Josi's Two Power Play Goals Leads the Predators Over the Bruins

The Nashville Predators needed to play a solid game and get a win to boost their confidence and break out of the funk they have been in recently.

The Boston Bruins were just what the Predators needed to accomplish those goals.

Roman Josi had a monster game, scoring two power play goals. Viktor Arvidsson added the game winner in the third period and Carter Hutton made 15 saves as the Predators defeated the Bruins 3-2 at TD Garden.

Down 1-0 off a goal by Kevin Miller, Josi beat Jonas Gustavsson short side top shelf to tie the game.

After Loui Eriksson gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead, Josi struck again on the power play. He stole a clearing attempt by Zdeno Chara and drove the net, turning Gustavsson inside out before burying the puck into a wide open net.

Viktor Arvidsson notched the game winner as he drove in the low slot, got Gustavsson to commit, and then patiently pulled the puck back and slapped it into the open net.

The Predators were able to hold off the Bruins, who had the extra attacker for the final 1:43 of the game to secure the win.

Some observations:

• Man, if the Predators didn't have bad luck, they would have no luck at all. Kevin Miller's shot hits Roman Josi and deflects into the net. Eventually, the Predators puck luck has to change. Doesn't it?
• Roman Josi has as good of a shot as anyone on the team. His power play goal was perfectly placed to the top corner. Josi has to be a serious candidate for the Norris Trophy this season if he continues to play at the level he has in this first quarter of the season. Josi now has a 4 game point streak. His second goal of the game was an absolute beauty, taking the puck into the slot and deking Gustavsson out of his jock.
• The Predators penalty kill continues to struggle. The goal by Eriksson was just too easy as he was alone at the side of the net. Granted, the Bruins have the number one power play in the NHL, but this goal was a cake walk. I don't know why this unit, that has traditionally been in the top 25% of the of the PK units in the NHL, has lost their focus or their mojo or whatever, but it has to be addressed and improved quickly.
• You really wonder how players like Zac Rinaldo are even in the League. He brings nothing to the game except dangerous hits and questionable play.
• Colin Wilson had several good chances in close but could not bury a shot. Look up the definition of "snake bitten" in the dictionary and you will see a picture of Wilson. I do appreciate the fact that the coaches are sticking with Wilson and giving him a chance to get his game on track, but Wilson has to get it going soon. The team needs his production and the only way to get his game going is to play his way out of this brutal slump.
• I continue to like the play of Viktor Arvidsson. You can just see his game continuing to mature and he is willing to go to the tough areas to battle for the puck and get shots on net. The Aardvark was rewarded for his efforts with the go ahead goal in the third period by going to the slot and exhibiting great patience to draw Gustavsson out of the net before potting the goal into the empty net once the Bruins tender was out of position. He has goals in two consecutive games.
• Calle Jarnkrok centered the first line and he played a very solid game. Jarnkrok has quietly grown in his game. He is the Predators leading goal scorer among the forwards since the 1st of November and is very solid in the defensive zone. The Predators definitely won the deal with the Red Wings when they acquired Jarnkrok for David Legwand.
• The Predators were 2-5-2 coming into this game. Needless to say, this was a much needed win.
• The Predators defense did an exceptional job of limiting the Bruins scoring chances, holding them to 17 shots for the entire game. The Predators had 33 shots.
• The Predators were 2 of 7 on the power play. They were able to kill 2 of 3 power play chances by the Bruins.
• 5 of the last 7 goals that the Predators have scored have been by defensemen (Weber with 3; Josi with 2). The other 2 goals? The Aardvark, Viktor Arvidsson.
• Carter Hutton played his best game in a while. He was positionally sound, controlled rebounds, and looked poised in net. Hutton can get scrambly at times, but not tonight. Perhaps most importantly, he didn't give up the goal off the long unscreened shot from the blue line. You certainly can't fault him on the Bruins first goal, a deflection off a Predator that changed direction.

This was a solid 60 minute game by the Predators, one they had to have to try to reverse their fortunes.

Now they have to bring it again in their next game tomorrow night.

My three stars:

1. Roman Josi

2. Viktor Arvidsson

3. Shea Weber

Bruins Stop the Predators Win Streak With a 5-3 Victory

The Nashville Predators traveled to TD Garden to take on the Boston Bruins in their final meeting of the year. The Predators captured a 3-2 shootout win in their first meeting in Nashville.

Pekka Rinne got a rest and Carter Hutton got his fourth start of the season for the Predators, while the Bruins had Tuukka Rask in net. Hutton was looking for his first win of the season.

The Predators came into the contest having gone 7-3 in their last 10 games and winning three straight. The Bruins are 3-5-2 in their last ten games.

The Predators were looking for a fast start to take the home crowd out of the game.

They didn't get it

Brad Marchand roofed a shot from the slot over the shoulder of Hutton to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead at 2:01 of the first period.

But this is the Predators and they answered back at 7:35 of the first as Colin Wilson took a pass from James Neal and put a backhand top shelf to tie the game at 1.

David Krejci blew a puck past Hutton from the face off circle on the power play to make it 2-1 at 9:35 of the first period.

Calle Jarnkrok stole the puck from Gregory Campbell at the Bruins blue line and whipped a puck through the legs of Dennis Seidenberg and past Rask to tie the game at 2 at 11:31 of the first.

A back and forth first period that saw both teams play to a draw degenerated into a second period controlled by the Bruins

The Bruins took a 3-2 lead at 5:52 of the second as Loui Eriksson took a pass and was all alone at the side of the net and roofed a shot over Hutton, who had no chance on the play.

Brad Marchand scored his second goal off a pass that was deflected across the slot and he had a wide open net into which to shoot the puck. His goal came at 10:51 of the second period.

The third period opened with the Predators on the power play, and as usual, they di nothing with the man advantage.

The Predators did not help their cause as the power play ended and James Neal took a penalty for slashing and an extra two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.

The Predators did a good job on the penalty kill and were able to snuff out the Bruins scoring chances and managed two shorthanded shots on goal.

The Predators got to within one goal as Taylor Beck beat Rask over the shoulder at 6:48 of the third period.

That was all the Predators could muster and Loui Eriksson sealed the win with an empty net goal with 33 seconds remaining for a 5-3 win.


Some observations:

• Craig Smith remained on the top line with Mike Ribeiro and Filip Forsberg. Smith has shown a lot of jump in his game while on that line and has tallied three goals in two contests on the top line.
• Goodness, I like the play of Colin Wilson this season. he is playing smart hockey and taking the puck to the net. he is using his physical skills to create scoring chances and more importantly, he is finishing those chances this season. He just looks more confident on the ice and is playing his best hockey since he has been in the League.
• Mattias Ekholm assisted on the first two Predator goals and has been playing some solid hockey of late. His defensive game is sound and he has shown some offensive flair. He has settled in with Ryan Ellis to form a solid second D pairing.
• The Predators offense did not have a lot of jump. Just 10 shots on goal through two periods, and the Bruins did a great job of forechecking and disrupting their offensive flow. I know they played the night before and may have been a bit leg weary, but the Predators are going to have several back to backs after the Christmas break and they are going to have to play through that fatigue.
• I like Carter Hutton, but he just doesn't look confident in net. His play all night was scrambly, and he was almost caught out of position a couple of times. I know he didn't have a chance on two of the Bruins goals, but he has to make some stops when the team needs them. The fact is that Hutton is going to have to get some wins for this team.
• James Neal lost control in the third period. Not only did he take a selfish unsportsmanlike conduct penalty but he also got tagged with a 10 minute misconduct that effectively eliminated his services in the third period. He cannot commit those kinds of out of control plays and be a leader that this team needs. Neal had 14 of the 18 penalty minutes the Predators collected in the game.
• The Bruins have a good young defenseman in Dougie Hamilton. I really like the way he plays the game. He is smart and physical and will be a fixture on the blue line for the Bruins for a long time.
• Taylor Beck and Calle Jarnkrok continue to play some solid hockey. They are both strong on the puck and play full tilt when they are on the ice. It's fun to watch these young players grow in their roles.
• The Predators power play is just horrid. That unit looks disorganized and just doesn't have any flow once they get in the zone. I know that I continually harp on this, but it is apparent that this unit has not come close to developing any chemistry, and that is going to be a problem for this team.
• As flat as the Predators were in the first two periods and especially in the second, they were dominant in the third. They controlled the puck for long stretches in the offensive zone and created some great scoring chances with their speed and puck possession. Unfortunately, they waited until the third period to begin playing this way.
• The Predators were a woeful 24 of 64 in the faceoff circle.

The Predators certainly didn't have their best game, but they did show some fight, especially in the third period.

Now they get some much needed time off for the holidays.

Time to get back to their winning ways on Saturday against the Flyers.

My three stars:

1. Brad Marchand

2.Patrice Bergeron

3. Calle Jarnkrok