Predators Mistakes Cost them In 5-3 Loss to the Capitals

When you play the best team in hockey, you can't make mistakes.

The Nashville Predators made mistakes against the Washington Capitals and those mistakes wound up in the back of their net in a 5-3 loss at Bridgestone Arena.

Shea Weber turned over a puck on what should have been an easy clear from the defensive zone, then compounded that mistake by letting Jason Chimera beat him to the front of the net for the Caps first goal in the contest.

The Predators second mistake was another turnover that resulted in a 2 on 1 break and Tom Wilson buried the shot to give the Capitals a 2-0 lead in the second period.

The Predators drew within 1 as Filip Forsberg recorded his 16th goal on the power play with a sweet shot to the top corner to beat Braden Holtby.

The third period  saw the Caps storm the front of the Predators net and tally twice as Pekka Rinne and the defense in front of him was overwhelmed. Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson were both at the crease and banged pucks past Rinne to make it 4-1.

Looking for all intents and purposes to be over, the Predators cut the Caps lead to 4-3 on a goal by Roman Josi and a  re-direct by Forsberg for his second goal of the night and his 17th of the season.

Alexander Ovechkin sealed the win for the Caps with an empty netter to make the final margin 5-3.

Some observations:

• The Predators could have rolled over when it was 4-1, but they showed some grit and character to cut the lead to 1 late in the game. That is a positive. The negative for the Predators is that they are now 2-16-3 when they trail after 2 periods. This team is going to have to find a way to win these kinds of games when they are trailing going into the final 20 minutes. This record is telling- they ability to fight back is just not where it should be for this team and this can- and probably will cost them them when it comes to securing a playoff spot.
• Forsberg continues to play a strong game. The Caps forecheck was aggressive all night, and Forsberg was able to carry the puck  and break the pressure. I really like the way he works in the offensive zone and he has shown that he is not afraid to go into high traffic areas. His second goal was a result of his work in the low slot, and the Predators are going to have to have that kind of play from him and others to be successful. He has 5 points in his last 2 games (3G-2A).
• The Predators went 1-3 on this 4 game home stand after the All Star break. This team is going to have to get dominant play on home ice to get into the playoffs. Right now, they are not.
• The Predators are 6-15-4 when they allow the first goal.
• A nice celebration before the game to honor Mike Ribeiro for his 1000th NHL game.
• Mattias Ekholm picked up 2 assists tonight and had a solid overall game. His pairing with Ryan Ellis has played some good hockey and are getting some second D pairing minutes on the power play.
• Calle Jarnkrok has points in his last 3 games (2G-1A) with his assist tonight.
• The Predators power play was 1-5. The unit has been fairly ineffective in recent games, and it is imperative that they start to produce at a higher level. Too often, there is not a lot of movement when they get in the offensive zone. They did a good job of possessing the puck on the power play but didn't generate many quality chances.
• Braden Holtby was outstanding. He made some quality saves and showed why he is going to win the Vezina this year.

This was a  game where the Predators needed to play flawless hockey. They did not and it cost them. The Predators are a team that has to battle every night for points, and they battles tonight. But when you play the best team in the League, battling is not enough. Solid hockey, sound hockey is what it takes to win these kinds of games.

This was a measuring stick game. The Predators have shown they can compete but not win against the best.

There is a short time left in the regular season to elevate their game.

My three stars:

1. Marcus Johansson

2. Filip Forsberg

3. Braden Holtby

Predators Continue Kings Road Woes With 4-3 SO Win

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


It wasn't.


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


Some observations:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


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


My three stars:


1. Craig Smith


2. Colin Wilson


3. Marian Gaborik

Kings Crush the Predators 6-1

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

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

And this was horribly disappointing.

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

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

This was just the beginning.

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

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

Steve Sullivan had the only tally for the Predators.

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

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

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

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

And that is unacceptable.

My three stars:

1. Ryan Smyth

2. Justin Williams

3. Jonathan Bernier