of the period. Through two periods, the Predators offense continued to struggle, mustering just 8 total shots on goal.
The same sad song.
If the Predators were going to have a chance, they were going to have to commit to getting the puck onnet and create some havoc in front of Quick. So far, they had failed to do that.
The third period started to open up with both teams moving the puck up and creating some chances. The Predators had a chance to take the lead with Quick caught out of position but the Predators unable to corral a bouncing puck at the side of the net. Rinne made a huge stop as the Kings converted a turnover and Jeff Carter got loose in front of the net.
The Kings pressed late in the third period, but the Predators were able to keep them off the board. Neither team could find the back of the net, so the game was going to overtime.
The Kings out shot the Predators 22-11, and the Predators failed to register a shot on goal over the final 10 minutes of the period.
It would be an understatement to say that the Predators stole a point in this game.
The Predators created some great scoring chances in the overtime period off their effort down low in the Kings zone. Ryan Ellis had a good scoring chance but could not bury it and Sergei Kostitsyn could not put home a rebound.
The Predators kept up the effort and the forecheck and showed their best offensive zone possession of the game, but could not get the puck in the net. So for the fourth time this season, the Predators were heading to the shootout.
In the first round, Pekka Rinne stopped Jeff Carter. David Legwand beat Quick to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.
In the second round, Mike Richards beat Rinne five hole. Craig Smith fired a shot that hit Quick's pads and bounced in the goal. to restore the Predators lead.
In the third round, Dustin Brown beat Rinne with a great fake. to tie the shootout. Marty Erat missed the net on his attempt.
The fourth round saw Drew Doughty miss the net. Colin Wilson had a chance to end the game, and was missed off the backhand.
The Kings had Jarrett Stoll shoot in the fifth round and Rinne was able to stop the shot with his left pad. Brandon Yip hit the side of the net.
Anze Kopitar gave the Kings the lead as he beat Rinne stick side. Gabriel Bourque had to score in the sixth round and he made a sweet move and beat Quick off his backhand just under the crossbar.
Rinne stopped Justin Williams as he got enough of the shot and it trickled wide. Roman Josi fired wide on his attempt.
In the eighth round, Simon Gagne was stopped by the pad of Rinne. Sergei Kostitsyn faked Quick to the ice and beat Quick to the far post for the win.
Although there were stretches where the Predators were outplayed by the Kings, this game was a different game for this team. They did not cave under pressure and played with some heart, qualities that had been lacking in some of their previous games.
This is the kind of effort that, while far from true Predator hockey, showed flashes of what this team can do.
It is time to build on that effort, boys.
My three stars:
1. Pekka Rinne
2. Brandon Yip
3. Sergei Kostitsyn
Thursday, January 31, 2013
My View
Random ruminations from your resident curmudgeon...
In 2012, our economy as measured by the Gross Domestic Product (the value of all goods and services produced in the United States) grew at a rate of 2.2%. That is better than the rate of 1.8% for 2011. The GDP is a measure of economic activity and is closely watched by economists, politicians, and business leaders as one of the signs of overall economic health and growth. So it's a good thing that GDP grew in 2012 over the level of growth in 2011, right? Absolutely. But a troubling number emerged from the data. Although the full year number was positive, the 4th quarter surprisingly fell .1%, stunning economists who had expected the growth that occurred in the third quarter of 2012- up 3.1%- to continue. Part of the downturn is attributable to cuts in defense spending and slower growth in business inventories. The pullback in those areas offset growth in housing, consumer spending, and business investment. Longer term, a troubling consideration for the economy is that consumer confidence is starting to turn down as consumers come to grips with the effects of higher taxes, cutbacks in hours due to Obamacare requirements, and persistent high unemployment. As the nascent recovery tries to get traction, Washington should do all it can to encourage growth and business investment. As it is, Washington is more of an impediment to growth that an asset.
My children text me "plz" because it is shorter "please". I text them "no" because it is shorter than "yes".
In his inaugural speech, President Obama called for the U.S. to "respond to the threat of climate change." He went on to say, "Some may deny the overwhelming judgment of science, but none can avoid the devastating impact of raging fires, crippling drought, and more powerful storms." The "overwhelming judgment of science"? Okay, let's see what the overwhelming judgment of science says about the very things you cited, Mr. President, as evidence of climate change. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the number of annual wildfires has been consistently declining for 30 years. In fact, in the 90's, Federal Land management officials with the support of environmentalists began to let naturally caused wildfires burn to eliminate forest overgrowth and the abundance of kindling that results from that overgrowth. So the result has been a consistent decline in the number of wildfires in the U.S. So what about droughts? According to Global Soil Moisture Data Bank, global soil moisture increase throughout the 20th century at almost 100% of their soil measuring sites. Additionally, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)reported that droughts in the 20th century were much milder than in previous centuries. Finally, the peer reviewed journal Nature found that there had been little change in the number of droughts or the severity over the last 60 years. And the more powerful storms supposedly caused by global warming? NOAA reported a long term decline in strong tornadoes in the U.S. and the National Hurricane Center reported that the past 40 years the U.S. has experienced the fewest hurricane strikes since the late 1800's. So what is the end game with the renewed interest in global warming? Simply follow the money, friends. Beginning with the corrupt Al Gore and his cadre of acolytes and continuing to President Obama, the goal is to cripple our economy in the name of being green and to transfer wealth to environmental causes and favored companies (take a look at all the bankrupt "green companies" this administration funded in its first term. You and I have paid out billions for nothing). This attempt by the administration to re-institute climate change initiatives is nothing more than a blatant money grab.
A friend dropped a box of Italian pastries on the floor. I cannoli imagine how he feels.
Do you know Richard Windsor? "Richard Windsor" is a fictitious employee that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson created so she could appropriate "his" e-mail account. Why do that? The false identity allowed Jackson to conduct official business on behalf of the EPA and avoid federal record keeping and disclosure laws. What's the big deal, you ask? The Windsor account contains some 12,000 secret and previously undisclosed e-mails. Now ask this question: why would the administrator of a national and public agency need a clandestine e-mail account? Why would she want to hide public business and not have that business conducted in her name? If the word "Solyndra" jumps to mind, you are probably close to the truth. I would guess that a great number of these e-mails are related to Solyndra, the first of the "green energy" companies that failed and cost the taxpayers a boatload of money. This account was intentionally created to allow the the agency and its administrator to avoid public accountability and to conduct government business under the table. It is a pattern with this administration, one that Obama pledged to be "the most transparent ever". And these are the people that want to run our health care system.
I have found that there are three kinds of people in this world: those who can count and those who cannot.
And that, my friends, is my view.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Woeful Predators Pummeled by Phoenix 4-0
The Nashville Predators continue their lengthy road swing with a contest in the desert against the Phoenix Coyotes. The Predators enter the tilt with a 1-1-3 record and some serious questions to answer.
Patric Hornqvist has been lost for 3-4 weeks with a sprained knee after being injured when Ryan Getzlaf of the Ducks fell on his knee in their previous game. The first question the Predators have to answer is who is going to step up and fill the roll of Hornqvist as a gritty presence in front of the net?
The longer term question- but equally important for the Predators- is what will it take to get their offense untracked? There have been stretches where the offense has been invisible, and the team is struggling to put the puck in the net. The Predators have to get balanced scoring out of their roster, and right now, the offense is sputtering. The quicker that question can be answered, the quicker the Predators get on track and keep pace with their rivals in the Central Division.
The Predators had Pekka Rinne in net, while the Coyotes went with Chad Johnson in his first NHL game of the season.
The Predators did not get the start they wanted as Antoine Vermette beat Pekka Rinne high glove side just 3 minutes into the game. Vermette just blasted a shot past Rinne from the face off circle, who had a good look but could not stop the puck.
The first period ended with the Coyotes leading 1-0 and the Predators still struggling to find any offensive push. The shots on goal were 6-3 for the Coyotes, a testament to the ineptness of the Predators offense.
The second period saw Pekka Rinne make two huge saves to keep the Coyotes off the board, one of which was a point blank stop from right in front of the net. Meanwhile, the Predators were never seriously threatening Johnson in the Phoenix net.
The Predators started skating and getting shots on net, but did not get quality scoring chances. Meanwhile, the Coyotes won a face off in the Predators zone and fired a shot on Rinne that he blocked but could not control. The Predators looked to have control of the puck, but lost it in traffic. The puck squirted to Lauri Korpikoski and he rifled the puck into the net to give the Coyotes a 2-0 lead at 16:48.
After two periods, the shots on goal were 13-10 for the Coyotes. If the Predators were going to have a chance to get back in this game, their offense was going to have to get going in the third period. Too often in the first two periods, the Predators had few quality scoring chances and were many times one shot and done. The Preds needed to get shots on goal and traffic to the net.
The third period saw the Predators begin to activate their defensemen in an attempt to create some offense, but Johnson was able to see the shots cleanly and rarely gave up a rebound. The Coyotes defense was doing a good job of clearing the front of the net, and although the Predators out shot the Coyotes 5-1 early in the period, they rarely had a second chance scoring opportunity.
The Coyotes took a 3-0 lead at 11:34 of the third period as a back pass from David Legwand was intercepted and started a 4 on 2 rush. Nick Johnson took a pass from Keith Yandle and buried the shot to give the Coyotes an insurmountable lead.
The Coyotes tallied on the power play at 15:02 as Keith Yandle took a shot from the blue line that beat Rinne through traffic. Unlike the Predators, the Coyotes had three players in front of the net screening Rinne and he never had a chance on the shot.
For the Predators, they could only hope the clock quickly would run out and end this miserable night.
The game mercifully ended with the no further scores by the Coyotes. The Coyotes out shot the Predators 25-22, but the reality is that Chad Johnson rarely had to make quality saves.
For the Predators, the offensive impotence that has plagued the team all season continued in a big way tonight. If the offense does not quickly develop some chemistry and jump, the Predators will soon find themselves spending the remainder of this shortened season trying to get back into the playoff race.
This is early in the season to be sure, but the effort by the offense is alarming.
It is time to get hungry boys.
My three stars:
1. Antoine Vermette
2. Keith Yandle
3. Chad Johnson
Patric Hornqvist has been lost for 3-4 weeks with a sprained knee after being injured when Ryan Getzlaf of the Ducks fell on his knee in their previous game. The first question the Predators have to answer is who is going to step up and fill the roll of Hornqvist as a gritty presence in front of the net?
The longer term question- but equally important for the Predators- is what will it take to get their offense untracked? There have been stretches where the offense has been invisible, and the team is struggling to put the puck in the net. The Predators have to get balanced scoring out of their roster, and right now, the offense is sputtering. The quicker that question can be answered, the quicker the Predators get on track and keep pace with their rivals in the Central Division.
The Predators had Pekka Rinne in net, while the Coyotes went with Chad Johnson in his first NHL game of the season.
The Predators did not get the start they wanted as Antoine Vermette beat Pekka Rinne high glove side just 3 minutes into the game. Vermette just blasted a shot past Rinne from the face off circle, who had a good look but could not stop the puck.
The first period ended with the Coyotes leading 1-0 and the Predators still struggling to find any offensive push. The shots on goal were 6-3 for the Coyotes, a testament to the ineptness of the Predators offense.
The second period saw Pekka Rinne make two huge saves to keep the Coyotes off the board, one of which was a point blank stop from right in front of the net. Meanwhile, the Predators were never seriously threatening Johnson in the Phoenix net.
The Predators started skating and getting shots on net, but did not get quality scoring chances. Meanwhile, the Coyotes won a face off in the Predators zone and fired a shot on Rinne that he blocked but could not control. The Predators looked to have control of the puck, but lost it in traffic. The puck squirted to Lauri Korpikoski and he rifled the puck into the net to give the Coyotes a 2-0 lead at 16:48.
After two periods, the shots on goal were 13-10 for the Coyotes. If the Predators were going to have a chance to get back in this game, their offense was going to have to get going in the third period. Too often in the first two periods, the Predators had few quality scoring chances and were many times one shot and done. The Preds needed to get shots on goal and traffic to the net.
The third period saw the Predators begin to activate their defensemen in an attempt to create some offense, but Johnson was able to see the shots cleanly and rarely gave up a rebound. The Coyotes defense was doing a good job of clearing the front of the net, and although the Predators out shot the Coyotes 5-1 early in the period, they rarely had a second chance scoring opportunity.
The Coyotes took a 3-0 lead at 11:34 of the third period as a back pass from David Legwand was intercepted and started a 4 on 2 rush. Nick Johnson took a pass from Keith Yandle and buried the shot to give the Coyotes an insurmountable lead.
The Coyotes tallied on the power play at 15:02 as Keith Yandle took a shot from the blue line that beat Rinne through traffic. Unlike the Predators, the Coyotes had three players in front of the net screening Rinne and he never had a chance on the shot.
For the Predators, they could only hope the clock quickly would run out and end this miserable night.
The game mercifully ended with the no further scores by the Coyotes. The Coyotes out shot the Predators 25-22, but the reality is that Chad Johnson rarely had to make quality saves.
For the Predators, the offensive impotence that has plagued the team all season continued in a big way tonight. If the offense does not quickly develop some chemistry and jump, the Predators will soon find themselves spending the remainder of this shortened season trying to get back into the playoff race.
This is early in the season to be sure, but the effort by the offense is alarming.
It is time to get hungry boys.
My three stars:
1. Antoine Vermette
2. Keith Yandle
3. Chad Johnson
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Predators Go to the SO (Again), Lose to the Ducks 3-2
The Nashville Predators were looking to rebound from a 3-0 drubbing by the St. Louis Blues as they traveled to the Honda Center to take on the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks were flattened by the Vancouver Canucks 5-0 in their last game on Friday night.
The Predators have won 6 consecutive regular season games against the Ducks and were attempting to keep that streak alive in their first meeting of the season.
The Predators had Pekka Rinne in net, while the Ducks went with Viktor Fasth as Jonas Hiller had the start the night before.
The key to the Predators getting back on track was simple: they had to control the puck, get through the neutral zone, and get shots on net.
The Predators did just that with their fourth line on the ice as Brandon Yip broke in 2 on 1 with Rich Clune. Fasth stopped Yip's initial shot but gave up a juicy rebound that Yip gathered in a fired into the net to give the Predators a 1-0 lead at 1:52 of the first period. This was Yip's first goal of the year.
The remainder of the first period saw both teams trade some good scoring chances. In particular, Pekka Rinne had to come up with a big save off a flurry in front of the net to keep the Ducks off the board. The shots on goal were 7 apiece in the first period.
For the Predators, they had better jump and skated much better than they did in the game against the Blues.
The Predators opened the second period with good jump and had a decided advantage in the offensive zone. Although they peppered Fasth with shots, they couldn't get a puck past the rookie netminder. It was going to be important for the Predators to keep up the offensive pressure in this game.
Although the Predators had the 1-0 lead and had controlled much of the play in the second period, the lead felt uneasy as the Ducks were just one good shot from tying the game. That sense of foreboding became a reality with just 32 seconds remaining in the period as Cam Fowler took a hard wrist shot from the point that was re-directed by Stompin' Bobby Ryan past Rinne to tie the game at one.
The shots were 6 for each team in the second period.
The third period was going to be a test of character for the Predators. They had to keep up the pressure and continue to skate hard.
The third period was wide open, with both teams getting some good scoring chances and both keepers equal to the task.
The Predators broke the tie at 10:09 of the third period as they had good offensive zone presence. Kevin Klein took a shot from the high slot and Fasth gave up a rebound that David Legwand gathered in slid a backhand in to give the Predators a 2-1 lead.
The Ducks tied the game just over a minute later as Corey Perry drove the left side of the Predators defense and was able to get a pass to Daniel Winnik. Winnik out worked Hal Gill to get his stick on the puck and tipped it past Rinne, who had no chance on the shot.
Neither team could score, although each had several good chances, and for the third time in five games, the Predators were heading to overtime.
Shots were 19-19 at the end of the regulation time.
The Predators lost Patric Hornqvist in the third period as he took a Shea Weber slapshot off his thigh and was able to fight through that injury, but was lost when Ryan Getzlaf fell on his leg at an awkward angle.
In the extra period, both the Predators and the Ducks had some glorious scoring chances, but neither team could capitalize. So for the third time this season, the Predators were heading to a shootout and were looking for their first victory in the skills competition.
The Predators sent Marty Erat, Mike Fisher, and David Legwand out in the shootout, and all were stopped by Fasth. Ryan Getzlaf was stopped by Rinne, but Corey Perry scored the lone goal to give the Ducks the win.
This was a much better effort by the Predators. Once again, they desperately need to finish some of their scoring chances, but I cannot fault their jump and their effort.
This is a team that continues to gel. It is going to be important for them to gel quickly and begin to get some regulation wins.
My three stars:
1. Viktor Fasth
2. Brandon Yip
3. Daniel Winnik
The Predators have won 6 consecutive regular season games against the Ducks and were attempting to keep that streak alive in their first meeting of the season.
The Predators had Pekka Rinne in net, while the Ducks went with Viktor Fasth as Jonas Hiller had the start the night before.
The key to the Predators getting back on track was simple: they had to control the puck, get through the neutral zone, and get shots on net.
The Predators did just that with their fourth line on the ice as Brandon Yip broke in 2 on 1 with Rich Clune. Fasth stopped Yip's initial shot but gave up a juicy rebound that Yip gathered in a fired into the net to give the Predators a 1-0 lead at 1:52 of the first period. This was Yip's first goal of the year.
The remainder of the first period saw both teams trade some good scoring chances. In particular, Pekka Rinne had to come up with a big save off a flurry in front of the net to keep the Ducks off the board. The shots on goal were 7 apiece in the first period.
For the Predators, they had better jump and skated much better than they did in the game against the Blues.
The Predators opened the second period with good jump and had a decided advantage in the offensive zone. Although they peppered Fasth with shots, they couldn't get a puck past the rookie netminder. It was going to be important for the Predators to keep up the offensive pressure in this game.
Although the Predators had the 1-0 lead and had controlled much of the play in the second period, the lead felt uneasy as the Ducks were just one good shot from tying the game. That sense of foreboding became a reality with just 32 seconds remaining in the period as Cam Fowler took a hard wrist shot from the point that was re-directed by Stompin' Bobby Ryan past Rinne to tie the game at one.
The shots were 6 for each team in the second period.
The third period was going to be a test of character for the Predators. They had to keep up the pressure and continue to skate hard.
The third period was wide open, with both teams getting some good scoring chances and both keepers equal to the task.
The Predators broke the tie at 10:09 of the third period as they had good offensive zone presence. Kevin Klein took a shot from the high slot and Fasth gave up a rebound that David Legwand gathered in slid a backhand in to give the Predators a 2-1 lead.
The Ducks tied the game just over a minute later as Corey Perry drove the left side of the Predators defense and was able to get a pass to Daniel Winnik. Winnik out worked Hal Gill to get his stick on the puck and tipped it past Rinne, who had no chance on the shot.
Neither team could score, although each had several good chances, and for the third time in five games, the Predators were heading to overtime.
Shots were 19-19 at the end of the regulation time.
The Predators lost Patric Hornqvist in the third period as he took a Shea Weber slapshot off his thigh and was able to fight through that injury, but was lost when Ryan Getzlaf fell on his leg at an awkward angle.
In the extra period, both the Predators and the Ducks had some glorious scoring chances, but neither team could capitalize. So for the third time this season, the Predators were heading to a shootout and were looking for their first victory in the skills competition.
The Predators sent Marty Erat, Mike Fisher, and David Legwand out in the shootout, and all were stopped by Fasth. Ryan Getzlaf was stopped by Rinne, but Corey Perry scored the lone goal to give the Ducks the win.
This was a much better effort by the Predators. Once again, they desperately need to finish some of their scoring chances, but I cannot fault their jump and their effort.
This is a team that continues to gel. It is going to be important for them to gel quickly and begin to get some regulation wins.
My three stars:
1. Viktor Fasth
2. Brandon Yip
3. Daniel Winnik
Friday, January 25, 2013
My View
Taro Aso is the 72 year old Deputy Prime Minister of Japan, and he made headlines this past week for remarks he made at a panel in his country to discuss social security reforms. His comments? The elderly should be allowed to "hurry up and die" to reduce the financial burden on the country that is responsible for their medical expenses. That is not the first time that Aso has gotten into some hot water over his remarks about the elderly and their medical care. In 2008, while then serving as Prime Minister, he called the elderly population in Japan a "feeble group" and said, "Why should I have to pay taxes for people who just sit around and do nothing but eat and drink?" To be sure, Japan, like the U.S. and other countries with an aging population, are faced with serious financial issues in delivering quality healthcare, and the high cost of care for the elderly is an issue that stirs many emotions and passions. There are those that feel as Deputy Prime Minister Aso does: why should limited tax resources be used to pay for those who typically have very costly medical care and a limited number of years in which to live? And lest you think that this is a phenomenon that happens only in other countries, know that some of those same sentiments are stirring here in the United States. Former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich recently told an audience, "We are going to have to, if you're very old, we're not going to give you all that technology and all those drugs for the last couple of years of your life to keep you going for another couple of months. It's too expensive, so we are going to let you die." The discourse today on healthcare has turned to government controlled healthcare- that is Obamacare- and government controlled healthcare creates a monopoly on treatment. This monopoly leads to rationing, and that leads to end of life decisions being removed from individuals and families and placed in the hand of the government. And that is not healthy.
I have a friend that is addicted to drinking brake fluid. I told him I was worried about him, but he said it was okay and he could stop any time.
The problem with government sponsored healthcare is the inhumane notion that the state has the discretion as to who lives or dies. The individual has no right to self preservation. Cloaked in the garb of developing and preserving financially a flawed health delivery system, the state has interjected itself into very personal decisions about healthcare and the intensely emotional decisions about the treatment of an individual at an end of life event. Where family and loved ones look at costs and potential outcomes through the lens of relationships and emotion, the government brutally bludgeons these individuals and families with a solely economic decision. I for one do not want the government telling me- or any member of my family- that I am "drain" on resources or on society and therefore I must die. As a society, we are not there. Yet. But know that the rationing of health care services, the establishment of the federal Independent Payment Advisory Board (which Sarah Palin called a "death panel" to great derision. Turns out she was more right than most knew), and the insinuation of government into private medical decisions, moves us closer to the establishment of a government monopoly on healthcare. And as history has shown, having a monopoly in any industry leads to higher costs and poorer service.
I have a friend who is Buddhist and he recently had a root canal without any Novocaine. When I asked him why, he said he wanted to transcend dental medication.
So if the federal government does eventually control most if not all of our health care system, it will operate in the best interest of all of us, right? Not so fast, my friends. Here is just one example of the imbalances and distortions that occur when the heavy hand of government gets involved in anything. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry added a provision to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) that allows hospitals in Massachusetts to increase their Medicare reimbursements by a factor of ten. TEN! Under Obamacare, hospitals in urban areas have to be reimbursed at the same level as rural hospitals. Massachusetts has only one hospital classified as a rural hospital, and it is a small 19 bed facility on Nantucket Island. Because the community is so wealthy and has such an extraordinarily high cost of living, it sets the floor for reimbursements to other hospitals. So over the next ten years, reimbursements to Massachusetts hospitals will rise from $367 million to nearly $3.5 billion. And under Kerry's provision, hospital reimbursement payments come from a nationwide pool of funds. So Massachusetts' windfall is going to come at the expense of reimbursements under Medicare to other states. By increasing control of the federal government over the healthcare system, Obamacare has made it easier for these types of imbalances to occur. And we want the federal government involved in our individual healthcare decisions?
I bought some furniture that was delivered and that I had to assemble. They should have called it "Divorce in a box".
And that, my friends, is my view.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Predators Fail to Show Up in 3-0 Loss to the Blues
The Nashville Predators traveled to ScottTrade Center to face off with the St. Louis Blues for the second time in 5 days. The first meeting between these two teams resulted in a 4-3 Blues shoot out win in Nashville, and the Predators were looking to keep pace with their Central Division rival.
Pekka Rinne was in net for the Predators and Jaroslav Halak, who was pulled in the first game between these teams, was in net for the Blues.
The game opened like a mirror image of the game in Nashville with the Blues holding a dominant territorial advantage, out shooting the Predators 4-1 early in the contest. The Blues would tally first on their second power play of the period as Mike Fisher was in the box. A shot to the net was not handled cleanly by Rinne, who let the puck hit the blue ice in front of him. T.J. Oshie crashed the net and was able to shovel the puck past Rinne for a 1-0 lead at 12:59.
The Predators had a difficult time getting through the neutral zone and establishing offensive zone presence in the first period. Rinne made a great save on T.J. Oshie late in the period to keep the Blues lead at 1. If the Predators were going to make a game of it, they were going to have to be stronger on the puck and establish their offense, which was virtually non-existent in the first period.
At the end of the first period, the Blues held a 9-3 shot advantage.
The second period opened with the Blues continuing to dominate in puck possession and the Predators unable to establish offensive presence. If the Predators were going to make a game of it, their offense was going to have to control the puck and generate some chances.
That was not happening for the Predators. The Blues controlled the puck, choked off the Predators entry into the zone, and did not let the offense get established. The Predators did not record their first shot on the Blues goal until 12:21 had elapsed in the period.
The Predators defense was caught asleep as Patrick Bergland broke in alone on Rinne and was hooked by Mike Fisher. Bergland was awarded a penalty shot and he beat Rinne stick side to give the Blues a 2-0 lead. As bad as the Predators offense was tonight, that lead looked to be insurmountable for the Predators.
The remainder of the period was scoreless, but the Predators never seriously challenged the Blues net and the offense was throttled by the Blues defense. In the second period, the Predators were out shot 11-4. If the Predators were going to get back in this game, they were going to have to commit to getting the puck in the zone and getting shots on net, something they had not done during the first 40 minutes.
The final 20 minutes were going to be a test of the heart and will of the Predators.
The Predators opened the third period with 1:30 of power play time, but had difficulty even entering the zone. The power play expired with no serious scoring threats. Another power play shortly thereafter yielded a few shots but again no serious scoring threats.
Vladamir Tarasenko made it 3-0 at 9:04 as he was left all alone on the left side of the ice after jumping off the bench on a change. Alex Steen found Tarasenko gliding toward the net and slipped a pass to the wide open winger and he roofed a shot over Rinne to give the Blues a lead that the Predators were not going to threaten the way they were playing.
The only question remaining in this game was how badly the Predators would be embarrassed by their lack of effort tonight.
The Predators effort tonight was embarrassing. They were out shot 24-13 and rarely threatened Halak in the offensive zone. The forwards were dominated by the Blues defense. The power play was impotent.
An all around stinker of a game by the Predators.
This team is a team that has to bring the effort every night to compensate for their lack of talent. Tonight, the effort was woefully lacking.
The Predators get a chance to wash this bad taste out of their mouth Saturday night in Anaheim.
It can't come quickly enough.
My three stars:
1. T.J. Oshie
2. Vladamir Tarasenko
3. Jaroslav Halak
Pekka Rinne was in net for the Predators and Jaroslav Halak, who was pulled in the first game between these teams, was in net for the Blues.
The game opened like a mirror image of the game in Nashville with the Blues holding a dominant territorial advantage, out shooting the Predators 4-1 early in the contest. The Blues would tally first on their second power play of the period as Mike Fisher was in the box. A shot to the net was not handled cleanly by Rinne, who let the puck hit the blue ice in front of him. T.J. Oshie crashed the net and was able to shovel the puck past Rinne for a 1-0 lead at 12:59.
The Predators had a difficult time getting through the neutral zone and establishing offensive zone presence in the first period. Rinne made a great save on T.J. Oshie late in the period to keep the Blues lead at 1. If the Predators were going to make a game of it, they were going to have to be stronger on the puck and establish their offense, which was virtually non-existent in the first period.
At the end of the first period, the Blues held a 9-3 shot advantage.
The second period opened with the Blues continuing to dominate in puck possession and the Predators unable to establish offensive presence. If the Predators were going to make a game of it, their offense was going to have to control the puck and generate some chances.
That was not happening for the Predators. The Blues controlled the puck, choked off the Predators entry into the zone, and did not let the offense get established. The Predators did not record their first shot on the Blues goal until 12:21 had elapsed in the period.
The Predators defense was caught asleep as Patrick Bergland broke in alone on Rinne and was hooked by Mike Fisher. Bergland was awarded a penalty shot and he beat Rinne stick side to give the Blues a 2-0 lead. As bad as the Predators offense was tonight, that lead looked to be insurmountable for the Predators.
The remainder of the period was scoreless, but the Predators never seriously challenged the Blues net and the offense was throttled by the Blues defense. In the second period, the Predators were out shot 11-4. If the Predators were going to get back in this game, they were going to have to commit to getting the puck in the zone and getting shots on net, something they had not done during the first 40 minutes.
The final 20 minutes were going to be a test of the heart and will of the Predators.
The Predators opened the third period with 1:30 of power play time, but had difficulty even entering the zone. The power play expired with no serious scoring threats. Another power play shortly thereafter yielded a few shots but again no serious scoring threats.
Vladamir Tarasenko made it 3-0 at 9:04 as he was left all alone on the left side of the ice after jumping off the bench on a change. Alex Steen found Tarasenko gliding toward the net and slipped a pass to the wide open winger and he roofed a shot over Rinne to give the Blues a lead that the Predators were not going to threaten the way they were playing.
The only question remaining in this game was how badly the Predators would be embarrassed by their lack of effort tonight.
The Predators effort tonight was embarrassing. They were out shot 24-13 and rarely threatened Halak in the offensive zone. The forwards were dominated by the Blues defense. The power play was impotent.
An all around stinker of a game by the Predators.
This team is a team that has to bring the effort every night to compensate for their lack of talent. Tonight, the effort was woefully lacking.
The Predators get a chance to wash this bad taste out of their mouth Saturday night in Anaheim.
It can't come quickly enough.
My three stars:
1. T.J. Oshie
2. Vladamir Tarasenko
3. Jaroslav Halak
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