Predators Start Fast, Hold On to Beat the Oilers 3-2

The Nashville Predators returned to Bridgestone Arena after a 12 day, 6 game road trip to take on the Edmonton Oilers. The Predators faced the Oilers in the first game of the road trip and came away with a 4-1 win in that meeting.


Pekka Rinne was between the pipes and looking to continue his solid effort this season. The Oilers had Viktor Fasth in net.


Fasth was under siege in the first period, as the Predators would fire a season high 17 shots on goal and would score three times for a 3-0 advantage at the end of the period.


The end of the period would be the end of the night for Fasth as well, as Ben Scrivens would finish out the game.


All of the Predators goals came of hard work, driving to the net and following shots.


Mike Ribeiro tallied first at 2:51 of the first as a James neal shot slid between the pads of Fasth and was laying behind in the blue paint. Ribeiro got to the puck ahead of an Oilers defender and tapped it home to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.


The Predators second goal by Matt Cullen was a thing of beauty. A blast by Seth Jones ricocheted off the end board and came to Cullen in the slot. Cullen was checked and as he was falling to the ice was able to backhand the puck past Fasth and just inside the post for the 2-0 lead at 9:21.


Filip Forsberg continued his torrid play, taking a pass from behind the net from Ribeiro and somehow sliding the puck between the arm of Fasth and the post at 19:06.


A hot start, a 3-0 lead, and this game was in the bag, right?


Well the Oilers came out battling in the second period. Benoit Pouliot scored on the first shot of the second period to make it 3-1 just 31 seconds into the period. The shot looked like it may have been tipped and sailed over the shoulder of Rinne and under the crossbar.


Nail Yakupov was the beneficiary of hard work by David Perron, as Perron skated the puck out of the corner and toward the net. Perron drew Rinne to the right side of the net and got a pass to a wide open Yakupov on the left side. Yakupov had an easy tap in for the Oilers second goal at 14:42.


That was it for the scoring, as both teams had scoring chances and the netminders did a good job of shutting them down.


Some observations:

• The Predators out shot the Oilers 35-23. The first period shot total, 17-6 for the Predators, was the most shots in a period by the team. That first period was as dominant a period of hockey that the Predators have played. Edmonton went 13 minutes without a shot on goal in the first.

• The Predators power play was 0-2. The penalty kill was able to kill off both of the Oilers man advantage opportunities.

• The Predators are 10-1-1 when they score at least two goals. They are 6-1-2 in one goal games. that last statistic is especially encouraging because it shows the strength of Rinne in net and the fact that this team keeps attacking offensively instead of sitting back and trying to protect a lead.

• James Neal had a team high and season high 10 shots on goal and picked up an assist tonight.

• Filip Forsberg now has 17 points (7G-10A) in 15 games. I was really impressed with Forsberg's play along the wall. He is strong on the puck and makes good decisions to keep a play alive. This is an unheralded part of his game, but is a real strength.

• Mike Ribeiro is sneaky good at creating turnovers. He had three steals that turned plays around in the offensive zone. He is adept at taking the puck off the stick of a defender and turning a play around for a quick attack.

• Roman Josi led the Predators in TOI with 26:23. 

• Ben Scrivens made 24 saves in the final two periods that he played.

• The Oilers do not have a win this season against a Western Conference team.

Great jump and a fast start by the Predators was enough to keep the game in the win column. It got interesting over the final 20 minutes, but this team shoed maturity and did what it had to do to win the game.


My three stars:


1. Filip Forsberg


2. Mike Ribeiro


3. Ben Scrivens

Predators Start the Long Road Trip With a 4-1 Win Over the Oilers

The Nashville Predators began a two week road trip at Edmonton to face off against the suddenly hot Oilers, who came into the game winners of four straight contests.


For the Predators, it was going to be critical to get not only this game but this road trip off to a good start.


They accomplished both objectives as they defeated the Oilers 4-1.


Although the first period was scoreless, the Predators outshot the Oilers 10-3 and out skated and out chanced the home team.


In the second period, the Predators scored two goals in 1:26 to take control of the game.


Craig Smith notched his second goal of the season as he beat Ben Scrivens short side through traffic at 6:23.


Taylor Beck fired a puck into a wide open net off a nice cross ice pass from Colin Wilson at 7:49.


The third period would be critical and the Predators would need to keep up the pressure and not allow the Oilers to seize momentum. They did just that as Shea Weber launched a rocket from the blue line that Scrivens never saw to make it 3-0 just 24 seconds into the period.


The Oilers finally broke through against Pekka Rinne at 8:54 of the third perios as Taylor Hall banged home a rebound of a Ryan Nugent Hopkins shot.


Craig Smith tallied his second goal of the game and third of the season off a 2 on1 rush with Matt Cullen. Cullen saucered a pass to Smith, who blew the puck past Scrivens to make it 4-1 at 12:24 of the third period.


Rinne and the defense locked down the Oilers for the remainder of the game, and the Predators recorded their 6th win of the season.


Some observations:

• The Predators were victimized by the "intent to blow" call by referee Ian Walsh in the first period. Craig Smith jammed a puck in on Ben Scrivens and into the back of the net. However, the goal was waved off immediately by Walsh, and his explanation was that he was intending to blow the whistle, even though the puck was in the back of the net.

• Matt Cullen returned to the line up after missing 8 games with an injury. He looked very good on a line with Derek Roy and Craig Smith, skating well and creating some chances. That line showed some jump all night and got the first goal of the game by Smith off of nice pressure on the net. This was Smith's third goal of the season.

• After being a healthy scratch the past few games, Gabriel Bourque returned to the line up and looked good, skating hard and getting some scoring chances. the Swedish Chef needs to get his game going if he wants to stick in the line up, and the team can certainly use some production from him.

• Taylor Beck got his first goal of the season off a nice assist from Colin Wilson. Wilson moved to center the line with Beck and Olli Jokinen and looked comfortable in that role. Wilson is probably more suited to being a set up man than a pure goal scorer, and if he can settle into this role with some consistency, it will benefit his game and his line.

• The Oilers started the season 0-4 before winning their last 4 games to bring their record to .500. Interestingly, all their losses came against Western conference teams, while all their wins have come against Eastern Conference teams.

• Rinne made some good saves tonight, but in my opinion looked a bit "scrambly" and not as relaxed tonight.

• In games last season, the Oilers used their speed and attacking style to overwhelm the Predators defensive system. Tonight, the Predators turned the tables and attacked all night and forced the Oilers to go into defensive mode. The effect was to curb some of the offensive explosiveness of the Oilers and create the opportunity for offensive chances by the Predators. The Predators also did a good job of selectively activating the defense in the offensive zone and putting pressure on the Oilers defense.

• The Predators out shot the Oilers 35-27.

• The Predators blocked 24 shots by the Oilers.

This was a solid game from start to finish, and it is good to see the Predators dominate a team that had owned them last season.


The start to the road trip was just what the Predators needed. Now they have to continue to build on that effort. They will have their chance on Friday night in Calgary.


My three stars:


1. Craig Smith


2. Roman Josi


3. Pekka Rinne

Predators Embarrassed By the Oilers 5-1

The Nashville Predators traveled to Edmonton to take on an Oilers team that has bedeviled them recently. The Predators have struggled to score and contain the explosive offense of the Oilers in recent contests.

That did not change in this game.

The Predators were going to be challenged due to some injuries. Viktor Stalberg and Matt Cullen were both out of the lineup. This meant that lines were going to be juggled and chemistry would be affected.

It was in a big way.

After Edmonton opened the scoring just two minutes into the game off a goal by Justin Schultz, the Predators would answer with a goal of their own off a 2 on 1 rush. David Legwand fired a shot past Oilers netminder Ben Scrivens to tie the game at 1 at 15:29.

It went downhill for the Predators from there.

The Oilers scored with just 12 seconds remaining in the first period as Jordan Eberle scored his 18th goal of the year past Carter Hutton.

The second period saw Taylor Beck drive to the net and score, but the goal was waved off as the officials said that Beck had interfered with Scrivens.

Ryan Smyth tallied on the power play and Mail Yakupov scored at 16:46 to make it 4-1.

The Predators had not done much offensively after their first tally. Now it remained to be seen if they would have any fight in them in the third period.

Taylor Beck scored again, but again the goal was disallowed as the officials said there was incidental contact with Scrivens.

The Oilers, who owned the 21st ranked power play, scored again with Rich Clune in the box to make it 5-1 as Ryan Nugent Hopkins found the net.

And that was the final margin of this game.

Some observations:

• Not taking away from the Oilers, who played a solid game, but they are the 29th ranked team in the NHL. Going back to last season, the Predators have been dominated by the Oilers. They are currently 0-2 this season against the Oil, and frankly this is unacceptable and inexcusable. The Predators came out flat and were run out of the building. Even with the disallowed goals, the Predators were not in this contest. This team is not good enough to play this way against any team, and these are games that this team has to win.

• Carter Hutton didn't look sharp, but he didn't have a lot of help in front of him. Hopefully he can bounce back and get back to his game.

• Taylor Beck had a strong game, and was one of the few Predators that had any jump on the ice. He went hard to the net and should have had a goal on the second that was disallowed. Beck needs to make a strong case to stay in the line up, and with a couple of players dinged up, he will have that opportunity.

• Goodness gracious- Colin Wilson has turned invisible. For a player that has as much talent as he does, the production is woefully lacking.

Not much you can say about this game. This was an absolute stinker.

Hopefully this team can regroup.

My three stars:

1. Jordan Eberle

2. Ryan Nugent Hopkins

3. Ryan Smyth

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 Win Ugly, Drop the Leafs 4-1

Sometimes, you win ugly.

The Nashville Predators were the embodiment of ugly in defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bridgestone Arena by a 4-1 margin.

The score belies the fact that at times, Toronto looked dominant and controlled the play for stretches at a time. Indicative of how the night went, the Leafs out shot the Predators by a 39-22 margin. In fact, the Predators only managed 3 shots in the first period but went into the locker room with a 1-0 lead.

That lead was courtesy of the first shot on goal by Marty Erat. Mike Fisher got control of the puck and fed it to Erat, who walked in from the face off circle and beat Toronto netminder Ben Scrivens to the short side at 5:48 of the first period.

The remainder of the period saw the Predators try to get the puck out of their zone and establish and offensive presence. That effort was futile, as Toronto had 9 shots on Pekka Rinne and controlled the puck for most of the period. Rinne was his usual stellar self, turning away all the Leafs scoring attempts.

The intermission must have been, shall we say "interesting" for the Predators as they visited with their coaches. Whatever was said in the locker room had an effect, as the Predators came out and played a solid second period.

Although the period was a good one for the Predators, it didn't start particularly well. Toronto defenseman John-Michael Liles tied the game at 1 with the Leafs on the power play after a phantom high sticking call against Jack Hillen. With the Predators unable to clear the zone on the PK, Liles walked in past Ryan Suter and an exhausted group of penalty killers and beat Rinne with a wrist shot from just inside the face off circle at 10:36. The Leafs power play goal broke a string of 112 straight kills for the Predators.

Suter atoned for the Leafs goal by scoring his 4th marker of the year at 12:42. With Mike Fisher creating havoc in front of the net, Suter skated into the high slot and fired a wrist shot that beat Scrivens to make it 2-1 Predators.

Going into the third period, the game was still very much in the balance. Marty Erat gave the Predators some much needed breathing room at 2:05 of the third period as he notched his second goal of the game. Mike Fisher broke in and drew the defense to him and fed the puck to Erat, who buried the shot past a sprawling Scrivens.

Good thing for the Predators, because they proceeded to revert to their first period form. They were out shot in the third period by an atrocious 22-5 margin. Granted, many of the shots were from the perimeter, and most of the saves that Rinne had to make were routine in nature, but the shot differential is totally unacceptable. If this had been a healthy Leafs squad, the outcome could have certainly been different.

As the clock wound down, Scrivens was pulled for the extra attacker. What happened next was one of the oddest plays that I have ever seen in a hockey game.

The Predators got control of the puck at the Leafs blue line. Sergei Kostitsyn fed the puck to the Honey Badger, Craig Smith. Smith skated into the zone and was alone at the top of the blue paint with an empty net.

ENG, right?

Wrong.

Smith attempted to roof the puck into the net but missed everything and shot the puck into the protective netting over the glass.

Oh well, Honey Badger don't give a...

Anyway, Matt Halischuk showed how to score an empty net goal as he tallied from outside the blue line at 19:37 to make it 4-1 and seal the win for the Predators.

This is a win, and I certainly covet the 2 points for the Predators. This one was ugly, though, and this level of play will bite the Predators if it continues. The defensive zone coverage, while not poor, was such that the Leafs were able to crank shot after shot on the net. Puck management was in a word, poor. The Predators often failed to get the puck clear when they needed to do so, and they were often unable to generate an effective breakout or any speed through the neutral zone.

Without a doubt, the Predators had some positives out of this game, and they should build on those positives. Sergei Kostitsyn tied his best point total with three assists. Mike Fisher was solid. Marty Erat has started to heat up and is finding the back of the net. All of these are aspects on which the Predators can build upon.

The Predators should draw upon the lessons of this game and improve upon the areas that need work. Enjoy the win, but know that this type of play is going to result in being on the wrong end of the score more often than not.

And here is the truth: I would rather win ugly than lose pretty.

My three stars:

1. Marty Erat

2. Sergei Kostitsyn

3. Mike Fisher