If the Nashville Predators are going to make a playoff push, it has to begin tonight in Columbus against the Blue Jackets, a team that is 6-0-4 in their last 10 games and boasts one of the hottest goaltenders in the NHL in the person of Sergei Bobrovsky.
No easy task for the Predators, who find themselves in a deep hole of their own making. The Predators are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and have lost three in a row.
The Predators benched Sergei Kostitsyn for his egregious gaffe in the previous game against Edmonton. Taylor Beck was called up from Milwaukee and took his place on the line with Marty Erat and Mike Fisher.
The Predators had Pekka Rinne in net, and Predator fans could only hope that the team in front of him would give him some support in this game.
The Predators opened with good jump, and early on had a decided shot advantage. As the period wore on, that changed, with the Blue Jackets aided by two Predators penalties. The Jackets out shot the Predators 14-9 in the period after the Predators opened the game with a 7-1 shot advantage.
The period ended scoreless, and Rinne made some big saves to keep the BJ's off the board.
The Blue Jackets got on the board at 4:08 of the second period as Fedor Tyutin launched a shot from the blue line that got through traffic and past Rinne, who was screened by a Columbus player and two Predator defenseman.
Since the midway mark of the second period, the Blue Jackets were carrying the play to the Predators, and it was going to be critical for the Predators to reverse the momentum back to their favor.
The Jackets second goal came off a dominating offensive zone cycle. The Predators could not get the puck out of the zone, and the Jackets made them pay. Mark Letestu roofed a shot over the shoulder of Rinne at the end of this cycle to make it 2-0 at 9:39 of the second period.
At this point, it looked as if the Jackets were going to run the Predators out of the barn.
The Predators responded at 14:45 of the second as Roman Josi walked the puck in from the blue line and took a shot from the high slot. Gabriel Bourque was in front of the net battling for position and re-directed the puck past Bobrovsky to make it 2-1.
Heading into the third, the Predators were in the game and needed a strong period to capture a much needed two points.
Yeah... about that strong period.
The Predators gave up a power play goal to Nikita Nikitin at the 10:00 mark to make it 3-1 Jackets. On the play, it looked as if Roman Josi had partially screened Rinne as he did not see the shot until the last second.
Derick Brassard made it 4-1 off a rush as he blasted a puck past Rinne at 12:41 of the third.
The Predators got a goal from Chris Mueller, who was battling in front of the net and shoveled a puck past Bobrovsky to make it 4-2 at 17:59 of the third.
Mike Fisher scored off a gritty effort in front of the net, sweeping the puck past Bobrovsky at 18:46.
Unfortunately, the Predators could not get the tying goal, and they saw a game that they had to have slip away by a 4-3 margin.
Some observations:
What Happened to That Opening Surge?
The Predators opened the game with good jump and were taking it to the BJ's early in the contest. Through ten minutes of the first period, the Predators had out shot the Jackets 9-1 and controlled the play. That effort slowly waned, aided by two Predator penalties in the period, and the Predators never matched the effort of the Jackets after that. It's a 60 minute game boys.
Another Third Period Fade
A disturbing characteristic of the Predators is getting whipped in the third period. Maybe it is the experience level of the players. I hope it isn't the character and heart of those on the ice. If it is that, then this team has deeper problems than just their won/lost record.
It Is Time For The Pine
I like him, but the fact is that Marty Erat has been awful. He has contributed nothing to the offense for far too long, and this team needs someone who is going to contribute. Tonight, Marty had 19:40 of ice time (second only to Mike Fisher) and not a single shot on net. Too often, Marty chews up big minutes and does nothing. This is unacceptable and is hurting the team. It is past time to get someone in the lineup that is at least going to get some shots on net and at least has an opportunity to score.
Speaking of Pine
After his horrific mistake against Edmonton, Head Coach Barry Trotz benched Sergei Kostitsyn. He spoke of accountability, and that each player has to be accountable to the team. It is now time to apply that principal to some of the other guys.
Motor
Gabriel Bourque recorded his team leading 10th goal. Roman Josi was solid. Chris Mueller and Mike Fisher scrapped and worked for goals. Some of the guys have their motors still running. That is a good thing. Unfortunately, not enough guys have their motors running. And therein lies the problem for the Predators.
Final Thoughts
The Predators are watching their season slowly slip away. And it is painful. No one, the fans, the coaches, the owners, the players, enjoy this. This is not fun.
Yet there is a lot of hockey to be played. We are going to learn a lot from about this team by how they respond to this adversity. This is an inflection point for this team. The guys that put on the sweaters can play with heart and grit or they can piss away the remainder of the season.
It will tell us a lot about the future of this team.
Your call, boys.
My three stars:
1. Sergei Bobrovsky
2. Derick Brassard
3. Gabriel Bourque
Showing posts with label Derick Brassard. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Derick Brassard. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Predators Wow the Home Crowd With a 6-5 Victory Over the Jackets
Wow!
That sentiment, along with a few others, can only begin to capture what happened in the Bridgestone Arena as the Nashville Predators faced the Columbus Blue Jackets in a Central Division tilt. The Predators won the game 6-5 in spite of making it extremely difficult on themselves.
Heck, they didn't make it difficult on themselves. They nearly gave away the game.
Don't believe me?
The Predators gave up 4 power play goals, three in the first period on a 5 minute penalty kill after absorbing a major penalty to fall into a 4-1 hole after twenty minutes.
I will get to that in just a moment.
Pekka Rinne got the start for the Predators, while Curtis Sanford was in net for the Blue Jackets.
These two teams typically play a tight checking game, with most contests decided by a goal. This game started no differently, with each team probing the others defense and looking for an opportunity to score.
That first opportunity would belong to the Predators, as Mike Fisher was left alone at the side of the net and had an easy tap in of a rebound of a Sergei Kostitsyn shot at 12:29 of the period. This goal was a result of the Predators playing their type of hockey- shooting the puck and crashing the net. Simple hockey, effective hockey.
Predator fans had hardly settled back into their seats when the BJ's tied the game on a shot from Jeff Carter. Carter beat David Legwand on a drive to the net and launched a wrist shot from just inside the face off circle that beat Rinne over his shoulder at 12:56 of the first period.
The first "Wow" moment came at 14:26 of the first period as Brian McGratten boarded Derick Brassard as Brassard was going off on a line change. McGratten was given a 5 minute major for interference and a game misconduct. While the penalty can be debated as to the severity, the fact is that this was a boneheaded and selfish play by McGratten, who skated across the rink to deliver the hit. It is the type of hit that the League looks at closely and one which the officials have been quick to call. It was a totally unnecessary hit.
And it would cost the Predators.
Columbus would tally 3 times during the major to take a 4-1 lead. Jeff Carter got 2 goals to give him a first period hat trick, with his goals coming at 14:35 and 16:14. Sandwiched between those two goals was a gaol by Ryan Johansen at 15:30.
Yes, it was a major penalty, but the Predators penalty killers were manhandled by the Jackets forwards. Columbus peppered the Predators net and crashed hard to gather in rebounds and tally goals. Pucks were bouncing off legs of the defenders and the Predators could not clear the front of the net, and they were burned by the Jackets because of their ineffectiveness.
Down 4-1 at the end of the first period, the Predators were going to have to play Predator hockey and chip away at the Jackets lead in the second period.
Patrick Hornqvist would make it 4-2 with a tap in of a rebound of a shot from Shea Weber at 5:28. Once again, the Predators benefited from shooting the puck and going to the net.
The Jackets would again extend their lead to 3 goals on the power play. Ryan Johansen took a shot that hit Ryan Suter's leg and skidded by Rinne for the Jackets 4th power play goal to make it 5-2 at 7:52 of the second period.
The Predators did not deviate from their style of play, as they kept shooting the puck and going hard to the net. Nick Spaling was the next Predator to score at 8:53 of the second period. Spaling was working hard in the low slot and gathered in a rebound of a Colin Wilson shot and shoveled the puck past Sanford to make it 5-3 Columbus.
The Predators made it 5-4 at 13:41 of the second as Roman Josi took a pass from Francis Buillon and wired a shot over the shoulder of Sanford with Mike Fisher screening in front. Josi is rounding into a very solid defenseman who handles the puck well and has a good shot. Each game, he appears to be playing with more confidence.
The Predators caught a break in the second as Mark Letestu got free in the low slot and beat Rinne with a shot that hit the post and bounced out.
Going into the third period and trailing by one, I felt that if the Predators could tie the game, they would win it.
The Predators did just that at 16:14 of the period as David Legwand corralled a rebound of a Colin Wilson shot and banged home the tying goal. With that score, one could sense the fragile Jackets were on the verge of breaking, and with the partisan crowd roaring, the Predators were looking for one more improbable win over the BJ's.
Wow!
Improbable? How about absolutely amazing?
The Predators were not done with their "wow" moments just yet.
Ryan Suter found Marty Erat streaking through the middle of the ice and hit him with a pass on his tape. Erat split the defense of the Jackets and fought off a hook to break in on Sanford. Erat made a nice forehand backhand move to open Sanford up and slid the puck five hole with 8.4 seconds to go to give the Predators a 6-5 lead.
WOW!!
As the horn sounded, a Blue Jacket player summed up their night by shattering his stick at the bench, just like their hopes for a victory were shattered by a gritty and never say die group of Predators.
Make no mistake, this win feels good. But as good as it feels, the Predators should have never been in that position. Frankly, the Predators kept Columbus in the game with the stupid major penalty and the resulting ineffectiveness of their penalty kill. Against a team that is not as fragile as the Jackets, the result would probably not have turned out as good as it did for the Predators.
Strong play tonight from Mike Fisher and Colin Wilson. Both of these players are skating hard and doing the little things that lead to big plays. this type of effort was instrumental in turning around this contest.
What this contest should point out to this team is that you are never out of it. Play your game- shoot the puck and go hard to the net- and good things happen. When this team was down early, rather than quit, they fought back and fought back hard.
That is character.
That is Predator hockey.
My three stars:
1. Marty Erat
2. David Legwand
3. Jeff Carter
That sentiment, along with a few others, can only begin to capture what happened in the Bridgestone Arena as the Nashville Predators faced the Columbus Blue Jackets in a Central Division tilt. The Predators won the game 6-5 in spite of making it extremely difficult on themselves.
Heck, they didn't make it difficult on themselves. They nearly gave away the game.
Don't believe me?
The Predators gave up 4 power play goals, three in the first period on a 5 minute penalty kill after absorbing a major penalty to fall into a 4-1 hole after twenty minutes.
I will get to that in just a moment.
Pekka Rinne got the start for the Predators, while Curtis Sanford was in net for the Blue Jackets.
These two teams typically play a tight checking game, with most contests decided by a goal. This game started no differently, with each team probing the others defense and looking for an opportunity to score.
That first opportunity would belong to the Predators, as Mike Fisher was left alone at the side of the net and had an easy tap in of a rebound of a Sergei Kostitsyn shot at 12:29 of the period. This goal was a result of the Predators playing their type of hockey- shooting the puck and crashing the net. Simple hockey, effective hockey.
Predator fans had hardly settled back into their seats when the BJ's tied the game on a shot from Jeff Carter. Carter beat David Legwand on a drive to the net and launched a wrist shot from just inside the face off circle that beat Rinne over his shoulder at 12:56 of the first period.
The first "Wow" moment came at 14:26 of the first period as Brian McGratten boarded Derick Brassard as Brassard was going off on a line change. McGratten was given a 5 minute major for interference and a game misconduct. While the penalty can be debated as to the severity, the fact is that this was a boneheaded and selfish play by McGratten, who skated across the rink to deliver the hit. It is the type of hit that the League looks at closely and one which the officials have been quick to call. It was a totally unnecessary hit.
And it would cost the Predators.
Columbus would tally 3 times during the major to take a 4-1 lead. Jeff Carter got 2 goals to give him a first period hat trick, with his goals coming at 14:35 and 16:14. Sandwiched between those two goals was a gaol by Ryan Johansen at 15:30.
Yes, it was a major penalty, but the Predators penalty killers were manhandled by the Jackets forwards. Columbus peppered the Predators net and crashed hard to gather in rebounds and tally goals. Pucks were bouncing off legs of the defenders and the Predators could not clear the front of the net, and they were burned by the Jackets because of their ineffectiveness.
Down 4-1 at the end of the first period, the Predators were going to have to play Predator hockey and chip away at the Jackets lead in the second period.
Patrick Hornqvist would make it 4-2 with a tap in of a rebound of a shot from Shea Weber at 5:28. Once again, the Predators benefited from shooting the puck and going to the net.
The Jackets would again extend their lead to 3 goals on the power play. Ryan Johansen took a shot that hit Ryan Suter's leg and skidded by Rinne for the Jackets 4th power play goal to make it 5-2 at 7:52 of the second period.
The Predators did not deviate from their style of play, as they kept shooting the puck and going hard to the net. Nick Spaling was the next Predator to score at 8:53 of the second period. Spaling was working hard in the low slot and gathered in a rebound of a Colin Wilson shot and shoveled the puck past Sanford to make it 5-3 Columbus.
The Predators made it 5-4 at 13:41 of the second as Roman Josi took a pass from Francis Buillon and wired a shot over the shoulder of Sanford with Mike Fisher screening in front. Josi is rounding into a very solid defenseman who handles the puck well and has a good shot. Each game, he appears to be playing with more confidence.
The Predators caught a break in the second as Mark Letestu got free in the low slot and beat Rinne with a shot that hit the post and bounced out.
Going into the third period and trailing by one, I felt that if the Predators could tie the game, they would win it.
The Predators did just that at 16:14 of the period as David Legwand corralled a rebound of a Colin Wilson shot and banged home the tying goal. With that score, one could sense the fragile Jackets were on the verge of breaking, and with the partisan crowd roaring, the Predators were looking for one more improbable win over the BJ's.
Wow!
Improbable? How about absolutely amazing?
The Predators were not done with their "wow" moments just yet.
Ryan Suter found Marty Erat streaking through the middle of the ice and hit him with a pass on his tape. Erat split the defense of the Jackets and fought off a hook to break in on Sanford. Erat made a nice forehand backhand move to open Sanford up and slid the puck five hole with 8.4 seconds to go to give the Predators a 6-5 lead.
WOW!!
As the horn sounded, a Blue Jacket player summed up their night by shattering his stick at the bench, just like their hopes for a victory were shattered by a gritty and never say die group of Predators.
Make no mistake, this win feels good. But as good as it feels, the Predators should have never been in that position. Frankly, the Predators kept Columbus in the game with the stupid major penalty and the resulting ineffectiveness of their penalty kill. Against a team that is not as fragile as the Jackets, the result would probably not have turned out as good as it did for the Predators.
Strong play tonight from Mike Fisher and Colin Wilson. Both of these players are skating hard and doing the little things that lead to big plays. this type of effort was instrumental in turning around this contest.
What this contest should point out to this team is that you are never out of it. Play your game- shoot the puck and go hard to the net- and good things happen. When this team was down early, rather than quit, they fought back and fought back hard.
That is character.
That is Predator hockey.
My three stars:
1. Marty Erat
2. David Legwand
3. Jeff Carter
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Big Brother Predators Bop Little Brother Blue Jackets 4-1
If you have ever had a little brother, you know how annoying they can be. They get in your stuff, they are a constant source of irritation, and occasionally, they can get the better of their big brother. Once big brother has had enough, they usually bop them rather forcefully and they are once again put in their place.
Tonight at the Bridgestone Arena, the little brother Blue Jackets were irritating for a period, taking a 1-0 lead over the Predators going into intermission. The BJ's scored on the first shot of the game, as R.J. Umberger tipped in a shot from the point by Marc Methot. The Predators defense was caught flat footed and left Umberger alone in front of the net, and he was able to re-direct the shot past Nashville's Pekka Rinne just 37 seconds into the contest.
After the first intermission, big brother woke up and started to exert their will over the BJ's. I would suspect that HeadParent Coach Barry Trotz had a few choice words for his charges when he took them to their room. Whatever was said, it worked, as the Predators started to dominate the contest.
Shea Weber tied the game with a blast from the point with Nick Spaling and Jerred Smithson screening in front of Jackets goaltender Steve Mason. Mason never saw the shot until it hit the back of the net at 2:59 of the second.
The Predators continued to put pressure on the BJ's in the offensive zone, and their effort was rewarded at 6:09 of the second as Nick Spaling was able to find a puck at the side of the crease and knock home a rebound of a Weber shot from the point. Mason was able to make the initial save, but could not control the rebound. Taking a page from Patric Hornqvist's book, Spaling fought into the hard area at the net and was able to slap home the rebound past an out of position Mason.
Hornqvist was not going to let Spaling have all the fun at the net, as he lifted a puck over the shoulder of Mason while being knocked to the ice. Hornqvist's goal came on the power play at 16:50 of the second with Fedor Tytutin in the box for holding. This goal showed the strength of Hornqvist, as he was being hit and knocked to the ice. He still had the strength and ability to lift the puck and find the back of the net.
With a 3-1 lead going into the third period, everyone knew that the peskylittle brother Jackets would come out pressing, and it was going to be important for the Predators to answer. They thwarted several BJ scoring chances with some strong goaltending from Rinne and solid defense in front of him. The Predators rarely gave up a secondary scoring chance and did a good job of slowing the BJ rush through the neutral zone.
The Predators iced the win as Colin Wilson ripped a shot from just inside the face off circle. The shot beat Mason, and it hit the crossbar and appeared to go in. The officials did not rule it a goal, but Sergei Kostitsyn was crashing the net and tapped the puck into an open crease while it was lying on the ice in the blue paint at 5:53 of the period.
The Predators spent the remainder of the game throttling the BJ's offensive effort and notched their second win in three contests againstlittle brother Columbus.
For the contest, Rinne stopped 19 of 20 shots.
This victory kept Columbus winless in Nashville since April of 2006.
This win was not without a price, however. The Predators lost Cal O'Reilly mid-way of the third period with a broken fibula. Once again, the injury bug has bitten the Predators hard.
After a first period that found the Predators on their heels for the most, they came out and played solid, Predator hockey for the next two periods. They shot the puck and challenged Mason, and when he has to move side to side and track pucks through traffic, he is average. Tonight, the Predators offense made him look average.
More importantly, the Predators aggressive forecheck and solid defense in the neutral zone and in the defensive zone limited the Jackets offense. The Jackets top line of Rick Nash ( 1 SOG), Derick Brassard (1 SOG), and Antoine Vermette (3 SOG), were limited to 5 shots on goal and were held in check all night by the Predators. This is the key to any Predators win, moreso against the Jackets.
The Predators will now embark on a west coast swing, and it is going to be essential that they bring this kind of effort every night. This is a team that is built for the grind of the regular season, built for the wars that are the Western Conference contests.
Skate like this, shoot the puck and crash the net, and play solid defense, and you will continue to play the role of big brother.
My three stars:
1. Shea Weber
2. Nick Spaling
3. Pekka Rinne
Tonight at the Bridgestone Arena, the little brother Blue Jackets were irritating for a period, taking a 1-0 lead over the Predators going into intermission. The BJ's scored on the first shot of the game, as R.J. Umberger tipped in a shot from the point by Marc Methot. The Predators defense was caught flat footed and left Umberger alone in front of the net, and he was able to re-direct the shot past Nashville's Pekka Rinne just 37 seconds into the contest.
After the first intermission, big brother woke up and started to exert their will over the BJ's. I would suspect that Head
Shea Weber tied the game with a blast from the point with Nick Spaling and Jerred Smithson screening in front of Jackets goaltender Steve Mason. Mason never saw the shot until it hit the back of the net at 2:59 of the second.
The Predators continued to put pressure on the BJ's in the offensive zone, and their effort was rewarded at 6:09 of the second as Nick Spaling was able to find a puck at the side of the crease and knock home a rebound of a Weber shot from the point. Mason was able to make the initial save, but could not control the rebound. Taking a page from Patric Hornqvist's book, Spaling fought into the hard area at the net and was able to slap home the rebound past an out of position Mason.
Hornqvist was not going to let Spaling have all the fun at the net, as he lifted a puck over the shoulder of Mason while being knocked to the ice. Hornqvist's goal came on the power play at 16:50 of the second with Fedor Tytutin in the box for holding. This goal showed the strength of Hornqvist, as he was being hit and knocked to the ice. He still had the strength and ability to lift the puck and find the back of the net.
With a 3-1 lead going into the third period, everyone knew that the pesky
The Predators iced the win as Colin Wilson ripped a shot from just inside the face off circle. The shot beat Mason, and it hit the crossbar and appeared to go in. The officials did not rule it a goal, but Sergei Kostitsyn was crashing the net and tapped the puck into an open crease while it was lying on the ice in the blue paint at 5:53 of the period.
The Predators spent the remainder of the game throttling the BJ's offensive effort and notched their second win in three contests against
For the contest, Rinne stopped 19 of 20 shots.
This victory kept Columbus winless in Nashville since April of 2006.
This win was not without a price, however. The Predators lost Cal O'Reilly mid-way of the third period with a broken fibula. Once again, the injury bug has bitten the Predators hard.
After a first period that found the Predators on their heels for the most, they came out and played solid, Predator hockey for the next two periods. They shot the puck and challenged Mason, and when he has to move side to side and track pucks through traffic, he is average. Tonight, the Predators offense made him look average.
More importantly, the Predators aggressive forecheck and solid defense in the neutral zone and in the defensive zone limited the Jackets offense. The Jackets top line of Rick Nash ( 1 SOG), Derick Brassard (1 SOG), and Antoine Vermette (3 SOG), were limited to 5 shots on goal and were held in check all night by the Predators. This is the key to any Predators win, moreso against the Jackets.
The Predators will now embark on a west coast swing, and it is going to be essential that they bring this kind of effort every night. This is a team that is built for the grind of the regular season, built for the wars that are the Western Conference contests.
Skate like this, shoot the puck and crash the net, and play solid defense, and you will continue to play the role of big brother.
My three stars:
1. Shea Weber
2. Nick Spaling
3. Pekka Rinne
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