Predators Can't Finish, Fall to the Stars 5-2

The Nashville Predators traveled to Dallas looking to rebound from a lackluster effort the night before in a tough contest with the Stars.

This game would be a good measuring stick for the Predators, not only to see how they would rebound from a bad game but also how they would stack up against the best team in the West.

The Predators would be found wanting.

Ryan Ellis opened the scoring with a short handed goal, a blast past Kari Lehtonen to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

The Stars would tie the game as the Predators defense completely broke down and lost the Stars Jamie Benn coming over the boards. Benn was sent in on a breakaway and he beat Pekka Rinne 5 hole to tie the game at 1.

The second period saw the Predators crumble, giving up 2 goals in 46 seconds. Radek Faksa scored, beating Ryan Johansen back on defense for an easy tap in. Jason Spezza scored on a shot from the slot to give the Stars a 3-1 lead.

Once again, the Predators had dug a huge hole.

The Predators answered on the power play as Viktor Arvidsson, filling in for the injured Ryan Ellis and getting his first meaningful power play action of the year, blew a shot past Lehtonen to make it 3-2.

A furious rally by the Predators in the third period that saw them hit 3 posts went for naught, as the Stars Patrick Sharp and Jamie Benn hit empty net goals to secure a 5-2 win.


Some observations:

• Mini-me...uh, Ryan Ellis is a small defenseman, but wow, he can crank a slap shot. He absolutely stepped into one to blow the puck past Kari Lehtonen. Ellis is going to lose the physical match up against the bigger, heavy forwards, but he makes up for it with good hockey sense and that aforementioned wickedly hard shot.
• Paul Gaustad returned to the line up after missing 10 games. He skated on the left wing of a line centered by Colton Sissons. folks, enjoy Gaustad's last few games with the Predators. He has been a good soldier, but he will not be back next season.
• What a horrible defensive breakdown by Ellis and Barret Jackman. Completely unaware of the Stars players coming over the boards. Oh yeah, that Stars player coming over the board just happened to be their most dangerous forward, Jamie Benn. Of course, that mistake resulted in a Benn breakaway goal.
• The Predators lost Ellis in the first period as he went down after taking a shot to the head. He played one more shift after the injury and then did not return.
• I continue to like the play of Arvidsson. There is no doubt that the Aardvark has to get strong, but goodness, he has to have one of the biggest hearts on this team. He jumped in and played very well on the power play, not looking out of place at all.
• The push by the Predators in the third period was excellent. The finish was lacking. If the Predators had some puck luck with the post, the outcome might have been different. Coulda, woulda, shoulda.

The Predators brief lapse in the second period cost them another game. This team is good, but against a quality opponent they are not good enough to overcome those lapses.

Let's face it, the remainder of the season is not going to be a cakewalk. This team is going to have to buck up and start playing a full 60 minutes.

Don't back into the playoffs, boys.

My three stars:

1. Jamie Benn

2. Viktor Arvidsson

3. Alex Goligoski

More Of the Same. Preds Drop Final Regular Season Game to the Stars 4-1

The Predators wrapped up their regular season against the Dallas Stars in a meaningless game at Dallas. The Predators are heading to the playoffs and the Stars are heading to the golf course.

The Predators rested several players while the Stars were looking to get as many points for jamie Benn as possible. Benn came into the game tied for the scoring lead in the NHL.

The Stars got the 4-1 win and Benn got his points as he had a hat trick and Cody Eakin added a goal.

Filip Forsberg had the Predators only goal.

Some observations:

• The Predators rested some players in this game. Both Shea Weber and Roman Josi were scratched. Victor Bartley drew back into the line up, as did Anton Volchenkov. Joe Piscopo Piskula was called up from Milwaukee to man a spot on the blue line. Mike Fisher was out of the line up for the second game in a row.
• Craig Smith moved to the top line with Mike Ribeiro and Filip Forsberg. The second line was Matt Cullen centering Colin Wilson and Viktor Stalberg.
• Carter Hutton got the start in net. Given the workload of Rinne, this was a good move to get him rested and ready for the playoffs.
• D pairings were Volvhenkov and Seth Jones; Piskula and Mattias Ekholm; and Ryan Ellis and Bartley.
• Filip Forsberg has without a doubt been the Predators most impressive forward this season. His moves and puck handling skill are top flight, and his ability to snipe the puck is the best on this team. However, his 25th goal of the season came from getting into the hard area in front of the net. One of the most underrated aspects of Forsberg's game is his strength. The change from his brief time with the team last season to this season is remarkable.
• Speaking of Forsberg, he is also very durable, playing in all 82 games this season.
• I like the hustle and play of Craig Smith. He is a streaky scorer, and I hope he starts a new scoring streak in the playoffs. He is always hustling and his effort creates some good scoring chances.
• Paging Colin Wilson, paging Colin Wilson...
• The Predators fail to convert on a 2 on 0 as Viktor Stalberg and Mike Ribeiro cannot score on Jonas Enroth. That about sums up the last 20 games for the Predators.

The Predators first round playoff opponent has been decided, and the Predators will play the Chicago Blackhawks.

The second season starts next week.

It feels good to be back in the dance.

But the way this team is playing, I feel like we could be the ugly wallflower.

My three stars:

1. Jamie Benn

2. Filip Forsberg 

3. Jonas Enroth

Predators Stopped By the Stars in a Shootout

The Nashville Predators are in desperation mode. Not yet mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the Predators have to win out and get some help from teams in front of them.

Their first step in the process was to capture a win at the American Airlines Center against the Dallas Stars.

The Predators did not start well, looking sluggish to open the game and giving up a goal to Alex Goligoski at 2:23 of the first period. A defensive breakdown allowed Goligoski an open shot, and he took advantage of the miscue to blow a shot past Pekka Rinne.

Gabriel Bourque tied the game with a blast from the slot at 1:22 of the second period as he blasted a shot from the slot past Kari Lehtonen.

The Stars took a 2-1 lead at 8:18 of the second period as another defensive breakdown led to a Stars 2 on 1 break, and Jamie Benn capitalized.

Bourque tallied his second of the game at 10:24 of the third period as Paul Gaustad won a puck battle in the corner and snapped a pass to Bourque in the slot. Once again, Bourque stepped in a shot a beat Lehtonen to tie the game.

The Predators had to kill 1:38 of a two man advantage with Shea Weber and Victor Bartley in the box and did a great job on the penalty kill.

The remainder of regulation and overtime were scoreless, and so the Predators faced another shootout. In 10 shootouts this season, the Predators were 2-8.

And once again, the shootout was the nemesis for the Predators, as they lost in four rounds by a 2-1 margin. Roman Josi scored for the Predators, while Vernon fiddler and Tyler Seguin scored for the Stars.


Some observations:

• After a blowout in their last meeting, the Predators played a much better game against the talented Stars. However, they took nearly 9 minutes to register their first shot on goal in the contest. The Predators have to have better starts in they are going to win against talented teams.

• Gabriel Bourque has skated with good jump lately. he has always played hard, but has seemed to have an extra gear in recent games. While this hasn't been the season Bourque or Predator fans have wanted, his late resurgence hopefully bodes well for the upcoming season. This was Bourque's first two goal game in is career.

• The Predators penalty kill while the Stars had a two man advantage was all heart. Rinne and the defense in front of him refused to fold in the face of the Stars attack.

• The Predators out shot the Stars in regulation 26-23. Lehtonen and Rinne both made some good saves during the course of the game. I liked the way the Predators attacked the net after their slow start. Lehtonen kept the Stars in the game with his strong play.

• The line of Calle Jarnkrok, Craig Smith, and Gabriel Bourque was broken up in the third period with Paul Gaustad moving into Jarnkrok's center position. Jarnkrok had 11:39 of ice time tonight and with the exception of Rich Clune (8:26) had the lowest amount of ice time among the Predators forwards.

Tough loss for the Predators, one that will eliminate them from the playoff race.

The compete level was there, but they couldn't capture the win. Now we will see how this team competes in the last three games of the season.

My three stars:

1. Gabriel Bourque

2.Jamie Benn

3. Alex Goligoski

Predators Downward Spiral Continues in Loss to the Stars

The first game after the Christmas break saw the Nashville Predators travel to the American Airlines Center to face the Dallas Stars. The Predators were attempting to become more Grinch like, especially in the first period, taking away scoring chances and limiting goals. In the prior four games, the Predators had been outscored 10-1 in the first period, and if they were going to get back into the win column, the Predators had to have a much better start.

The Predators apparently were still in the giving spirit as Jamie Benn scored on a wrap around just 42 seconds into the game. Carter Hutton was out of position as Benn drove the right side of the net and used his speed to get to the open side before Hutton could react.

Once again, the Predators had given up a goal on the first shot of the game.

The Predators got shots on net but could not get to rebounds when Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen gave up rebounds. Lehtonen was not called upon to make difficult saves off the Predators offensive efforts.

The Stars were awarded a penalty shot at 16:35 of the first period as Victor Bartley hauled down Antoine Roussel, but fortunately for the Predators, Roussel missed the net with his shot.

The Predators out shot the Stars 9-7 in the first period.

The Predators opened the second period by giving the Stars several odd man rushes, and Hutton was called upon to make some big saves to keep the Stars off the board.

The Predators tied the game at 1 at 7:14 of the second period as Colin Wilson controlled the puck behind the net. he worked out to the side and found Kevin Klein sneaking in alone on the weak side and Klein buried the shot to get the Predators even.

The Predators showed their disturbing tendency to give up a goal shortly after they score as they gave up a goal just 24 seconds later. Eric Cole blasted a shot past Hutton from the face off circle at 7:38 to give the Stars a 2-1 lead.

The Predators have shown they cannot keep their opponents off the board after they score, destroying the momentum they had just seized.

Eric Cole made it 3-1 at 14:04 as he took a pass from Alex Goligoski and got behind the Predators defense for a breakaway. Cole made a nice stop move and faked Hutton down to the ice and lifted a backhand into the open net.

The Predators had several scoring opportunities in the remainder of the period but could not finish their chances.

The Stars out shot the Predators 16-11 in the second period.

The Stars opened the third period attacking the Predators net and kept the Predators on their heels. After killing off a power play, the Predators remained hemmed in their end of the ice and the stars made them pay at 4:09 as Ryan Garbutt re-directed a shot from the point by Cody Eakin past Hutton to make it 4-1.

This game had been over for a while. Now it was just a matter of how bad it would be for the Predators.

Fortunately for the Predators, they held the Stars off the board for the remainder of the game. Unfortunately, the Predators did not come close to scoring either.

Some observations:

• The inability of the Predators to carry the puck into the offensive zone is killing the offensive effort. More often than not, the Predators are dumping the puck in and chasing, and right now, they are losing those races to the puck. If the Predators cannot carry the puck into the zone, their weak offense is virtually non-existent. Unfortunately, this is where the Predators are right now.

• That inability to carry the puck means that opponents are able to effectively forecheck the Predators. This results in numerous turnovers and the inability to get the puck cleanly through the neutral zone. Once again, the way this team is built, it doesn't appear that this is going to change this season.

• The Predators are going to have to live with average at best goaltending. Neither Hutton nor Mazanec have shown the ability to consistently put together a run of solid games. Again, this goes back to a strategic decision made by David Poile in the off season that is biting the Predators in the butt right now.

• Victor Bartley was inserted back into the line up after being a healthy scratch for the last three games, and he had a miserable night, going -3 for the evening. He was caught flat footed on Cole's second goal resulting in the breakaway.

• This team is working hard, but. to quote Shakespeare in Macbeth, "it is sound and fury, signifying nothing." The hard work pales in head to head competition with teams that have a better quality of NHL player. The teams in the West that have separated themselves from the pack are teams with elite offensive players that can score and solid defense and goaltending. First and foremost, the Predators lack elite offensive players that can score. The defense is shaky, and the goaltending is worse. Yes, you want hard work. No team is going to succeed with a strong work ethic. But there has to be talent to go along with that work ethic. That is what this team lacks, and it is going to make for a long and painful season.

It is not going to get any easier nor will it be any fun.

The Predators are reduced to working hard and hoping for the best.

My three stars:

1. Eric Cole

2. Alex Goligoski

3. Kari Lehtonen

Predators Hand the Stars a 4-1 Victory

The Nashville Predators handed the Dallas Stars a 4-1 victory at the Bridgestone Arena in front of the 7th consecutive sellout for the home team.

"Handed?" Sour grapes?

No.

Consider that in a 1-1 game, the Predators made two egregious mistakes that wound up in the back of their net and allowed the Stars to take control of the game and cement a win.

Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne is owed an apology by the team in front of him.

I will get to that in a moment.

First, the Predators welcomed back Shea Weber, who missed four games due to a cheap shot from the Stars Mark Fistric in a game just before Christmas. Weber was his usual physical self and appeared not to miss a beat, as he logged 25:45 of ice time.

As to the game, the Stars struck first as Mike Ribeiro got the Stars on the board first at 4:18 of the first period. Ribeiro undressed Roman Josi in front of the net, and the Predators forward was late getting back on the line change to help. Ribeiro made a nice move in the low slot and beat Rinne glove side to give the Stars a 1-0 lead.

The Predators answered at 8:31 of the first as Gabriel Bourque tallied his first NHL goal off some hard work and a nice pass from Jordin Tootoo. Tootoo fought for and won the puck behind the net and found Bourque in the low slot with a nice pass. Bourque buried the wrister behind Kari Lehtonen to tie the game at 1.

With time winding down in the first period, Ribeiro took a shot that eluded Rinne and was lying in the blue paint. Kevin Klein came back to help his goalie, but instead of securing the puck, accidentally knocked it into the net to give the Stars a 2-1 lead at 19:21 of the first period.

In the second period, the Predators gave the Stars another goal as Ryan Suter made a blind drop pass behind the net thinking that Nick Spaling would be there to take possession of the puck. Spaling was nowhere to be found, and the puck was taken by Jamie Benn at the goal line, and he fired a quick shot on the surprised Rinne that caromed off his skate and into the net to make it 3-1 at 6:28.

In the third period, Adam Burish gathered in a puck that the Predators failed to clear and then over skated in the defensive zone and fired a shot past a screened Rinne to make it 4-1 at 12:53 of the third period. This would be the final margin of the game.

For the Predators, this was a disappointing effort. Giving the Stars 3 goals is certainly a formula for defeat. The Predators offensive effort was negligible for the night. David Legwand, Mike Fisher, Marty Erat, and Sergei Kostitsyn were virtually invisible in this game, and for the Predators to have success, they have to be more effective and create chances.

By far, the best line for the Predators was the Tootoo, Bourque, Spaling line. They played with energy and enthusiasm, and were a force on the ice.

There was a large dose of animosity on the ice. Fistric was going to pay for his cheap shot on Weber, and early on was challenged by Jordin Tootoo. Fistric was not going to trade punches with Toots, and was content to hang on and try to wrestle with his opponent. When called out, Fistric would not answer.

As I mentioned, the effort tonight by the Predators was disappointing. Giving the Stars three goals doomed their effort against a team they need to beat and should beat.

There will be two more meetings against the Stars. Hopefully the Predators will not give them any goals in those contests.

My three stars:

1. Mike Ribeiro

2. Kari Lehtonen

3. Gabriel Bourque

Predators Early Deficit Leads to Defeat at Dallas

The Nashville Predators, fresh off their amazing come from behind victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, ventured to the American Airlines Center to take on the Dallas Stars in their second game in two nights.

Once again, Pekka Rinne got the start for the Nashville Predators, while the surprisingly feel good story in the form of Richard Bachman started in net for the Stars.

It was going to be critical for the Predators to put their victory from the night before behind them and come out hard against the Stars. They opened the game skating hard and creating some chances, but were unable to find the net.

By contrast, the Stars capitalized on their chances. Vernon Fiddler, a former Predator, got the Stars on the board early as he gathered in a puck alone at the side of the net and beat Rinne with a shot over his shoulder to give the Stars a 1-0 lead at 9:25 of the first period.

Just 1:16 later, Loui Eriksson tallied from the right side of Rinne on a quick wrister from the right side that went under his arm to make it 2-0 at 10:41.

Steve Ott added a third goal for the Stars at 12:30 as he tipped a shot from the point by Trevor Daly and re-directed it past Rinne. Three goals on seven shots for the Stars, and Rinne's night was done. Anders Lindback came on in relief of Rinne at this point.

Although the Predators were skating well, their offense was not finishing and their defense had broken down on two of the three Stars goals. Once again, the troubling tendency to dig an early hole was plaguing the Predators.

The period ended with the Predators on the power play, but not showing much movement and creating opportunities for quality scoring chances. Oh yeah, they were still trailing 3-0.

The Predators out shot the Stars 17-8 in the period, but the Stars efficiency in the offensive zone was the difference in this contest so far. It was going to be up to the Predators to elevate their game and get back into the contest.

The Predators finally got on the board at 8:56 of the second period as Jerred Smithson was strong on the puck and got through a check from Fiddler on the boards and drove into the zone. He shot the puck at the Dallas net and Bachman gave up a rebound that was met by a crush of bodies from the Predators and the Stars. The puck was lost in the maze of legs and bodies and slowly trickled over the goal line. Blake Geoffrion and Matt Halischuk took whacks at the puck, and the goal was credited to Halischuk.

For the Predators, this goal was big, because up until that point their offense had been one shot and the puck was going back out of the zone. Finally, the Predators got forwards to the front of the net, and they were able to tally through their persistent in the dirty areas.

The Predators had a glorious chance to cut into the Stars lead at 8:54 of the second. Adam Burish was in the box for a knee on knee hit, and  on the ensuing power play Nicklas Grossman took a holding penalty to give the Predators a 5 on three power play.

Ryan Suter took the puck into the high slot and fed the puck to Marty Erat, who blistered a one timer past Bachman to make it 3-2 at  11:45 of the second period.

Mike Ribeiro scored a beautiful goal at 5:59 of the second period from a sharp angle. Ribeiro saw Lindback slide across the crease and waited until he dropped into the butterfly and lasered a shot into the short side top corner to make it 4-2. The goal was a goal scorer's goal and placed into the only area of the net that Lindback could not cover.

The second period ended with Jerred Smithson in the box for hooking and 1:04 of power play time left for the Stars to start the third period. Down by 2 goals, the Predators were going to have to bring their best game in the final 20 minutes to have a chance in this contest.

The second period saw the Predators continue to skate hard and get pucks on the net. They out shot the Stars 14-13 and 31-21 through the first 40 minutes. The outcome of this game would hinge on the Predators continuing to shoot the puck and get to the net for second chance scoring opportunities.

The potent Predators power play (yes, you read that correctly) struck again at 4:30 of the third period to make it 4-3. With Alex Goligoski in the box for delay of game, Colin Wilson sped drove down the right side of the slot a slipped a nice pass to David Legwand, who hammered the puck home to cut the Predators deficit to one goal.

Momentum to the Predators and a chance to seize control.

Not so fast.

Just 30 seconds later, Jamie Benn beat Mike Fisher in the low slot and took a great feed from behind the net by Loui Erikkson to bang home a back breaking goal for the Stars and put them up by 2 goals again.

The Stars used the Benn goal to propel themselves to a decided territorial advantage for the majority of the third period. The Predators spent much of the third chasing the Stars in their own zone and were not able to muster much in the way of an offensive thrust.

Michael Ryder iced the game for the Stars at 17:53 with an empty net goal to make it 6-3, which was the final score of the game.

I cannot fault the effort of the Predators. They skated hard and fired the puck at the net. They out shot the Stars 37-29 and showed good compete.

I can fault the annoying tendency of this team to continue to fall into an early hole and having to spend lots of time and energy trying to dig themselves out of it. Tonight, the Predators found out that the Dallas Stars are not the Columbus Blue Jackets, and falling into a deep deficit against a quality opponent almost always spells defeat.

The Predators now have the Christmas break off with Detroit coming to town Monday. It is going to be imperative that this team tighten up its defense and not hang their goalies out to dry. They are going to have to understand that an early game deficit is not a winning formula.

A better defensive showing from the second and third D pairing, a more consistent effort for the entire game, and avoiding the early game hole are critical for the team's success going forward.

I hope Santa is listening.

My three stars:

1. Loui Eriksson

2. Richard Bachman

3. Marty Erat