Predators Win a Wild One Over the Flames 6-5

The Nashville Predators offense can score against the Calgary Flames.

Unfortunately, the Predators defense can't seem to stop the Flames from scoring.

The Predators played a wild affair with the Flames at the ScotiaBank Saddledome that saw both teams light up the scoreboard and pull their starting goalies in a game that the Predators eventually won 6-5.

The Predators opened the game with good jump and skating well. That effort gave them a two goal lead as they tallied two goals just 49 seconds apart. Victor Bartley opened the scoring with a drive from outside the faceoff circle that beat Flames netminder Joni Ortio.. The play was set up by the speed of Craig Smith, who beat the Calgary defense down the ice and set up Bartley with a nice pass.

Bartley's first NHL goal came at 5:10 of the first period.

Shea Weber made it 2-0 as he drove the net and took a pass from Mike Fisher and lifted the puck over the shoulder of Ortio at 5:59 of the first.

The Flames scored on the power play with 34 seconds remaining in the first period as Kris Russell beat Pekka Rinne over the glove with a shot from the face off circle.

The Predators would notch two more goals in the second period. Michael Del Zotto hit Patric Hornqvist with a perfect lead pass that he re-directed past Ortio at 4:20 of the second to give the Predators a 3-1 lead.

That lead evaporated in just 51 seconds as the Flames scored two quick goals.

Mike Cammalleri scored at 6:23 and Jiri Hudler scored at 7:14. All of a sudden, the Predators had lost control of momentum and of the game.

Viktor Stalberg gave the Predators that momentum back as well as the lead as he stuffed a puck past MacDonald on a wrap around at 8:06.

That was it for Ortio as he was pulled and Joey MacDonald came in to tend the net for the Flames

The Flames tied the game on an egregious play by Rinne as he was caught behind the net and the Flames gained possession of the puck. Lance Bouma got control of the puck and passed it to Mikael Backlund in the slot and he fired it into the open net at 13:31.

That would be it for Rinne as Carter Hutton came in net. Not the sharpest night for Rinne, especially on the play that gave the Flames the tying goal.

The Predators broke the tie on the power play as Shea Weber hammered a shot from the face off circle past MacDonald to give the Predators a 5-4 lead at 14:28 of the third period.

Now, could the Predators make the lead stand up?

The Predators made their case to do just that as Patric Hornqvist carried the puck into the zone and dropped the puck for Roman Josi. Josi took a shot toward the net that was re-directed past MacDonald by Matt Cullen to give the Predators a 6-4 lead at 17:08.

The Predators are... the Predators, however.

Mike Cammalleri took a shot from almost on the goal line that got between Hutton's pads and barely dribbled over the goal line to make it 6-5 at 17:36 of the third.

Wow. Just wow.

With the Flames goalie pulled for the extra attacker, Hutton made a huge save on Sean Monahan. The Predators managed to keep the Flames off the board and secured a wild 6-5 victory.


Some observations:

• Congratulations to Victor Bartley, who got his first NHL goal. Bartley has been a perma scratch this season but has maintained a good attitude and I think can be a solid contributor for the Predators blue line.

• Calle Jarnkrok picked up his first NHL point with an assist on Stalberg's goal. Jarnkrok looked good in his NHL debut, playing with poise and good jump. He showed some good puck handling skills and vision on the ice and has a lot of promise. He played on a line with Craig Smith and Gabriel Bourque and they looked good all night.

• Rinne had a brutal night. Those games happen, but tonight Rinne just didn't look comfortable in net.

• Shea Weber continues to have a stellar season. His two goals tonight give him 18 for the season to lead all NHL defensemen. He has played solid all season long and has to be in consideration for the Norris Trophy.

• This Predators team cannot seem to develop a killer instinct. Twice they surrendered two goal leads, and against most opponents that does not bode well. Kudos to the Predators, though, for battling back and eventually winning this game.

• Several players for the Predators had big nights. Matt Cullen had 4 points (1G-3A); Patric Hornqvist had 3 points (1G-2A); and Shea Weber had 2 points (2G). It was also good to see Viktor Stalberg get a goal. he has been working hard and is more productive off the 4th line.

This was a game the Predators did not need to lose, and congratulations to them for staying with it and capturing the win.

Hopefully the offense that showed up tonight will stick around for the rest of the season.

My three stars:

1. Matt Cullen

2. Patric Hornqvist

3. Mike Cammalleri

Predators Waste Nystrom's 4 Goal Night, Fall to the Flames In a Shoot Out

The Nashville Predators have won of their last five games. Tonight, they were in Calgary taking on a team that has struggled with injuries and trying to find their identity.

This was a game the Predators needed to win, for the points of course, but also to build on the momentum that the team has had recently. coming into this game , the Predators have been playing more consistently and have started to mesh.

They needed a fast start to take the home crowd out of the game, and they got that start courtesy of Eric Nystrom.

Nystrom tallied the first two Predators goals, the first just 1:51 into the game. Gabriel Bourque battled for the puck and got it to Nystrom, who made a sweet move on Flames netminder Kari Ramo. Nystrom faked Ramo down to the ice and tucked the puck into the net for a 1-0.

The Flames tied the game on the power play. Predators goaltender Devan Dubnyk was screened and never appeared to see the Mark Giordano shot, which was the Flames first one of the man advantage.

Tied at 1 going into the second intermission, Nystrom asserted himself again. he went to the front of the net and gathered in a bouncing puck off a flip in by Roman Josi that Ramo could not control. Nystrom was able to slide the puck through the five hole of Ramo at 1:50 of the first period.

Paul Gaustad took a sharp angle shot with Nystrom in front screening, and the puck deflected in off Nystrom for the goal. at 6:00 of the second. For Nystrom, this was his first career hat trick.

That was it for Ramo, as he had given up 3 goals on 13 shots, and Reto Berra entered the game in net for the Flames.

The Predators opened the third period on the penalty kill, and brutal turnover by Seth Jones led to a David Jones goal at 1:24 to cut the lead to 3-2 for the Predators.

Eric Nystrom scored his 4th goal of the night as Matt Cullen threw the puck into the slot and Nystrom re-directed the pass through the pads of Berra to give the Predators a 4-2 lead and some breathing room. His goal came at 10:47 of the third period.

The Predators did not make it easy on themselves as they wound up with 2 men in the box, giving the Flames 1:27 of 5 on 3 advantage.

The Flames took advantage of the Predators miscues to score a 5 on 3 goal as Mikael Backlund scored at 12:27.

The Flames tied the game just after the power play ended as T.J. Brodie blasted a shot from the blue line that beat Dubnyk over the shoulder at 13:36.

The Predators had complete control of this game and managed to give away a 2 goal lead and momentum.

Unbelievable.

The overtime period saw both team have some good scoring chances. Matt Cullen rang a shot off the pipe, but neither team could score.

So, in a game that the Predators should have won handily, the shoot out would decide the winner.

Shootouts are kind to the Predators, as they have only won one this season.

They still have only one win, as the Flames won the skills competition 2-1.

Some observations:

• Eric Nystrom was in full on beast mode. He is the first player in franchise history to score 4 goals in a game, and he played with jump and speed tonight. Good to see this hard working forward get rewarded.

• The Predators gave this game away with some stupid third period penalties and an awful turnover. This team is not good enough to overcome those kind of mistakes.

• Cullen, Colin Wilson, and Mike Fisher finished with zero shot on goal. Three top line forwards... and you wonder why the offense struggles.

• Dubnyk is not the long term solution at back up.

• Seth Jones shows flashes of brilliance, and he is going to be an elite player in the NHL. There are times when he shows that he is a rookie, as he did when he failed to clear the puck and turned it over in the defensive zone on the penalty kill. It was a terrible giveaway that led to the Flames third goal.

Well, boys, you threw this one away. Not much more you can say.

Hopefully the team can re-group and play a solid game in Edmonton.

My three stars:

1. Eric Nystrom

2. Mikael Backlund

3. Matt Cullen

Predators Snuff the Flames 4-2

The Nashville Predators were looking to end their three game losing streak and their five game on a positive note. They needed a complete game in all zones and to especially regain confidence in their ability to score.

The visiting Calgary Flames were just what the doctor ordered.

The Predators downed the Flames 4-2 at Bridgestone Arena, employing their magical formula of winning most of their games when they score first. The Predators are 17-2-4 when scoring the first goal.

That first goal came courtesy of Shea Weber, who blew a puck past Flames netminder Karri Ramo at 15:52 of the first period and with the Predators on the power play.

The Flames tied the game at 18:56 of the first period as Jiri Hudler took a backhand that Predator goaltender Carter Hutton deflected with his pad. The puck came to Lee Stempniak in the slot and he buried a shot into the open net.

After a second period that was scoreless, both teams found the net in the third period.

Just 55 seconds into the third period, Ryan Ellis carried the puck into the offensive zone. He showed great patience to wait for an open shooting lane that appeared as no Calgary player challenged the puck. Once Ellis had that lane, he blasted a slap shot past Ramo for a 2-1 lead.

The Predators tallied again on the power play as Seth Jones took a shot from the blue line that bounced around in the traffic in front of the net. Ramo could not locate the puck but Craig Smith could. He drove the net and beat Ramo glove side to give the Predators a 3-1 lead at 2:40 of the third period.

Viktor Stalberg got his 6th goal of the season as he went to the front of the net and re-directed a  Ryan Ellis slap shot to make it 4-1 at 10:52.

The Flames would cut the deficit to 4-2 at 13:07 when Mikael Backlund  came off the wall and beat Hutton with a wrist shot.

The Predators would shut down the Flames for the rest of the period, including the final two minutes with Ramo pulled for an extra attacker and snapped their losing streak with a much needed 4-2 win.

Some observations:

• The Predators power play had been 1 for 13 in their previous four games. tonight, they were 2 for 5 (the fifth was a 55 second man advantage at the end of the game). They showed much better movement without the puck to set up shots and managed the puck well. Weber's goal was an absolute bomb that came as he worked his way open to the left of Ramo. Smith's goal came from basic Predators hockey: shoot the puck and get traffic to the net. On that play, Nick Spaling was creating havoc in front to give Smith a chance to control the puck and get the shot.

• The Predators power play is connecting at 21% after tonight's game, good for 7th in the NHL.

• Weber's goal tonight gives him 11 for the year, best among NHL defensemen.

• Craig Smith's goal was his 14th of the season and leads the team.

• David Legwand picked up three assists tonight. Obviously, Legwand read my blog chastising him for being disinterested in the Minnesota game and it lit a fire under him.

• Carter Hutton had a solid game and made some good saves. He stopped 22 of 24 shots and picked up his first win since December 14.

• Seth Jones picked up an assist on the Predators second power play. With that point, he is tied for second in points for rookie defensemen with Eric Gelinas of New Jersey with 18 points..

• Ryan Ellis had a strong game, picking up a goal and an assist and was a +2 for the game.

This was a solid win for the Predators as they were sound in all phases of the game.

The challenge for this team will be to play consistently and bring this effort every night.

My three stars:

1. Ryan Ellis

2. Shea Weber

3. David Legwand