Predators Snap Losing Streak, Defeat Kings 3-2

The Nashville Predators faced the Los Angeles Kings in the throes of a 5 game losing streak. Ending that streak, even at home at Bridgestone Arena, was going to be a tough task against  a talented Kings squad that sits currently third in the Western Conference standings.

The Predators did the improbable, defeating the Kings 3-2 in a spirited and scrappy affair. Mike Fisher tallied two goals, including the game winner with 26 seconds left to stop a five game losing skid.

The Predators opened the scoring at 14:42 of the first period as Mike Fisher's shot was kicked off the pads by Kings goalie Ben Scrivens. Patric Hornqvist, stationed in his customary spot just outside the crease was able to backhand the puck past Scrivens for a 1-0 Predators lead. This was Hornqvist's first goal in six games.

The Kings tied the game at 7:05 of the second period on the power play as Anze Kopitar took a shot from the face off circle that beat Predators netminder Marek Mazanec to the far post.

The Predators took a 2-1 lead at 16:42 of the third period. With the Predators on the power play, the Kings dumped the puck out of the zone, but it was quickly gathered in the neutral zone by Hornqvist, who got the puck to Fisher. The Kings went for a line change on the clear, but since the puck did not get deep, Fisher was able to gain the zone and drive unimpeded into the high slot. his slap shot beat Scrivens five hole for the goal.

With Scrivens off for the extra attacker, Jeff Carter blasted a shot from the point past Mazanec to tie the game with 36 seconds left in regulation.

On the ensuing faceoff, the Predators got the puck into the zone. Colin Wilson got a shot on net that Scrivens could not control. Fisher drove the net and was able to just slide the rebound over the goal line with 26 seconds left.

The Predators were able to keep the Kings from getting a quality scoring chance in the final seconds, and the miserable five game funk was finally over.

Some observations:

• The Kings are talented, but they are also big and physical. The Predators were able to match the physical play of the Kings which went a long way to helping secure this win.
• The Predators stepped up their play in the third period with the game in the balance. They out shot the Kings 15-0 and did a much better job of puck possession and controlling the play. This kind of effort, especially in the third period of the five previous losses, had been absent. It was good to see this response from the Predators.
• Seth Jones played some solid minutes tonight, and more than doubled his ice time compared to recent games. Tonight, he had 19:08 of ice time and picked up two assists.
• Fisher has been playing some good, aggressive hockey, even during this losing streak. Tonight, it was good to see his effort and hustle rewarded with some goals. Fisher logged some tough minutes and led all forwards with 21:58 of ice time.
• David Legwand, Gabriel Bourque, Matt Hendricks, and Nick Spaling were the only Predator forwards not to record a shot on goal. These guys, Legwand and Bourque in particular, have to be more productive offensively. 
• Matt Cullen played a strong game. he is creative offensively, strong on the puck, and won 6 of 7 faceoffs.
• Mazanec made some good saves tonight, and stopped 26 of the 28 shots he faced. The shot by Carter to tie the game was a blast, but it was an unscreened shot that Mazanec has to stop. This was the best effort by a Predators netminder in a while, and hopefully it gives mazanec some confidence going forward.

The Predators won by out working the Kings in the third period.

They have to continue to bring this kind of work ethic if they are going to string together some wins.

My three stars:

1. Mike Fisher

2. Patric Hornqvist

3. marek mazanec

Predators Don't Fold, Top Kings 4-3

The Nashville Predators faced the Los Angeles Lings in the second game of their 7 game road trip, and for the Predators, they needed another fast start like the one they had in Phoenix.

They also needed a better finish than what they had in Phoenix.

That fast start was just what the Predators got, jumping out to a 2-0 lead on two power play goals. David Legwand opened the scoring at 11:15 of the first period on the Predators first power play. He cruised into the high slot and fired a wrist shot past a screen from Patric Hornqvist in front of Kings netminder Jonathan Quick to give the Predators a 1-0 lead. Legwand scored on the first shot of the power play.

The Predators made it 2-0 on the first shot of their second power play. The puck went down low to Hornqvist at the side of the net. He drew the defense to him and found Shea Weber pinching into the low slot. Weber took the pass and potted the puck past an out of position Quick at 19:06 of the first period.

The Kings cut the deficit to 2-1 at 19:23 as Anze Kopitar banged home a rebound of a Jake Muzzin shot that fluttered over the pads of a sprawling Carter Hutton.

Hutton had to be strong in the first period, as five on five, the Kings out played the Predators. They had 14 shots on net compared to the Predators 6.

The second period saw the Kings pressure the Predators and thy had a decided territorial advantage with the puck in the Predators offensive zone. Hutton made some good saves and he was getting a lot of help from his defense to keep the Kings off the board.

By contrast, the Predators were not generating much offense 5 on 5. One of their few quality chances was converted by Eric Nystrom when he took a great pass in the slot from Hornqvist and beat Quick with a one timer at 8:41 to make it 3-1.

The Predators got bad news as Mike Fisher was injured when he collided with Dustin Brown in an accidental collision. Fisher appeared to hurt his foot and went immediately to the locker room. He was called out for the rest of the game.

The Kings out shot the Predators 10-5 in the second period.

The Kings were going to push even harder in the third period. The Predators were going to have to show more resilience and toughness than they did in their previous game to secure the win.

The push did come from the Kings as they controlled the puck in the offensive zone and peppered Hutton with pucks. They broke through with a goal at 9:41 of the third as a shot from Dustin Brown deflected off the stick of Kevin Klein in front of the net and eluded Hutton to make it a 3-2 game.

With Ryan Ellis in the box for interference, Mike Richards battled for the puck at the top of the crease and slid a rebound home to tie the game at 3 at 11:18.

The Predators had been out shot 8-1 at this point in the game and were on the verge of another troubling and epic collapse in the third period.

The Predators fought back to make it 4-3 as Mattias  Ekholm took a shot from the point. Quick kicked out a rebound onto the stick of David Legwand and he rammed the rebound  home to give the Predators the lead at 16:04.

This time, there was no collapse.

The Predators held off the Kings to capture the 4-3 win.

Some observations:

• The predators made the most of their scoring opportunities, which were few and far between. The Kings out shot the Predators 38-17 and controlled play for most of the game. If the Predators had not been efficient with their shots, this game would have been a rout.

• Patric Hornqvist and David Legwand had outstanding games. this is the kind of hockey these guys need to play and tonight, they showed exceptional leadership and effort.

• The Predators power play was 2 for 3. This unit has to produce for the Predators to be successful and they were very efficient tonight.

• Eric Nystrom may be the Predators best off season add. He brings energy, grit, and is able to contribute some timely scoring.

• Mattias Ekholm is settling in on the blue line. He has been playing some sound hockey on the third pairing and I look for his game to continue to develop and improve.

Tonight, the Predators showed some heart and some character. For a while in the third period, it appeared as if they were playing not to lose. Yet when the game was on the line, they capitalized on a prime scoring chance to secure the win.

This is the way this team has to play- for a full 60 minutes and going for the win.

Do that, and this will be a successful road trip.

My three stars:

1. David Legwand

2. Patric Hornqvist

3. Anze Kopitar

Kings Prevail Over the Predators In a Shoot Out

The Nashville Predators and the L.A Kings engaged in a heavy weight battle at Bridgestone Arena. It took a shoot out to decide the winner, and the Kings prevailed 2-1 as Anze Kopitar scored the only goal in the skills competition.

The Kings have used their size and skill to push around the Predators in previous contests. Tonight, the Predators matched the Kings physical play and created numerous scoring chances.

Matt Cullen scored his first goal as a Predator at 10:33 of the first period. Gabriel Bourque went hard to the net and fired a shot off the pads of Kings netminder Jonathan Quick. In the scramble in front of the net, the puck bounced to Cullen and he roofed a wrist shot over the sprawling Quick to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

The Kings tied the game at 19:19 of the first period as Mike Richards controlled the puck in a crowd and skated to the left face off dot. He froze Pekka Rinne, who had to respect his shot. Richards whipped a cross ice pass on to the tape of Slava Voynov, who ripped a shot that Rinne got a piece of but couldn't stop to tie the game a 1.

Shots were 15-15 after one period.

The remainder of the game saw both teams with offensive pushes that were turned back by both netminders. In the second period, the Predators out shot the Kings 11-5 but could not solve Quick. Both teams had stretches where they controlled the puck in the offensive zone but could not score. Rinne and Quick were sharp and both made some very good saves to preserve the tie.

In the overtime period, the Predators got two minutes of man advantage as the Kings Alec Martinez was called for high sticking. With the 4 on three power play, the Predators could only muster two shots. The best scoring chance of the overtime came with the Kings short handed. Ryan Ellis turned the puck over at the blue line and Rinne made a spectacular save on a Mike Richards breakaway.

The Predators sent Craig Smith, Filip Forsberg, and Matt Cullen out for the shoot out. Forsberg had Quick beaten with a backhand, but shot the puck wide of the net.

Rinne stopped Mike Richards and Jeff Carter before Anze Kopitar beat him with a backhand over the shoulder to win the game.

The Predators finished their five game home stand with a 3-2 mark.

Some observations:

• The line of Cullen, Smith, and Bourque was the best line tonight. They skated well and created some good scoring chances. This line is beginning to show some good chemistry, and if they  can get rolling consistently, it will give the Predators some much needed offensive punch.

• I continue to like the Predators compete level. In times past, this team would have gotten back on their heels when facing a team that is physical and skates well. Tonight, they took the attack to the Kings. They out shot the visitors 35-30 and matched their physical play. The second period, which has often been the bane of the Predators, saw the home team dominate the Kings.

• I was impressed with the play of Filip Forsberg. He handled well the physical play of the Kings and showed some amazing hands and ability to work open for scoring chances.

• Viktor Stalberg needs to show up. Tonight, he was moved to the fourth line and played only 10:09, the least amount of ice time by any Predator. He registered no shots on net. I don't know if his injured shoulder continues to bother him, but this is certainly not the kind of play the Predators need out of him.

• With Stalberg on the fourth line, Eric Nystrom was moved up to a line with David Legwand and Filip Forsberg. I like Nystrom's play on that line as he brings grit and energy to a line that has two play makers (and yes, I am being generous to include Legwand in that description).

• Pekka Rinne made some very good saves, especially tracking the puck through traffic. Rinne shows no ill effects of his off season hip surgery.

• The Predators PK was excellent, killing off all four of the Kings power plays. As good as the PK was, the power play was horrid. Especially in overtime with a 4 on 3 advantage, the Predators could only get off two shots. The Predators often had trouble getting the puck in the zone and when they did, there was not much movement. The Predators made it too easy for the Kings to defend, and this has to improve and get more consistent.

The Predators will now embark on a three game road trip. The team is looking for their first road win and they need to pick up some points on this road swing. This will be a good test for this team, and hopefully they will continue to gel and compete at the level the do on home ice.

My three stars:

1. Jonathan Quick

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Anze Kopitar

Kings Club the Predators 4-2

The Nashville Predators continued their last west coast swing of the regular season with a tilt against the L.A. Kings. Once again, the Predators faced a team in the Kings that was fighting for their playoff life, as the Kings had 80 points, currently in 10th place but one point out of the 8th playoff position.

For the Predators, this meant that they had to bring the intensity and effort from the opening puck drop. You knew that the Kings were going to bringing it tonight. The Predators had to match the desperation of the Kings.

Pekka Rinne started in net for the Predators, while the Kings went with Jonathan Bernier.

Just as sure as the sun comes up in the east, the Kings opened with jump and pressure on the Predators. The Predators, as has been their tendency, took the Kings best early shots and just survived, with Rinne having to make some good early saves.

The Predators finally wilted under the pressure of the Kings, as they won a puck battle on the boards and controlled the puck to Anze Kopitar. Kopitar took one stride off the boards and lasered a shot over the shoulder of Rinne to give the Kings a 1-0 lead at 7;53 of the first period.

The Predators looked listless throughout most of the first period as they lost puck battles and for the most could not get through the neutral zone to establish their offense. The shot totals at the end of the first period reflected that fact as the Kings out shot the Predators 10-5.

If the Predators were going to have an opportunity to get back in this game, they were going to have to play with more jump and intensity. If you can answer the question as to why the Predators cannot seem to realize they have to match the intensity of their opponent, I would love to hear from you.

I would imagine that what Head Coach Barry Trotz said to his charges at the first intermission would cause a sailor to blush, because the Predators came out in the second period like they wanted to play a hockey game. The Predators skated better and won puck battles. They poured shots on Bernier, and in the first 7:30 of the second had out shot the Kings 8-1.

Now they just had to get a puck in the net.

The Predators did just that on their third power play attempt as Marty Erat cranked a shot from 10 feet inside the blue line that went between the legs of Patric Hornqvist who was screening and past Bernier to tie the game at 1 at 13:43.

The second period ended tied at 1 and the Predators out shooting the Kings 9-8 but generating the majority of the quality scoring chances.

So the Kings played the first 20 minutes of the contest and the Predators played the second 20 minutes. The contest would be decided by who wanted it more in the final 20 minutes.

The Predators offense reverted to their first period form as they did not get their first shot on net until the 8 minute mark of the third. On the plus side, the Kings only had 2 shots on net in the same time frame as the game had settled into a defensive struggle with each team looking to capitalize on a mistake made by the other.

That mistake occurred at 8:04 of the third as the Predators could not hold the puck in the zone as the puck got away from Ryan Suter at the blue line and the result was a 2 on 1. Dustin Penner finished the play off a nice pass from Trevor Lewis to give the Kings a 2-1 lead.

A horrific turnover by Jordin Tootoo at the Predators blue line sent Dwight King in on a breakaway and he buried the sot to give the Kings a 3-1 lead at 13:02. On the play, the Predators were also caught in a bad change and were victimized by two egregious errors.

The Predators implosion was complete when Kyle Clifford scored on a break away to make it 4-1 L.A. at 16:19.

Mike Fisher made the score somewhat respectable with a backhand score off a rebound of a Kevin Klein shot at 17:18 of the third to make it 4-2, which was the final score of the game.

For the Predators, there are two glaring problems right now. The first: their secondary scoring has gone ice cold. Throughout much of the season, the Predators have relied on balanced scoring from all lines. Right now, the scoring is coming predominantly from the top line. The remainder of the forwards are being shut down by opposing teams, and it is going to be essential that the Predators get these lines going again.

The second problem is that the Predators seem to have lost their edge, their intensity. This team is successful when they are playing gritty, blue collar hockey, hockey that is balls to the wall. Right now, the Predators are taking 20 minutes to get started, or are taking a period off. This team is not good enough to survive much less win playing that type of hockey. This has to change immediately.

The remainder of the schedule will be against teams that are desperate and will be more than happy to knock off the Predators. Right now, this team is the hunted, and it is important for them to play with the intensity and desperation of those teams that are hunting them.

The opportunity for redemption begins tomorrow night in Anaheim.

My three stars:

1. Jonathan Bernier

2. Patric Hornqvist

3. Dustin Penner

Kings Choke the Life Out of the Predators 4-2

The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Nashville Predators 4-2 at the Bridgestone Arena. With the loss, the Predators failed to move into a playoff spot. This is not the way the Predators needed to start perhaps the most important week of the season for this team.

Some thoughts from tonight's game...

I thought the first goal and the third goal for the Kings were soft. Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne opened the five hole and Anze Kopitar took advantage for the Kings first tally on only their second shot of the game. This is a goal that Rinne cannot give up. On the third goal, Rinne left the short side post and Wayne Simmonds took advantage. Both goals were atypical for Rinne and created a hole out of which the Predators could not climb.

The Kings second goal by Alec Martinez was a classic case of a defenseman on a 2 on 1 getting caught in no man's land. Jonathan Blum did not take the shooter or close off the passing lane. Martinez took a nice pass from Dustin Brown and buried the shot to give the Kings a 2-1 lead. Blum has to commit to stopping that pass, and he was betwixt and between and did not. Rinne had no chance on the shot from Martinez.

Although the Predators outshot the Kings 32-18, many of the shots were from the perimeter and Kings netminder Jonathan Bernier had a lot of clear looks at the puck. Bernier is a good goalie, but the Predators make him look very good.

The Predators puck support in the offensive zone was awful. Most of the night, the puck carrier was outnumbered and had no one supporting. This oftentimes thwarted any offensive effort by the Predators.

The Kings size absolutely ground up the Predators. I spoke with Head Coach Barry Trotz earlier this season, and the smallish size of the Predators forwards was a concerned for him. Tonight, we saw what happens when a team with size and skill takes on the Predators. The Kings controlled the puck for stretches at ta time in the offensive zone and the choked off the Predators in the neutral zone and trying to enter the offensive zone. The Predators did not match up well against the size of the Kings and could not generate any offensive flow throughout the night.

This is the most important week of the Predators season. They MUST get points in their next three contests or they will find themselves in an unenviable position of being too far back to climb back into the playoff race. This means that the young players on the roster are going to have to grow up fast. Unfortunately for the Predators, they have some passengers right now. Colin Wilson, Sergei Kostitsyn, and Mike Fisher are going to have to start producing. Wilson has been invisible, as has Fisher. Kostitsyn has gone cold. These guys are going to have to produce if this team is going to make the playoffs.

Good to see J.P. Dumont back in the lineup and get a goal tonight. The negative aspect is that Joel Ward was scratched after the pre-skate with an undisclosed lower body injury. We will need Wardo back quickly.

The best forwards on the ice were Marty Erat and Patric Hornqvist. Hornqvist brings it every night, and his compete level is tops on the team. We need more players competing like Hornqvist.

This is a big test for the leadership of Shea Weber. A great leader will take the team and light them up and get them motivated to compete. This is especially important for a team that has a roster full of young players. Shea has to embrace his leadership role and bring this team up to another level for them to be successful.

This team has to regroup and get ready to bring it Thursday night against the Bruins. It goes without saying that the points are critical. This team has to play with desperation and intensity on every shift. Fail to do so and you can make a mid-April tee time. This is the time for everyone on the team to lay it all on the line. This is the playoffs for the Predators.

It's time to find out what you are made of; it's time to find out how badly you want it.

My three stars:

1. Jonathan Bernier

2. Anze Kopitar

3. Jonathan Blum