Predators Rally Late to Defeat the Canucks 2-1

The Nashville Predators looked to build on the momentum of their first back to back wins in over a month as they traveled to Vancouver to take on a Canucks team that stood one point behind them in the Western Conference standings.

The Predators opened the scoring 59 seconds into the game as Craig Smith drove the net and flipped a perfect pass from Mike Fisher over the shoulder of Ryan Miller.

That opening burst by the Predators was all they could muster over the next 40 minutes as the Canucks out skated the Predators up and down the ice.

Brandon Sutter, in his first game after missing 33 games for sports hernia surgery, took a nice pass through the slot and beat Pekka Rinne to tie the game at 1 midway of the first period.

Rinne had to sharp as the Canucks unleashed a barrage of shots at the net and generated some quality scoring chances. Through 2 periods, the Canucks owned the shots on goal by a 24-11 margin.

The paint must have been peeled off the walls of the locker room by the coaching staff at the second intermission as the Predators opened the third period with more jump and urgency. Their efforts paid off with a goal by James Neal with 5 minutes to go in the third period to give the Predators a 2-1 lead.

The Predators had to end regulation on the penalty kill with Mattias Ekholm in the box for interference.

The Predators PK did their job and the kill allowed the the Predators to win their third game in a row with a 2-1 win.

Some observations:

• Predators first goal came from a simple hockey play. Craig Smith drove the net and was able to lift a perfect pass from Mike Fisher over the shoulder of Ryan Miller. When the Predators drive the net, they have a high degree of success. Simple hockey, but is the kind of game the Predators have to play every night. Smith's goal was his 11th of the season and his second in two games.
• Over the last 12 games, the Predators power play was ranked 3rd in the NHL. Tonight, there was not much movement with the man advantage and the first two power plays yielded only one shot. No urgency and being too casual is not a formula for success for this unit.
• Petter Granberg was back in the line up on the blue line, and it is obvious that he is still trying to find his way and get settled in. I think the big blueliner has a lot of upside, but it is going to take a while for him to get settled into a regular role.
• The Predators got outskated through the first 40 minutes, and that is disappointing as the Predators should have realized the import of this game. This team has played themselves out of the playoffs and they need wins desperately to get back into the race. This was not the type of game that allowed the Predators to build on the momentum of the last 2 games. Fortunately, the Predators were able to turn up the intensity and effort in the third period. Their response in the third period was excellent and will be a huge confidence booster for the team.
• Craig Smith had a solid effort tonight. He drove the net hard for the Predators first goal and had a nose for the net and and a desire to shot the puck. He created some good opportunities by moving his feet and using his speed. This is the kind of game that Smith has to play to be productive.
• I thought that Austin Watson played with a lot of grit and jump tonight. He is a big body that really needs to find his game, and if he does, the Predators will benefit.
• James Neal is just flat out a sniper. When he has some room to get off that quick release, he can be deadly.
• Pekka Rinne really looked like the Pekka Rinne of old. He had to make some very good stops to keep the Canucks off the board and you could tell the team was growing in confidence behind the way he was playing. This team will need more of that form Rinne as this season grinds on. In this 3 game winning streak, Rinne has stopped 80 of 83 shots.

After getting badly outplayed in the first 40 minutes, the Predators responded in a huge way. This is the kind of game that wasn't pretty, but the team never quit and elevated their game enough in the third period to capture a critical win.

That showed some character and an unwillingness to wilt under the pressure.

That is the kind of hockey this team is going to have to play down the stretch.

My three stars:

1. James Neal

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Craig Smith

Predators Road Trip Ends With Another Ugly Loss

The Predators lengthy road trip ended with a stop in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. The Predators faced a daunting task attempting to secure a win and finish this road trip at .500.

Marek Mazanec got his second start in a row, and the Predators welcomed back Mike Fisher, who had missed the previous 4 games with a foot injury, and Gabriel Bourque, who had returned to Nashville the prior game for the birth of his first child.

The Penguins had Marc-Andre Fleury in net.

The Predators needed to get out to a better start and show more compete than they had in their previous three games.

They did just that.

The Predators drew first blood at 2;28 of the first period as Kevin Klein took a shot from the point with Gabriel Bourque and Patric Hornqvist in front of the net. Bourque was able to tip the puck through the 5 hole of Fleury to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

The Penguins tied the game at 12:36 of the period as they won an offensive zone face off and Pascal Dupuis rifled a shot over the shoulder of Mazanec. This came just after the Predators had killed off a too many men penalty.

With Ryan Ellis in the box for hooking, Evgeni Malkin blasted a shot from the point that was tipped by James Neal over the shoulder of Mazanec at 15:56 for a 2-1 Penguins lead. Mazanec had no chance to stop the re-direct.

The period ended with the Penguins holding a 2-1 lead. The Predators out shot the Penguins 10-9 and did a good job of getting pucks to the net and creating traffic and challenges for Fleury.

While the Predators needed- and got- a good start, they were going to have to play a full 60 minutes to win this game.

The Predators forgot that to open the second period. The Penguins came out flying and out shot the Predators 7-1 through the first 7 minutes. Mazanec made some great saves to keep the Pens off the board.

The Penguins made it 3-1 as Kris Letang came out of the corner and squeezed the puck through the pads of Mazanec from a sharp angle at 7:58. This was a goal that Mazanec cannot give up.

The Penguins made it 4-1 as they drove into the offensive zone and Jussi Jokinen drove into the offensive zone and pushed the defense back. he dropped a pass for Brandon Sutter who fired a slap shot past Mazanec at 18:37.

The Penguins had stormed out in the second period and taken it to the Predators. Once again, the Predators had no response for the push from an opponent.

Now the question for the Predators would be if they would have any kind of a response in the third period.

Carter Hutton opened the third period in the net for the Predators.

Fortunately, the Predators were able to keep the Penguins off the board in the third period.

Unfortunately, the Predators never threatened the Penguins net in the third. The Predators only got 3 shots on goal in the third, and were out shot 33-18 for the game.

Some observations:

• The way this road trip ended makes a reasonable observer wonder if the wins to open the road trip were a fluke. The Predators got good scoring and were playing loose and relaxed. In the final four games, the Predators reverted to form- defensive breakdowns; spotty goaltending; and absolutely no offense. If this is the real Predators team, then this will be a long and ugly season.

• The shaky goaltending along with the uncertainty of Pekka Rinne's health makes it almost certain that GM David Poile is going to have to make a deal for a goaltender. One has to wonder about the wisdom of entering the season with an unproven backup given the questions that surrounded Rinne's health and durability.

• This is not a good team right now. There is no one on the roster that can be considered a consistent offensive threat or that can even possess the puck consistently. This falls on the shoulders of GM David Poile, who has built this team that is on the ice. Once an opponent gets a lead, they are able to choke off the Predators offensive efforts and the Predators do not have the personnel to create the offense necessary to get back into the game. Poile has built a team of grinders and character guys- and you have to have those- but there are no offensive players that scare an opponent. This will make for a very long and ugly season.

This team has taken a big step backwards. Right now, the team has to learn to compete and play sound, fundamental hockey and hope for the best.

Until they do, the losses will continue to pile up.

My three stars:

1. James Neal

2. Brandon Sutter

3. Evgeni Malkin