Jets Shoot down the Predators 3-1

The Nashville Predators faced the Winnipeg Jets in a game that they needed to win to remain relevant in the playoff chase. The Predators gave it a good shot, in fact 40 of them, but could only get one past Jets netminder Ondrej Pavalec in a 3-1 loss at Bridgestone Arena.

The Predators used their power play unit to capture a win in their previous game, going 3 for 4 with the man advantage.

Tonight, the power play was 0-6 as the jets used their number one ranked road penalty kill to throttle the Predators.

And that points out the major weakness of this team.

They are not good enough to consistently score at even strength.

Now there is no doubt Pavalec played an outstanding game, but often the Predators had quality scoring chances they could not finish.

And that is the story of their season.

The Jets scored first when the defensive coverage lost Olli Jokinen and he skated in on predators goaltender Carter Hutton and roofed a shot over his shoulder to make it 1-0 at 5:02 of the second period.

The Jets made it 2-0 as Andrew Ladd re-directed a Zach Bogosian shot through traffic past Hutton at 18:18 of the second period.

Simon Moser made it 2-1 at 9:11 of the third period as he re-directed a shot from Mickael Del Zotto  and (finally!) past Pavalec and gave the Predators some life.

That flicker of hope was snuffed out as Blake Wheeler beat Shea Weber down the boards and put a shot on net that Hutton kicked out. Devin Setoguchi snapped a shot past Hutton to make it 3-1 at 16:08.

The Predators could not get any pucks past Pavalec even with the extra attacker for the final 1:40 of the game, and a must win game became a crippling loss.

Some observations:

• Moser's goal was his first in the NHL. I like his hustle and his play, and hopefully this will be the first of many goals for him.

• Roman Josi seems to grow in confidence and his play improves every game. Josi is one of the better puck handlers- if not the best- on the team. he makes good decisions with the puck and is a confident and smooth skater. He also plays a ton of minutes, usually against the top forward line of the opposition. Tonight, he had 27:44 TOI.

• Michael Del Zotto picked up the primary assist on the goal by Moser. I like MDZ's game and I think as he continues to settle in with the team, he will prove to be a valuable addition.

• David Legwand just looks disinterested to me. He is not strong on the puck and their is not a bit of offensive creativity or jam in his game.

• The Predators put 40 shots on Pavalec and he made some outstanding saves. The fact is though, that the Predators have to finish some of those chances, and as long as they continue to struggle at even strength their chances of sneaking into the playoffs is virtually non-existent.

This was a game the Predators had to win to make of ground on a team that is just in front of them in the standings. The opportunity was lost, and possibly the post season.

The effort and hustle by the team was good, but the lack of finish doomed them.

Now they have to respond and bring this effort on Tuesday against the Penguins.

And finish their chances.

My three stars:

1. Ondrej Pavalec

2. Andrew Ladd

3. Simon Moser

Predators Grounded In 5-0 Loss to the Jets

The Nashville Predators traveled to Winnipeg looking for their third win in as many meetings against the Jets. The Predators were attempting to continue their stellar play on this lengthy road trip, having picked up 5 of 6 points so far on this roadie.

The Jets remembered those two previous losses to the Predators as they unleashed some pent up frustration against a team that had beaten them in their two prior meetings.

Carter Hutton was again between the pipes for the Predators while Ondrej Pavelec was in net for the Jets.

The game opened with the Jets on the attack and firing pucks at Hutton. Bryan Little opened the scoring for the Jets as he took a shot from the left face off circle that found its way through traffic and the five hole of Hutton for a 1-0 Jets lead at 3:04 of the first period.

The Jets made it 2-0 at 6:47 of the first period as Olli Jokinen beat Seth Jones to the front of the net to bang home a rebound.

Certainly not the start that the Predators wanted or needed.

It got worse for the Predators

Dustin Byfuglien blasted a shot from the blue line that eluded Hutton to make it 3-0 at 8:33 of the 2first period.

That was all for Hutton as the Predators inserted Marek Mazanec into the game. Hutton gave up 3 goals on 8 shots.

The Predators continued to embarrass themselves with defensive breakdowns as off a face off in the offensive zone, Devin Setoguchi was left alone in front of the net. He took a pass from Olli Jokinen and lifted the puck over Mazanec to make it 4-0 at 16:45 of the first period.

Mercifully for the Predators, the period ended without the Jets scoring another goal. this was about as bad a period of hockey as the Predators have played all season.

Now we will see if the Predators have the heart to battle back in the final 40 minutes.

The good news in the second period was that the Jets did not score. The bad news was that neither did the Predators. The Predators out shot the Jets 15-11 and had a few flurries around the net but rarely threatened Pavelec.

The Jets resumed scoring at 9:53 of the third as Bryan little knocked in a rebound of an Andrew Ladd shot to make it 5-0.

Thankfully that was it for the scoring for the Jets. The Predators never threatened after that and the mercifully ended.

Some observations:

• Maybe the Predators were feeling good about themselves; maybe they thought the Jets would be another win; whatever the reason, they did not come out ready to play in the first period. This team is not good enough to take a period off, and they did just that tonight. They were horribly sloppy in the defensive zone and gave the jets too many scoring chances. Worse yet, they failed to respond to the push from the Jets. By the time the second period got under way and the Predators started to skate, the game was over.

• Carter Hutton didn't get much help on a couple of the goals he gave up, but he didn't look good either. The first goal through traffic beat him five hole when Hutton failed to take away the lower part of the net. That can't happen.

• The Predators out shot the Jets 41-31, but Pavelec was on his game and thwarted the Predators offensive efforts. The Predators needed to make a better effort to get to the front of the net and create more traffic and fight for rebounds. The Jets did a good job of clearing the front of the net and the Predators forwards did not establish a good presence in the hard areas.

• This game was an all around stinker. I don't like it, but those games happen. The real test for the Predators will be Sunday night when they are back on the ice against the New Jersey Devils. I want to see more compete and effort from the start in that game.

• The defensive breakdowns are costly. Yes, I know we have a young D corps, but the regularity of some of these breakdowns is troubling. This is an area that the team has to improve quickly.

This was a dog of a game. Time for the team to learn from this debacle and then put it behind them.

And get redemption on Sunday night.

My three stars:

1. Bryan Little

2. Olli Jokinen

3. Andrew Ladd

Predators Fall to the Wild in OT 2-1

 The Nashville Predators dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center. The Predators were down a man in the extra period on an absolutely horrible call against Paul Gaustad. The officials deemed that Gaustad closed his hand on the puck in a defensive zone face off, thus sending him to the box. Replays clearly showed that when the puck bounced off the ice, it hit the back of his glove and Gaustad had both hands on the stick.

So be it. Horrible calls are part of the game, but the Predators certainly hated to lose the game in this manner.

Gaustad staked the Predators to a 1-0 lead by crashing the net and tipping home a Craig Smith shot off the rebound from Niklas Backstrom in the first period.

The Wild tied the game in the second period as a Ryan Suter shot from the the point was deflected by Cal Clutterbuck and through the five hole of Nashville netminder Chris Mason.

In the OT and with the man advantage, Devin Setogochi ripped a shot past Mason for the game winner.

I missed about half the game as I was at my son's hockey game, but here are some observations from what I did see:

• The Predators have a solid back up in Chris Mason. He made some great saves and kept the Predators in the game with his play. The Wild out shot the Predators 32-26, not a wide margin, but Mace had to make some quality saves to keep the Wild off the board. With the compressed schedule and 9 back to backs, having a quality backup like Mason will benefit the Predators.

• The ineffectiveness of the Predators power play was a contributing factor in this loss. The Predators had a 4 minute power play in the the third and could not get a puck past Backstrom. The power play is plagued by little movement and no one in front of the net. Surely Patric Hornqvist is not the only Predator that can establish a presence in front of the net.

•  The Predators win games with their aggressive forecheck. When that aspect of their game is not working optimally, the Predators struggle. There were stretches where the forecheck broke down and the team struggled. The Predators have to have a commitment to an aggressive and effective forecheck for 60 minutes.

• The Predators most dynamic forwards the past few games- Colin Wilson and Gabriel Bourque- did not register a shot on goal in this contest. These guys are some of the most offensively minded forwards on the Predators roster and they have to commit to get shots on net and create in the offensive zone.

• David Legwand continues to frustrate me. For the life of me, I cannot understand how a second line center cannot register a shot on net or create offense. I know his supporters will laud his defensive efforts, but for $5 million a year, I expect some offensive production.

 The Predators didn't have their best game, but they were in it until getting hosed by the officials. Every team has to deal with that kind of adversity. The real test of character will be bouncing back from this loss.

The Preds will get a chance to get back on the horse quickly, as the powerful Blackhawks come to town tomorrow night.

Be prepared to bring it boys.

My three stars:

1. Devin Setoguchi

2. Chris Mason

3. Niklas Backstrom

Predators Outlast the Wild in a SO

The Nashville Predators faced the Minnesota Wild at the Bridgestone Arena in a game that had great significance for the Predators. With a win, they could move into 4th place, one point ahead of Detroit and 2 points ahead of Chicago.

The Predators accomplished their mission by defeating the Wild in a shootout for a 2-1 win.

It wasn't pretty, but fortunately, they do not give style points for a win.

Anders Lindback got the start for the Predators, giving Pekka Rinne a night off. Niklas Backstrom got the start for the Wild.

The first period was scoreless, with Minnesota holding a 12-10 shot advantage. Both teams struggled at times trying to establish some offensive flow. The effort by both teams was not helped by a bouncing puck on ice that was less than ideal.

Troubling for the Predators was the three penalties that they took in the first period. The Predators PK was stellar, and Lindback made some good saves. For the Predators, this spate of penalties does not bode well, and they are going to have to play with more discipline.

In the second period, the Predators got on the board first as Gabriel Bourque tallied his 7th goal of the season off a nice pass from Nick Spaling at 12:31. The line of Spaling, Bourque, and Patric Hornqvist was the best line for the Predators tonight, playing with lots of jump and creating some chances. Bourque continues his strong play, with 7 points (4G-3A) in his last 9 games.

The Wild tied the game at 17:53 of the second as Nate Prosser fired a puck toward the net. Dany Heatley got his stick on the shot and re-directed the puck past Lindback.

The third period was scoreless, but the Predators resumed their march to the penalty box, taking three penalties in the period. The last came from Andrei Kostitsyn at 19:48. Heading into OT, the Wild would have a 4 on 3 advantage.

The Predators PK once again came up with a big kill in OT to preserve the tie. Neither team could find the net, with the Wild mustering only 2 shots on net. The Predators were even more anemic in the OT, with only 1 shot.

In the shootout, Lindback stopped Erik Christensen and Backstrom stopped Marty Erat in the first round.

In the second round, Lindback stoned Mikko Koivu, while Alexander Radulov beat Backstrom with a forehand.

With the game on the line, Lindback stopped Devin Setoguchi, and the Predators had captured the precious second point.

For Lindback, this was his first shootout of his career, and he came up big in a pressure situation.

This win was obviously important, and it was good to get the victory and the points. For the Predators, there is still fine tuning that is needed in their game. This team appears to need to get their lines in sync and rolling as they head to the playoffs.

The top line of Mike Fisher, Sergei Kostitsyn, and Marty Erat were held to 3 shots on goal and never threatened Backstrom. The second line of Radulov, Andrei Kostitsyn, and David Legwand were not much better, mustering 4 shots on goal. Legwand  had 3 and Radulov 1. For the Predators, these top two lines need to get rolling heading into the playoffs.

Yes, the Wild play a trap that can smother their opponents offensive efforts, but these players are the ones that the Predators count on to generate chances. In the next two games, these lines have to develop a nose for the net and create some chances. Tonight, they were not doing that.

Kudos to the Predators PK. The undisciplined play of the Predators could have hurt against a dangerous team like the Wild. The PK unit managed to kill off all 6 penalties, but paramount for the Predators is to limit the march to the box that they have done in their last 2 games.

I have to also single out Lindback for his play tonight. He did and excellent job of being positionally sound and controlling rebounds. He was solid in net tonight, and it is a plus for the Predators having his play elevate in these critical games.

With the win, the Predators go to 100 points. They control their destiny with 2 regular season games remaining. Win and potentially secure home ice.

The task starts Thursday against the Stars.

My three stars:

1. Anders Lindback

2. Gabriel Bourque

3. Dany Heatley