Predators Hold Off the Avalanche 4-3

The Nashville Predators have secured a playoff spot, and with 3 games to go, one could say that their game with the Colorado Avalanche at Bridgestone Arena didn't mean anything.

But it did. It meant a lot to both teams.

For the Predators, it was an opportunity to end a 4 game losing streak and sharpen their game. For the Avalanche, it meant keeping their faint playoff hopes alive.

The Predators weren't as sharp as they will need to be in the playoffs, but they did enough good things to defeat the Avalanche 4-3 and begin to build some positive momentum. As for the Avs, their playoff hopes were crushed by the Predators effort.

Colin Wilson opened the scoring with his first goal in 15 games, blasting a shot over the shoulder of Semyon Varlamov.

Filip Forsberg made it 2-0 with a goal that is a legitimate candidate for goal of the year. Watch and be amazed:

Seemingly in control of the pace of the game, Pekka Rinne let in a brutally soft goal on a shot from the goal line by Mikkel Boedker to send the teams into the first intermission with the Predators up 2-1.

The second period saw the Avs dominate possession and the Predators spend much of the period trapped in their own zone. Jerome Iginla sent the teams into the second intermission tied at 2 as he chipped the puck past Rinne from the side of the net.

With the game in the balance, the Predators came out with jump and capitalized. Mike Fisher scored just 36 seconds into the third to give the Predators a 3-2 lead.

That lead stood for all of 1:22 as Shawn Matthias beat Ryan Ellis to a rebound and slapped it into the open net to tie the game

The Predators took the lead for good as Craig Smith took a sweet pass from Forsberg and buried his 21st goal of the year for the game winner.

The Predators had to hold off the Avs for the final 3:40 of the game as Varlamov was pulled for the extra attacker. The Predators compounded their misery when Ryan Johansen took a high sticking penalty with 1:57 left in the game, but the Predators PK came up big to seal the win.

Some observations:

• That goal by Forsberg was amazing, to say the least. To have the presence of mind to kick the puck between his legs and get it on his forehand, get the stick between his legs, and place the shot perfectly is a talent level that the Predators have not had. Ever.  Couple those sick puck handling skills with his vision and hockey sense and Forsberg is the most talented and dangerous player that the Predators have ever had on their roster.
• Forsberg now has 32 goals for the season, one goal away from tying the franchise record for 33 goals in a season held by Jason Arnott.
• Although Rinne let in a bad first goal, he stood tall, especially in the second period when the Avs dominated play. He did a great job tracking the puck through traffic and generally controlling rebounds. 
• I continue to be impressed with the hustle and heart of Viktor Arvidsson. The Aardvark has to get stronger, but he is fearless and will mix it up in the tough areas. I especially like his motor- the kid goes full tilt every shift.
• Good to see Colin Wilson get his game going. His first goal was a perfectly placed rocket under the crossbar. Wilson also picked up an assist for a 2 point night. Hopefully Wilson will get his game in gear heading into the post season.
• Teams that go deep in the post season have to have strong play from their third line. Tonight, the line of Fisher, Wilson, and Arvidsson combined for 2 goals and an asist. If that line can produce consistently then the Predators can have some good results in the post season.
• Roman Josi and Shea Weber both picked up assists tonight. The gives the Predators D corps a total of 109 points for the season, a new franchise record.
• The Predators blocked 21 shots tonight, 17 through the first 2 periods.

Not the prettiest win by the Predators, yet it was a good win.

The Predators need to fine tune some aspects of their game and they have two more game to do so. They are going to have to step up their intensity and effort for a full 60 minutes. A period of hockey like tonight's second period usually spells trouble in the playoffs.

So the team has ended a losing streak and has started to build some positive momentum. Learn from the mistakes, tune up the performance.

And most importantly, keep it rolling into the playoffs.

My three stars:

1. Filip Forsberg

2. Colin Wilson

3. Craig Smith

Predators Fast Start Leads to Win Over the Coyotes

Just like in their first meeting with the Phoenix Coyotes, the Nashville Predators jumped out to a big early lead.

Unlike that contest, which resulted in a shootout loss, the Predators made that lead hold up on the way to a 4-2 victory.

The Predators have now won 4 of their last 5 games. The Coyotes have dropped 3 in a row.

The Predators did their damage in the first period, jumping on the Coyotes for 3 goals. Nick Spaling opened the scoring, driving the slot and banging home a rebound of a Matt Cullen shot over the shoulder of Coyotes netminder Mike Smith at 1:02 of the period.

Mike Fisher took a pass from Colin Wilson and fired a shot from below the face off circle to give the Predators a 2-0 lead at 8:22 of the first period. Wilson controlled the puck in the corner and made a nice pass to Fisher, who did a good job of getting the shot off in traffic.

The Predators extended the lead to 3-0 as Viktor Stalberg used his exceptional speed to drive wide and force the Coyotes defense to turn and chase him. Stalberg put a nice pass through the legs of the defenseman onto the tape of Gabriel Bourque. Bourque made a nice fake to put Smith out of position and buried a backhand into the open net.

It was a good thing the Predators had a strong first period.

The Coyotes answered with a strong second period to make it a game.

Mikkel Boedker beat Predators goaltender Marek Mazanec five hole with a shot through traffic to get the Coyotes on the board at 9:34 of the second period.

That goal energized the Coyotes, and they began to control the puck and put pressure on the Predators. That pressure paid off as Tim Kennedy was able to gather in a rebound at the top of the crease and slide a backhand past Mazanec to make it 3-2 at 13:00 of the second period.

In the third period, the Coyotes spent a majority of the time in the Predators zone. They out shot the Predators 12-5 in the period, and Mazanec had to make some good saves to keep the Coyotes off the board. The Predators seemed content to play defense and just clear the puck, as they rarely established any offensive presence and zone time.

With Smith on the bench for an extra attacker, Shea Weber got the puck in the defensive zone behind the face off circle and banged the puck off the glass. The puck caromed off the glass and landed in the neutral zone and rolled into the open net to seal the win for the Predators at 19:25 of the third period.

I don't know if Shea called "bank" on the shot.

Some observations:

• The Predators were without Patric Hornqvist, who is called day to day with an upper body injury.

• The Coyotes lost the services of Shane Doan, who was injured and did not play in the third period.

• Gabriel Bourque's goal was a thing of beauty. The goal was set up by the speed of Stalberg, who made a sweet pass through the legs of a Coyote defender onto the tape of Bourque. Bourque showed great hands in controlling the puck, faking to the forehand, and pulling the puck to his backhand and lifting it into the net.

• David Legwand has reverted to form. He has been a non- factor the past several games, and was again tonight. Among the forwards, only Rich Clune had less ice time than Legwand. This team needs Legwand to step up his game and begin to contribute offensively.

• The Predators flirted with disaster in the third period. Content to sit back and play defense, the Coyotes dominated in offensive zone time and in shots. The Predators didn't seriously threaten Smith and establish offensive zone presence. More often than not, this is not a winning formula.

• Mazanec made some very good saves tonight and tracked the puck well through traffic. The Coyotes first goal came through traffic, and Mazanec didn't see the puck until the last instance, getting beat five hole. Mazanec has looked calm and has been positionally sound and has seemed to grow in confidence with each start.

The Predators are now 12-10-2 for 26 points, and sit 10th in the West. They are 6 points out of the 8th playoff spot, held by the Coyotes.

The Predators are going to have to continue to string together wins to climb back into playoff contention.

This means they are going to have to develop some consistency in their game and their effort every night.

And play a solid 60 minutes of hockey.

My three stars:

1. Gabriel Bourque

2. Mike Fisher

3. Marek Mazanec

Predators Backs Against the Wall With a 1-0 Loss

The Nashville Predators dropped a 1-0 game to the Phoenix Coyotes at the Bridgestone Arena to fall behind in their series 3-1.

To say their backs are against the wall is an understatement.

The Predators offense was ineffective and rarely threatened Phoenix netminder Mike Smith. When they did threaten, Smith was equal to the task

The Coyotes Shane Doan scored at 14:25 of the first period as he went into the slot and fired a shot at Rinne that he got with his blocker, but it flipped over his shoulder, off Roman Josi, and into the net. for the only goal of the game.

The Phoenix defense made that goal stand up as they forechecked the life out of the Predators, rarely letting them come through the neutral zone with any speed, and one the Predators got into the offensive zone, choked the life out of them.

The Predators struggled to get any offensive rhythm because of the pressure the Coyotes put on the puck and throughout the game had more energy and jump than the Predators.

The offensive effort was disappointing to say the least, but give credit to the Coyotes for their play, because they ere better than the Predators tonight.

And therein lies the problem for the Predators. Their best offensive players were average and failed to create quality chances. It's telling that Colin Wilson, Marty Erat, Gabriel Bourque, and nick spaling all mustered just one shot on goal each. Jordin Tootoo, Sergei Kostitsyn, Matt Halischuk, and Paul Gaustad had none.

The Predators were 0-3 on the power play, as the Coyotes did a good job pressuring the puck and not letting the Predators get quality chances on Smith. The Predators did score on a power play late in the third period, but the goal was waved off as the officials struck with the dreaded "intent to blow" call.

The fact is that the Predators were outplayed throughout the contest. Rinne was exceptional, especially in the first period , stoning Mikkel Boedker alone in front of the net on one sequence. Frankly, without the strong play of Rinne, who seemed to be the only Predator ready to play, the score could have been much worse.

The Predators sat Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn for the second straight game after their curfew violations before game 3. While many may second guess that decision, I concur with the call made by Head Coach Barry Trotz. The Predators squad on the ice tonight was the same one that played a dominant game 4 an captured a 2-0 victory. That squad that was so effective in game 4 did not come to play tonight.

The Predators have dug an immense hole. The task before them is monumental.

It is not insurmountable.

It will require each player that puts on the sweater Monday night to commit to win puck battles, to play balls to the wall on every shift.

Do that, and the series will come back to Nashville.

Fail to do so, and your backs will no longer be against the wall.

They will be out of the playoffs.

My three stars:

1: Mike Smith

2. Shane Doan

3. Pekka Rinne

Coyotes Go to OT (Again), Outlast the Predators 4-3

The Phoenix Coyotes outlasted the Nashville Predators in a game that has become a regular occurrence for the Desert Dogs, going to overtime and defeating the visiting Predators 4-3.

Phoenix was dominated in the third period and in the OT session, but managed to get a puck past Nashville goaltender for the game winner at 14:04 as Ray Whitney slipped a puck in on the backhand for the winner.

How did we get here?

As expected, special teams would play a critical role in the outcome of the game.

Phoenix tallied first in the first period as Radim Vrbata would launch a puck at Rinne that hit his shoulder and caromed under the crossbar to give the Coyotes a 1-0 lead at 7:23. Kevin Klein had put the Predators down a man when he turned the puck over at the Predators blue line and was guilty of tripping to prevent a breakaway. The potent Coyote power play went to work and made the Predators pay for their transgression.

The Predators tied the game up at 1 on a goal that was a fluke. Francis Bouillon dumped the puck into the Phoenix zone, and it appeared that it was going around the glass and behind the net. Phoenix netminder Mike Smith went behind his goal to play the puck, but the puck ricocheted off the glass and back to the slot, where Brandon Yip gathered in the puck and slapped it into the open net at 14:09 of the first period.

In the second period, the Coyotes took a 2-1 lead as Rusty Klesla was able to bury a shot off a puck that was blocked by Roman Josi. Klesla tried to slip the puck across the slot, but it was blocked by a sliding Josi. The puck came right back to Klesla and he had an open net to fire the puck as Rinne had slid across his crease to play the pass. The Coyotes score came at 3:05 of the second period.

Once again, the Predators tied the game as Andrei Kostitsyn corralled a rebound of a Patric Hornqvist shot and slipped the puck past Smith at 11:19 of the second period.

The Coyotes regained the lead at 16:27 of the second period as Mikkel Boedker continued his strong play. Boedker was able to get a puck past Rinne for his third goal of the post season and give the Coyotes a 3-2 lead. Boedker broke in on a 2 on 1 as Andrei Kostitsyn, who had rotated to the blue line for a pinching Francis Bouillon, fell and the Coyotes blue line. Kevin Klein was back on defense, and took away the pass, but Boedker dangled the puck and beat Rinne to the far post.

The third period was all Predators as they out shot the Coyotes 16-1. That offensive pressure finally paid off with Marty Erat tallying on the power play at 15:18. For Erat, this was his first goal of the post season, and it was a result of the pressure that the Predators exerted on Smith and the Coyotes defense. Boyd Gordon was in the box for holding the stick, and the Predators did a good job of moving the puck and were rewarded as Erat was able to tally.

Once again, the Coyotes were heading to overtime, familiar territory for this team. The Predators had a decided territorial advantage, and out shot the Coyotes 9-6, but it was the Coyotes that capitalized as Ray Whitney slid a backhand shot past Rinne for the game winner at 14:04 of the the OT.

For the Predators, this is a disappointing loss. They played well enough to win, but this is a series that will be decided by which team makes the fewest mistakes. Tonight, this was the Coyotes. More importantly, the Coyotes capitalized on the mistakes that the Predators made.

The Coyotes are an opportunistic team, and the Predators gave them the opportunities they needed to win this game. For the Predators, the key to winning game 2 will be eliminating some of the mistakes that victimized them in game 1 and capitalizing on the opportunities they have.

There is no doubt that Mike Smith is a good goalie, but when the Predators put pucks on net and crash, they can create scoring opportunities. They have to do that in game 2, and do it more consistently, to have success.

This will not be an easy series for either team. The first blood was drawn by the Coyotes, as they made the most of their chances.

The Predators put 42 shots on net in this game to 24 for the Coyotes. The difference was that the Coyotes made the most of their chances. The Predators did not.

That has to change for the Predators in game 2.

My three stars:

1. Mike Smith

2. Mikkel Boedker

3. Marty Erat