The Nashville Predators continued their last west coast swing of the regular season with a tilt against the L.A. Kings. Once again, the Predators faced a team in the Kings that was fighting for their playoff life, as the Kings had 80 points, currently in 10th place but one point out of the 8th playoff position.
For the Predators, this meant that they had to bring the intensity and effort from the opening puck drop. You knew that the Kings were going to bringing it tonight. The Predators had to match the desperation of the Kings.
Pekka Rinne started in net for the Predators, while the Kings went with Jonathan Bernier.
Just as sure as the sun comes up in the east, the Kings opened with jump and pressure on the Predators. The Predators, as has been their tendency, took the Kings best early shots and just survived, with Rinne having to make some good early saves.
The Predators finally wilted under the pressure of the Kings, as they won a puck battle on the boards and controlled the puck to Anze Kopitar. Kopitar took one stride off the boards and lasered a shot over the shoulder of Rinne to give the Kings a 1-0 lead at 7;53 of the first period.
The Predators looked listless throughout most of the first period as they lost puck battles and for the most could not get through the neutral zone to establish their offense. The shot totals at the end of the first period reflected that fact as the Kings out shot the Predators 10-5.
If the Predators were going to have an opportunity to get back in this game, they were going to have to play with more jump and intensity. If you can answer the question as to why the Predators cannot seem to realize they have to match the intensity of their opponent, I would love to hear from you.
I would imagine that what Head Coach Barry Trotz said to his charges at the first intermission would cause a sailor to blush, because the Predators came out in the second period like they wanted to play a hockey game. The Predators skated better and won puck battles. They poured shots on Bernier, and in the first 7:30 of the second had out shot the Kings 8-1.
Now they just had to get a puck in the net.
The Predators did just that on their third power play attempt as Marty Erat cranked a shot from 10 feet inside the blue line that went between the legs of Patric Hornqvist who was screening and past Bernier to tie the game at 1 at 13:43.
The second period ended tied at 1 and the Predators out shooting the Kings 9-8 but generating the majority of the quality scoring chances.
So the Kings played the first 20 minutes of the contest and the Predators played the second 20 minutes. The contest would be decided by who wanted it more in the final 20 minutes.
The Predators offense reverted to their first period form as they did not get their first shot on net until the 8 minute mark of the third. On the plus side, the Kings only had 2 shots on net in the same time frame as the game had settled into a defensive struggle with each team looking to capitalize on a mistake made by the other.
That mistake occurred at 8:04 of the third as the Predators could not hold the puck in the zone as the puck got away from Ryan Suter at the blue line and the result was a 2 on 1. Dustin Penner finished the play off a nice pass from Trevor Lewis to give the Kings a 2-1 lead.
A horrific turnover by Jordin Tootoo at the Predators blue line sent Dwight King in on a breakaway and he buried the sot to give the Kings a 3-1 lead at 13:02. On the play, the Predators were also caught in a bad change and were victimized by two egregious errors.
The Predators implosion was complete when Kyle Clifford scored on a break away to make it 4-1 L.A. at 16:19.
Mike Fisher made the score somewhat respectable with a backhand score off a rebound of a Kevin Klein shot at 17:18 of the third to make it 4-2, which was the final score of the game.
For the Predators, there are two glaring problems right now. The first: their secondary scoring has gone ice cold. Throughout much of the season, the Predators have relied on balanced scoring from all lines. Right now, the scoring is coming predominantly from the top line. The remainder of the forwards are being shut down by opposing teams, and it is going to be essential that the Predators get these lines going again.
The second problem is that the Predators seem to have lost their edge, their intensity. This team is successful when they are playing gritty, blue collar hockey, hockey that is balls to the wall. Right now, the Predators are taking 20 minutes to get started, or are taking a period off. This team is not good enough to survive much less win playing that type of hockey. This has to change immediately.
The remainder of the schedule will be against teams that are desperate and will be more than happy to knock off the Predators. Right now, this team is the hunted, and it is important for them to play with the intensity and desperation of those teams that are hunting them.
The opportunity for redemption begins tomorrow night in Anaheim.
My three stars:
1. Jonathan Bernier
2. Patric Hornqvist
3. Dustin Penner
Showing posts with label Kyle Clifford. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kyle Clifford. Show all posts
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Friday, January 7, 2011
LA Lashed by the Predators 5-2
In their two previous contests, the L.A. Kings have owned the Nashville Predators, winning the first two contests of the season by a combined score of 10-2 in games where the Predators never mustered much in the way of offense. Tonight, at the Staples Center,the Predators turned the tables on the Kings with a decisive 5-2 victory.
The first period opened with both teams showing some good jump and generating some quality scoring chances. Anders Lindback and Jonathan Bernier were both challenged and both were equal to the task.
L.A. opened the contest trying to take the body and exert their physical will. Unlike the two previous tilts, the Predators answered the physical challenge and did a good job of skating hard and establishing a good forecheck. That effort resulted in some good scoring chances, but the Predators were unable to solve Bernier.
Anders Lindback fended off some good scoring chances by the Kings, holding off all 12 of the Kings shots. Bernier stopped all 11 shots he faced from the Predators.
Kyle Clifford tallied for the Kings at 2:16 of the second period as J.P. Dumont absorbed a thunderous hit and was struggling to get to the bench, effectively leaving the Predators a man down. Marco Sturm shot the puck off the wing, and Lindback made the initial save but gave up a big rebound that Clifford buried into an open net.
The Predators had a glorious scoring opportunity as Patric Hornqvist found Kevin Klein sneaking down the off wing and hit him with a perfect pass. Bernier managed to slide across the net and get a piece of the shot for a great save five minutes into the period.
The injury bug continued to bite the Predators as the lost Nick Spaling to an upper body injury in the early going of the second period.
Jarrett Stoll scored on the power play at 7:57 of the second with Francis Buillon in the box for interference. Stoll launched a bomb from the blue line that beat Lindback high over his glove side. Lindback had lost his goal stick, but it was not a factor in the play as the shot beat Lindback cleanly.
The Predators answered on a power play of their own at 9:57. Ryan Suter wound up for what appeared to be a slap shot, but instead delivered a nice slap pass to Colin Wilson who was alone at the side of the net. Wilson re-directed the pass past Bernier for his 10th goal of the season to cut the deficit to 2-1.
This goal was critical for the Predators to stave off the momentum of the Kings and keep themselves in the contest.
Marek Svatos would tally his first goal as a Predator at 10:19 as Colin Wilson took a shot coming down the wing that Bernier kicked out off his pads. The rebound came to Svatos, who was driving the net and was able to put the rebound past an out of position Bernier.
The Predators had taken a punch from the Kings. In their previous contests, they did not answer. Tonight, they answered.
The Predators went back to the power play with Matt Greene in the box for interference and made the Kings pay for their transgression. Colin Wilson walked in off the half boards and cranked a shot low along the ice. Patric Hornqvist was camped- where else- at the top of the crease and re-directed the shot past Bernier for his 12th goal of the season at 14:28.
After back and forth play, including a fight between Francis Buillon and Wayne Simmonds that left Buillon with a broken nose, the period ended with the Predators on top 3-2.
The third period opened with more of the back and forth play between the teams, with each team looking for the other to break. The Kings were the first to crack under the pressure as Sergei Kostitsyn whistled a wrist shot toward Bernier. Bernier got a piece of the shot but not enough to stop it, and the puck slid in the net just inside the far post to extend the Predators lead to 4-2 at 9:10 of the third period. This was Kostitsyn's 10th goal of the season.
That off season signing of Kostitsyn by GM David Poile looks mighty good right now.
Patric Hornqvist tallied his second goal at 15:33 of the third period as he buried a rebound given up by Bernier off a shot by Sergei Kostitsyn. After being down 2-0, the Predators had scored five unanswered goals.
That 5-2 margin would be the final score of the game as the Predators played a complete game, being physical, aggressively forechecking to create offensive opportunities, and playing solid defense. These are the hockey characteristics that were vital to the Predators win.
The aspect of this game that doesn't show in the score sheet is the heart that the Predators displayed in winning this game. Down 2-0 to a team that had dominated them this season, it would have been easy to fold under the pressure. Instead, this team manned up and came back in the face of definite adversity.
Heart will be critical to continuing the winning streak and piling up points.
This team is built around heart and character. Continue to play like this, and this team will continue to win and lash future opponents.
My three stars:
1. Colin Wilson
2. Patric Hornqvist
3. Sergei Kostitsyn
The first period opened with both teams showing some good jump and generating some quality scoring chances. Anders Lindback and Jonathan Bernier were both challenged and both were equal to the task.
L.A. opened the contest trying to take the body and exert their physical will. Unlike the two previous tilts, the Predators answered the physical challenge and did a good job of skating hard and establishing a good forecheck. That effort resulted in some good scoring chances, but the Predators were unable to solve Bernier.
Anders Lindback fended off some good scoring chances by the Kings, holding off all 12 of the Kings shots. Bernier stopped all 11 shots he faced from the Predators.
Kyle Clifford tallied for the Kings at 2:16 of the second period as J.P. Dumont absorbed a thunderous hit and was struggling to get to the bench, effectively leaving the Predators a man down. Marco Sturm shot the puck off the wing, and Lindback made the initial save but gave up a big rebound that Clifford buried into an open net.
The Predators had a glorious scoring opportunity as Patric Hornqvist found Kevin Klein sneaking down the off wing and hit him with a perfect pass. Bernier managed to slide across the net and get a piece of the shot for a great save five minutes into the period.
The injury bug continued to bite the Predators as the lost Nick Spaling to an upper body injury in the early going of the second period.
Jarrett Stoll scored on the power play at 7:57 of the second with Francis Buillon in the box for interference. Stoll launched a bomb from the blue line that beat Lindback high over his glove side. Lindback had lost his goal stick, but it was not a factor in the play as the shot beat Lindback cleanly.
The Predators answered on a power play of their own at 9:57. Ryan Suter wound up for what appeared to be a slap shot, but instead delivered a nice slap pass to Colin Wilson who was alone at the side of the net. Wilson re-directed the pass past Bernier for his 10th goal of the season to cut the deficit to 2-1.
This goal was critical for the Predators to stave off the momentum of the Kings and keep themselves in the contest.
Marek Svatos would tally his first goal as a Predator at 10:19 as Colin Wilson took a shot coming down the wing that Bernier kicked out off his pads. The rebound came to Svatos, who was driving the net and was able to put the rebound past an out of position Bernier.
The Predators had taken a punch from the Kings. In their previous contests, they did not answer. Tonight, they answered.
The Predators went back to the power play with Matt Greene in the box for interference and made the Kings pay for their transgression. Colin Wilson walked in off the half boards and cranked a shot low along the ice. Patric Hornqvist was camped- where else- at the top of the crease and re-directed the shot past Bernier for his 12th goal of the season at 14:28.
After back and forth play, including a fight between Francis Buillon and Wayne Simmonds that left Buillon with a broken nose, the period ended with the Predators on top 3-2.
The third period opened with more of the back and forth play between the teams, with each team looking for the other to break. The Kings were the first to crack under the pressure as Sergei Kostitsyn whistled a wrist shot toward Bernier. Bernier got a piece of the shot but not enough to stop it, and the puck slid in the net just inside the far post to extend the Predators lead to 4-2 at 9:10 of the third period. This was Kostitsyn's 10th goal of the season.
That off season signing of Kostitsyn by GM David Poile looks mighty good right now.
Patric Hornqvist tallied his second goal at 15:33 of the third period as he buried a rebound given up by Bernier off a shot by Sergei Kostitsyn. After being down 2-0, the Predators had scored five unanswered goals.
That 5-2 margin would be the final score of the game as the Predators played a complete game, being physical, aggressively forechecking to create offensive opportunities, and playing solid defense. These are the hockey characteristics that were vital to the Predators win.
The aspect of this game that doesn't show in the score sheet is the heart that the Predators displayed in winning this game. Down 2-0 to a team that had dominated them this season, it would have been easy to fold under the pressure. Instead, this team manned up and came back in the face of definite adversity.
Heart will be critical to continuing the winning streak and piling up points.
This team is built around heart and character. Continue to play like this, and this team will continue to win and lash future opponents.
My three stars:
1. Colin Wilson
2. Patric Hornqvist
3. Sergei Kostitsyn
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