Predators Blow 2 Goal Lead, Fall to the Islanders 4-3

The Nashville Predators made their first visit to the Barclays Center to take on the New York Islanders in the second game of a three game road trip.

The Predators would face the most talented team that they have encountered in this young season, and jumped out to a two goal lead before falling 4-3.

Austin Watson picked up his first goal of the season in the first period as he threw the puck into the crease from a bad angle and Marek Zidlicky knocked the puck into the net while trying to clear it.

Filip Forsberg banged a puck past Thomas Greiss from the blue paint off a nice drive to the net by James Neal early in the second period to give the Predators a 2-0 lead.

Anders Lee cut the deficit to 2-1 as he beat Pekka Rinne between the pads on a wrap around attempt. Lee's goal came just 41 seconds after the Predators had scored their second goal.

Kyle Okposo tied the game at 2 with a wrist shot on a breakaway that beat Rinne over his shoulder.

The Isles rally in the second period made this a 20 minute game. The team that wanted it more would get the win.

Nikolay Kulemin gave the Isles a 3-2 lead as he took a puck that came hot off the end boards and was able to sneak it under Rinne before he could get into position.

John Tavares scored just after the Predators had killed off a penalty to make it 4-2.

Filip Forsberg launched a shot from the blue line that was tipped over the shoulder of Greiss by James Neal to cut the deficit to 4-3. The Islanders challenged the call, saying that Greiss was interfered with but the call stood.

Despite great pressure from the Predators in the final minutes with Rinne pulled and out shooting the Islanders 47-28, the Predators dropped the game 4-3


Some observations:

• The Islanders have implemented a policy that prohibits fans (both home and visiting fans) from watching the pre-skate on the glass unless you have a ticket for lower bowl seats. Obviously, there are some growing pains with the Islanders move to their new home as this has irked many long time Isles fans, who were able to watch the warm up from the lower bowl glass regardless of where they were sitting.
• More line changes as Mike Fisher centered Filip Forsberg and James Neal. Mike Ribeiro dropped down to the second line and centered Colin Wilson and Craig Smith.
• Good to see Austin Watson get his first goal of the season. Watson has paid his dues and is getting time on the 4th line with Paul Gaustad and Eric Nystrom. Watson is a big body that has the tools but has seemed slow to adjust to the speed of the NHL. Hopefully some consistent playing time will get him settled into a productive role for the team.
• Great jump and energy by the Predators in the first period as they out shot the Islanders 17-7. The real challenge for the Predators would be to play the final 40 minutes the same way they played the first 20 minutes.
• You can't say the Predators let down in the second period. They matched their first period total of 17 shots in the second frame and created some good chances in front of Greiss. Forsberg's goal from the tough area in front of the net was his second of the season and his third point in as many games.
• Although the Predators kept pressuring the Isles net, the Islanders had the better scoring chances and it showed, as the Predators blew a 2 goal lead and gave up 4 straight goals. The Islanders amped up their effort and the pressure in the offensive zone and the Predators didn't match the intensity of the home team.
• Rinne didn't play a bad game, but he wasn't excellent either. And this Predators team has shown early in the season that they need Rinne to be excellent to win games.
• The coaches challenge of the Neal goal by Islanders Coach Jack Capuano was the first challenge that the Predators have faced this season.
• I liked the play of James Neal tonight. He went hard to the net and battled in front all night. That is the kind of play that the Predators need consistently from Neal. He had a goal and an assist tonight in a superb effort.
• How about the hustle from Filip Forsberg to prevent the empty net goal? That is a heart and character play. 
• The Islanders have defeated the Predators 4 straight games.

The Predators didn't play a bad game. In fact, this was probably the first complete game that the Predators played all season. Yet when the Islanders turned up the pressure in the second and early in the third, the Predators didn't match the effort of the talented opponent form the East.

No doubt the Islanders are a very talented team, but the Predators can't blow two goal leads. They must develop the killer instinct and lock teams down.

A learning experience.

Not fun, but a learning experience nevertheless.

My three stars:

1.John Tavares

2. James Neal

3.Anders Lee

The Skid Continues: Predators Fall to the Islanders 4-3

The Nashville Predators dropped their 5th game in a row, falling to the New York Islanders 4-3 at Bridgestone Arena.

Once again, the Predators dug a hole that they had to climb out by allowing the Islanders to jump to a 2-0 lead.

John Tavares scored at even strength and Anders Lee scored on the power play to stake the Isles to that 2-0 lead.

Colin Wilson scored off a rebound and scramble around the crease with just 1.2 seconds remaining on the clock in the first period to cut the deficit to 2-1.

The Islanders extended their lead to 3-1 in the third period as Nick Leddy beat Pekka Rinne under his arm. This was definitely a stoppable goal that Rinne just didn't play well.

The Predators came storming back to tie the game as a shot from Ryan Ellis that was going over the crossbar hit Mike Ribeiro in the arm and deflected down and past Jaroslav Halak.

31 seconds after that goal, Craig Smith took a sweet pass through the slot from Filip Forsberg and roofed it from in close to tie the game.

Brock nelson got the game winner when a puck bounced over the stick of Seth Jones in the slot and he buried a shot past Rinne.

Some observations:

• As good as Pekka Rinne has been this season, he was not sharp tonight. The goal by Leddy was very stoppable. The first goal from Tavares should have never happened. Tavares threw the puck at the crease from a sharp angle and it hit Rinne in the leg and slid through the five hole. Look, Rinne has carried this team this year and has been stellar, but right now he is not cleaning up every mistake. In this skid, there have been some bad defensive breakdowns in front of him. Tonight, he just didn't have his best game. I still believe in him and think he will be fine, but he- and this team- are going to have to fight through this funk.
• For the 10th straight game, the Predators have given up the first goal. Look guys, this is getting old. No, it is old. In the past five games that we have lost, we have held a lead just once (3-2 going into the third period against Detroit). The task at hand gets a lot easier if you are playing with a lead instead of trying to claw your way back into a game.
• Colin Wilson's goal was his 20th of the year. This is the first time in his career that Wilson has recorded 20 goals.
• Filip Forsberg picked up an assist and is tied for the team lead in points with 53 (tied with Ribeiro).
• During this skid, their has been some miserable periods of hockey played by this team. I cannot fault the effort tonight. The out shot the Islanders 31-26 and played with some good jump for most of the game. That said, the Islanders third goal was a direct result of the Isles outworking the Predators in their zone and keeping them hemmed in for a long stretch.
• Jaroslav Halak played a good game and made some great stops. The Predators consistently put pressure and shots on the net, and if they continue to do that, they will reverse this skid.
• Mike Fisher has been playing some inspired hockey and picked up an assist tonight. Fisher has 7 points (3G-4A) in his last nine games.

This is not a fun time for the team or its fans. Let's just let go that "best team in the NHL" line and realize that every team goes through these stretches. The critical aspect is how this team is going to respond to this adversity. The objective now should be to play sound, fundamental hockey and to play with heart and effort.

If they play like they did tonight with that kind of effort, they will get back to their winning ways.

My three stars:

1. Jaroslav Halak

2. Nick Leddy

3. Craig Smith

Predators Run Aground Against the Islanders

The New York Islanders rode a three goal outburst in the first period and added two more goals in the third period in a 5-2 drubbing of the Nashville Predators at Nassau Coliseum.

The resurgent and talented Islanders are the best team in the East, and they showed it in this game, using their speed and tenacity and a bit of puck luck to dominate the Predators.

Brian Strait, Johnny Boychuk, and John Tavares scored in the first period before Filip Forsberg was able to score late in the period to make it 3-1.

James Neal notched his 21st goal of the season in the second period to make it 3-2 going into the third.

The wheels came off for the Predators as Nick Leddy scored off a rush and Roman Josi tried to clear a rebound and banged it off Pekka Rinne's pads and into the goal to make it 5-2 Islanders. Josh Bailey had taken the shot and was credited with the goal.

Jaroslav Halak had a fairly easy night, stopping 30 of the 32 shots he faced.

By contrast, Pekka Rinne was under siege for most of the night as the Isles got an abundance of quality scoring chances as the Predators defense was spotty at best.

Thankfully for the Predators, the Islanders didn't score again and make it worse.

Some observations:

• Nice gesture by the team to let Anthony Bitetto lead the team on the ice for the pre-skate. Bitetto is a native of Island Park, NY and had family in attendance.
• The Islanders had significantly more jump than the Predators in the first period and that set the tone for the game. Rinne was under assault with some quality scoring chances by the Islanders and if he had not made some good saves, the score could have been much worse.
• Filip Forsberg gave the Predators some life in the first period, recording his 20th goal of the season with an Isles defender hanging all over him. We have all marveled at his skill set, but an underrated aspect of his game is his strength. He is surprisingly strong and very hard to knock off the puck.
• Eric Nystrom leveled Mikhail Grabovski with a booming hit in the first period. Nystrom caught Grabovski with his head down and planted his shoulder in the chest of the Isles forward. Grabovski was rattled by the hit and hit his head on the ice when he fell. Scary moment off a clean hit as Grabovsky didn't move for quite a while. The stretcher was called, but eventually Grabovsky got to his feet and skated to the locker room. Hopefully he did not sustain a serious injury. No penalty was called on Nystrom on the play.
• James Neal just has a wickedly good release on his shot. He displayed that release on a rocket for his 21st goal of the year.
• Lines were juggled as Forsberg was reunited with Craig Smith and joined by Mike Fisher on the top line. Forsberg needs dynamic and creative line mates and frankly, I don't think he had them with Beck and Jarnkrok. Mike Ribeiro dropped down to the second kline to center James Neal and Colin Wilson.
• Uncharacteristic turnovers and defensive breakdowns hung Pekka Rinne out to dry. The Isles got numerous uncontested shots from the slot and quality chances off the rush. Rinne would have had to been perfect to stop the onslaught from the Isles. He wasn't and he got very little help from the team in front of him.
•  The Islanders did a great job of winning most of the puck battles and throttling the Predators rush through the neutral zone. The offense never seemed to find its rhythm and get in gear. This has been a problem for this team at times this season and is one that will have to be corrected.
• The Predators had 17 shots on net in the first period. After that, they had 8 in the second and 7 in the third. They were outworked and outhustled by the Islanders in the final 40 minutes, and that is reflected in the score. by contrast, the Islanders consistently brought offensive pressure, netting 40 shots on Rinne. 
• Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli have cleared their paperwork and should be in the line up for Saturday's game.

After winning 6 straight games, the Predators couldn't bring the effort and intensity to capture a 7th consecutive win against a very talented Islanders squad.

If this is a measuring stick game, the Predators came up woefully short.

If this is a learning experience, then it will be good for the Predators.

Time to get back on the horse on Saturday against the Flyers.

My three stars:

1. John Tavares

2. Nick Leddy

3. James Neal

Predators Road Woes Continue With a 3-1 Loss to the Islanders

The Nashville Predators traveled to Long Island desperately seeking to change their fortunes against the Islanders. In their two previous games, the Predators had suffered numerous defensive breakdowns, shaky goaltending, and a dearth of goals.

That trend would continue in this game.

With David Legwand in the box after taking his second (??) consecutive elbowing penalty, John Tavares got forgotten in the low slot and he blasted a shot past Marek Mazanec for a 1-0 lead at 15:30.

Mazanec was getting his first NHL start. Welcome to the League, Marek

Pierre-Marc Bouchard made it 2-0 at 17:23 after the Islanders won an offensive zone face off. Bouchard took a shot from a severe angle that beat Mazanec 5 hole. Definitely a goal that Mazanec could not give up.

The Predators created some quality scoring chances, but could not solve Kevin Poulin. In the period, the Islanders out shot the Predators 16-10.

The Predators had now been out scored in the past 7 periods 12-0.

The Predators were faced with another uphill challenge. In the past two games, they had not responded to this kind of adversity. If they were going to get back into this game, they were going to have to ramp up their compete level.

The hill only got steeper 7:07 into the second period as Kyle Okposo blasted a shot from the right face off circle to make it 3-0.

The Predators could not get a puck past Poulin and the second period ended with the Predators in a 3-0 hole. The Predators held and 11-8 shot advantage in the period.

The Predators (FINALLY!!) scored at 14:30 of the third period as Patric Hornqvist fired a wrist shot that beat Poulin to end a nearly 9 period scoreless drought.

Despite a late flurry with a power play, the Predators could not score again, and they fell for the third straight game by a 3-1 margin.

Some observations:

• A road trip that started with such promise has turned abysmal. In the early games of this roadie, the Predators were working hard in all zones and supporting the puck. In the past three games, the work ethic has fallen off and puck support has been virtually non-existent. The team has struggled to make clean entries into the offensive zone and when they do get the puck in the zone, the puck possession time has been awful. This has limited offensive chances and stymied the offense. If the predators are going to get back on a winning track, this has to improve quickly.

• Goaltending was okay at best. Mazanec made some good saves, but he cannot give up that second goal. He was hung out to dry when Tavares was left alone in the slot on the first goal and the Okposo goal was a blast that would have been hard to stop.

• The inability to enter the zone cleanly is killing the Predators. They are being slowed down in the neutral zone and their speed is being negated. This is a matter of system, support, and desire. Right now, the Predators are not good in any of these areas.

• The Predators had some offensive flurries around the net, and Poulin made some good saves. There has to be a greater effort to get the puck to the net and to battle for rebounds. Again, this is a function of desire and effort.

• The Predators were once again without Mike Fisher, who is out with a foot injury. They were also without Gabriel Bourque, who left the team to return to Nashville for the birth of his first child.

The Predators wrap up the road trip with a stop in Pittsburgh on Friday night.

It's time for this team to begin playing with some drive and desire.

My three stars:

1. John Tavares

2. Frans Nielsen

3. Pierre-Marc Bouchard

Predators Edge the Islanders 3-2

The Nashville Predators got back into the win column with a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders at Bridgestone Arena.

Pekka Rinne faced just 16 shots from the Islanders while Evgeni Nabokov was peppered with 31 shots from the Predators.

After a scoreless first period, Seth Jones scored his first goal in the NHL on the power play. Jones took a cross ice pass from David Legwand and beat Nabokov short side with a slap shot at 1:032 of the second period.

The Islanders tied the game at 12:39 of the second as Frans Nielsen was left alone cruising down the slot. He got a perfect pass from Kyle Okposo from behind the net and snapped a quick wrist shot over the shoulder of Rinne.

The Islanders were energized by that goal and began to press the attack. A turnover at the blue line had the Predators scrambling in the defensive zone. John Tavares tried to pass the puck, but it was blocked back to him behind the goal line. Tavares made a crafty play as he saw Rinne cheat off the post and he banked a shot off his backside and into the net to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead at 15:28.

With the period winding down, Patric Hornqvist took a chip off the wall from Colin Wilson and drove into the offensive zone. He cranked a slap shot from the face off circle that beat Nabokov five hole to tie the game at 2 at 19:07 of the second.

Ryan Ellis notched the game winning goal at 3:23 of the third period on an innocent looking play. He took a pass from Matt Cullen and rifled a slap shot from the blue line that beat Nabokov over the shoulder.

Both teams traded some scoring opportunities in the remaining time, and the Predators were able to hold off the Islanders for their second win of the season.

Some observations:

• Victor Stalberg made his first appearance of the season, logging 12:20 of ice time. Stalberg showed good speed but looked tentative. Obviously, he has to gel with his line mates, and Predator fans hope that will happen quickly.

• Seth Jones looks remarkably poised for a 19 year old rookie. He had three shots on goal tonight, and as he gets more comfortable, I expect to see those shot totals go up. He has a good shot and as he gains confidence his scoring should increase.

• Kevin Klein and Mattias Ekholm are becoming a dependable and solid defensive pairing. Tonight, both were -1, but they have rarely been caught out of position and have demonstrated some good chemistry.

• Filip Forsberg is solid and will become a very good player for the Predators. However, for the second game in a row, Forsberg lost a player coming down the slot in the defensive zone and it cost the Predators a goal. His defensive play is not bad, but his momentary lapses have cost the team a goal in the last two games.

• The overall defensive effort tonight was good. Limiting a team that has dangerous offensive players to just 16 shots shows that this team is focused on their defensive effort. tonight, the total team effort shut down the attack of the Islanders, and this is the effort that the Predators have to have every game.

• Although he was held off the score sheet, I like the effort and energy that Mike Fisher is bringing to the ice. His physical play helped set the tone for the Predators tonight.

This team is still a work in progress. There are 8 players on the roster the either were not on the team last year or played a limited number of games. There are signs of chemistry and the talent is there to be successful, but it is going to take some games to begin to play at a high(er) level.

The quicker the better.

My three stars:

1. Seth Jones

2. Ryan Ellis

3. John Tavares

Predators Continue Winning, Defeat the Islanders 3-1

The Nashville Predators ventured to Nassau Coliseum for their only meeting of the year against the New York Islanders in an afternoon matinee. The Predators looked to continue their hot play of late, as they have won 13 of their last 17 games their last 4 games.

The Predators went with (surprisingly since there is a game tomorrow) with Pekka Rinne in net, while the Isles gave Kevin Poulin the start.

It was going to be important for the Predators to get off to a good start against the Islanders and not let them get momentum in this game. The Predators did just that at 2:17 of the first period as Sergei Kostitsyn skated the puck over the blue line and using an Islanders defenseman as a screen blistered a wrist shot that went over the shoulder of of the Isles netminder Kevin Poulin to give the Predators a 1-0 lead. This was the Predators first shot on goal, and for Kostitsyn it continues his amazing shooting percentage as he has 11 goals on only 41 shots.

Matt Halischuk extended the Predators lead to 2-0 as he carried the puck across the blue and drove hard to the net. Halischuk wrist shot from the face off circle beat Poulin cleanly at 5:34 of the first period. This was Halischuk's 10th goal of the season.

The Predators added their third goal of the period on a beautiful give and go between Marty Erat, Colin Wilson, and David Legwand. Erat gave the puck to Wilson, who found the streaking David Legwand, who was unimpeded heading to the net. Legwand buried the shot past an out of position Poulin at 11:37 of the first period to make it 3-0 Predators.

The first period ended with the Predators killing off most of a penalty to Colin Wilson for elbowing. It appeared as if the Islanders were finally starting to get their legs as they began to generate some chances, and Pekka Rinne made a couple of big stops. In the period, the Predators out shot the Islanders 12-6.

The Islanders have very good speed, and it was going to be important for the Predators to keep their foot on the gas and not let them creep back in this game.

The Predators had some good chances in the second, but Poulin settled down and was able to stop the offensive attack. Unable to bury the puck, Poulin seemed to be more confidant, and in turn, the Islanders responded with good offensive presence.

The Predators gave the Isles a good chance to claw back into the game as both Gabriel Bourque took a penalty, followed shortly after by a high sticking penalty to Mike Fisher. The Isles had 1:10 of a 5 on 3. The defense did a good job of blocking shots and keeping the Isles to the outside. Pekka Rinne demonstrated his athleticism and made some huge saves to keep the puck out of the net.

The Islanders continued to pressure the Predators in their defensive zone and Rinne was called upon to make some quality saves to frustrate the scoring threat. He came up huge in the second period, stopping all 19 shots he faced. The Predators had 10 for the period.

Ryan Suter did not play in the second period, and was called out for the remainder of the game with an upper body injury.

Going into the third period, it would be critical for the Predators to get their offensive mojo back. There were too many stretches in the second where the Predators let the Islanders dictate the play, and this needed to change in the final 20 minutes.

The third period was back and forth, with both teams creating some chances, but neither able to solve the others netminder. The Isles finally broke through at 16:02 of the third when John Tavares got behind Francis Buillon and was able to tip a puck past Rinne to make it 3-1.

The Islanders pulled Poulin with 2:10 remaining in the game for the extra attacker and were pressing the Predators in an attempt to cut the lead to one.

The Predators were able to hold off the final push by the Islanders and secured their fifth straight win by a margin of 3-1. The Islanders out shot the Predators 37-32.

It is good to see the Predators get out to a fast start. Although the Islanders have struggled this season, they are a fast and dangerous team, and taking the wind out of their sails early was a big factor in this win.

Pekka Rinne was outstanding, making some great saves, especially in the second period when the Islanders were fighting to get back in the game. Keeping the Islanders off the board during with their aggressive play was critical to securing this win.

For the Predators, this win is another important 2 points. To keep pace with their competitors in the Wast, this is what the Predators have to do. They can only control their fate, not what their competitors are doing. And the best way to control their fate is to keep winning.

They will get another chance tomorrow against the Rangers, the best team in the East.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Sergei Kostitsyn

3. Matt Halischuk