Predators Use High Energy First Period to Defeat the Hurricanes

The Nashville Predators opened their season with a dominant first period highlighted by goals from Craig Smith and Viktor Arvidsson to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in front of a sellout crowd at Bridgestone Arena.

Eric Staal scored the Canes lone goal at 18:20 of the third period when his shot toward the net caromed off the skate of Shea Weber and into the net.

Pekka Rinne was solid and made some good saves, stopping 25 of 26 shots. Cam Ward took the loss for the Hurricanes as he stopped 23 of 25 shots.

The Predators out skated and out worked the Hurricanes in the first period, dominating offensive zone time and shots, out shooting the visitors 14-5.

With the Predators on the power play, Craig Smith took a slap pass from Ryan Ellis and redirected the puck between the pads of Ward for a 1-0 lead.

Viktor Arvidsson went to the front of the net and deflected a shot from Seth Jones for his first NHL goal and a 2-0 Predators lead.

The Predators got some push back from the Canes in the second and third period as Carolina started to control the puck and pinned the Predators in the defensive zone for long stretches at a time. Rinne made some good saves to keep Carolina off the board until the deflected Stall shot late in the third period.

Some observations:

• Viktor Arvidsson went to the hard area in front of the net to get the deflection and his first goal. I really liked the way Arvidsson played, and although a smaller player, did not shy away from contact, was strong on the wall, and showed a willingness to go to the front of the net. And how about that celebration after his goal? I loved the enthusiasm and exuberance.
• Craig Smith played with his usual hustle and energy. He just looks more mature and confident on the ice. He scored the first goal tonight, and for you trivia fans, also scored the first goal of the season last year.
• Seth Jones had a strong game, picking up 2 assists. Last season, Jones did not have a multi assist game all year. Jones made some good decisions with the puck and was positionally sound in the defensive zone.
• What Barret Jackman brings to this team can be summarized in one play. A shot went to the net and Rinne was trying to cover the puck. Eric Staal was poking around for the puck when Jackman cleaned him out of the front of the net and pinned him to the ice. He was paired with Seth Jones and Jones seemed very comfortable with Jackman as his D partner. Jackman is not flashy, but he is solid and tough and takes care of the defensive end very well. He was a good pick up by David Poile in the off season.
• Pekka Rinne is looking like his usual solid self. Good glove, great positioning, and amazing reflexes. He did a good job of thwarting the Canes when they were pressing in the last 40 minutes, and this team is going to need that kind of play from him this season.
• I have to say that the eye test shows this team has lots of talent and speed. The eye test also reveals that this team cannot let off the gas, because good teams will make the Predators pay for not playing for a full 60 minutes. The Hurricanes out shot the Predators 21-11 over the final 40 minutes, a trend that cannot continue throughout the season.
• The Predators are 4-1-1 in their last 6 home openers.
• Shea Weber led the Predators in TOI with 23:07, showing no ill effects after off season surgery
• Roman Josi led the team with 5 blocked shots.

The Predators showed flashes of how good they can be in this opener. There is lots of talent on this team. Now they need to put it together for 60 minutes.

My three stars:

1. Viktor Arvidsson

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Seth Jones

Predators Storm Back With 3 Third Period Goals to Defeat the Hurricanes 3-2

Fresh off two tough road games against Western Conference opponents, the Nashville Predators returned to Bridgestone Arena to face Eastern Conference foe Carolina Hurricanes.

Although the Hurricanes defeated the Predators in early December by a 2-1 margin, they have struggled to string together wins.

On paper, it should be a fairly easy contest for the Predators.

Well...

The Hurricanes played an excellent road game and challenged the Predators throughout the contest before the Predators turned it on in the third period to capture a 3-2 win.

A lethargic first period by the Predators saw them fall behind 1-0 as Eric Staal banged home a puck from the top of the crease with the Canes on the power play.

The score could have been worse but for Pekka Rinne making some good saves, including one with his back to the ice and flicking his leg out to catch the puck behind his knee off a shot from Nathan Gerbe.

The Predators had more jump in the second period but could not get a puck past Hurricanes netminder Cam Ward, who looked rock solid through two periods. The game had all the makings of a hot goalie stealing a game from the Predators.

That changed in the third period when Ryan Ellis drove down the wing and put a shot on net. Ward looked to have the post, but somehow the shot snuck through and trickled over the goal line to tie the game at 1.

That lead was short lived as Justin Faulk fired a shot through traffic with the Canes on another power play. That shot eluded Rinne and went just inside the post to give the Canes a 2-1 lead.

Mike Fisher tied the game at 2 when he was able to slap a puck past Ward from the slot.

The Predators got the game winner from Roman Josi as he blasted a puck from the face off circle over the shoulder of Ward at 15:17 of the third period.

Some observations:

• I really liked the play of Gabriel Bourque and Viktor Stalberg tonight. Both players had jump, played with speed, and were aggressive in the offensive zone. Stalberg picked up two assists tonight with the primary assist on both the goal from Ellis and Josi. 
• Filip Forsberg picked up an assist tonight to give him 38 points on the season, which is a rookie record for the Predators. He broke the previous record of 37 points set by Alexander Radulov.
• Roman Josi has 7 points (3G-4A) in his last 6 games.
• The Hurricanes played an excellent game and disrupted the Predators offensive flow with an aggressive forecheck. Once in the zone, the Canes worked hard to keep the Predators to the outside and away from the net. Full marks to the Predators for battling through and capturing the win and a critical two points. For a while, it just looked as if it was not going to be the Predators night, but they kept coming and got the win. That is the mark of a team playing at a championship level.
• The Predators still have not lost back to back games this season.
• The Predators PK struggled tonight, giving up 2 power play goals on 3 chances for the Hurricanes. Once again, the Predators power play failed to connect on home ice, going 0-2.
• The Predators were woeful in the face off circle, going 29 for 65 for 44%.
• The Predators are 15-2-1 on home ice this season. They are 17-4-4 in one goal games.
• I know Olli Jokinen brings a veteran presence to this team and contributes on the PK. That said, I think Olli is a liability on the second line, where he played much of the game with Mike Fisher and Colin Wilson. The Predators started to get their game going when the lines got juggled and Olli dropped down a line. Frankly, Olli doesn't have the speed and jam to play higher than the third line, and more reasonably belongs on the 4th line.
• One cannot overstate the contribution of Mike Fisher. He battles in front of the net, is strong on the puck, and is good in the face off circle. Fisher can score the timely goals that this team has to have. He lead all forwards tonight with 19:47 in TOI. Fisher has 10 points in his last 12 games (6G-4A), and the Predators have not lost a game when Fisher scores a goal (6-0).
• The Predators are now 26-9-4, and coupled with the loss by the Blackhawks now sit first in the Central Division with a 2 point lead over Chicago with 56 points.

This wasn't a pretty win by the Predators, but it was a good win, an important win in that the team escaped a trap game and collected two important points. It was a scrappy win, and sometimes you have to win games in that manner.

The Predators jump back into divisional play on Thursday against the Dallas Stars.

Time to bring it for this one.

My three stars:

1. Roman Josi

2. Mike Fisher

3. Eric Staal

Predators Can't Match the Hurricanes Intensity, Fall 2-1

The Nashville Predators traveled to Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes and were looking to extend their four game winning streak. They faced a Hurricanes team that had struggled so far this season but had speed and talent.


This game had all the makings of a trap game for the Predators as their next two games would be against divisional foes St. Louis and Chicago.


It was a trap.


That speed and talent of the Hurricanes was on display in the first period as Andrej Nestrasil threw a blind pass toward the net that was redirected past Pekka Rinne to give the Canes a 1-0 lead.


The second period saw both teams trade some chances but neither could score.


The third period opened with the Predators looking to get the equalizer, but it was the Hurricanes that struck on a shot from just inside the blue line by Victor Rask that beat Rinne to make it 2-0 Hurricanes just 55 seconds into the period.


Mike Ribeiro made it a 2-1 game at 15:14 of the third period as he backhanded a shot past a sprawling Cam Ward. This was Ribeiro's 7th goal of the season and he did a good job or corralling a pass from Roman Josi to set up the goal.


The Predators got their first power play of the game with one minute remaining in regulation. With Rinne pulled, the Predators were skating 6 on 4.


Unfortunately, the power play for the Predators once again drew blanks and the Predators dropped the game by the final score of 2-1.




Some observations:

• Jeff Skinner's first period goal was amazing. One handed redirect that was impossible for Rinne to stop. Skinner continues to cause the Preds trouble. He had a hat trick in their last meeting in Nashville last season.

• The Predators had some good chances throughout the game, but it seemed that the team was looking for the perfect pass and the pretty goal. Sometimes you have to muck and grind and score from the hard areas.

• As much as the Hurricanes stymied the Predators offensively, I like the fact that the team continued to press and attack and create some scoring chances.

• Cam Ward played a very good game for the Hurricanes, stopping 32 of 33 shots and making some very good saves. The Predators had some good chances but just could not bury the tying goal.

• The Predators out shot the Hurricanes 33-25 and 15-6 in the third period.

Not much you can say about this game. The Predators were outskated for the first 40 minutes and lacked the intensity they showed in the third period. Unfortunately, it was too little too late.


The Predators need to get back to playing a full 60 minutes.


It starts Thursday night against St. Louis.


My three stars:


1. Cam Ward


2. Jeff Skinner


3. Mike Ribeiro

Predators Blow the Game to the Hurricanes 4-3

The Nashville Predators, playing the second of back to back games, traveled to Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes. The Predators welcomed their newest member of the team Andrei Kostitsyn to the active roster and paired him on a line with David Legwand and Patric Hornqvist. The Predators other acquisition at the trade deadline, Paul Gaustad, was scratched with an upper body injury.

Anders Lindback got the start in net for the Predators, while Cam Ward was between the pipes for the Hurricanes.

Lindback was looking for goal support from the team in front of him, as the Predators had been outscored 19-9 in his previous starts this season. The Predators obliged Mr. Lindback at 2:42 of the first period as the line of Matt Halischuk, Gabriel Bourque, and Craig Smith went to work in the Hurricanes zone. Halischuk battled and got control of the puck behind the Canes net and flipped the puck out front. Bourque took several whacks at the puck and Ward could not control the rebound. The puck squirted out to Smith, who gathered it in and roofed it over the fallen Ward to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

The Canes began to press the attack, but Lindback made some good stops to hold the Canes off the board. The Predators were out shot in the first period 13-8, and the period ended with the Predators on the PK with David Legwand in the box for high sticking and a 1 minute carry over of the Canes power play at the start of the second period.

The Predators had nearly killed off the Legwand penalty to open the second period when they were called for too many men on the ice, giving the Canes a 6 second 5 on 3 power play. The Predators killed off the brief two man advantage, but now had to kill off another penalty. The Predators were flirting with trouble with these penalties, bur fortunately were able to kill them off.

The Canes tied the game at 1 at 5:17 of the second as the Predators failed to clear the zone and Jamie McBain launched a shot from the blue line that beat Lindback. The puck deflected off Hal Gill and although Lindback got a piece of the shot, but it ricocheted off his arm and into the back of the net for the equalizer.

The Predators offense was non-existent in the second period, going over 10 minutes without a shot on goal. The Canes had totally dominated the Predators with shots on goal and zone possession.  That changed at 12:31 of the period when Colin Wilson and Jordin Tootoo aggressively pursued the puck on the forecheck and forced a Carolina turnover. Wilson took a shot that hit Ward on the shoulder and caromed over, landing just outside the goal line. The puck had enough momentum to trickle over the goal line to give the Predators a 2-1 lead.

That lead was short lived as the Predators once again took another penalty. With Andrei Kostitsyn in the box for hooking, the Canes quickly scored on the power play as Jeff Skinner's shot bounced off Lindback and Eric Staal was able to gather the rebound and slam it into the open net to tie the game at 2 at 13:04 of the second. It took the Canes just 12 seconds on the power play to tie the game.

Once again, the Predators took another penalty as Shea Weber was in the box for hooking. and once again, the Canes made the Predators pay. With a scramble in front of Lindback, the puck was jammed past Lindback by Tim Brent to give the Canes a 3-2 lead at 17:24 of the second. The Predators had taken five penalties to none for the Canes, and their undisciplined play had cost them two goals.

The Predators played a horrific second period, mustering only 5 shots in the period to 13 for the Hurricanes. Their undisciplined play had cost them two different leads, and they were heading into the third trailing by one. It remained to be seen whether the Predators would come out and play their brand of hockey in the third period or if they would continue their lackluster play.

The Predators fell behind 4-2 as Bryan Allen came out of the box where he had been serving the Canes first penalty of the night and Eric Staal sent him in on a breakaway and he beat Lindback five hole at 1:28 of the third.

Gabriel Bourque answered the Canes score as he took a from behind the net from Jordin Tootoo and banged the puck past an out of position Ward from the low slot at 2:18 of the third.

The Predators play was markedly better in the third period, as they got shots on net and played with more energy, but could not solve Ward or the Canes strong forecheck and neutral zone defense. The final horn sounded and the Predators saw a game and two points they pissed away.

It is easy to say that this was an Eastern Conference opponent and it didn't matter that much if they lost the game. Bull hockey. This was two precious points the Predators threw away by their lackadaisical play in the second period. Trying to keep pace with their Western Conference opponents means that every point is dear, and to waste a game like this team did tonight is unacceptable and frustrating.

This team does not play again until Saturday, and I hope this loss burns for a few days.

The time to get back to playing Predator hockey starts Saturday.

My three stars:

1. Eric Staal

2. Gabriel Bourque

3. Jeff Skinner

Predators Blow Away the Hurricanes 5-2

The Nashville Predators played one of their most complete games of the season, dominating the Carolina Hurricanes by a 5-2 margin. The Predators power play, which had gone 0-14 in their recent games, exploded for a 4 for 4 performance to lead the Predators in the win.

The Hurricanes were playing the second of back to back games, and since starting netminder Cam Ward had played the night before, Justin Peters got the start. The Predators went with their workhorse and stalwart, Pekka Rinne.

There is no doubt that the Hurricanes have struggled, but new Head Coach Kirk Mueller, recently of the Milwaukee Admirals, has his team competing hard every night. Tonight was no different.

Carolina opened the contest with good jump and controlled the puck early in the Predators zone. The Predators defense did a good job of keeping the Canes to the outside and limiting quality scoring chances.

It took a few minutes, but the Predators started to establish control of the puck and gained a territorial advantage by winning neutral zone battles and getting good breakouts into the Canes offensive zone.

The Predators got on the board at 9:14 of the first period as Shea Weber took a pass from Marty Erat and unleashed a blast from the blue line that cleanly beat Peters. To get an idea of the velocity of that shot, consider that Peters was unscreened and had a good look at the shot and was still beaten over his shoulder by the rocket from the Captain for a 1-0 lead.

Craig Smith extended the lead to 2-0 at 13:16 of the first with the Predators on the power play. Smith took a cross ice pass from David Legwand and uncorked a blistering one timer that beat Peters between his shoulder and the near post. It was good to see Smith get on the board as he had gone 25 games without a goal. For Smith, it was his 9th goal of the season.

In the second period, the Predators were on the power play with Alex Ponikarovsky in the box for tripping. Mike Fisher took a shot from the slot that was tipped through the five hole of Peters by Patric Hornqvist at 17:04. This was Hornqvist's 10th goal of the season.

Rinne made a fantastic glove save to keep the Canes off the board. The puck was bouncing around and  skittered to Rinne's right side. A Hurricane player slapped the puck at what appeared to be an open net, but Rinne dove across the ice and the puck landed in his glove for a remarkable save.

Hornqvist notched his second goal of the game at 6:56 of the third period, this another power play tally. Hornqvist was battling in front of the net and was able to find the puck after a shot by Marty Erat. Peters could not control the rebound, and Hornqvist was able to slam home the puck to give the Predators a 4-0 lead.

Jay Harrison scored for the Canes at 8:35 at even strength to make it 4-1.

Hornqvist appeared to have a t hat trick as he was sprawling on the ice and jammed the puck home. As the hats flew on the ice, the goal was reviewed and was inexplicably waved off as it was deemed that Hornqvist had kicked the puck into the net. A questionable decision at best.

The Predators got that 5th goal, once again on the power play, as Ryan Ellis launched a slap shot that beat Peters stick side to make it 5-1 at 14:28 of the third period. Ellis played a solid game, and it was good to see him rewarded with his first NHL goal.

The Canes Jay Harrison struck again on the power play at 17:56 of the third period. Harrison's shot from inside the blue line was going wide of the net, but hit defenseman Ryan Ellis in the butt and caromed past Rinne for the score.

The Predators controlled the play in the waning minutes of the contest and did not give the Canes any quality chances, and as the clock wound down, the 8th straight sellout crowd cheered the Predators 5-2 win.

For the night, the Predators out shot the Hurricanes 36-29. More importantly, a number of their shots were from close in, the quality scoring areas. They crashed the net and generated numerous second chances and they were rewarded for their effort tonight.

On the defensive end of the ice, the Predators did a very good job of keeping the Hurricanes to the outside and not letting them get many shots from close in. Kudos to the Predators defense for their effort tonight.

The concern for the Predators coming out of this game is the health of Francis Buillon. He took a high stick to the mouth that chipped several teeth and required six stitches. He will have a root canal tomorrow and will be evaluated as to his ability to play on Tuesday at Colorado.

This was a solid win by the Predators, and it was due to playing Predator hockey. Shooting the puck and going strong to the net yielded positive results for this team tonight, and this is the way they have to continue to play.

Play like this, and they will continue to blow away opponents.

My three stars:

1. Patric Hornqvist

2. Mike Fisher

3. Ryan Ellis

Predators Hammer Hurricanes 5-2

Two weeks ago, the Nashville Predators played the Carolina Hurricanes at the RBC Center in a contest that was an absolute grind. Tonight, the Predators met the Hurricanes in the Bridgestone Arena, and this contest was a decidedly different affair. The Predators blew away the Hurricanes 5-2 in a wide opening tilt.

This was the first contest for the Predators without starting netminder Pekka Rinne, who is out 2-4 weeks after having his left knee scoped on Friday. Anders Lindback got the start in net for the Predators.

Patric Hornqvist opened the scoring for the Predators at 2:33 of the first period as he gathered in a rebound of a Cody Franson shot and fired it past Carolina goaltender Cam Ward.

Joe Corvo answered for the Hurricanes just 18 seconds later as he drove into the offensive zone and fired a shot from the right face off circle that hit Lindback's shoulder and bounced into the net. It was a goal that was soft and one that had the Predator nation saying "uh-oh".

The Predators would regain the lead at 10:08 of the first period as Shea Weber went low and took a beautiful pass from Marty Erat. Weber buried the shot for his fourth goal and second in consecutive games.

Nashville continued to buzz the net and fire shots at Ward, who gave up many juicy rebounds. The offense effort tonight was very solid and challenged Ward and the Carolina defense all night.

That effort would pay off in a Marcel Goc score that came at 15:01 of the first period. Marty Erat shot a puck at Ward, who gave up a rebound that slid into the slot. Goc and Kevin Klein converged on the puck and Goc whistled a wrister past Ward for his first goal in seven games to extend the lead to 3-1 for the Predators.

Nashville exerted good offensive pressure throughout the first period and outshot the Canes 17-10. The Predators were strong on the puck and fired numerous shots at Ward, who was prone to give up rebounds all night. The Predators were also strong in the neutral zone and rarely allowed Carolina to enter the offensive zone with speed.

Carolina came out with good jump to open the second period and at times had the Predators back on their heels. When they did, Lindback came up with some key saves to keep the Canes off the boards.

Carolina finally solved Lindback at 9:43 of the second as Jiri Tlusty gathered in a rebound in the low slot and beat Lindback high to the stick side. All of a sudden, we had a game again.

Nashville would stretch the lead to 2 again as the line of Sergei Kostitsyn, Marty Erat, and Cal O'Reilly, who was still on the ice on a long shift, clicked for a goal at 8:44 of the third. Kostitsyn made a beautiful drop pass to Erat, who whipped a pass to O'Reilly alone in the low slot. O'Reilly buried the shot over the stick side shoulder of Ward to make the score 4-2 in favor of the Predators.

Steve Sullivan would cap the scoring with an empty net goal at 17:44 of the third, and the Predators would dominate the Hurricanes for their third straight win and their second over the Canes this season.

The Predators played a complete game to notch this victory. Lindback was solid in the start, stopping 28 of 30 shots. The Predators dominated the neutral zone, rarely allowing Carolina to enter the zone with speed. The defense did a great job of limiting secondary scoring chances. And the offense shot the puck and crashed the crease, generating scoring chances, and more importantly, finishing on those chances.

The line of Goc, Kostitsyn, and Erat have emerged as a true scoring line for the Predators. They are creative and do a great job of generating scoring opportunities. Sergei Kostitsyn was around the net all night, and played The emergence of this line gives the Predators another quality scoring line that takes the pressure off the top scoring line of O'Reilly, Sullivan, and Wilson. For the Preds to have continued success, they have to have another legitimate scoring line, and this second line has stepped into role of a scoring line in a big way.

The Predators will be without Rinne for a while. Lindback is more than capable of shouldering the load. Tonight, he settled down after an early soft goal and demonstrated that he is capable of carrying that load. This bodes well for the fortunes of the Predators.

For the Predators to have continued success, they have to do what they did tonight: strong on the PK (Carolina was 0-4 with the man advantage); solid goal tending; and perhaps most importantly, an opportunistic offense. The Predators shot the puck and took advantage of rebounds. They outshot Carolina 39-30 for the game. This is their formula for success, and if they play this way every game, they will come out on top in most contests.

This game should give the Predators some confidence as they continue on in their schedule. They now know that they can be successful playing Predator hockey. They know that they will be in the hunt for a playoff spot with this kind of effort.

Play like this, and you will hammer some more teams.

My three stars:

1. Marty Erat

2. Anders Lindback

3. Marcel Goc

Predators Grind Out a 2-1 Shootout Win Over the Hurricanes

The Nashville Predators played their third road game of a four game road trip as they faced the Carolina Hurricanes at the RBC Center, prevailing over the Canes by a 2-1 margin in a shootout victory. This was the Predators third shootout win in the past five games.

The game was a defensive contest from the outset. Both teams were checking hard and often, disrupting the other's offensive flow. There were some thunderous checks delivered by Shea Weber for the Predators and Tim Gleason for the Hurricanes. The aggressive checking did not allow either team to get in an rhythm in the offensive zone.

The Predators did a good job of establishing puck control in the offensive zone for much of the night, but were forced outside by the Carolina defense. When they got good scoring chances, Carolina netminder Cam Ward was able to clean up any chances.

Head Coach Barry Trotz told me before the game that he was concerned that Carolina would use their size to cycle and control the puck in our end during this contest. The Predators did an excellent job of working hard on the boards and neutralizing Carolina's cycle game for much of the night.

Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne got challenged early on a couple of quality chances when the Predators turned the puck over in the defensive zone, and he made some excellent stops to keep the Canes off the board.

That would change on a fluky goal at 9:22 of the first period by Joni Pitkanen. He sent a centering pass toward Eric Cole, who was moving toward the net. The puck hit Shane O'Brien's stick and changed direction. The puck bounced on the ice, took a funny hop, and skittered past Rinne for a 1-0 Canes lead. The score came on the second shot of the game for Carolina.

Indicative of the defensive nature of this contest was the shot totals after the first period: Nashville 5; Carolina 3.

Nashville would get the tying tally at 3:53 of the second period. Jordin Tootoo forced a turnover, and with the Carolina defenders surrounding him on the boards, found Jerred Smithson alone in the slot. He slid a pass to Smithson, who patiently beat Cam Ward with a high wrist shot.

This would be the only scoring for the remainder of regulation and overtime. Both teams generated a few quality chances, but both netminders were equal to the task. Ward was especially strong in overtime, as Nashville controlled the puck for much of the extra session. He turned away all four Nashville shots, while Rinne was only tested once.

Carolina chose to shoot first in the shootout. Jeff Skinner scored with a nice wrist shot over Rinne's stick side.

Cal O'Reilly continued his mastery in the shootout with a beautiful forehand backhand move to beat Ward high glove side.

Rinne stopped Jussi Jokinen and Ward stopped Marcel Goc in the second round of the shootout.

Rinne stoned Patrick O'Sullivan in the third round.

Marty Erat was the third shooter for the Predators, and he buried his attempt to give the Predators the victory, lifting a shot over Ward's blocker.

The Predators limped in to this contest without Ryan Suter, who returned to Nashville to have his knee evaluated and to be with his wife, who is expected to deliver their first child any day. They were also missing David Legwand, who is out with a lower body injury.

With these key players out of the lineup, it was going to be imperative for others to step up. Tonight, that was Jerred Smithson and Jordin Tootoo. Their line, along with Joel Ward, were very strong tonight in both zones.

This was by no means a pretty game to watch. It was a grind it out, gritty hockey game. The team that was going to lose this game was the team that would flinch first.

The Predators didn't flinch.

In a long season, there will be these types of games. tough games. Games that are a grind. Games that test character.

Tonight, the character of the Predators was on display.

My three stars of the game:

1. Jerred Smithson

2. Jordin Tootoo

3. Pekka Rinne