Predators Potent Offense Pours in 6 Goals Against the Avalanche

The Nashville Predators continued their road trip with a stop in Denver for their second meeting of the season against the Colorado Avalanche. The Predators looked to continue their new found scoring prowess against an Avalanche team that possessed and explosive offense of their own.

Carter Hutton got the start for the Predators, while the Avalanche had Semyon Varlamov in net.

The Predators had to wonder if this was going to be one of those games where they were snake bitten as they hit three posts early in the first period.

The Predators finally broke through at 13:12 of the period as Viktor Stalberg forced a turnover off his forecheck and took a pass from behind the net from Colin Wilson and buried the shot past Varlamov for his first goal of the season.

The Avs answered back at 15:23 off a 2 on 1 break. P.A. Parenteau took a pass from Matt Duchene and beat Hutton, who had no chance on the shot. The play was set up when Seth Jones took the puck deep in the offensive zone and had his pass intercepted, starting the break for the Avs.

The Avs continued the trend of cheap shots as Jamie McGinn left his feet and boarded Seth Jones. Jones left the game and went to the locker room after the dirty hit.

On the ensuing power play, Colin Wilson dug the puck out from the side of the net and got it to Craig Smith. Smith roofed the shot over the shoulder of Varlamov and under the crossbar to give the Predators a 2-1 lead at 19:07 of the period.

Fortunately for the Predators, Jones was able to return to the game.

At the end of the first period, the Predators held a 2-1 lead and out shot the avalanche 10-9.

The Avs tied the game at 2 at 2:15 of the second period off a 3 on 2 rush. Ryan O'Reilly took a drop pass from P.A. Parenteau and fired a shot over the shoulder of Hutton to knot the game.

Just 59 seconds later, Paul Gaustad re-directed a Filip Forsberg shot to give the Predators a 3-2 lead at 3:14. Gaustad was right in front of Varlamov creating havoc and was able to get the shaft of his stick on the shot to deflect it.

The Predators extended their lead to 4-2 on the power play as Ryan Ellis faked a shot from the point and found Colin Wilson breaking in on the weak side with a perfect pass. Wilson banged the puck into the open net at 6:47 for his second goal of the year. Avery heads up play by both Ellis and Wilson.

The Avs made it 4-3 at 13:37 as Paul Stastny drove the slot and took a pass from Jamie McGinn and his wrist shot beat Hutton on the stick side.

The Predators survived a too many men on the ice penalty and exited the second period with the 4-3 lead. Shots were 9 apiece in the second.

Colorado tied the game at 4 at 4:23 as the Predators turned the puck over at the offensive blue line as fillip Forsberg lost the puck. Matt Duchene picked up the loose puck and blew into the offensive zone. Duchene split Kevin Klein and Roman Josi and beat Hutton over his shoulder.

See a trend here? The Predators gave up too many goals on odd man rushes or breakaways to this point in the game.

The Predators answered back as Viktor Stalberg stole the puck in the offensive zone and found Colin Wilson streaking toward the net. Wilson beat Varlamov with a sweet backhand to give the Predators a 5-4 lead at 7:34 of the third period.

As the period wound down, the Avs pulled Varlamov for the extra attacker. The Predators controlled the puck in the defensive zone and David Legwand got the puck to Gabriel Bourque in the neutral zone. Bourque skated in a fired the puck into the empty net for a 6-4 lead at 19:52 to seal the win.

Some observations:

• This team is beginning to play with confidence in the offensive zone. In previous seasons, this team has appeared to be unwilling to shoot the puck. This group is doing a good job of working for the open shot and more importantly taking the shot. And they have been very efficient in the offensive zone, which is a pleasant surprise.

• Viktor Stalberg had his best game as a Predator. He was active in the offensive zone, picking up a goal and an assist and played a solid defensive game as well. Hopefully, this gives him confidence and his game begins to consistently produce.

• The Predators were guilty of some very sloppy play. They gave the Avs all their goals off transitions and breakaways. Credit the Avs- they are talented and attack in waves, but the Predators are going to have to play better defense and limit turnovers.

• Who would have thought this team could- or would- be this offensively productive? In the first 3 games of this road trip, the Predators have scored 14 goals. Certainly not "offensively challenged" against some very good teams to begin this roadie.

• The Predators were without Mike Fisher, who hurt his foot in the previous game against L.A. The team also announced that Pekka Rinne has an e-coli infection in his hip and will miss 6-8 weeks instead of the 4 weeks originally estimated.

This was a solid win against one of the best teams in the NHL in this young season. More importantly, the Predators have shown some resiliency and fight by not wilting in the face of pressure from a very good opponent.

This team is beginning to show their potential and it looks promising.

They have to consistently build on that potential.

My three stars:

1. Colin Wilson

2. Viktor Stalberg

3. Matt Duchene

Predators Get Much Needed Win Over Colorado

The Nashville Predators faced the Colorado Avalanche for the third and final time this season and for the first time on their home ice.

It was a game the Predators needed badly to keep their playoff hopes alive. A win would also keep the Avs from sweeping the season series with the Predators.

The Predators prevailed 3-1 in a contest that was anything but easy.

Pekka Rinne dueled with J.S. Giguere, and for the first 40 minutes of the contest, both goalies were perfect.

The third period saw an avalanche (sorry, I couldn't resist) of goals, with the Avs getting on the board first just 1:01 into the period. Matt Duchene took a puck at his own blue line and raced past the Predators defense that was attacking in the offensive zone. Duchene buried the breakaway attempt, beating Rinne low glove side to give the Avalanche the lead at 1-0.

The Predators power play had been struggling, going 0 for their previous 15 attempts. That changed when the Avs Brad Malone was called for high sticking at 8:01 of the third. Shea Weber fired the puck toward the net with Taylor Beck and Patric Hornqvist in front. The Predators got the puck past Giguere, but the goal was reviewed because it looked as if Beck had kicked the puck in the net. The review showed that the puck had gone off Beck's skate and Hornqvist got his stick on the puck to poke it past Giguere and tie the game at 1.

The Predators took a 2-1 lead as David Legwand out muscled Matt Duchene behind the net and got the puck out front for a shot. Giguere made the save but Legwand got the rebound and shot the puck between the pads of Giguere at 18:46 for his 10th goal of the season.

Paul Gaustad got an empty net goal at 19:45 to make it 3-1 and seal the win for the Predators.

Some observations:

Goose Golden

Paul Gaustad logged 20:49 of ice time, the most of any forward. He played some tough minutes and was a stellar 10 of 24 in the face off circle. Goose is logging critical minutes in all situations, is defensively responsible, and his effort in the face off circle allowed the Predators to control the puck, often in the defensive zone. Goose will never light up the scoreboard, but his contributions go far beyond scoring goals.  

This Is What We Need To See...

Out of David Legwand. His goal came from out working Matt Duchene for the puck and making a strong move to the net. Legwand has the ability to contribute more offensively, and with the injuries the Predators have suffered, Legwand has to bring this kind of effort in the remaining games. Hopefully, Legwand builds on this effort and can continue to contribute offensively.

Gotta Have More

Craig Smith had no shots on goal. Sergei Kostitsyn had one. Marty Erat had three, but passed up some shots. The players have offensive ability, and it is going to be important for them to get on the score sheet. It would benefit the Predators greatly if these guys could develop a scorer's mentality and touch.

The MASH Unit Gets Larger

The Predators have been without the services of Colin Wilson for some time. Mike Fisher missed his third consecutive game. Tonight, Gabriel Bourque was out of the line up with an upper body injury suffered in last night's game with the Blackhawks. I am not sure that we will see Wilson before the regular season is over, but it will greatly bolster the Predators chances if they can get Fisher and Bourque back quickly.

At Your Beck And Call

Taylor Beck had two assists tonight, and has 6 points in his last six games. Beck's game is using his big body to get in front of the net and create havoc (his spin-o-rama to the net tonight notwithstanding). He has contributed some solid minutes and some valuable points, and as his game matures will hopefully become a bigger contributor.

Final Thoughts

The Predators sit in 9th place with 38 points and a 15-14-8 record. 8th place St. Louis also has 38 points, but has two games in hand. With 12 games remaining, I think the Predators are going to have to win at least 9 to get into the playoffs.

Can they do it?

It is a monumental task, but if this team brings the effort like they did tonight, there is a chance. The Predators fired 38 shots on goal and continued to pressure the Avs in their zone. They have to have that kind of effort over the next 12 games.

The challenge is there.

We will find out if this team is up to it.

My three stars:

1. Patric Hornqvist

2. David Legwand

3. Taylor Beck
 

Predators Lock Up 4th Seed in the West, Bury the Avalanche 6-1

The Nashville Predators traveled to the Pepsi Center to take on the Colorado Avalanche in the last- and thankfully- anticlimactic- game of the regular season. Thanks to Detroit's shootout loss earlier in the day, the Predators entered the game knowing they had locked up the 4th seed in the Western Conference and home ice for the first round of the playoffs.

With that in mind, Head Coach Barry Trotz decided to rest some of his starters, giving the night off to Pekka Rinne, Mike Fisher, Marty Erat, Hal Gill, and Francis Bouillon.

Anders Lindback got the start in net, and the Avalanche went with J.S. Giguere.

Regardless of the fact they had clinched the 4th seed, the Predators still wanted to play a solid game and they knew the Avalanche, who had missed the playoffs, would want to give their home crowd something to cheer about in their last game of the season.

The Predators opened the scoring at 3:39 of the first period as Gabriel Bourque worked hard in the Avs zone on the boards and was able to control the puck in spite of the defensive pressure. He spun and found David Legwand in the slot, and Legwand's wrist shot beat Giguere to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

The Avs tied the game at 8:09 of the first period as they swarmed the Predators net on a 3 on 2 rush. Lindback made 2 stops but Matt Duchene buried the third attempt, lifting the puck over a sprawled Lindback and under the crossbar.

The Predators had a glorious scoring chance with a 2 on 1 rush by Craig Smith and Matt Halischuk, but Smith's pass to Halsichuk was tipped away at the last second. Halsichuk did not give up on the play, and retrieved the puck in the corner and got it to Smith, who ripped a slap shot off Giguere and into the net for his 14th goal of the season. The score came at 12:10, and it is good to see the Honey Badger contributing when he is getting ice time.

The Predators stretched their lead to 3-1 when Kevin Klein took a shot from the blue line that deflected off the stick of Patric Hornqvist and past Giguere with just 1.2 seconds remaining on the clock in the first period.This was Hornqvist's 27th goal of the season.

Solid start?

Check.

The Avs out shot the Predators 14-12 in the first period, and Lindback had some big saves to thwart some good scoring chances by Colorado.

The second period saw the Avs take it to the Predators. They dominated play and fired numerous shots on the Predators net. Lindback had to make some big saves to keep the Avs from tallying a score that would have put them back in the game. The Avs dominance was such that they out shot the Predators 16-3 through the first 16 minutes of the second.

The Predators opportunistically struck at 16:09 of the second as Craig Smith found Roman Josi pinching in from his defensive position and fed a great pass to him at the side of the net. Josi made no mistake, finding the back of the net on just the Predators 4th shot of the period.

With 14 seconds to go in the period, Craig Smith saved a goal by hooking Matt Duchene, who was looking at a wide  open net off a rebound given up by Lindback.

The second period ended with the Predators being out shot 17-9, and they would be on the penalty kill to begin the third. For the Predators, it was important to come out and play a solid 20 minutes of hockey and put this game in the books.

The Predators killed off the penalty to open the third period, and as the power play ended, Lindback kicked out a long rebound that sent Brandon Yip on a breakaway. Yip was stopped by Giguere, but the Predators kept control of the puck. Patric Hornqvist battled for the puck and got it back to Yip, who banked the puck off Giguere and into the net off the wrap around to make it 5-1 Predators at 1:57 of the third period.

How sweet this goal must have been for the Yipper.

Shortly thereafter, Lindback collided with both Jack Hillen and Ryan Ellis as well as Cody McLeod of the Avs and was injured on the play. Pekka Rinne had to come into the game as Lindback was taken back to the dressing room.

Matt Halischuk stole the puck and broke in on a 2 on 1 and rather that pass (!) picked the short side over the shoulder and buried the shot to give the Predators a 6-1 lead at 6:20 of the third period. For Halischuk, this was his 15th goal of the season.

 The remainder of the period was spent playing some wide open shinny as both teams went up and down the ice, but neither could find the back of the net, and the 6-1 score was a final.

The Predators were out shot by a wide margin, 45-29, but the count that mattered was the goals scored.

For the Predators, this was a good tune up for the playoffs. More importantly, the young guys that were inserted into the line up played with jump and determination, a good sign that they have a lot of fight in them for those coveted- and limited- roster spots with the playoffs upcoming.

The Predators finish the regular season with a 48-26-8 record, good for 104 points and cleanly in 4th place in the West. Pekka Rinne had more wins than any other goaltender in the NHL.

Those accolades are great.

Now the real season starts.

My three stars:

1. Craig Smith

2. Anders Lindback

3. Roman Josi

Predators Win Ugly, Defeat the Avalanche 5-3

Sometimes when a team notches a win, it is a thing of beauty; sometimes it is ugly. Tonight, the Nashville Predators won ugly over the Colorado Avalanche by a 5-3 margin. Fortunately, they don't give style points for a victory as this was not the prettiest win for the Predators.

The Predators came out flying and took the play to the Avalanche. The Predators tilted the ice in their favor in the first period, outshooting the Avalanche 10-4. It was the Avalanche that drew first blood, however, as the Predators gave up a goal at 11:05 as Kevin Porter beat Jerred Smithson in the low slot and poked a puck past Pekka Rinne to give the Avs a 1-0 lead.

At this point, the game had the feel of the debacle against Edmonton, as in both games, the Predators dominated on the shot count and controlled the play only to find themselves in a 1-0 hole. The Avs netminder, Peter Budaj, had stood on his head up to this point and had managed to keep the Predators off the board.

Unlike the Edmonton game, the Predators would answer the Colorado tally, and they would do so just 11 seconds after the Avs found the net. Shea Weber would fire a wrist shot that would beat Budaj to tie the game at 11:16 for his 11th goal of the season. On the play, newly acquired Mike Fisher was screening Budaj at the top of the paint and because of his work, Budaj never saw the puck until it was in the net.

The trend of outshooting the Avs would continue in the second period for the Predators as the Predators would dominate the shot total by an 18-5 margin. One knew that with this many shots on net, Budaj would eventually break and give up a score.

The Predators got that break at 4:36 of the second period as Martin Erat would tally on the power play. Erat took a shot from close in that squeezed through the pads of Budaj and was lying in the blue paint just behind the Avs goalie. Erat continued to fish for the puck and was able to get his stick on it and drive it into the net for a 2-1 Predators lead.

Colorado would tie the game on another defensive breakdown by the Predators. David Jones would get the puck and walk out of the corner unmolested as both Cody Franson and Shane O'Brien broke the defensive coverage. Jones would have an unmolested shot that beat Rinne under his outstretched pad to tie the game at 9:13.

Colorado would take the lead at 2:54 of the third period on Matt Duchene's 21st goal of the season. Duchene ripped a slap shot from the face off circle that beat an unscreened Rinne to the stick side. This was definitely a goal that Rinne would like to have back.

I have often questioned the mental toughness of the Predators- their ability to bounce back in the course of a game when faced with adversity. Tonight, the Predators answered the question about their mental toughness.

The Predators would get the tying goal at 4:11 of the third as David Legwand controlled a puck behind the Avalanche goal. Legwand found Patric Hornqvist, who had worked back into the low slot to give himself some space. Legwand looked off the defense and found Hornqvist with a nice pass. Hornqvist ripped a ont timer that beat Budaj glove side to tie the game at 3.

The game went back and forth as both teams generated some chances. The Predators would break through at 17:30 of the third when Cody Franson snapped a quick shot from almost straight away at the blue line in front of Budaj. The puck squirted through the pads of the Avs netminder to give the Predators a 4-3 lead.

The Predators would ice the game at 19:14 as David Legwand took a pass from Mike Fisher and hit an empty net goal to make the final margin 5-3. With the assist, Fisher recorded his first point as a Predator.

The Predators outshot the Avs 39-18, and their offensive zone presence was strong. As the game went on, you had to believe that with this kind of effort, the Predators were going to break through and find the net. Budaj made some great saves, but the Predators were relentless on the attack. This kind of effort will usually lead to wins.

With the win, the Predators now are 30-19-7, good for 67 points and they currently sit at 4th in the Western Conference.

The Predators killed off both Colorado penalties, and now have allowed only one goal in the last 23 shorthanded chances. This is the kind of play that will lead to victories- gritty, detailed, and with maximum effort.

The Western Conference remains a dog fight. Some nights, you have to win ugly and get the points. That is what the Predators did tonight. They fought back and refused to relent to a desperate team.

The upcoming week brings three tough opponents to the Bridgestone Arena. It doesn't matter how pretty the wins might be.

Just get them and the all important points.

My three stars:

1. Martin Erat

2. David Legwand

3. Cody Franson

Predators Bury the Avalanche 5-1

The Nashville Predators continued their six game road trip with a contest against the Colorado Avalanche, a team that plays wide open and with speed. The Avs are chasing the Predators in the standings by two points, and this contest shaped up on paper to be a significant test for the visitors.

On paper.

The game is played on the ice, and it is there that the Predators dominated.

The Avalanche defense often pinches in the offensive zone- a high risk, high reward style of play. That type of play created an odd man rush for the Predators early in the contest as the line of Marcel Goc, Martin Erat, and Sergei Kostitsyn broke out on a 3 on 2 rush. Goc slid a pass to Erat, who fired a cross ice pass to Kostitsyn. SK74 picked a corner with his wrist shot and pinged the puck off the post to beat Colorado netminder Craig Anderson to give the Predators an early 1-0 lead just 3:15 into the contest.

The Avs responded with good pressure, and Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne made some excellent saves to keep the advantage for the Predators. Rinne was solid in net, good at tracking the puck and moving well. His consistently outstanding play bodes well for the fortunes of the Predators.

The Predators stretched the lead to 2-0 at 16:37 of the first period as Cody Franson took a cue from the Avalanche defensemen and pinched in to the offensive zone. The puck came to him in the faceoff circle and he fired a wrister that beat Anderson through traffic high glove side and top corner.

The Predators have struggled in times past with slow starts. Not tonight. They were opportunistic and skated well, and the scoreboard reflected their effort.

One knew that the Avalanche would respond, and they did in the second period, controlling the puck for lengthy stretches in the offensive zone. The Avs appeared to have scored on a Ryan Stoa put back attempt as his shot went between Rinne and the post. The on-ice officials ruled no goal and play continued until the Predators iced the puck.

At the stoppage, the play was reviewed. For a very long time. Television reviews seemed to show that the puck crossed the goal line, but the war room in Toronto ruled that the puck did not completely cross the goal line and was therefore no goal.








What appeared to be a 2-1 contest was still 2-0 Predators, and the momentum shifted from the Avalanche to the Predators, as they were able to turn back the pressure the Avs brought and start to generate offense of their own.

While neither team scored in the second period, the stage was set for an explosive third period.

There was an explosion. From the Predators, as they tallied three times to ice a big win.

Matt Halischuk got his first goal as a Predator at 2:05 of the third period as his line created some good scoring chances in the offensive zone. Halischuk grabbed a loose puck and swooped behind the net and beat Anderson to the post with a wrap around on a great hustle play by the youngster.

David Legwand and Colin Wilson would again catch the Colorado D pinching and make them pay. Legwand and Wilson broke in on Anderson, with Wilson driving the net and drawing the defense to him. Legwand snapped off a shot across his body from just inside the faceoff circle that beat Anderson on the far side post. This was Legwand's 6th goal of the season, and it is great to see him contributing offensively.

The Predators offensive outburst in the period was capped off by an absolutely sick goal by Colin Wilson. Wilson took the puck with speed into the offensive zone, dangled around a defender, and lifted a quick backhand over the shoulder of Anderson. Highlight reel goal by Wilson, whose game is getting stronger as the season unfolds.

Matt Duchene would break the shutout as he was alone in front of Rinne and would firs a forehand that Rinne stopped with his pad. Duchene had time to gather in the rebound and lift the follow up shot over Rinne's pads for the lone Colorado goal.

From start to finish, this was a solid game by the Predators. There were times during the game where the Avs controlled play in the Predators offensive zone. Rinne cleaned up mistakes with some big saves, and the Predators did a great job of counter punching the Avs offensive effort and made them pay for their high risk style of play.

The Predators are now 26-16-6 and in sole possession of fourth place in the Western Conference with 58 points. Tonight's contest was a "four point" game for the Predators. Lose, and Colorado ties you with 56 points. With the win, the Predators are 4 points ahead of the Avs.

There are more tough games ahead. The importance of this road swing cannot be overstated given the jumble of teams that are vying for playoff positioning.

The effort that has been shown in the last two games has got to continue.

If it does, you will bury some more teams.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Cody Franson

3. Matt Halishcuk