Learning to Dance

Keeping with the theme of tripping the light fantastic....

The Preds captured an essential two points last night against the struggling Desert Dogs, winning 4-1. The Preds remain in 11th place in the Western Conference with 64 points. Minnesota, Dallas, Edmonton, and Anaheim occupy the 7th through the 10th spot and each have 65 points.

I entitled this post "Learning to Dance", because, like a neophyte on the dance floor, this team is learning to move to the rhythm of what makes them competitive and successful when they hit the ice. The last two games the Pred have embraced the attributes of what will carry them into the playoffs: an aggressive forecheck; being relentless on the offensive attack; being strong on the boards and in the corners; and playing solid D. I have called out the offense as being inept, or challenged. Last night they fired 47 (47!!) pucks on Bryzgalov and created numerous scoring opportunities. The Preds won 57% of their faceoffs while missing the leading faceoff man in the NHL. The Preds also limited penalties. This type of effort will lead to this team having their dance card punched for the playoffs.

The Evil Empire comes to town on Saturday night. They are moving at a different beat than the Preds, and that's okay. Stay within yourselves and keep the rhythm going boys. The Motown Sound has had its time. Let's rock and roll!