Predators Scrap Out An OT Win Over the Stars

The Nashville Predators and the Dallas Stars met at the Bridgestone Arena, and if this is a preview of the conference rivalry these two teams will have after re-alignment, the intensity will be off the charts.

The Predators won a wild affair in overtime by a 5-4 margin.

The game featured several fights, chipiness, and overall animosity between the two teams.

Pekka Rinne was in net for the Predators, and 3 of the 4 goals scored by the Stars were goals where Rinne didn't get much help.

Christopher Nilstorp was in net for the Stars, and he had a rough night as well.

The Predators opened the scoring at 14:43 of the first period as Sergei Kostitsyn dug a puck out of the corner a got the puck to Rich Clune. Clune got the puck and quickly got the puck out of the opposite corner to Craig Smith, who was cruising down the slot. Smith re-directed the puck the puck past Nilstorp to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

Neither team tallied again, and the Predators held a 8-6 shot advantage in a period that saw both teams probing the defense and trying to establish their offense.

That would change in a wild second period that saw numerous penalties handed out against both teams. The Stars tied the game a 1 at 1:20 of the second period as David Legwand lost coverage and Matt Fraser was left alone in the face off circle. His shot went past a screened Rinne and gave momentum back to the Stars.

Just 15 seconds later, the Stars took a 2-1 lead as Reilly Smith abused Scott Hannan to get free in front of the net and was able to chip the puck over the pad of Rinne at 1:35 of the second.

Roman Josi would tie the game at 2 at 3:10 of the period as his blast from the blue line beat Nilstorp through traffic.

With Marty Erat in the box for holding, Mike Fisher took a double minor for high sticking on the penalty kill. The Predators got Erat out of the box, but with 2:08 left on Fisher's penalty, Vernon Fiddler beat Rinne cleanly with a slap shot from just inside the face off circle to make it 3-2 Stars at 7:29 of the second.

With the Stars still on the power play, Loui Eriksson beat Rinne at 9:21 of the second to make it 4-2.

The game was quickly getting out of hand for the Predators, but they got a 5 on 3 power play as Eric Nystrom fought Brandon Yip and was also called for unsportsmanlike conduct at 11:45. Vernon Fiddler got a double minor for roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct at 12:24. The Predators made the Stars pay as Patric Hornqvist got his second goal of the year, corralling the puck at the side of the crease and flipping it over the shoulder of Nilstorp to make it 4-3 at 13:43 of the second period.

Shea Weber was cut with a high stick, however, the officials deemed it was from the stick of one of his teammates. That was questionable, but the fact was that it angered Weber, and he went into beast mode and delivered some booming checks that seemed to energize the Predators.

Dallas out shot the Predators 13-10 in the second period.

In the third period, Mike Fisher took the puck on a rush and split two Stars defenders and beat Nilstorp with a backhand at 8:33 to tie the game at 4.

There was no more scoring in the period, but the Predators choked off the Stars offensive attack and peppered Nilstorp with shots. The Predators had 12 shots on net in the third period to 5 for the Stars.

The overtime lasted all of 28 seconds as Roman Josi wired a shot from the blue line over the shoulder of Nilstorp to give the Predators a much needed win.

Some observations:

• Roman Josi is quickly growing into a very solid blueliner. This was his first multi-point game, and he has shown adroitness in handling the puck as well as making good decisions. It bodes well for the Predators that he is beginning to score. My prediction: Josi will quickly make Predators fans forget about the departed duplicitous Ryan Suter.

• As good as Josi was tonight, Scott Hannan had a miserable game. Hannan was beaten badly by Reilly Smith for a goal, and he didn't look as confident or solid as he has in past games. This may have been due to playing with a new defense partner- Ryan Ellis, but for whatever reason, it was not his best effort.

• Good to see Fisher get on the score sheet, and he was scrapping and feisty. The Predators have to have this kind of effort and production from Fisher.

• Marty Erat had an assist, but his offensive effort has been non-existent in recent games. Marty did not register a shot on goal and has not been an offensive threat for a while. The Predators have to have production, creativity, and shots from Erat. Right now, this is not happening.

This was a much needed win for the Predators before they head out for a West coast road swing. Scoring five goals should- hopefully- give the boys some confidence.

They will need it.

The road will not be easy.

My three stars:

1. Roman Josi

2. Michael Ryder

3.Patric Hornqvist

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

Predators Season Sliding Away, Fall to Stars 3-2

The Nashville Predators are watching their season slowly- and painfully- slip away. The slide continued today with a 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars in the American Airlines Arena.

The Predators cannot catch a break, and they cannot manufacture enough offense to overcome a single mistake. This is a team that cannot seem to do anything positive to reverse their slide, wasting another solid goaltending effort by Pekka Rinne. Rinne made some amazing saves or the score would not have been as close as it was.

Tom Wandell scored the only goal of the first period, beating Rinne with a wrist shot high glove side.

The Predators would score two second period goals to take a 2-1 lead into the intermission. Ryan Suter would open the scoring at 5:00 of the period as he followed his shot and poked the rebound past Kari Lehtonen. Colin Wilson would score on a great hustle play at 13:32 as he beat a Dallas defenseman to gather in a rebound of a Cody Franson shot and knock a backhand past Lehtonen.

The wheels would start to come off (again!) in the third period for the Predators. Alex Goligoski flipped what appeared to be a harmless wrist shot from the point toward the net. The puck hit Jonathan Blum, took a crazy bounce, and hopped over the pads of Rinne for the tying goal.

It is apparent that the hockey gods are pissed at the Predators after a goal like that.

With the Predators down a man on a boarding call to Shea Weber, the Predators had a glorious scoring chance as David Legwand and Joel Ward broke in 2 on 1. Legwand flipped a nice saucer pass to Ward, who fanned on the shot. The Stars turned the puck back up the ice and Loui Eriksson buried a re-directed shot for the final margin of victory.

The Predators generated some pressure in the waning moments of the contest, but could not get a puck past Lehtonen.

The Predators have now lost four games in a row and have fallen from 4th in the West to 10th. This skid comes at the most inopportune time as teams are now starting to separate and establish playoff positioning. The Predators have been streaky all season, and if they are going to have a shot at the playoffs, the streak has to end now.

The offensive production of this team is struggling, and the players counted on to carry the load are not doing so. This team has the annoying tendency to watch Rinne bail them out time and again. As we have seen during this skid, one mistake is all it takes to wind up in a hole that this offense cannot overcome. The attack mode of the offense has disappeared, and it has been evident- painfully- during this losing streak.

How does it turn around?

When this team was winning games, they shot the puck and crashed the net. They scored dirty goals. They skated hard and forechecked aggressively, creating offensive opportunities.

It's time to get back to the basics, boys.

It is time to realize that your season is on the line. You can play yourselves back into playoff contention or you can watch your season go down the toilet. You can go balls to the wall or you can sit back and hope your goaltender steals a game.

I, for one, am tired of seeing you piss your season away. I hope you are, too.

The choice is yours.

My three stars:

1. Kari Lehtonen

2. Loui Eriksson

3. Ryan Suter

Wounded Predators Waste a Solid Effort Against the Stars

The Nashville Predators depleted lineup gave the Dallas Stars a challenge before falling 4-2 at the Bridgestone Arena. With this loss, the Nashville Predators have dropped 5 straight games.

The Predators were missing five forwards, with David Legwand, Matthew Lombardi, Steve Sullivan, and Martin Erat all out due to injury. Jordin Tootoo is out of the lineup since checking in to the League's substance abuse program.

Steve "Cheap Shot" Ott opened the scoring for the Stars at 4:39 of the second period after taking a nice backhand pass from Loui Erikkson. Ott tapped the puck home past an out of position Pekka Rinne to give the Stars a 1-0 lead.

The Predators would answer on the power play at 19:00 minutes of the second as Colin Wilson was lurking around the net and put a shot over the pads of Andrew Raycroft. Wilson corralled a rebound off a shot from J.P. Dumont and slapped home the tying goal.

Through two periods, the Predators outshot the Stars by a margin of  34-15, but could not solve Raycroft. The Predators had numerous scoring chances, but could not finish their chances. This inability to finish scoring chances was going to come back to haunt the Predators in this contest.

Wilson would strike again for his second goal just 32 seconds into the third period as he lifted a backhand past Raycroft on a breakaway. For the first time in five games, the Predators would have a lead. This was a very solid game for Wilson, perhaps the best he has played in his young career.

That lead was short lived, however, as Loui Eriksson would score from the slot with a quick wrist shot that beat Rinne high over the glove side. Erikkson was able to take advantage of a breakdown in the defensive coverage and was alone in the low slot.

Dallas would take the lead at  8:18 of the third as Mark Fistric would let a shot go from the point that beat Rinne. That goal seemed to take all the air out of the Predators. Krys Barch would tally the fourth goal for the Stars at 10:05 as he crashed the net and beat Rinne with a wrist shot.

The Predators could not answer and fell for the fifth straight time. Dallas evened their record against Nashville to 1-1 for the season.

The Predators outshot the Stars 46-25 for the contest, but the inability to bury some quality scoring chances proved to be their undoing.

Chris Mueller made his NHL debut for the Predators, and logged 3:17 of ice time. Linus Klasen played his second game for the Predators and had 14:48 of ice time and two shots on goal.

The injuries have obviously taken a toll on the Predators, but tonight's contest brings home the point that the Predators have to take advantage of their chances offensively and cannot have any defensive lapses. Three Stars goals were the result of defensive coverage that broke down.

The Predators are a team that has no margin for error. Tonight, a few defensive errors cost them a much needed win. This game also points out the fact that the offense has to finish the scoring chances that they have. Give credit to Raycroft for 44 saves, but frankly, he is not that good of a goalie. Bury a few of the chances that you have, and the Predators run the Stars out of the building. Tonight, the Predators made the Stars look good.

This is a painful losing streak. The only way that you get out of this is to play hard and bring this kind of effort every night. Keep up this type of play, and this streak will be broken.

This is part of hockey. You have to play with the guys that put on the sweater and bring it every night. Keep up this kind of effort and the wins will come.

Wounded or not, the only way to end this losing streak is to play your way out of it.

My three stars:

1. Loui Erikkson

2. Colin Wilson

3. Andrew Raycroft