Predators Can't Hold the Lead, Give up 2 Third Period Goals in 2-1 Loss to the Blues

The Nashville Predators were looking to establish some positive momentum and turn their season back around.

Playing the St. Louis Blues made that task most difficult.

The Predators started well and took a 1-0 lead on a Roman Josi power play goal in the first period.

That lead stood up until the third period when David Backes redirected a puck past Pekka Rinne to tie the game at 1.

Vladamir Tarasenko beat Rinne on a Blues power play to make the score 2-1.

And once again, the Predators couldn't solve Blues netminder Jake Allen as the Blues held on for a 2-1 win.

Some observations:

• Colin Wilson returned to the line up after missing 4 games due to injury. He was slotted on the third line with Colton Sissons and Cody Hodgson. 
• With Wilson back in the line up, Austin Watson was the healthy scratch tonight.
• The Blues have the number one penalty kill in the NHL. It had to be a real confidence booster for the Predators man advantage unit to get the tally from Roman Josi on their first power play attempt. This unit, which had been hot, hit a cold streak in their last few games. This goal was the result of good puck movement and the smarts to exploit a Blues defender that had broken his stick. Hopefully this gets the power play jump started again.
• Shea Weber picked up an assist on the Josi goal, giving him 20 points on the season. Josi's goal gives him 23 points. The Predators are the only team in the NHL with two blue liners that have 20 points or more. 
• The Blues have a +15 goal differential in the third period. This is a testament to the ability of the Blues to turn it on in crunch time.The Predators are a +3 in third period goal differential. They have scored 29 times but have given up 26 goals against, indicative of the Predators struggle to lock down teams in the last 20 minutes. 
• There are a lot of cracks in the Predators facade. One of them is the inability to hold a lead in the third period. Once again, this fault came back to bite the Predators as they surrendered the lead to the Blues. Whether it is a lack of offensive aggressiveness, fear of making a mistake, or just sitting back on their heels and hoping Rinne stops everything thrown at the the net, this strategy isn't working for the Predators. Until they change their play in the third period, they will continue to give up leads and lose games.
• Allen has faced 71 shots in 2 games against the Predators and has given up one goal. No Predators forward has scored against the Blues this season.
• The Predators were dominated in the face off circle, winning just 24 of 59 draws for a 40% success rate.
• The play of Roman Josi continues to stand out. He has emerged as a complete and elite NHL defenseman. He is one of the few bright spots for the Predators.

Let's face it, we are seeing the real Predators. They are a middling team that will struggle to make the playoffs as the roster is built right now.

Unless there are some significant changes, this will be a team that will be lucky to get into the playoffs.

My three stars:

1. Jake Allen

2. Roman Josi

3. Vladamir Tarasenko

Predators Fall to the Blues In a Shootout

The Nashville Predators looked to continue the positive momentum of last night's come from behind win over the New Jersey Devils as they visited the St. Louis Blues.

They faced a monumental challenge as the Blues have torn through the Central Division, posting a 13-0-1 record to date.

Carter Hutton would man the pipes for the second night in a row, and he was challenged throughout the game by the Blues. Hutton made some huge saves to keep the Predators from getting blown out of the Scott Trade Center.

Hutton final gave up a goal, but it was one on which he had not chance. With the Predators on the penalty kill, Jaden Schwartz got lost by the defense and found himself alone at the side of the net. He banged the puck past Hutton for a 1-0 Blues lead at 9:11 of the first period.

The Blues made it 2-0 at 3:31 of the second period as David Backes tallied his 19th goal of the season.

The Predators answered at 16:48 of the second as Paul Gaustad gathered in a errant pass from a Blues defender in the low slot and blasted the puck past Brian Elliott to make it 2-1. This was Gaustad's 8th goal of the season.

Mike Fisher tied the game at 2 as he threw a shot at Elliott from almost at the goal line. The puck banked off Elliott and into the net at 3:25 of the third period.

The Predators got their first lead of the night as David Legwand found Roman Josi streaking in from the blue line. Josi beat Elliott with a low wrist shot to give the Predators a 3-2 lead at 7:33.

The Predatos showed their disturbing tendency to quickly give up a goal after they score. Just 16 seconds after the Predators had taken the lead, Vladamir Tarasenko blasted a shot over the glove of Hutton to tie the game.

Both teams had good chances in the remainder of the third period, but could not get the game winning goal, so they were heading to overtime.

This was the first overtime meeting between these teams this season.

The overtime was scoreless, and so the Predators and Blues were heading to a shootout.

Which has not been kind to the Predators.

And the Predators continue to struggle in the shootout, dropping this one 2-1.

Some observations:

• Hutton played a strong game and came up with some huge saves to keep the Predators in the game. The Blues attacked all night, and Hutton made some quality saves. He moved well and was positionally sound.

• The Predators really got their game going in the second period, and I especially liked their effort in the third period. They went hard to the net and forced Elliott to make some big saves. The Predators looked purposeful in going to the net and really pressured the Blues goal with some quality chances. They have shown a  willingness to put the puck on the net and go hard after rebounds, and this is the style of hockey that they have to play.

• The Predators were still without the services of Matt Cullen and Viktor Stalberg. Youngsters Colton Sissons (8:00), Taylor Beck (13:58), and recent call up Simon Moser (10:21) all contributed some important minutes.

• The Predators had 4 shooters in the shootout, and they went with three defensemen in those four slots. Ryan Ellis, Roman Josi, and Mattias Ekholm all had attempts, with only Ellis converting. Taylor Beck was the only forward to take an attempt.

The Predators battled hard and picked up a point, but it is disappointing to see them give up another goal so soon after taking the lead. Whether it is maturity, intensity, or desire, it is lacking when they allow the opponents to score like that.

The Predators have been playing better of late and have been picking up some points.

They are going to have to continue that to get back into the playoff race.

My three stars:

1. Vladamir Tarasenko

2. Roman Josi

3. Jaden Schwartz

Blues Blast the Predators 3-0

The war that has been the Predators/Blues series continued for the final time in the regular season at the Scott Trade Center. 4 of the previous 5 contests had gone the way of the Predators, with their only loss occurring in overtime, and there was nothing that the league leading Blues would like to do more than avenge some of their earlier losses.

The Predators welcomed Colin Wilson back into the line up, but were without Marty Erat for the second game in a row as well as Jordin Tootoo, who was injured in the game with Chicago.

While this game was going to be tight checking and a war among the skaters, there was also a stellar goaltending battle that was going to take place as well, as the Predators had Pekka Rinne in net while the Blues countered with Brian Elliott.

The significance of this game was twofold: with a win, the Predators could move back into 4th place in the West; and with a win, Barry Trotz would notch his 500th victory as a Head Coach, all with the Predators.

The first period was just as billed: a war. Both teams created some scoring chances, but the first 20 minutes was characterized by some ferocious checking, tight defense, and good goaltending. Both netminders were perfect, as Rinne turned away 6 shots and Elliott rejected 8.

The second period opened with the Blues putting pressure on the Predators and generating some good chances. The Blues finally capitalized as Jason Arnott fed Jamie Langenbrunner in the slot and he buried the wrister to give the Blues a 1-0 lead at 6:35 of the second period. Langenbrunner worked himself free and was alone in the slot to take the shot.

Save for the Langenbrunner goal, the second period was a mirror image of the first, with both teams trying to solve the others defense and goaltender. The Predators out shot the Blues 12-7, but could not solve Elliott, who was outstanding in net.

In the third period, the Predators were going to have to get more traffic to the front of the net to try and take advantage of the rebounds that Elliott was leaving on the ice. This was going to be a tall order, as the Blues defense had so far done a good job of collapsing around Elliott.

It was going to be a matter of "want to" for the Predators in the third period.

So much for "want to" as the Blues continued to win puck battles and clog the neutral zone. Their effort paid off as David Backes got the puck to David Perron who beat Kevin Klein to the front of the net and beat Rinne with a backhand to give the Blues a 2-0 lead at 4:47 of the third period.

The Predators caught a break when it appeared that the Blues scored as David Perron shoved the puck into the net, but the goal was waved off as it was deemed by the officials that Perron had pushed Rinne and the puck into the net.

At the 16:00 minute mark, T.J. Oshie beat Rinne with a backhand to make it 3-0 for the Blues, and this game was over.

The Predators got a taste of what playoff hockey will be like, and the team was found wanting. The forwards did not finish, they lost puck battles, and their compete level was not equal to that of the Blues.

This was not fun. By any stretch of the imagination. In fact, it was painful.

But the Predators should learn from this. Playoff hockey is different. Tonight, the Blues played playoff hockey.

The Predators did not.

The Predators finished the regular season series with the Blues 4-1-1, capturing 9 of a possible 12 points.

That feels good.

But the Blues are the team playing like it is the playoffs. The Predators are not.

And they are going to have to elevate their level of play.

My three stars:

1. Brian Elliott

2. David Perron

3. Jamie Langenbrunner

Predators Stop St. Louis for the Third Time

The Nashville Predators brought a depleted line up to Scott Trade Center to take on the St. Louis Blues in the final contest of 2011. The Predators were without Shea Weber, Kevin Klein, and a late scratch, Colin Wilson, who was ruled out with and upper body injury.

Pekka Rinne was in net for the Predators, while the Blues had the resurgent Jaroslav Halak in net.

For the Predators, it was going to be critical that they come out skating hard and playing Predator hockey with this depleted line up. If the Blues got the lead, it was their style to trap the life out of their opponent, something that has given the Predators fits this season.

The Predators did just that, as Roman Josi pinched off the boards and drove the net. Halak kicked a rebound of Josi's shot into the slot, and Matt Halischuk drove the net and chipped the puck over Halak's pads to give the Predators a 1-0 lead at 2:16 of the first period.

At 11:06, David Legwand took a saucer pass from Marty Erat, which hit his foot and ricocheted past Halak. The goal was disallowed as it was deemed that the goal occurred because the puck was kicked into the net.

Immediatley after the face off, he Blues rang a shot off the cross bar as Rinne acrobatically dove across the crease.

T. J. Oshie tied the game at 1 at 13:40 as he gathered in a loose puck in a goal mouth scramble and lifted the puck over Rinne.

The remainder of the period was scoreless, as the Predators killed off a questionable boarding call against Brian McGrattan. They ended the period on a power play as Chris Stewart was called for hooking Craig Smith on a great breakaway attempt. Smith's shot went over the crossbar and into the net as he was being harassed by Stewart. The Predators would open the second period with 40 seconds of power play time.

For the Predators, it was a solid first period as they skated hard and out shot the Blues 14-11.

In the second period, the Blues used their size to muscle the Predators defense and control play in the Predators zone. The defense battled and worked to force the Blues to the perimeter, but the Blues were starting to use their size to wear down the defense.

Pekka Rinne made some big saves to keep the Blues off the board. For the Predators, their best scoring chance came on the penalty kill as Marty Erat stole the puck and went in on a breakaway. He tried to go five hole on Halak, but Halak was able to close the five hole and stop Erat.

The Predators killed off two Blues power plays during the second period, and once again, would have carryover power play time- 50 seconds- to start the third period as David Backes was in the box for hooking.

The Blues out shot the Predators 14-10 in the second period, and this was a period that resembled a heavyweight fight. Both teams traded scoring opportunities and mounted offensive challenges. Both teams responded, and going into the third period, this was a contest that was typical of the Predators and Blues previous contests this season: tight checking and looking for any opportunity to capitalize on a mistake by the other team.

Once again, the third period was a back and forth tilt, as both teams had offensive chances and both netminders were up to the task. The Predators defense had one of their better showings, especially against a bigger and very talented group of forwards for the Blues. Each team kept up the pressure on the other, but neither was able to find the back of the net to end the third period tied at 1.

St. Louis out shot Nashville 8-7 in the third period, and for regulation, the Blues held a two shot advantage 33-31.

The conservative defensive style of the first 60 minutes went out the window in overtime as both teams had rushes up the ice and quality scoring chances. Neither team was able to tally the game winning goal as each had three shots on goal.

For the second game in a row, the Predators were going to a shootout. If you remember, this was the way the last game with the Blues was decided, a game that was won by the Predators 2-1.

St. Louis elected for Nashville to shoot first, and Mike Fisher was the first shooter for the Predators, and he beat Halak but rang his shot off the pipe.

T. J. Oshie was the first shooter for the Blues and he was stoned by Rinne as he closed the pads as Oshie tried to go five hole.

Craig Smith was stopped by Halak on a backhand attempt.

David Perron was the next shooter, and his shot hit Rinne's shoulder and then the crossbar for no goal.

David Legwand was stopped off the forehand by Halak's arm.

Patrick Bergland was stopped by Rinne, although the puck went in the net but it was double tapped by Bergland for no goal.

Matt Halischuk missed the net high for the Predators.

David Backes was stopped by Rinne's blocker.

Marty Erat finally solved Halak as he beat him top corner over his glove to give the Predators a 1-0 lead in the shootout.

With the game on the line, Pekka Rinne stopped Kevin Shattenkirk to seal the win for the Predators, again another 2-1 shootout win over the Blues.

For the Blues, this was their third loss in three attempts against the Predators this season.

The Predators showed immense heart and grit in this win. Make no mistake, St. Louis is a quality club and they are sitting in front of the Predators in the standings. That made this game even more important for the Predators, and they played like it. Going into the contest with several key players out of the line up, it would have been easy to roll over against the Blues. Instead, this team fought for 65 minutes and their compete level was as good as it has been all season. They were gritty and skated hard and refused to wilt in the face of the pressure of the Blues. This was truly a character win.

With this win, the Predators have closed that gap to three points, 47 to 44.

You can see this young team growing game by game in confidence and maturity. They are starting to believe in themselves and in the game they are playing.

And that is what it takes to win these kind of games.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Jaroslav Halak

3. Marty Erat

Predators Goal Drought Continues in 2-0 Loss to Blues

Dear Santa,

I know that Christmas is over, but I really want to ask for one more present. Can we please get the Predators some offense? They have been really good guys, but this inability to score goals is getting on everyone's nerves, and frankly, I don't think they can keep up their sunny disposition.

The last four games, the Predators have only scored 3 goals. That's awfully weak, Santa. So if you could find your way back to the Bridgestone Arena, I would appreciate it if you could leave Coach Trotz some scorers.

Thanks.

Your friend,

Mark

P.S. I will send you another letter to talk to you about that tie you left for me. Really, pink and purple are just not my colors.

A plea to Santa notwithstanding, the Nashville Predators fell to the St. Louis Blues 2-0 behind a shutout from Jaroslav Halak. Not that the Predators didn't have chances. They did. They fired 32 shots at the St. Louis net, and generated some quality chances. The problem for the Predators is that no one could finish a scoring chance. Halak made some good saves, but the Predators did not have anyone that could capitalize on the scoring opportunities they had.

Yes, the Predators were missing Steve Sullivan and Marty Erat, and that meant that lines were jumbled. This obviously affected the chemistry in the offensive end. The fact is that when the Predators generated chances, no one could bury a critical shot.

Pekka Rinne got the start for the Predators, and generally was very solid in net. He had to be sharp early as the Blues swarmed the Predators net, and he was equal to the task.

Rinne did give up a goal to David Backes that he would like to have back. Cody Franson turned the puck over in the neutral zone, and Backes skated in and fired a wrister from the face off circle that beat Rinne over the shoulder on the glove side at 1:45 of the second period.

Frankly, after the Blues got on the board first, one would have to wonder and worry if that would be all the scoring they would need given the Predators anemic offensive production. Unfortunately, that proved to be the case.

Backes would add an empty netter at 19:43 for the final margin of victory for the Blues.

The Predators are going to have to get their offense going. The streaky nature of this offense does not bode well for the team, and our losing streaks have been directly related to our lack of goals. The offense has to get back to the basics: create turnovers with the forecheck; take good shots; and crash the net. There has to be a consistent effort in these areas every game for this team to be successful.

It is unknown how long Erat and Sullivan will be out of the lineup. Losing key players is a fact of life every team has to deal with during the course of a long season. Players have to step up and fill the vacated roles. They have to play like professionals.

Linus Klasen was called up from Milwaukee and was playing a top 6 forward role tonight. This is your opportunity, young man. Time for you to bring it.

Vets, you are in the lineup for a reason. It is time for you to elevate your game. The four straight losses mean that you have to show your leadership and do the hard things to win a game.

And it's time to end this drought

My three stars:

1. Jaroslav Halak

2. David Backes

3. Pekka Rinne

Predators End Losing Streak With a 3-2 SO Win Over the Blues

The Nashville Predators showed much better spunk and fight in a 3-2 shootout win over the St. Louis Blues to end a horrid five game losing streak. With the win, the Predators run their record to 2-1 against the Blues in their season series.

This game was more like the style of hockey that wins games for the Predators. They went strong to the net all night, had an aggressive forecheck, and got great goaltending from Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne.

The Predators played much more fundamentally sound defensive hockey than they did in their five game skid. After being outshot 9-4 in the first period, the Predators limited the Blues to just 11 shots over the final two periods. St. Louis outshot the Predators 3-0 in the overtime period as the Predators spent the last 1:19 killing off a tripping penalty by Alexander Sulzer.

The Blues opened the scoring at 18:22 of the first period as the Predators failed to clear a puck in their zone as the Blues were swarming the Nashville net.David Backes ran over Steve Sullivan as he was trying to control the puck and the puck squirted through the slot. The puck came back to Backes and he buried the shot to give the Blues the advantage.

The Predators would even the game at 1 when Cal O'Reilly tapped home a shot from Francis Buillon. O'Reilly was camped at the top of the crease, and when Blues goaltender Jaroslav Halak could not control the rebound, O'Reilly cashed in for the tying score at 13:44 of the second period.

The Blues took the lead once again at 5:44 of the third as Kevin Klein took a bad angle on a stretch pass to Matt D'Agostini. This allowed D'Agostini to get in alone on a breakaway against Rinne, and he buried the shot low glove side.

The Predators answered at 13:08 of the third period when David Legwand fired a puck into the Blues zone and off the end board. The rebound came out to the side of the net and J.P. Dumont was driving hard to the net. He got his stick on the puck and lifted a quick backhand over a surprised Halak for the equalizer.

Pekka Rinne made some quality saves in the remainder of the period to preserve the tie. He stopped Vladomir Sobotka from in close and made a nice save on Patrick Bergland with traffic in front. As the game went on, Rinne looked more solid and comfortable in net, and that is a great sign for the Predators. They need the old Rinne back, one who is tracking and playing the puck well.

In the overtime period, David Legwand and Jerred Smithson won some key face offs in the predators zone that allowed the Preds to clear the puck on the penalty kill. These are the little aspects of the game that the Predators had not done very well during their five game losing streak. It's great to see them doing the little things well again as the little details often lead to big results.

In the shootout, the Blues opted to go first, and Matt D'Agostini beat Rinne blocker side to give the Blues a 1-0 lead. Cal O'Reilly smoothly beat Halak high stick side to tie it at 1.

Brad Boyes and Steve Sullivan were both stoned by the goaltenders, as were Andy McDonald and David Legwand.

Going to round 4, Rinne stopped Patrick Bergland. Marcel Goc was the fourth shooter for the Predators, and he mad a nice move to open Halak up and beat him with a shot that went between his skate and the post.

Game over. Losing streak done.

It feels good for the Predators to get the 800 pound gorilla of a five game losing streak off their backs. In this victory, they went back to basics and they did them well. The forecheck ramped up in the second period and kept the Blues out of their offensive flow for most of the rest of the game. The defense was much more sound than it had been in the five losses. When the Blues got scoring chances, Rinne was solid.

A special stick tap to Marcel Goc. He played a tremendous game, generating chances and was strong on the puck all game. He even made a save in the first period when the puck slid through Rinne and was laying on the goal line. Goc swept the puck to the corner to save the goal and keep the scoreless.

Now that the losing streak is over, the predators have to build on this win. They have to stay focused on what brought them victory tonight- sound defense, solid goaltending, aggressive forecheck, and opportunistic offense. This is Predator hockey. This is what the team has to do to win games.

The losing streak is over. It's time to start a new streak. One that puts wins on the board by playing Predator hockey.

My three stars of the game:

1. Marcel Goc

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Cal O'Reilly