Predators End Road Trip With a Thud, Fall to the Wild 2-0

The Nashville Predators traveled to the Xcel Energy Center to face the Minnesota Wild seeking to win their third game of a three game road trip.

Pekka Rinne was in net for the Predators and the Wild had Josh Harding between the pipes.

The Predators scratched Filip Forsberg and inserted Rich Clune into the line up. The Predators were once again without the services of Mike Fisher, who continues to deal with a lower body injury.

Both teams are fast and both like to play an up tempo game. The Wild had a decided advantage in the early going of the game as the Wild had the Predators back on their heels and controlled the puck in the offensive zone for most of the first part of the period. Thanks to two power plays, the Wild out shot the Predators 13-2 past the midway mark. Pekka Rinne was sharp and made some outstanding saves to keep the Wild off the board.

The first period was scoreless, but the Wild dominated the Predators and it was fortunate that the Predators survived the period. The Wild out shot the Predators 13-3.

The second period was not much better for the Predators. The Wild had the better scoring chances and controlled the puck once again for much of the period.

The Wild finally broke through at 18:53 of the second as Justin Fontaine got his stick on a rebound given up by Rinne  of a Clayton Stoner shot and was able to flip the puck over his shoulder to give the Wild a 1-0 lead. The defense was caught out of position on the play and gave Fontaine an unimpeded path to the front of the net.

The Wild out shot the Predators 11-6 in the second period.

The Predators had been out skated and out worked through 40 minutes. The Predators were going to have to dig down and begin skating and pressuring Harding to have a chance to claw back into this game.

The Predators did not mount much offense in the third period. With Rinne pulled for an extra attacker in the final minute, the Predators swarmed the net and got a puck behind Harding but it was swept off the goal line by Jared Spurgeon.

Jason Pominville sealed the win for the Wild with an empty net goal at 19:35 to make the final score 2-0.

Some observations:

• The Predators were out worked the entire game. They were outshot 29-15 and the Wild controlled play throughout. Whether it was fatigue or just a failure to respond, this was the most disappointing game the team has played in a while.

• Puck support in the offensive zone was virtually non-existent all night. The Predators did not do a good job of getting the puck deep, but when they did, the puck support was not there. This caused numerous turnovers and limited the offensive chances.

• Still waiting for some offense from Viktor Stalberg.

• Colin Wilson was a non-factor tonight. No shots on goal and nothing in the offensive zone.

• Rinne was very good tonight. He had pucks coming at him from all angles tonight and made some excellent saves. Unfortunately, he got no offensive support.

As much as this game was a stinker, it is important to keep this road trip in perspective. The Predators picked up 4 out of  a possible 6 points and except for tonight's effort, played some good hockey.

The Predators will have a chance to put this one behind them on Thursday night when they face the Jets at Bridgestone Arena.

My three stars:

1. Justin Fontaine

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Josh Harding

Predators With a Wild Comeback Win

The Nashville Predators hoped to pick up right where they left off before the All Star break, where they were the hottest team in the NHL. They would begin this quest at the XCel Energy Center against the Minnesota Wild.

The Predators had Pekka Rinne in net, while the Wild went with Josh Harding.

Dany Heatley got loose in the low slot and buried the puck past Rinne to give the Wild a 1-0 lead at 8:04 in the first period. The defensive coverage broke down completely on this goal as Heatley was completely left left alone and Rinne had no chance on the snap shot.

Craig Smith drew a hooking call on a nice drive to the net, but the Predators could only muster one shot on goal with the man advantage.

The Predators returned the favor to the Wild as Shea Weber was called for holding. The Wild made the Predators pay for their transgression as once again Dany Heatley got open right in front of the net and once again beat Rinne. The Predators defensive coverage down low was atrocious once again, and it burnt them at 12:36 of the first period.

The Predators were out shot 11-10 in the first period, but and created a few scoring chances, but the Wild looked to be more ready to play and definitely looked to be the more desperate team.

The Predators were going to have to ramp up the intensity in the second period and were going to have to tighten up their defensive coverage.

Well, so much for tightening up the defensive coverage. Cal Clutterbuck drove into the zone and all the way to the net where his backhand eluded Rinne to make it 3-0 at 1: 29 of the second period. The Predators have shown their ability to come back in games, but spotting the Wild a 3-0 lead was digging an enormous hole.

The Predators finally got on the board at 9:33 of the second period as Kevin Klein took a shot from the blue line with Matt Halischuk in front screening. Halischuk re-directed the shot past Harding to get the Predators on the board. For Halischuk, this was his 12th goal of the season, and he continues to impress with his hard work.

At the end of two periods, the Predators trailed 3-1, and failed to generate much of a sustained attack. The Wild were forechecking aggressively and disrupting the Predators breakouts in the neutral zone. The Wild out shot the Predators 6-5 in the second, and the shot totals were reflective of a period of hockey that had no flow to it.

The Predators were going to have to support the puck better and create offense in the third period if they were going to have an opportunity to win this game. It was going to be important for the Predators to establish offensive zone time and create some chances in the third period.

Once again the Predators gave up an early goal t begin the period as Kyle Brodziak tapped in a puck as Nick Johnson was allowed to walk out of the corner and to the front of the net. Johnson's shot was stopped by Rinne, but Brodziak was free to tap in the puck at just 16 seconds into the period.

The Predators showed that they were definitely not ready to play in this game, as the mental aspect of the their game was totally absent in this contest. The Wild had scored all their goals off defensive lapses by the Predators, which was indicative of the team not being mentally ready for this contest.

The Predators made it 4-2 as Brandon Yip and Matt Halischuk were banging away at the puck as Harding went down to block the shot. The play went under review, but the puck was spied by the officials across the goal line for Yip's first goal as a Predator at 9:22 of the third period. More importantly, the Predators kept fighting and were rewarded for their efforts.

Pekka Rinne made a huge save on Matt Cullen at 15:20 of the third as the Wild had a 2 on 1. Rinne once again bailed out the defense to keep the game within reach for the Predators, but the clock was melting away and it was going to be critical that the Predators get another goal quickly.

The Predators pulled to within one goal as Patric Hornqvist kept banging away at a loose puck in the crease and was able to poke the puck past Harding at 15:39. Hard work paid off for the Predators.

Improbable comeback on the way?

A resounding YES!

Just 21 seconds later, Mike Fisher pounded a puck past Harding to tie the game at 4. Unbelievably, the Predators had fought their way back into this game.

With 20.8 seconds to go, the Predators kept battling for control of the puck in the Wild zone. Mike Fisher got control of the puck along the boards by the face off circle and just threw the puck at the net. Somehow the puck eluded Harding and found the back of the net to give the Predators an unbelievable 5-4 lead.

The horn sounded and as unbelievable as it sounds, the Predators had an amazing come from behind win. A victory where they scored 4 goals in the third period, a period where they were down 4-1 early and seemed dead in the water.

That is character.

There are two take aways from this game: first, the Predators have to come ready to play. The success prior to the All Star game is history. Just stepping on the ice is not enough. Teams are desperate and they need the wins, and they are going to fight and scrap for every bit of ice and every loose puck. Tonight, the Predators were nearly bitten in the posterior because they did not come ready to play.

The second thing to take away from this game is that the game is never over until the final horn sounds. Keep fighting, keep grinding, keep playing, and good things happen. If this team ever forgets this fact, just pull the tape out and watch it again.

Let this game be a learning experience. Get ready boys, because the games down the stretch are going to be a war.

My three stars:

1. Mike Fisher

2. Matt Halischuk

3. Dany Heatley

Honorable mention: Patric Hornqvist Brandon Yip

Predators Win Over the Wild in a Shootout 2-1

Watching the Minnesota Wild play hockey is a bit like watching (if it were possible) your arteries harden. You know those clogged arteries are going to be a problem, you just never know when.

The Nashville Predators took on the Wild at Bridgestone Arena and were able to do just enough against the sclerotic defense of the Wild to escape with a 2-1 shootout victory to extend the Wild's losing streak to 8 games.

Throughout the night, the Wild clogged the neutral zone and the offensive zone, creating problems for the Predators entering the zone and establishing their offense. Yet the Predators kept persisting, kept pushing, and kept fighting. The victory wasn't pretty by any stretch, but fortunately, they don't grade victories on style points.

Pekka Rinne got the start in net for the Predators, while Josh Harding was in net for the Wild.

Rinne got most of the work of the two netminders,as the Wild out shot the Predators 35-25 and created numerous scoring opportunities from in close. Rinne came up with some very big saves for the Predators as the Wild threw the puck at the net often and had several scoring chances from in close. Rinne was outstanding in goal and was exceptional in keeping the Wild off the board early.

The first period was scoreless, but the Wild carried the play early. With 6 minutes to go in the period, the Wild had out shot the Predators 10-4, but a late flurry by the Predators narrowed that margin to 11-10. The Wild threw pucks at the net, and there were times where the Predators defense had trouble clearing the front of the net, forcing Rinne to make some big stops from close range.

The second period was more of the same. The Predators opened with a strong offensive effort, really their only offensive thrust of the period. Colin Wilson rang a shot off the post from close in, but that was the best scoring chance for the Predators. The Wild spent most of the period bottling up the Predators and not allowing them to establish their offensive flow. In turn, they used their defense to create offense and control the puck in the Predators zone.

The Wild out shot the Predators 11-5 in the second period. Once again, the play of Rinne kept the Predators in the game, as he stopped several close in shots to keep the Wild scoreless.

The Predators defense was over matched in terms of size, but they battled throughout the night, working to keep the Wild to the outside and limit quality scoring chances. Ryan Suter was a workhorse and played a rock solid game. For the night, he logged 29:46 of ice time.

This game had the feel of a one goal contest, and the team that scored first would win the contest.

The team that would strike first would be the Predators at 7:00 of the third period. Jonathan Blum launched a shot from the blue line that caromed off Jordin Tootoo and past Harding to give the Predators a 1-0 lead. The key to this goal was that Tootoo was driving hard to the net and was able to re-direct the shot past Harding.

Those clogged arteries, uh, the Wild were not done, though. They tied the game at 16:01 of the third as Dany Heatley beat Rinne on a wrap around. Rinne scrambled to to get to the right post, but Heatley managed to squeeze the puck between Rinne's skate and the post.

Both teams had to kill off penalties int he last 3:30 of the regulation time, as Jordin Tootoo was called for unsportsmanlike conduct for something he said to an official after a scrum, and Jon DiSalvatore was called for cross checking. Neither team was able to capitalize on the man advantage, and tied at 1, the game was going to overtime.

The overtime was scoreless, but the Wild had 4 shots to none for the Predators, and despite their efforts, we were going to a shootout.

As is the Predators custom, the chose to shoot second. The Wild's first shooter, Matt Cullen, had the -puck roll off his stick and never got off a shot.

Colin Wilson was  the Predators first shooter, and he beat Harding with a nice forehand to backhand move to roof the shot over the diving Harding.

Mikko Koivu was stopped by the right pad of Rinne.

Craig Smith missed the net high on his attempt.

The Predators could win the game with a stop of the Wild's third shooter, Pierre-Marc Bouchard. Bouchard attempted a spin move that was stopped by Rinne, and the Predators had the win in the shootout.

With the win, Pekka Rinne continues his dominance over the Wild at the Bridgestone Arena. He ran his record to 5-0, with a .979 save % and a .55 GAA.

Gabriel Bourque was called up by the Predators to take the roster spot of Blake Geoffrion, and he logged 8:05 of ice time. He was strong on the puck and battled hard in the corners. He brings an element of grit, speed, and tenaciousness that the Predators can use, and his play will, in my view, merit more ice time in coming contests.

In one respect, this was not a pretty win. This was a grinding game that was going to be decided by which team made a mistake or cracked first under the pressure of a tight contest. It was not a pretty game to watch.

In another perspective, this was a beautiful win. The Predators were facing adversity with injuries (Weber, Klein) to their blue line, and some young players were thrust into key roles and asked to play some very big minutes. They performed admirably. This team refused to yield to the pressure the Wild brought, and they battled all night, eventually securing the win.

That is character.

These are the tough games that in the course of a season a team has to battle through to win. Sometimes, a win like this isn't flashy and doesn't look good.

Except on the score sheet.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Colin Wilson

3. Jordin Tootoo

Predators Give Away Another Game, Lose to the Wild 3-2

The Nashville Predators traveled to the great white North to take on the Minnesota Wild at the Xcel Energy Center in a game that saw the Predators seeking redemption for the putrid effort the night before in Nashville.

Pekka Rinne once again got the start for the Predators as the Wild went with Josh Harding as Nicklas Backstrom was out of the lineup to attend to personal business.

The Predators opened the contest looking just like they did in their debacle against Edmonton the night before. Minnesota was out skating the Predators and got the first four shots on goal. For Predator fans, this was a big "uh-oh" and the thought was "here we go again."

The Predators got their legs under them and started skating with the Wild, and when they did, they were very competitive.

Jordin Tootoo got the Predators on the board with their first shot on goal at 5:21of the first period as he skated the puck out of the corner straight to the front of the net. Tootoo jammed the puck in on Harding and the puck got through his pads and trickled into the net to give the Predators a 1-0 lead. Rookie Craig Smith picked up an assist on the play, giving him 15 points on the season.

The period was a back and forth contest with both teams generating some good chances. In the period, the Wild out shot the Predators 10-9, which is a decidedly better effort than the Predators put forth in their previous contest.

The second period was scoreless, but not for lack of effort by both teams. Both Rinne and Harding came up with some big saves for their respective squads. Each team created some good scoring opportunities from close in, but both netminders were up to the task. The Predators certainly made their task tougher in the period as they had to kill off a 4 minute double minor for high sticking by Colin Wilson.

In the second period, the Wild out shot the Predators 11-8.

Once again, this young team was going into the third period with a lead, and they knew they would face the inevitable push from the Wild. And once again, the question that hung in the balance was "Would the Predators be able to lock down the other team and hold the lead?"

That question was answered just 1:05 into the third period as the Predators got caught with 4 men down low and gave up a 2 on 1 that Dany Heatley buried to tie the game.

The Predators did their best to give the game to the Wild as the period wore on. They took back to back penalties to Craig Smith and Ryan Suter, with Suter's penalty coming with just 13 seconds remaining in Smith's penalty. Yes, both penalties were questionable calls, but nevertheless, the Predators put themselves in a precarious position. Although they were able to kill off the brief 5 on 3, the Predators could not kill Suter's penalty as Kyle Brodziak took a shot that Rinne got most of, but couldn't stop it and the puck found the net to give the Wild a 2-1 lead at 9:39.

Perhaps more indicative of the Predators imminent collapse was the fact that the Predators had only mustered 2 shots on goal through 12 minutes of the period. Yes, one of those shots was highway robbery on Sergei Kostitsyn by Harding, but it still remains a troubling fact that the Predators offense cannot seem to put in a full 60 minutes of effort.

The wheels came off for the Predators at 13:19 of the third as the Predators gave up a shorthanded goal. Rinne came out to play the puck that was dumped down the ice and stumbled and could not get back into position. Cal Clutterbuck picked up the puck and scored what will probably be his easiest goal of the season as he had nothing but an open net into which to shoot the puck.

The Predators demonstrated some heart and pulled within one at 13:57 as they scored on a 5 on 3 power play. Jordin Tootoo took the puck at the goal line and found Ryan Suter alone in the low slot. His quick wrist shot beat harding over his shoulder to make it 3-2 Wild. This was Suter's 5th goal of the season, topping his goal total from last season.

The Predators has a chance to tie the game as Ryan Suter hit both posts with a shot and the team still on the man advantage. Harding was able to swallow up the rebound in a furious scramble in the blue paint to thwart the Predators.

The Predators were unable to generate any more offense, and once again, a game that they led going into the third period was given away, victimized by another 20 minutes of poor hockey.

Same song, different verse.

And it's becoming a very tired refrain.

The shots on goal were 8 to 8 in the third period, but the majority of those shots for the Predators came during desperation time. Frankly boys, when you go through 12 minutes of a period- especially one where you have a lead and are trying to squeeze out the opposition- you more often than not are going to lose the game.

Like tonight.

I have often talked about lessons, and some of these lessons are painful. I guess it hasn't gotten painful enough for this team, because they haven't consistently learned how to take control of a game when they have a lead. Giving up three goals in crunch time is inexplicable and shows that this team has not developed a killer instinct.

Yet.

Here's a bit of advice: develop that killer instinct. Learn how to finish a game ( and start a game for that matter).

Do that, and you will not be giving games away.

My three stars:

1. Josh Harding

2. Jordin Tootoo

3. Kyle Brodziak