Predators Fall Flat Against the Oilers

On a day where turkey is the main dish, the Nashville Predators played a turkey of a game, falling to the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 at Bridgestone Arena.

The Oilers have struggled this season, but when you look at their performance against the Predators last year, one knew they could come into this game and give the Predators fits.

They did just that all night long.

The Predators had a difficult time handling the forecheck of the Oilers, which disrupted their breakouts and slowed them coming through the neutral zone. Once in the offensive zone, the Predators had a hard time establishing their effective offense that served them well in the game last night in Columbus.

When the Predators did create some quality scoring chances, Ilya Bryzgalov, getting his first start as an Oiler netminder, was very good, shutting down the Predators scoring chances.

The Oilers tallied two goals during 4 on 4 play with Paul Gaustad and David Perron both in the box for roughing. Jeff Petry walked in from the point and fired a nice pass that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins re-directed past Marek Mazanec at 5:32 of the second period.

Just 51 seconds later, Taylor Hall got lose at the top of the crease and lifted a backhand past Mazanec to make it 2-0.

Jordan Eberle tallied an empty net goal at 19:03 for the final margin of victory for the Oilers.

Some observations:

• A scary moment for the Predators and Shea Weber. A puck was deflected off a stick into the face of Weber. He dropped immediately to the ice before skating off to the locker room. Weber was bloodied and did not return for the third period. It is unknown if he suffered any damage to his eye. Weber is one of the Predators that does not wear a visor.

• The Predators managed to get 33 shots on Bryzgalov and some of them were quality chances, but Bryz was up tot the task. You had to know that he would be jacked up for his first NHL game in a year and that the Predators were going to have to be sharp to beat him. Tonight, they were not sharp enough.

• The Predators faced an aggressive and disruptive forecheck all night and had a difficult time solving the Oilers pressure. That pressure created numerous turnovers and opportunities for the Oilers. Maybe because it was the second game of a back to back, but the Predators opened the game looking sluggish, which did not help in handling the speed and aggressiveness of the Oilers.

• Seth Jones struggled tonight and his game has taken a step back recently. This is probably to be expected for a rookie and for the volume of games and minutes that he has played. His passes and puck handling have not been sharp, and he has been the perpetrator of several turnovers. Before Weber's injury, Jones was dropped down to the third D pairing with Victor Bartley.

• Colin Wilson has struggled of late and cannot get his offensive game going. Tonight, it appeared that he missed a wide open net with a shot. The Predators need Wilson to get back to consistently being a contributor on offense.

• The Predators were shut out for the 6th time this season. Ouch!

The Predators needed this game and this two points. This team cannot give away points to teams that are below them in the standings.

Time to put this one behind them and get back on the horse Saturday against the Flyers.

My three stars:

1. Ilya Bryzgalov

2. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins

3. Taylor Hall

Flyers Flummox the Predators 4-1

The Nashville Predators hoped to have a February campaign that was as good as their January effort, where the team went 11-2. They faced a tall order in the form of the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Predators gave Pekka Rinne a rare night off and started Anders Lindback in net, while the Flyers went with their starter, Ilya Bryzgalov.

The Predators were attempting to sweep their two game series with the Flyers after capturing a 4-2 decision in Nashville just 19 days ago.

The first period was a track meet with both teams moving the puck up and down the ice and creating some chances.. Nashville had the better of the first period in shots with a 12-6 advantage, but it was the Flyers that found the back of the net first. Wayne Simmonds took the puck off the boards and worked to the high slot against Ryan Suter. Simmonds spun quickly around Suter and let a backhand shot go that beat a screened Lindback for the only score of the period at 15:41.

In the second period, the Predators had to kill off 1:34 of a Flyers two man advantage as Gabriel Bourque was in the box serving a too many men on the ice bench minor and Ryan Suter was called for delay of game for clearing the puck over the glass. The Predators PK unit came up big and managed to kill the penalty.

Just as Suter's penalty was about to expire, a melee broke out in front of Lindback, and after the resulting penalties were meted out, the Predators had a power play. As was the trend in this game, the Flyers managed to kill off the penalty. Through two periods, the Predators power play was 0-4 as the Flyers penalty killers did a very good job of thwarting the Predators effort.

Shortly after the Predators power play had expired, Matt Read stole the puck from Kevin Klein at the Flyers blue line and drove in on Lindback. His snap shot from the face off circle beat Lindback cleanly to give the Flyers a 2-0 lead at 14:32 of the second period.

The first 40 minutes of this contest saw the Predators power play become ineffective, and more troubling was the fact that the Predators only managed 4 shots on goal in the second period. Obviously, the offensive effort by the Predators was going to have to improve significantly if they were going to get back in this game.

The third period saw the Predators skating hard and controlling the puck and creating scoring chances. This was the way they were going to have to play to get back in this game.

Their efforts were rewarded at 8:36 of the third period as Craig Smith found a pinching Ryan Suter just inside the face off circle and Suter's quick wrist shot beat Bryzgalov to make the score 2-1 and give the Predators new life in this game. Matt Halischuk started the play by keeping control of the puck down low, and once again, the Predators were getting production from the young guys on the roster.

The Predators continued to move their feet and put pressure on the Flyers. They were generating some good scoring chances, but needed to bury a shot.

The Predators short circuited their momentum when Jerred Smithson was called for interference. The Flyers tallied a power play goal as Wayne Simmonds gathered in a rebound of a Claude Giroux shot at the top of the crease and hammered home the puck to give the Flyers a 3-1 lead at 15:19 of the third period.

With Lindback pulled for the extra attacker, Claude Giroux potted an empty net goal at 1:55 to give the Flyers a 4-1 lead and the game.

While the Predators failed to win this game, I did like their compete level in the third period. They skated hard and created some quality scoring chances, but could not bury the game tying goal. Shots were 11-11 in the third period, but the Predators forecheck created some good opportunities. Finishing their chances was the missing element for the Predators.

So for the Predators, it is time to get back on the horse and start another winning streak. That begins Saturday at home against St. Louis.

My three stars:

1. Wayne Simmonds

2. Ilya Bryzgalov

3. Craig Smith

Predators Get a Humongous Win Over the Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers made a rare visit to Nashville to take on the Predators in a barn where they last won in the year 2000. The Predators continued the Flyers misery in the Music City with a 4-2 victory in front of a sell out crowd that had a number of Flyers fans in attendance.

Pekka Rinne started in net for the Predators, while media sensation Ilya Bryzgalov got the start for the Flyers.

The first period was an entertaining period of hockey, with both teams pouring shots on the net. Philadelphia out shot the Predators 15-12 in end to end action. Both teams generated some quality chances, and both goaltenders came up with some solid saves.

It appeared that the Predators had taken a 1-0 lead as Gabriel Bourque was able to direct the puck from behind the net off Bryzgalov and into the goal. The goal was waved off after a review that deemed that Bourque had kicked the puck at Bryz for the deflection.

The Predators got on the board with just 57 seconds remaining in the period while on the power play. With Patric Hornqvist screening Bryzgalov in front, Marty Erat took a shot from the face off circle that hit the ice in front of Bryzgalov and skipped up over his shoulder to give the Predtors a 1-0 lead.

The second period saw the Flyers use their size to assert themselves. They out shot the Predators 13-6, but were forcing the puck deep in the Predators zone, cycling well, and creating some chances. One had to wonder whether the Predators defense could hold up under this pressure.

Want an indication of how the Predators responded? Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds, one of the massive forwards on the Predators roster, broke down the wing with no one but the smallish Ryan Ellis between him and Pekka Rinne. Ellis timed a perfect hip check and flipped Simmonds head over heels, separating him from the puck and thwarting the scoring threat.

The Predators kept grinding away at the Flyers defense, and their effort paid off with their second goal. The Flyers appeared to have control of the puck in their zone, but Gabriel Bourque fought for the puck and stole it away. He found Sergei Kostitsyn and got the puck on his stick. Kostitsyn fired a wrist shot over the shoulder of Bryzgalov with Mike Fisher screening in front to give the Predators a 2-0 lead at 10:36 of the second period.

The Flyers sensational rookie, Sean Couturier, cut the lead to 2-1 at 12:18 of the second with a sweet wrist shot from just inside the face off circle that beat Rinne high glove side.

Going into the third period with a 2-1 lead, the Predators lead seemed tenuous at best, and everyone knew the Flyers would have a strong push.

Rather than wilt under the pressure of the Flyers, it was the Predators that struck first in the third period. Jordin Tootoo found Nick Spaling driving the slot and centered a pass to him. The puck actually bounced off the shaft of Spaling's stick and through the five hole of Bryzgalov to give the Predators a 3-1 lead at 4:30 of the third period.

The Flyers answered at 9:55 of the third as the Predators failed to clear the puck and Wayne Simmonds beat Ryan Ellis for control of the puck at the top of the crease. He was able to poke the puck past Rinne to cut the Predators lead to 3-2.

Rinne stepped up and made some big saves after this to keep the Flyers off the board. With time winding down and Bryzgalov on the bench for the extra attacker, Mike Fisher potted an empty net goal at 19:20 to seal the win.

The defensive effort by the Predators was very good tonight. Although they gave up 38 shots, most were not from quality scoring areas. The Flyers big line of Claude Giroux, Jaromir Jagr, and Scott Hartnell were held off the board, and the play of Ryan Suter and Shea Weber was outstanding in this effort.

This game may not have taken on the importance of a game against a Western Conference opponent, but this was a humongous 2 points for the Predators. With this win, they sit just 4 points out of the lead in the Central Division and 5 points out of first place in the West. They also sit just 4 points out of 9th place in the West. The Western Conference is tightly bunched in the standings and is ultra competitive and it makes every point precious.

Make no mistake- this was a very big game.

The Predators have now won 13 of their last 17 games, essential for keeping pace with the other teams in the West that seem to keep winning as well. Nashville now has sole possession of 6th place in the West.

Tonight, this team battled against a very good opponent. Young players stepped up and veterans played like they should. It will be critical that they continue to do so in the unrelenting pressure cooker that is the Western Conference.

Keep playing this way, and you will have more humongous wins.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Sergei Kostitsyn

3. Wayne Simmonds

Coyotes Want It More, Defeat the Predators 3-2

There are all kinds of statistical measurements in a hockey game: goals against; PK percentage; Corsi; and others. One measure that is not quantified is "want to", how bad do you want to win a tough game. The Nashville Predators were lacking in "want to" for two periods, and it cost them in a 3-2 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes at the Bridgestone Arena.

For two periods, the Coyotes kept the Nashville offense effectively off stride, limiting entrance to the offensive zone and thwarting chances once they were inside the zone. When Nashville did generate chances, Ilya Bryzgalov was very strong and cleaned up most of the opportunities that the Predators had.

After a scoreless first period which saw Nashville generate 4 shots and Phoenix just 5, the second period opened eventfully, with Alexander Sulzer hauling down Shane Doan on a breakaway. Doan was awarded a penalty shot just 10 seconds into the period, and he was stoned by Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne.

Phoenix would seize the momentum and the advantage in the tight checking contest by potting two goals in just 58 seconds. Keith Yandle launched a shot from the blue line that looked like it was tipped and went past Rinne for the first tally of the contest. The goal was awarded to Yandle by the official scorer.

Less than a minute later, Taylor Pyatt walked out of the corner against Ryan Suter, who had lost his stick. Pyatt got past Suter and was uncontested as he skated just inside the face off circle. His wrist shot beat Rinne high over his shoulder to give the Coyotes a 2-0 lead.

The Predators would cut the lead to one as Sergei Kostitsyn would tally on the power play at 6:37 of the second. Kostitsyn took a pass from Mike Fisher in the low slot and roofed a shot over Bryzgalov to make it 2-1 Coyotes.

Late in the second period, Ryan Suter was run behind the net by Shane Doan. Suter did not have the puck and took a serious hit from Doan, which should have been a penalty. Nothing was called on the play, but Suter was called for unsportsmanlike conduct as he chirped at referee Chris Lee. More importantly, Suter suffered an upper body injury on the play and did not return to the contest. His status is unknown, according to Head Coach Barry Trotz.

Lauri Korpikoski would wire a shot past Rinne at 7:32 of the third period to give the Coyotes a 3-1. lead. On the play, the Predators turned the puck over on a failed clearing attempt, setting up Korpikoski for what would be the eventual game winner.

Mike Fisher appeared to have cut the lead to 3-2 as he rifled a shot past Bryzgalov at 13:28 of the third. The goal was waved off however, as Shane O'Brien was called for high sticking as he drove to the net. The Predator fans were chagrined at the no goal call, but it was legitimate, as O'Brien got his stick up high on a Coyotes defenseman.

The Predators would cut the margin to one as Shea Weber would rip a shot past Bryzgalov at 19:10 for his 12th goal of the season.

It was too little too late.

For two periods, the Predators offensive effort was stymied by the very type of game they like to play. The Coyotes aggressive forecheck did not give the Predators an opportunity to establish offensive flow or speed in the neutral zone. The Coyotes did a good job for two periods of limiting the offensive flow of the Predators when they were in the zone. The Coyotes did to the Predators what the Predators had done to the Canucks in their previous game.

This was a "want to" game, a game whose winner would be determined by who wanted it more. Which team would answer the challenge of the other and would eventually exert their will. Tonight, it was the Coyotes that wanted the game more.

By no means am I implying the Predators quit. They did not. They just didn't want this game as much as the Coyotes did, and that was the difference.

This is the tough stretch run to the playoff positioning. There will be a lot of games that will call for the guys on the ice to muster up the extra effort, to do the tough things and the little detail things that determine the outcome of a contest. The take away from this game is that every game now is vital, every game is a war for two precious points.

And you have got to want to win those two points.

My three stars:

1. Ilya Bryzgalov

2. Lauri Korpikoski

3. Sergei Kostitsyn

Predators Defeat the Desert Dogs 5-2

The Nashville Predators had dropped three games in a row in Jobing.com Arena and had been vexed by the Phoenix Coyotes and their stellar netminder Ilya Bryzgalov. Tonight, they reversed their fortunes with a 5-2 win, allowing them to leapfrog over the Coyotes in the Western Conference standings by a point.

The game opened with the Coyotes flying and pushing the Predators back on their heels and deep into their defensive zone. The tenor of this game at the outset did not look good for the Predators, as early on the Coyotes looked dominant.

A funny thing happened on the way to the apparent dominance of the Coyotes. The Predators scored two goals in just 12 seconds to rock the Coyotes.

J.P. Dumont opened the scoring for the Predators at 8:16 of the first period as he banged home a shot off a pass from Chris Mueller, who worked hard in the corner to dig the puck out. The line of Mueller, Dumont, and Matt Halischuk has shown amazing chemistry and energy in the short time that they have been on the ice together.

On the ensuing face off the puck went deep into the Coyotes zone. Patric Hornqvist pursued the puck deep and centered a pass to the front of the net. The puck caromed off a Coyote defenders skate and back to Hornqvist, who was driving to the front of the net. With Bryzgalov out of position, Hornqvist gathered in the puck and flipped a backhand shot into an open net.

Two goals in 12 seconds and all the momentum was with the Predators.

Momentum, fickle as she often is, quickly switched back to the Coyotes.

The first Coyote goal can only be charitably characterized as a fluke. With the puck deep in the Predators zone and the puck loose at the side of the net, defenseman Shane O'Brien tried to slide the puck back to Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne. Unfortunately, he slid the puck between Rinne and the post. Radim Vrbata  got credit for the goal as he was the last Coyote player to touch the puck. Rinne was visibly upset after the goal, which was strange indeed.

Phoenix would tie the game at 14:01 of the first on a goal by Lee Stempniak. Stempniak was cruising in front of the net and deflected a pass from Adrian Aucoin past Rinne.

Phoenix outshot the Predators 16-7 in the wild first period. Great saves by Rinne on several plays kept the Coyotes from taking the lead. As strange as this game had been in the first period, one could only imagine what the remaining 40 minutes would hold for these teams.

What it would hold for the Predators in the second period was an offensive outburst from J.P. Dumont. The Dumont, Halischuk, Mueller line would wreak havoc on the Coyotes in the second period. Dumont would add his second goal of the contest at 11:25 of the second as he banged home a rebound from close in off a shot by Joel Ward.

Dumont's line was strong throughout the second period, and he would strike for his third goal of the contest at 17:35 as he was on the off side and knocked home a rebound of a Matt Halishcuk shot. Halischuk drove hard to the net on the right wing and put a shot on Bryzgalov, who kicked out a rebound to the right side. Dumont beat the defender to the net and had had an easy put back for his hat trick.

Dumont now has five goals in two games, and it is a very good sign for the Predators that he is finding his offensive touch.

The period ended with the Predators and the Coyotes each putting 11 shot on goal, but Dumont was able to tally twice to give the Predators the two goal advantage.

In the third period, the Predators controlled play in the neutral zone and slowed the speedy Coyotes attack. Although the Coyotes outshot the Predators 7-2, most of the shots were from the outside and were fairly routine saves for Rinne.

The Predators did not record their first shot on goal until 14:29 of the period, but they made it count. Patric Hornqvist broke in on net, and with Colin Wilson screening in front, roofed a wrister over the shoulder of Bryzgalov. Hornqvist's second goal of the night was the knife in the heart of the Coyotes.

Phoenix never seriously challenged after that goal and the Predators choked off their offensive attack for the remainder of the period. 5-2 final, and a huge road win for the Predators.

With this win, the Predators record stands at 25-15-6, good for 56 points and 4th place in the Western Conference.

Every game counts, and every game is a character game right now in the Western Conference. There are teams trying to separate from the pack, and the Predators can ill afford a losing streak. After the loss in Chicago, this is a very good bounce back win against a team that was ahead of them in the standings.

My three stars:

1. J.P. Dumont

2. Patric Hornqvist

3. Matt Halischuk

Predators Blank Coyotes 3-0

Sometimes you play a game and do everything but win on the scoreboard. Sometimes, you play a less than stellar game but skate away with the victory. The Nashville Predators have experienced both extremes recently, but tonight, they skated away with a 3-0 win over the Phoenix Coyotes, playing an game that could generously be described as ugly..

Part of the ugliness was due to lines that had been juggled, and it was apparent early on that the chemistry between the forwards needed time to coalesce. The revamped lines did provide some jump at times, but there were numerous occasions where passes were missed and the lines just flat out looked disjointed.

The victory by the Predators snapped a four game losing streak, and handed the Coyotes their first back to back losses this season. Phoenix has just won twice in their last eleven trips to Nashville.

Pekka Rinne got the start for the Predators, and he out dueled Ilya Bryzgalov for his 17th career shutout. Rinne was sharp and made some key saves to keep the Coyotes off the board. For the game, Rinne made 33 saves.

The Predators opened the scoring at 3:26 of the first period while on the power play. Shea Weber came in from the blue line and was left alone low and to the left of Bryzgalov. He attempted a cross crease pass that was blocked back to him and he beat Bryzgalov low to the short side post.

The Predators would notch their second goal at 12:48 of the second period while on a 5 on 3 power play. Steve Sullivan sent a crossing pass to a wide open Cal O'Reilly, who had an open net in which to deposit the puck.

The 2-0 lead of the Predators did not seem safe in the third period as the Coyotes pressed the attack and generated some quality scoring chances. Rinne was sharp in net and the defense stepped up to limit second chances for the Yotes.

The Coyotes generated some of their best chances in the third period while a man down. The Nashville power play, potent in the first two periods, shut down and had trouble entering the offensive zone. This allowed Phoenix to gain control of the puck in the neutral zone and get some very good scoring chances. Fortunately for the Predators, Rinne came up with some big stops to hold the Coyotes off the board.

With Bryzgalov pulled for the extra attacker, Jordin Tootoo would add an empty netter to complete the scoring at 19:35 of the third period.

It's no secret the Predators offense has struggled. Tonight, they generated some scoring chances 5 on 5, but could not finish. This has been, and continues to be a problem for the Predators that must be solved for this team to be successful.

Tonight's game highlights the importance of special teams. The Predators dormant power play awoke to tally two goals on seven attempts. The penalty kill continues to improve and play well. Tonight, this unit killed all three man advantage chances that the Coyotes had. The PK has now killed 31 consecutive penalties. The play of the special teams has been and will continue to be critical to the Predators winning games.

This team has been pressing, and there is no secret about that. It has been reflected in their play of late. This is the type of game that will give the team some confidence and hopefully cause them to relax and just play hockey.

This is part of the learning experience for this team. They are learning that losing is not a pleasant experience. They are learning that doing the little things can mean the difference in winning and losing; little things like winning battles on the wall and killing penalties. They are learning to relax and just play hockey.

This team has gone through a rough month in November, yet they find themselves just 2 points out of a playoff spot. The struggle that this team has gone through can make them tougher. They can take heart in the fact that even with the struggles they have endured, they are still in the hunt in the tough Western Conference race.

Time to take the lessons that have been learned and build on them.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Steve Sullivan

3. Cal O'Reilly

Predators Struggles Continue in a 4-3 Loss to the Coyotes

The injury riddled and struggling Nashville Predators journeyed to the Arizona desert to take on the Phoenix Coyotes in the first game of the a west coast swing. The struggles continued for the Predators as they dropped their third straight game by a score of 4-3

The disturbing aspect of this loss is that the Predators lead the game 3-2 going into the third period and failed to hold the lead, giving up two power play goals to a weak Coyotes power play.

The Predators also managed to make Ed Jovanovski look like the second coming of Wayne Gretzky as Jovo got the hat trick against the Predators.

Jovanovski opened the scoring for the Coyotes just 1:08 into the first period as he fired a shot from the point that got past a partially screened Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne.

The Predators tied the game at 8:58 of the first as Francis Buillon walked off the half wall and wristed a shot past Ilya Bryzgalov.

The Predators would take a 2-1 lead just 30 seconds later as Sergei Kostitsyn took a pass from Jordin Tootoo and fought off a Coyotes defenseman and, running out of rink and room, flipped a shot past Bryzgalov glove side. That goal was a beauty and was attributable to Kostitsyn not giving up on the play.

Jovanovski would strike again at 1:08 of the second period as he took a shot off the boards that appeared to hit a stick and ramped up over the shoulder of Rinne.

Amazingly, the Coyotes missed several attempts at an open net as Rinne was scrambling all night and was occasionally caught out of the net. Fortunately for the Predators, the defensive checking thwarted most of those opportunities. Unfortunately for the Predators, Rinne looked skittish all night and was not as sharp as he usually is.

Nashville would once again regain the lead at 12:44 of the second period as Patrick Hornqvist was in his "office" at the top of the crease and poked a rebound of a Colin Wilson shot past Bryzgalov while the Predators were on the power play.

That lead would stand until 4:23 of the third period when Lee Stempniak would tie the game on the power play. Nick Spaling was called for delay of game for shooting the puck over the glass. It appeared that there was simultaneous contact between Spaling's stick and the stick of a Coyotes player. It didn't matter whether the call was accurate or not as the Predators could not kill the the power play. This would prove the Predators undoing in this game.

Jovanovski got his hat trick at 5:38 of the third period on the power play (again!) with Cody Franson in the box for holding the stick. Jovo snuck in from the back side and wristed a shot on net. Rinne got a good piece of the puck, but could not control it and it squirted into the net for the game winner.

The Predators had a glorious opportunity to take a 2 goal lead early in the third period as Steve Sullivan found himself alone in front of the net . He beat Bryzgalov high glove side but rang the shot off the crossbar. That summed up the Predators effort in the third period. They did not mount much in the way of consistent offensive effort and when they did have chances, could not finish.

This is a painful loss for the Predators. Failing to kill penalties, less than stellar goaltending, and inability to create offense in the third period lead to this loss.

Marcel Goc returned to the lineup, along with Frankie Buillon. Both contributed quality efforts tonight. The Predators are still without Ryan Suter, Matthew Lombardi, and now Marty Erat due to injuries.

This team has to now regroup and get back to the basics of winning hockey. This team cannot skate with an attitude of "not to lose". They have to skate to win. Right now, this team is not doing that.

The Predators have to right the ship and commit themselves to Predator hockey. Injuries cannot be a crutch.

The road trip continues. It's time to refocus, regroup, and start winning.

No more struggling.

No more painful losses.

My three stars of the game:

1. Ed Jovanovski

2. Sergei Kostitsyn

3. Francis Buillon