Predators Get Much Needed Win Against the Jets 4-1

The Predators ship has been taking on lots of water in January, recording just 2 victories for the month. To say they desperately needed a win is the understatement of the year.

The Predators got that win against Divisional for Winnipeg with a 4-1 win.

The game didn't start the way that the Predators wanted, as a defensive breakdown led to a breakaway goal by Nick Ehlers to give the Jets a 1-0 lead.

Pekka Rinne would shut down the Jets the rest of the way and the Predators attacked Connor Hellebuyck and the Jets goal for 4 goals.

Ryan Johansen tied the game in the first period with a power play goal. Craig Smith scored a beauty to give the Predators a 2-1 lead at the end of the second period.

James Neal added a third period goal to make it 3-1. Calle Jarnkrok ended the scoring with an empty net goal for the final margin of 4-1.

Some observations:

• Roman Josi played in his 300th game tonight. Josi has by far and away been the Predators best and most consistent player this season.
• Lines and D combos in a blender again. First line of forwards remained the same (Fiala, Johansen, and Neal). Second line was Ribeiro centering Forsberg and Craig Smith. Third Line was Fisher centering Salomaki and Jarnkrok. Petter Granberg drew back in on the blue line and was paired with Mattias Ekholm. Barrett Jackman was paired with Ryan Ellis.
• Cody Bass chucked knuckles with Brad Stuart after Stuart's big hit on Mike Fisher. The scrap started slowly but Bass flattened Stuart with a big right to end the fight. 
• Has the Johansen for Jones trade paid off for the Predators or what? 8 points in 7 games for RyJo and he is showing he was absolutely worth the swap of an up and coming blueliner. Johansen's goal was a workmanlike goal, going to the net and not quitting on the puck before he jammed it past Hellebuyck.
• Welcome back to the score sheet, Craig Smith. A beautiful shot in a small space for his 10th goal of the season. The Predators need to get Smith untracked and finding the net consistently, and hopefully this will open the door for some more goals by the Honey Badger.
• Goodness, the Predators defense has been awfully leaky of late. The first period goal by Ehlers was the result of a forward jetting behind the Preds defense for a breakaway goal, the second in consecutive games allowed by the Predators D corp. Rinne had to be sharp on several occasions as the Jets forwards were roaming almost uncontested through the low slot. The Predators are going to have to tighten up this aspect of their game if they are going to start winning games consistently.
• Petter Granberg picked up his first NHL point with an assist on Craig Smith's goal.
• James Neal has to have one of the most wicked releases in the game. His goal off the face off was a rocket that hit the post and then bounced off the back of Hellebuyck for breathing room for the Predators. Neal's goal was his team leading 17th of the season.
• How good was it to see Pekka get this win. There is no doubt that he has struggled over the past 2 months. Tonight, Pekka looked relaxed in net and was less frenetic than he has been in recent games. He stopped 26 of 27 shots tonight and several of them were very high quality chances.
• The difference in the game tonight? The Predators got the puck deep and attacked the net with traffic in front. That is the simple formula for success for this team, and if they play the way they did tonight, they will have a good opportunity to start consistently winning games. 
• The PK was solid tonight. They killed off all 4 of the Jets power plays. The Preds power play was 1 for 3 tonight, getting their first power play goal in their last 12 attempts on their first power play.

This was a must have, solid game by the Predators. They were strong in all phases and got traffic to the net to challenge Hellebuyck.

Now they have to string together some games just like they played tonight.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Craig Smith

3. James Neal

Predators Battle Back But Fall (Again) in OT to the Jets

43 games into the season, one would not think that a game would be a must win game for any team.

But for the Nashville Predators, this game  at the MTS Center against divisional foe Winnipeg qualifies as a must win game.

The Predators, losers of 4 straight games and struggling to gain consistency, are hanging on by a thread to the last Wild Card slot in the West with 45 points.

The Predators sit 4 points in front of the Jets and are tied with the Colorado Avalanche in points but are in the Wild Card slot by virtue of having a game in hand.

The Predators battled back from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game and force overtime before falling 5-4.

A horrible second period cost the Predators this game.

Kevin Fiala, in his first NHL game this season,  made his presence felt immediately as he banged a rebound of a Ryan Johansen shot under the crossbar for his first goal and the first goal of the game. Fiala cleanly beat Connor Hellebuyck by driving the net, something the Predators need to do consistently.

Dustin Byfuglien tied the game at 1 at 6:40 of the second period as he gathered in his own rebound and beat Pekka Rinne to the far post.

James Neal took a dumb interference penalty and on the resulting power play, Bryan Little buried a one timer to take a 2-1 lead.

Dustin Byfuglien scored on a wrap around to make it 3-1.

The wheels were coming off for the Predators in this game and in their season.

The Predators went completely in the ditch early in the third period as Nick Ehlers was sprung on a breakaway and he buried his shot to make it 4-1.

The Predators managed to show some signs of life, however.

Ryan Johansen scored his second goal as a Predator on the power play with some sweet hands in the low slot to make it 4-2.

Eric Nystrom jammed home a pass from Ryan Ellis to make it 4-3 with 8:07 remaining in the game.

After a slew of penalties, there was 1:39 of 3 on 3 hockey late in the third period. Rinne skated to the bench to make it 4 on 3. The Predators were unable to score during this man advantage.

They were finally able to break through and score with James Neal ripping a shot from the face off circle to tie the game at 4 with 13.5 seconds remaining.

A truly improbable comeback to force overtime.

In the OT, the Jets scored on their first shot as Blake Wheeler beat Rinne cleanly for the game winner.

Some observations:

• Viktor Arvidsson was reassigned to Milwaukee. With Colin Wilson being placed on IR, the Predators recalled Kevin Fiala and Cody Bass. Fiala was placed on a line with Ryan Johansen and James Neal. Certainly an opportunity for the young talent to show what he can do with some quality line mates.
• Forward lines were once again placed in a blender. Calle Jarnkrok, Mike Ribeiro and Filip Forsberg were on the second line. Mike Fisher, Craig Smith, and Eric Nystrom (?) were on the the third line. Miikka Salomaki, Cody Bass, and Paul Gaustad manned the 4th line.
• The Predators placed Cody Hodgson on waivers and he cleared and and was assigned to Milwaukee.
• Really sweet goal by Fiala to score his first NHL goal in just his third game with the Predators. He drove hard to the net, fought off a defender, and more importantly finished his chance with a great shot that he roofed just under the crossbar. The talented 19 year old has seasoned a bit in Milwaukee, and it would be good to see him stick on the roster. He is explosive and has tremendous upside and if he can play a solid game in all zones could give the Predators a real boost.
• The penalty on James Neal was an appropriate call and frankly, that penalty was just stupid. He hit a Jets defender long after the puck had left his stick and was called for interference. These are the kind of boneheaded plays that the Predators just can't make. And it bit them because they were stupid.
• The inattention to detail has cost the Predators. The jets second power play goal occurred because Mattias Ekholm failed to clear a puck when he had an opportunity to do so. Defensive breakdowns that are caused by mental lapses are winding up in the back of our net and the team has done nothing to reverse the negative trends that are causing their problems. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Draw your own conclusions about the play of this team right now.
• Let's be honest: the Predators have played some pretty sorry hockey for the past 2 months. So the question becomes, what will turn it around for this team? Will they find their identity? Will they be more physical? Will they start playing fundamentally sound hockey? I believe that the great failing of this team right now is that the coaching staff has failed to instill a sense of urgency and cultivate the character of this team. Can they turn it around? Right now, they are showing no signs of being able to do so.
• Apparently James Neal will have to lose a limb to avoid being called for embellishment.
• James Neal ripped a shot past Hellebuyck to tie the game. That was Neal's 200th career goal.
• Ryan Johansen hit the post in OT and the Jets came back and scored on their first shot in the extra period. The Predators have won only 1 OT game this season. If they miss the playoffs, they will look back on these points that they left on the table.
• Once again, the Predators failed to play a full 60 minutes. That second period was 20 minutes of miserable hockey. Elite teams play a 60 minute game. The Predators rarely do that.

I have to give the team big ups for battling back to tie the game and get a point. That was heart and character in that effort.

I have to give them failing marks for their sloppy play and inability to play a full 60 minutes.

It cost them a game a game they dearly needed to win.

And they are going to have to find a way to elevate their play for a full 60 if they want to change course.

My three stars:

1. Dustin Byfuglien

2. Kevin Fiala

3. Blake Wheeler

Predators Can't Finish, Bombed by the Jets 4-1

Driving to the game tonight to see the Nashville Predators take on the Winnipeg Jets, I had to contend with lots of traffic.

That is something that Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck rarely had to deal with as he stymied the Predators, turning away 43 of 44 shots on the way to a 4-1 victory.

The Predators threw 44 shots at the Jets netminder, but were content to fire away mostly from the outside, giving Hellebuyck the opportunity to make a  number of routine saves.

Drew Stafford scored two power play goals, Ben Chairot notched a horribly soft goal, and Alexander Burmistrov added an empty netter.

Colin Wilson got the only tally for the Predators long after the outcome had been decided.

Some observations:

• Yes, the Predators threw a lot of shots at the net. And Hellebuyck did make some very good saves. But the quality scoring chances by the Predators were belied by the vast number of shots. Many were from the outside with Hellebuyck totally unscreened. Rarely did the Predators get traffic to the net, and with the lack of finishers on this team, that is essential to their scoring efforts. Unless the Predators make that commitment to get to the dirty areas, the tough areas of the ice, this team is going to continue to struggle and will find themselves on the outside looking in when the playoffs roll around.
• The Predators offense has become very predictable. Teams are jamming the middle and forcing the puck outside. That is where many of the shots tonight came from, and there was rarely traffic in front of Hellebuyck. This made a lot of his saves very routine. It is apparent that we do not have shooters that can routinely pick a corner and score the "goal scorers" goal. So unless we get players that can finish their scoring chances or we get players that can create havoc out front, look for more of these types of games.
• I don't fault Rinne on the first two goals. The defense left Stafford alone in front on the first goal, and his second was a perfect re-direct. But that third goal that Rinne let in was absolutely brutal and killed any hopes of climbing back in this game. This team has to objectively look at Rinne and realize that they have a 32 year old netminder that has been elite but is now on the downside of his career.
• The Predators were out hit by the Jets, who were the more physical team tonight. Hits were 17-10 in favor of the Jets.
• The Predators have won only 2 games this season when trailing after 2 periods.
• The Predators PK was atrocious. They gave up 2 goals on 3 Jets power plays.

This team has shown no ability to build positive momentum. Win a game, lose a game (or 2 or 3). This is not a formula to get into the playoffs, and unless this team can gain some consistency and positive momentum, they will likely miss the playoffs.

Look, I love this team and will always support them.

But I am also a realist.

And the reality is that this team is at best average.

And average is not going to get you in the playoffs.

My three stars:

1. Drew Stafford

2. Connor Hellebuyck

3. Tyler Myers