Playoff Preview? Predators De-throne the Kings 5-2

In a potential playoff match up, The Nashville Predators blitzed the Los Angeles Kings 5-2 at Bridgestone Arena behind a 3 goal second period outburst.

Ryan Johansen had a goal and 2 assists; James Neal had a goal and an assist; Mike Fisher added a power play goal; Filip Forsberg scored his 30th; and Roman Josi finished the scoring with an empty netter.

Drew Doughty and Alec Martinez tallied for the Kings.

After a scoreless first period, James Neal took a pass from Ryan Johansen and sniped a shot past Jonathan Quick to open the scoring.

Mike Fisher, on a night where the team honored him for his 1,000th NHL game, took a shot from the face off circle that Quick kicked out to the slot. Fisher followed his shot and poked it past Quick while falling down to make it 2-0.

Filip Forsberg finished the second period scoring, tapping a rebound past Quick for his 30th goal of the season and making it 3-0 Predators.

That scoring outburst would chase Quick from the game and Jonas Enroth would enter the net for the third period.

The Kings started to claw back into the game when Drew Doughty took a shot from the point that hit the stick of Roman Josi and caromed past Rinne to make it 3-1 just 28 seconds into the third period.

Alec Martinez increased the pucker factor among Pred fans with a shot from the point that went through traffic and eluded Rinne to make it 3-2.

Ryan Johansen gave the Predators some breathing room when he redirected a Shea Weber shot over the pads of Enroth to make it 4-2.

Roman Josi added a 200 foot emty net goal to seal the win for the Predators.

Some observations:

• Filip Forsberg became just the 5th Predator to tally 30 or more goals and the first to do it since Patric Hornqvist in 2009-10. Forsberg just has great hockey sense to go along with his superb skills. He knows how to find the quiet areas of the ice and reads plays well. This allows him to get into prime scoring position and he has the skills set to take advantage. A solid night tonight for Forsberg as he was physical and strong on the puck.
• Big ups to Mike Fisher. On a night where he was honored for the milestone of 1,000 games, Fisher scored a gritty power play goal and was a force in all zones tonight. Fisher is that solid leader that every team must have, and he does and excellent job in that role. Fisher's goal was all heart, fighting through traffic to get his rebound in the slot, and he had the presence to put the puck in the net while being knocked to the ice. All heart.
• He didn't get on the score sheet tonight, but Viktor Arvidsson played an excellent game. he used his speed to create in the offensive zone and to harass the Kings on the forecheck. He gives up a lot in stature, but nothing in character. If the Aardvark can get stronger, he will be a dangerous player. 
• With 2 points tonight, James Neal has 400 career points.
• In their last 9 games, the Predators are 6-0-3 against the Kings. think this would be an amazing playoff match up?
• The Predators killed off all 4 of the Kings power plays and have killed off the last 27 man advantage attempts by their opponents.
• The Predators are starting to assert themselves again on home ice. The now have points in 8 straight games at Bridgestone Arena.
• Pekka Rinne was outstanding, thwarting some good scoring chances by the Kings. Rinne tracked the puck well, and although he was beaten twice, the shots that beat him were impossible to stop. The confidence that Rinne is playing with has spread to the team in front of him and it is reflected in their level of play. This team will go as far as Rinne will carry them.
• Roman Josi set a career high for assists with his 41st helper tonight.
• Before tonight, each of the last 8 games the Predators have played against the Kings have been one goal games. The Predators are 5-0-3 in those games.

This was a solid effort tonight against a very good L.A. team, who is the first Western Conference team to clinch a playoff spot. The Kings are a talented and heavy team, and the Predators showed they can play with the best and beat the best.

This is a great confidence booster for the Predators.

Now that confidence needs to translate into more wins and points.

My three stars:

1. Mike Fisher

2. Ryan Johansen

3. James Neal

Predators Continue Kings Road Woes With 4-3 SO Win

The Nashville Predators faced off against the L.A. Kings at Bridgestone Arena, and while the Kings have struggled on the road this season, that didn't mean this would be an easy game for the Predators.


It wasn't.


A game that saw both teams swap leads went to a shootout before the Predators finally won in the 7th round 4-3.


James Neal potted the only goal in the 7th round to win the game for the Predators.


The Predators opened the scoring as Colin Wilson found a streaking Craig Smith behind the Kings defense and Smith burned Martin Jones five hole to give the Predators a 1-0 lead at 6:24 of the first period.


The Kings would answer as a Justin Williams shot deflected off the skate of Jamie McBain and past Pekka Rinne at 11:32 of the first period.


Just 61 seconds into the second period, Jeff Carter launched an aerial pass from his own zone that Marian Gaborik ran down and then roofed a shot over the shoulder of Rinne to make it 2-1.


The Predators answered with two late goals to take a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. Ryan Ellis tied the game with a blast from the top of the face off circle that beat Jones cleanly.


The Predators took the lead off of hard work by Taylor Beck. Beck got control of the puck and with a Kings defender on his back, spun and fired a backhand shot that Erick Nystrom tipped past Jones.


Momentum to the Predators and the crowd at the Bridge was rocking.


That changed just 38 seconds into the third period as Drew Doughty took the puck from his own end, skated through the Predators team, and using a defender as a screen, fired a shot that fooled Rinne and squirted through his pads to tie the game.


The overtime period saw the Predators hit the post on a sweet drive by Filip Forsberg and from a shot by Shea Weber. The Predators also had a shot hit Jones, go over his shoulder, and trickle just outside the post.


The scoreless overtime set up the heroics by Neal, but Rinne was also spectacular, stopping all 7 Kings shooters to seal the win.


Some observations:

• Although James Neal scored the game winner in the shootout, the Predators top line was held without a point. The production of this top line has drawn the attention of the oppositions top defenders, and it is going to become tougher for these guys to score. Their effort was outstanding, including a sequence in the first period that saw then possess the puck in the Kings zone for over a minute and fire four shots on net. As long as the effort is there, I am not worried- this unit will get their points.

• That said, it is good to see scoring coming from the other lines of the Predators. I especially am liking the play of the Wilson, Smith, Jarnkrok line. their speed accounted for the first Predators goal and they were active and energetic all night. Their play is going to have to continue at this high level, and if it does, it will give the Predators another legitimate scoring line and will take some pressure off the top unit.

• James Neal has a wickedly quick release. That was evident on the shootout winner, but when he loads up his shot, the puck is not on his stick long. that makes him a consistent scoring threat.

• Sigh... the Predators power play. Tonight, they were 0-4, including the last 1:32 of the overtime period when it was 4 on 3. This unit is just going to have to improve.

• The Predators were 45% in the face off circle, including numerous lost draws in the offensive zone.

• Shea Weber picked up an assist tonight to give him 223 for his career. Weber has moved to first all time among Predators defensemen, passing Kimmo Timonen. Weber is third all time among all Predator players.

• Last season, the Predators struggled in the shootout. This season, they are 3-1.

• Matt Cullen became the oldest player to play for the Predators at 38 years, 23 days. He surpasses Hal Gill (38 years, 21 days) for that...honor.

• The ability to win close games is going to be critical for any team to have success. The Predators are 9-3-2 in one goal games this season.

• The Kings are 10-2 at home this season. With this loss, they are 1-4-4 on the road.

• Defenseman Drew Doughty played 33:40 tonight. Shnikey!

• Shea Weber led the Predators with 27:49 of ice time.

• The Kings like to play a big hit, physical game. The Predators answered that style with physical play of their own. Eric Nystrom had a booming hit on Brayden McNabb. Shea Weber had a monstrous hit along the wall, and although it was a shoulder to shoulder hit, referee Tim Pell (one of the absolutely worst officials in the league) called it a head shot.

• The Predators are 5-1-1 against Pacific Division teams.

This was a solid win against a good team, road struggles of the Kings notwithstanding. The ability of the other lines besides the top line to come up with timely scoring is a strong positive for the Predators.


One quarter of the way through the season and this is the second best start in team history.


Stay grounded and build on this success and more good things will happen for this team.


My three stars:


1. Craig Smith


2. Colin Wilson


3. Marian Gaborik

Predators Grind Out a 2-1 Win Over the Kings

The Nashville Predators secured a workmanlike 2-1 victory over he Los Angeles Kings at the Bridgestone Arena to run their record to 37-19-7, good for 81 points.

The first period was a spirited affair between the two teams as each had some good scoring chances. Pekka Rinne got the start in net for the Predators, and he was called upon to make some good saves early in the contest to keep the Kings off the board. Jonathan Quick, the Kings netminder, did the same, thwarting some good scoring chances for the Predators.

The Predators would find the back of the net late in the first period on a goal by Roman Josi at 18:27. Josi took a wrist shot that hit the Kings Drew Doughty's stick and was re-directed between Quick's arm and his body. The puck trickled through and over the goal line to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

Patric Hornqvist extended the lead to 2-0 at 3:52 of the second period. David Legwand fired a puck off the end board that caromed directly onto the tape of Hornqvist's stick. Hornqvist buried the shot past an out of position quick for his 18th goal of the season. It was good to see Hornqvist back in action and contributing after missing five games due to injury.

The Kings got on the board at 16:36 of the third period as Dustin Brown fired a shot toward the net with traffic in front. The puck pinballed off the skates of Ryan Suter and Mike Fisher and skittered past Rinne for the Kings only goal of the game.

Leading 2-1 with the clock winding down, the Predators held the Kings off the board and secured an important two points.

Pekka Rinne made 30 saves for the Predators, some of which were spectacular. For the game, the Kings out shot the Predators 31-28.

The Predators did a good job of forechecking the Kings and skated well with them all night. The Kings like to use their size to wear down their opponents, but the Predators generally did a good job of controlling the Kings cycle and forcing them to the outside. Unlike their previous game with the Sharks, the Predators stepped up their offensive pressure in the third period, especially late in the game, preventing Quick from getting off the ice for the extra attacker by forcing the puck deep and forcing the Kings to defend in their zone.

Kudos to Hal Gill for another strong game. Gill continues to block shots and his physical presence is dominant in front of the net. Gill is especially important to this team in taking pressure off of Shea Weber and Ryan Suter by chewing up minutes. Also, a special mention should go to Jack Hillen. Hillen was inserted into the lineup with Kevin Klein out of action, and he played a solid game. His best play came in blocking s hot that was targeted for the open net when Rinne was out of position.

This was a solid effort against a desperate team that really needed the points. The Predators continue to play a strong team game, and have four lines that can put the puck in the net. More importantly, the four lines that are on the ice are defensively responsible and contribute quality minutes in all situations.

This is a winning formula. Sometimes the wins are not things of beauty, but they are wins nevertheless.

And the Predators will take them.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Patric Hornqvist

3. Roman Josi

Kings Crush the Predators 6-1

All good things come to an end. The Nashville Predators five game winning streak came to an end with a resounding thud against the Los Angeles Kings 6-1 at the Bridgestone Arena.

In a word, the Predators effort tonight was impotent. There was absolutely no fight from the Predators as they rolled over against the Kings.

And this was horribly disappointing.

Every team endures a loss, even a thumping. Tonight, the Predators were dominated by the Kings and showed no fire, no push back against the onslaught that the Kings unleashed. Frankly, the Kings had their way with the Predators and there was no response.

It is probably easier to say who didn't score for the Kings rather than who did, because it seemed that everyone on the roster as well as the equipment managers were finding the back of the net. The Kings scored just 15 seconds into the contest as Justin Williams tapped in his own rebound past Anders Lindback.

This was just the beginning.

Ryan Smyth tallied twice. Alex Ponikorovsky, Drew Doughty, and Trevor Lewis also found the net against a Predators defense that left the front of the net open and Nashville's netminders under assault during the contest. For the night, the Predators failed to clear the front of the net and gave the Kings numerous quality scoring opportunities on which they capitalized.

Lindback was chased in the first period in favor of Mark Dekanich, who fared no better, allowing three goals during the remainder of the contest.

Steve Sullivan had the only tally for the Predators.

This effort was pathetic. The Predators have been owned in their two contests with the Kings. The lack of fire, of fight , was particularly galling. As the Kings had their way with the Predators, the appalling aspect was that there was no one who stepped up to show any fight.

The Predators rarely challenged L.A. netminder Jonathan Bernier, making him look like the second coming of Patrick Roy.

You can call it one of those nights. Those happen, but dammit, at least show some fight.

You were owned, boys. And you did nothing about it.

And that is unacceptable.

My three stars:

1. Ryan Smyth

2. Justin Williams

3. Jonathan Bernier