The Struggle Continues; Predators Fall to the Blackhawks 3-2

The Nashville Predators need a win in a big way.

The Chicago Blackhawks stood in the way of the Predators and that win, and the visiting Predators faced a tough task in getting a win at the United Center against a Blackhawks team that has won 7 in a row.

The Predators have lost 3 straight games.

Desperately needing the win, the Predators gave up the first 3 goals before dropping another game by a 3-2 score.

Andrew Shaw scored twice from the top of the crease and Brent Seabrook blasted a shot past Pekka Rinne from the blue line to give the Hawks a 3-0 lead. Mike Ribeiro scored for the Predators late in the second period to cut it to 3-1.

Filip Forsberg scored on a deflection that he batted out of the air with 36.3 seconds to go in the game and the Predators with the man advantage. That goal cut the Hawks lead to 3-2.

The Predators had difficulty getting control of the puck before one last scoring chance from Ryan Johansen that was turned aside by Corey Crawford.

Some observations:

• Colin Wilson missed his second straight game with a lower body injury.
• Anthony Bitetto was back in the line up and paired with Barret Jackman.
• Did you notice how the Blackhawks scored their first 2 goals? Andrew Shaw was creating havoc at the top of the crease and was the beneficiary of going to the hard area of the ice. This is an aspect of the Predators game that has been noticeably absent for too long.
• This is a Predators team that trying to find its identity right now. They are not overly physical; they are talented but not so that they can dominate an opponent; and they have difficulty  elevating their work ethic or overall game when they need to do so. Until this team discovers and embraces an identity, they are going to continue to be an average squad.
• I like the play of RyJo- Ryan Johansen. He is adept at winning face offs, is not afraid to go to the front of the net, and has shown that he has a wicked good shot. 
• James Neal came to play tonight. He was willing to shoot and play a physical game. he was one of the few bright spots for the Predators in a tough game.
• I can't fault Rinne for the first 2 goals, but man, that third goal was a back breaker that Rinne has to stop.

The Predators are a team on the skids right now.  And the only way out of it is to start to play fundamental hockey and bring a maximum effort for a full 60 minutes.

Until they do that, this is a team that will continue to flounder.

My three stars:

1. Andrew Shaw

2. Corey Crawford

3. Mike Ribeiro

Predators Bomb Against the Blackhawks

The Nashville Predators faced a stiff test in the second game of a back to back series as they squared off against the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center.

They failed the test. Badly.

The Predators dropped a 4-1 decision to their Central Division rivals in a game where Corey Crawford shined in net and the Predators couldn't find a way to get the puck past him.

Dennis Rasmussen redirected a point shot by Andrew Shaw in the first period to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

Andrew Shaw scored on a power play to make it 2-0 in the second period.

The Predators would draw to 2-1 on a goal by Eric Nystrom off a beautiful assist from Roman Josi.

That is as close as the Predators would get as Teuvo Teravainen would beat Pekka Rinne early in the third period with a perfectly placed shot to the top corner.

Patrick Kane would add an empty net goal for the final margin.

Some observations:

• Colin Wilson was scratched due to aggravating a lower body injury in last night's game against the Bruins.Craig Smith moved back up to the second line with Viktor Arvidsson and Mike Ribeiro. 
• There is no doubt the United Center can be an intimidating place in which to play. The Predators had several guys in their line up that were on UC ice for the first time, and they pressed the attack and played with some poise. 
• Paul Gaustad has been a good soldier, and I like Paul. But I think Paul's time has passed. He is contributing very little to the Predators this season. He has become average in the face off dot and is a liability in the offensive zone. I believe that it is time to put Salomaki, Watson, and Sissons together on the 4th line. They play with jump and have more offensive pop than than the current 4th line unit. Early in the season, the Watson, Bourque, and Sissons 4th line played exceptionally well and were able to contribute offensively. With Bourque out due to an injury, Salomaki can play on that 4th line and I think it will benefit the Predators to have a more offensively dangerous 4th unit.
• Roman Josi continues to play at an elite level. He absolutely undressed Duncan Keith with a sweet move to set up the goal by Nystrom. Josi is so smooth and calm with the puck and has exceptional vision on the ice, and he uses those skills to fire his underrated shot or set up teammates.
• In my view, the difference between the Predators and the Blackhawks is simply this: the Blackhawks have players throughout their line up that can score, and they do so on a consistent basis. The Predators have some talented players, but they are mostly players that disappear for long stretches at a time (Forsberg, Smith, Wilson, to name a few). There are fewer high end players on the Predators roster and their consistency is virtually non-existent. Until that changes, the Predators are going to be an good team but not remotely close to being an elite team.
• This game was indicative of the Predators talent level. Lots of hustle, fairly good effort, but no one that could finish The Predators talent level has improved, but clearly lags behind teams like the Hawks and Blues. This team tries hard, and will win their fair share of games, but the Predators are who they are- hard working but lacking in elite talent.
• Want proof? The Predators put 37 shots on goal compared to the Hawks 24. The difference? The Hawks have finishers and the Predators do not.
• The Predators out hit the Hawks 36-14, which is indicative of the fact they were chasing the puck most of the night.

 The Predators are 0-2 against the elite teams of the Central that they have played (Blues and Hawks) and have yet to play the best team in the Central, the Stars. The Predators are either going to have to get some players going (I'm looking at you, Smith, Forsberg, and Wilson) or they are going to have to seriously upgrade their talent.

Otherwise, they will be scrambling to make the playoffs.

My three stars:

1. Corey Crawford

2. Andrew Shaw

3. Teuvo Teravainen

Predators Give Away a Point, Fall in SO to the Blackhawks

The Nashville Predators traveled to Chicago to face the Blackhawks in their last regular season meeting. The game would also determine first place in the Central Division where the Blackhawks currently lead the Predators by two points. The Predators are 1-1-1 against the Hawks in their previous matchups.

Pekka Rinne was in net for the Predators while the Hawks had Corey Crawford between the pipes.

The Predators jumped on the Hawks in the first period, outshooting them 18-12 and carrying the play for much of the period.

Roman Josi staked the Predators to a 1-0 lead at 11:50 with a blast from the face off circle just after the Predators had killed of a Blackhawks penalty.

Colin Wilson battled in front of the net and got a shot from close in that Crawford could not control. Craig Smith followed Wilson's shot a put a wrister inside the post to make it 2-0 at 17:12.

James Neal made it 3-0 off a pass from Wilson that bounced off his leg and past Crawford at 7:28 of the second period. Neal drove to the net and created traffic in front of Crawford and put himself in perfect position to deflect the shot from Wilson.

The Hawks cut the lead to 3-1 as Brad Richards scored just after the Predators had killed off a penalty at 10:33.

The Blackhawks pulled to within 1 at 15:38 as the puck was slid in under Rinne by Andrew Shaw in a scramble around the goal crease.

The Predators saw their lead evaporate as Marian Hossa tied the game on the power play at 17:43. Hossa wired a shot over the shoulder of Rinne into the top corner.

Just as the Predators had jumped on the Hawks in the first period, the Hawks responded with the significant push back of their own. The Predators were dominated after their third goal, registering just one shot on goal in 11 minutes of the second period.

James Neal scored on the power play with just under a minute to play in the second period as Filip Forsberg took a shot that was kicked out by Crawford and on to the stick of Neal, who buried the puck into the open net at 19:04 of the second.

A good response by the Predators, but one that should not have been necessary.

Chicago tied the game with 1:13 left in the game as a shot through traffic could not be controlled by Rinne and Brian Bickell slammed home the rebound.

In the overtime, both teams had some chances and Rinne in particular had to come up with some big saves. Neither team could find the back of the net and the game would be decided in a shootout.

In the shootout, Jonathan Toews tallied the only goal and the Blackhawks won the game 5-4.

Some observations:

• Colin Wilson continues his strong play. I have spoken about his speed and puck handling, but the Predators second goal was a result of Wilson going to the hard area in front of the net and battling to get the shot off. Wilson has shown that he is not afraid to battle in front of the net, and that is a dimension that the Predators need.
•  Roman Josi is just smooth. He is a solid defender that has great speed, deft puck handling skills, and a deceptively good shot. When he carries the puck and joins the rush, it's like having another highly skilled forward on the ice.
• James Neal elevates his game against elite competition. He has 5 goals in 4 games against the Blackhawks this season. I really like the chemistry that is developing between Neal and Wilson.
• Up 3-0 and seemingly in control of this game, the Predators got back on their heels and let the Blackhawks take the play to them for the bulk of the second period. This type of play- going into a shell and letting the opponent dictate the play- is not the way you can play against an elite team like the Hawks. When the Predators are attacking and playing their game, they are the equal of any team in the League. When they sit back as they did for a majority of the second, they can get blown out of the barn.
• The Hawks have a very potent power play. The Predators did a good job on the penalty kill tonight, killing 4 of 5 Hawks power plays in regulation.
• Rinne gave up some goals with a lot of traffic in front of him. I can't fault him for those goals as the Hawks had a lot of traffic and a lot of whacks at the puck from in close. The defense has to do a better job of clearing the front of the net and helping him out. That said, Hossa did beat Rinne cleanly with a blast on the power play.

The Predators gave away a point tonight. this was a game that they should have locked down and put away but didn't.

Learn from it.

My three stars:

1. James Neal

2. Colin Wilson

3. Jonathan Toews

Neal's Hat Trick Leads the Predators to 3-2 Win Over the Blackhawks

How about that trade for James Neal?

The Predators, who acquired Neal from Pittsburgh to add scoring punch, got what they were looking for as Neal had a natural hat trick to lead the Predators to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks at Bridgestone Arena.

Ben Smith had given the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead at 12:21 of the first period by beating Pekka Rinne with a flip over his pads from in close.

Neal answered by beating Antti Raanta from the left face off circle with a snap shot over the stick at 19:12 of the first period.

Neal gave the Predators a 2-1 lead 16:12 of the second period as he blasted a shot  from the right side of the slot that Raanta had no chance. Neal showed that he can scorch a shot, and although he was unscreened, Raanta could not get the glove up fast enough on that heater.

Neal gave the Predators a 3-1 lead at 1:52 of the third period as Raanta could not control the shot from Ryan Ellis from the left face off circle. The puck trickled out to the right side and Neal was driving the net. He was able to tap the puck into the open net before Raanta could get back into position.

Chicago is a talented team and everyone in the building knew they would be making a strong push in the third period.

They did just that, out shooting the Predators 17-6. Rinne made some incredible saves to thwart some very scoring chances by the Hawks.

The Blackhawks made it interesting when Andrew Shaw knocked a puck out of mid-air and over the shoulder of Rinne at 12:36 of the third (it looked for all the world like that puck was played with a high stick, but the officials let the play stand).

Rinne was called upon to shut the door, and he and the defense did so in the face of some good pressure by the Hawks, including the final 1:25 with Raanta pulled for an extra attacker.

Some observations:

• Going back to last season, the Predators are 5-2-1 against the Blackhawks. The Predators are 43-39-2-9 all time against the Hawks. They are 24-16-6 against the Blackhawks at Bridgestone Arena.

• The line of Neal, Ribeiro, and Forsberg has become a legitimate threat for the Predators. With the hat trick tonight, Neal leads the team with 5 goals. Ribeiro has picked up points in five straight games. Forsberg leads the team in points (1G-6A) and assists, with 6.

• The last hat trick for the Predators came on January 1, 2012 by Sergei Kostitsyn.

• Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford did not make the trip with team due to an upper body injury.

• The Predators power play was 0-2, continuing their struggles. I will say that the two power plays looked much better tonight with more movement and traffic in front of Raanta. This is an area that the team obviously has to improve upon.

• The Predators committed only one penalty, which they successfully killed. One of the keys to winning was to not give the potent Hawks power play opportunities and tonight the Predators played very disciplined hockey.

• Rinne was outstanding, making some great saves, especially in the third period when the Hawks turned up the pressure. He is playing with confidence and the team feeds off that confidence.

• The Predators continue to struggle in the face off circle, winning only 45% of the draws. Paul Gaustad was 50% (12 of 24), the best among the forwards that took more than one face off. Mike Ribeiro was a woeful 5 of 16.

• The Hawks had not given up a third period goal all season until tonight.

This was a huge win for the Predators, not only because it was against a divisional foe, but because this is a win that the team can build upon. It has to boost their confidence and let them know they can not only play with the best teams in the NHL, but they can win those games.

It feels good to get this win, but it is just a step in a long season.

But this is learning it can take those steps.

My three stars:

1. James Neal

2. Pekka Rinne

3. fillip Forsberg

• The Predators are the only team not to have a regulation loss this season.

Predators Win a Wild One Against the Blackhawks

Two games to go in the season, games that are meaningless for the Nashville Predators. The first of those games would be at Bridgestone Arena against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Would the Predators mail it in against the powerful Hawks?

Absolutely not!

The Predators won a wild affair 7-5 in front of a capacity crowd that was almost evenly split between fans of both teams.

Until a Shea Weber empty net goal sent the hawks fans scrambling for the exits.

Both teams combined to score 7 goals in a wild third period. The Predators scored twice in the final minute to seal the win.

Chicago scored the first two goals of the game as Ben Smith and Marian Hossa tallied for the Blackhawks.

The ice was decidedly tilted in favor of the hawks until Craig Smith scored a beautiful goal off his faceoff win. he went top corner on Antti Raanta to make it 2-1 at the end of the first period.

Ryan Ellis tied the game at the 6:32 mark of the second period.

Matt Carey scored his first NHL goal to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead at 13:16 of the second period.

That set up a wild third period.

Matt Cullen tied the game, chipping in a rebound of a Mike Fisher shot. Colin Wilson put the Predators in the lead for the first time as he slapped home a rebound of a Shea Weber shot.

The game was tied at 4 by Jeremy Morin at the 8:00 minute mark of the third period.

Paul Gaustad gave the Predators a 5-4 lead, taking a pass from Craig Smith and blowing a shot from the slot past Raanta.

The Predators could not hold the lead as Andrew Shaw beat Pekka Rinne with a slap shot at 18:25 of the third period.

Looking like the game would go to overtime, the Predators refused to relent and pressured Raanta and the Hawks defense. That effort paid off as Patric Hornqvist drove the net a potted a rebound of a Matt Cullen shot at 19:01 of the third period.

Shea Weber sealed the win with an empty net goal at 19:46.

Some observations:

• The Hawks had a tremendous advantage in zone time in the first period. The Predators rarely visited the offensive zone and Rinne was forced to deal with a lot of traffic in front of his net. The Hawks generally created havoc in front of the Predators netminder throughout the game and did a good job of taking away Rinne's vision on some of their goals. Rinne was not especially sharp tonight, but dis make some big saves during the course of the game.

• Raanta had a relatively easy first period, but when the Predators started getting shots on goal and driving the net, he was unable to handle the pressure. The Predators did a good job in the final 40 minutes of getting shots on goal and driving the net for rebounds.

• Patric Hornqvist has a goal and an assist tonight to give him 52 points for the season, a career high. Hornqvist has 17 points (9G-8A) in his last 10 games.

• Shea Weber also set a career high of 55 points (22G-33A) with a goal and an assist tonight.

• Weber joins Hornqvist and Craig Smith as team leaders in goals, each with 22.

• Pekka Rinne picked up his 10th win of the year.

• Marian Hossa did not play for the Blackhawks after the first period.

• The Predators are 8-1-2 in their last 11 games. The captured the season series with the Hawks, winning 4 of 5 contests.

This was a resilient, character win for the Predators. They could have easily rolled over, going down 2 goals in the first period.

Instead, the battled and never quit.

This is something to build upon in the coming season.

My three stars:

1. Patric Hornqvist

2. Craig Smith

3. Paul Gaustad

Predators Hand the Hawks a 5-4 Victory

The Chicago Blackhawks visited the Bridgestone Arena looking for their first regulation win against the Nashville Predators.

They got it courtesy of some sloppy play by the Predators.

Chicago won the game 5-4 in a wild contest that saw the Hawks jump out to a 4-0 lead only to see the Predators claw their way back and tie the game at 4 in the third period.

Some observations from the game:

Pekka Rinne was in net for the Predators, and he was victimized by the play of the defense in front of him. The Hawks scored the first goal of the game when a centering pass across the top of the crease went off the skate of Hal Gill and past Rinne with the Hawks on the power play.

Chicago had a lead of 1-0 at the end of the first period. The Predators would open the second period a man down as David Legwand was in the box for hooking. The Hawks tallied again on the power play as the Predators defense lost Dave Bolland. Bolland was left alone to take a pass from Marian Hossa and his one timer gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead.

Patrick Kane beat Francis Buillon down the ice and beat Rinne five hole on a breakaway. Another defensive breakdown and another Hawks goal.

Viktor Stalberg once again beat Buillon down the ice and scored off the rebound of his shot to give the Hawks a 4-0 lead.

At this point, the wheels had come off for the Predators and it looked like the Hawks were going to exact a measure of revenge for the 6-1 drubbing the Predators had put on the Hawks in their last meeting.

Up to this point, the Predators had not been able to rattle Corey Crawford, although their had been a good deal of traffic and activity by the Predators in front of Crawford. Crawford even got some punches in on Paul Gaustad when he was checked into Crawford in the first period. Crawford still looked in control, and the Predators were having a difficult time solving him.

That changed when the Predators kept firing pucks at the net and getting traffic in front of Crawford.

The Predators made it 4-1 at 9:29 of the second period when Marty Erat tallied on the power play. It was a simple play, as Erat took a shot from the slot with traffic in front and the screened Crawford never saw the shot.

Just under a minute later, Shea Weber notched the first of his two goals on the night with a wrist shot from the blue line that beat Crawford. Once again, there was traffic in front and Crawford could not pick up the puck.

In the third period, the Predators pulled within one as Alexander Radulov split Brent Seabrook and Sean O'Donnell and beat Crawford with a sweet backhand move at 4:38.

Shea Weber tied the game on the power play at 7:19 of the third with a blast from the blue line that Crawford never saw. Patric Hornqvist was screening in front and did a great job of taking away Crawford's eyes on the play.

Tied at 4, this was a game the Predators could take. Crawford and more than a few of the Hawks had a deer in the headlights look. Now the Predators needed to score that next goal.

Instead, it was the Hawks that tallied when Brent Seabrook scored to give the Hawks the final margin of victory. On the play, David Legwand got beat coming back and Seabrook took a nice pass from Andrew Shaw and beat Rinne with a one timer.

The Hawks are too good of a team to spot 4 goals. The fact that the Predators fought back and had a chance to win the game speaks volumes about their heart, but their play through the first 30 minutes of the contest caused them to expend an enormous amount of energy getting back into the game.

Their undisciplined play, taking 5 penalties and giving up 2 power play goals certainly did not help the effort.

The game winning goal was particularly galling. Legwand did not hustle back and left Seabrook open for the game winner. For a veteran, this play by Legwand was extremely disappointing.

The Predators finished the season series with the Hawks at 4-1-1. With 98 points, they sit one point in front of Detroit and Chicago, who tied the Detroit Red Wings with this win.

This game proved that the Predators can come back against any team. It also proved that they cannot play loose in the defensive zone and expect to win any game.

The Predators have 3 games remaining, and those 6 points are going to be important for the final seeding in the West. The Predators have to go out and capture those points.

And not hand any games to their opponents.

My three stars:

1. Shea Weber

2. Brent Seabrook

3. Ryan Suter