Predators Shake Off the Funk, Crush Chicago 7-2

Maybe the Nashville Predators needed to get back home to right their quickly slumping season.

Maybe they just needed to play Predator hockey.

Whatever the reason, the Predators erupted for a season high 7 goals en route to a 7-2 thrashing of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Marek Mazenec got his first NHL win, stopping 39 of the 41 shots he faced and in the process looked like he belonged with the big club.

The Predators have been known for scoring by committee, and tonight, they epitomized that effort as 7 different players tallied goals.

Unlike their previous games, the Predators came out skating hard and playing solid team defense. More importantly, the Predators had good puck possession and kept pressure on the Blackhawks in the offensive zone all night.

That effort paid off in an offensive explosion that gave fans a glimpse of the potential of this team.

Some observations:

• This was a complete game by the Predators. They did a good job of limiting quality chances by the Blackhawks in the defensive zone, had good breakouts, and were able to effectively enter the offensive zone. These elements of their game were missing in their previous losses. More importantly, they had good jump and a high compete level which had been lacking in their losses. This is the way the Predators have to play to be successful.

• Marek Mazanec was solid between the pipes. He was calm, positionally sound, and moved better in the crease than in his previous outings. Hopefully, this gives him the confidence to build on this outing and turn in some quality starts.

• Craig Smith played an exceptional game. his goal was a thing of beauty, faking forehand before lifting a backhand past Chicago netminder  Corey Crawford. He also had two assists, skated hard, and was a force in the offensive zone. This is the kind of play of which Smith is capable, and he has to bring this effort every night.

• How sweet it must have been for Viktor Stalberg to pick up his second goal of the season, a beauty off a sweet pass from Gabriel Bourque. Stalberg lifted the puck under the crossbar off the rush, using his speed to separate and get into a scoring position.

• Shea Weber finally hit the net with a rocket of a shot from the blue line on the power play, blowing the puck past Crawford for his 5th goal of the season. Weber needs to consistently get his shot ion net, and when he does he creates scoring chances.

• Nikolai Khabibulin started the game for the Blackhawks and gave up 2 goals before leaving with an injury. The Predators kept up their intensity and their pressure and lit up Crawford for 5 goals after he entered the game.

• 9 Predators got on the score sheet. This is the kind of effort that the Predators have to have every night to win games. Goals were scored by Matt Cullen, Viktor Stalberg, Mike Fisher, Shea Weber, Patric Hornqvist, Craig Smith, and Nick Spaling. Gabriel Bourque, David Legwand, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, and Seth Jones picked up assists.

This is the kind of game that the Predators have to consistently play. As bad as they looked in their previous four losses, the Predators looked like, well...the Predators. The key for this team is to consistently bring this kind of effort.

Now it is time for the Predators to build on this effort. They go on the road (again) and will have that opportunity against the Red Wings.

Bring this effort and work effort, and success will follow.

My three stars:

1. Marek Mazanec

2. Craig Smith

3. Patric Hornqvist

Predators Slide by the Oilers 2-1 to End Losing Streak

The Nashville Predators looked to stop their 4 game skid by venturing to Rexall Place to take on the up and coming Edmonton Oilers. For the Predators, this was a game that was going to require discipline and the necessity of playing a full 60 minutes of hockey.

Since this was the first of a back to back series of games, Anders Lindback got his second start of the season, while the Oilers went with Nikolai Khabibulin.

The Oilers young talent has demonstrated speed, creativity, and play making ability so far in this season, and in two previous contests, they have out skated and outworked the Predators. For the Predators to win this contest, they were going to have to work and minimize mistakes.

Unfortunately for the Predators, the first mistake they made wound up in the back of their net.

Shea Weber had the puck in the defensive zone and made a blind pass that was intercepted by the Oilers Ryan Nugent Hopkins. Hopkins got the puck to Jordan Eberle, who circled behind the net and took a shot that Lindback stopped with his pad. The rebound came right back to Eberle, and he roofed a shot over the shoulder of Lindback at 7:07 of the first period.

There was no more scoring in the period, as the Oilers D and Khabibulin made the early goal stand up. The Predators did skate better and generated some traffic in front of the Oilers net and created some scoring chances. For the period, the Predators out shot the Oilers 6-4.

It is apparent that the Predators need to bury some shots and get their confidence back in the offensive zone. Finish some chances and stop gripping the sticks so tightly.

The Predators certainly had some chances to get their offense going as the Oilers started a parade to the penalty box as Theo Peckham was called for cross checking and Ryan Jones got a 5 minute major for elbowing Blake Geoffrion, both at the 6:35 mark of the second. Geoffrion was injured on the play and left the game. Jordin Tootoo was also called for diving after the cross check by Peckham, so the Predators were skating 5 on 4.

The Predators power play was short circuited 20 seconds later when Sergei Kostitsyn was called for interference. Skating 4 on 4, the Predators started to shoot the puck and creating chances with traffic in front of Khabibulin.

Roman Josi was called for a weak tripping call on Jordan Eberle, and the Oilers had a brief 4 on 3. Lindback made a couple of good saves to keep the Oilers off the board.

With Kostitsyn out of the box, the Predators continued their man advantage and continued to press the attack in the Oilers zone. Khabibulin made some great saves with Predators crashing the net, and it appeared as if the Predators were going to squander this golden opportunity.

That would change with one second left in the man advantage as Shea Weber skated the puck into the zone and let go a shot from the face off circle that beat Khabibulin cleanly to tie the game at 1 at 11:34 of the second period.

There was no further scoring in the period, but not for lack of effort by the Predators. For the first time in a looong time, the Predators were not afraid to shoot the puck, and shoot the puck they did. In the second period, the Predators forechecked hard, created turnovers, and the result of their effort was a 16-7 shot advantage. By far and away, this was the best period of hockey that the Predators had played in their last five games.

Once again, the Predators were heading into the final 20 minutes of hockey with the game in the balance. Would this be the game where the Predators took control of a game and skated away with a victory?

The third period was another back and forth period of hockey, with both teams skating hard. Neither team could crack the scoreboard, although they had good chances. The positive for the Predators is that there was no drop off in their intensity and their effort.


The Predators would break the tie at 12:21 of the third because of good work by Craig Smith and Jordin Tootoo in the corner to control the puck. Tootoo got the puck and passed to Nick Spaling in the low slot who rifled a shot past Khabibulin to give the Predators a 2-1 lead.

This goal was a direct result of hard work on the boards by Smith and Tootoo and the desire to win the puck battle, something that had been absent in the Predators previous four losses.

The remainder of the period saw the Predators continue their aggressive play and hard forechecking. They blocked shots when the Oilers pulled Khabibulin with time running down, and as the seconds melted away to a Predators victory, they had achieved what they had failed to achieve in their previous four contests.

A victory the Predator way.

For Anders Lindback, it was his first win of the season.


This was a pivotal game for the Predators, not only just to stop the four game losing streak, but to instill again in the team the value of playing hockey like this team is capable of playing. The Predators will not often win pretty, but they will win the majority of their games where they work like they did tonight.

Evidence of how hard they worked was the final shot total. The Predators out shot an explosive Oilers squad by at 31-18 margin.

Good things happen when you shoot the puck, boys.

Here is what this team should take away from this contest: when you win puck battles, when you skate hard, when you are strong on the puck, good things happen.

Hopefully, we have learned this lesson.

My three stars:

1. Nick Spaling

2. Anders Lindback

3. Shea Weber

Predators Blow Another Third Period Lead, Fall to the Oilers 3-1

The Nashville Predators made their first trip of the season to the great white North, taking on the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place. In the Oilers, the Predators faced a young, talented, speedy squad that could be very dangerous with the puck. Sorta like what the Predators had hoped to be at the outset of this season.

Pekka Rinne got the start again in net for the Predators, while the Oilers went with Nikolai Khabibulin.

It was scoreless after one period, but not for lack of effort by the Oilers. Once again, the Predators allowed a flurry of shots on Pekka Rinne, getting outshot by a 12-4 margin. Rinne was once again called upon to make some critical stops to keep the Oilers off the board. I hope you are taking your vitamins and getting lots of rest, Mr. Rinne, because this team in front of you is certainly going to give you all the work you can handle.

Both teams went 0-2 on the power play, and all 4 of Nashville's shots in the period came on their power plays. To say the Nashville offensive effort was absent in the first period is generous.

There is no doubt the young Oilers squad is talented, and they are only going to get better. The young talent of the Oilers seemed to be a step faster throughout the period, and it was the aforementioned Rinne that kept the Predators in the game. Here is a blinding flash of the obvious: the Predators are going to have to improve their defensive zone coverage and cut down on the shots and scoring chances of the opponents. Fail to do so, and this is going to be a long season.

One has to wonder what Head Coach Barry Trotz says to his team during an intermission. It is probably not suitable for those with sensitive ears, because the Predators opened the second period playing the type of hockey of which they are capable. The Predators were skating better, getting good breakouts, and getting the puck deep.

Nevertheless, the Oilers were still pressing, and a shot was rocketed toward Rinne, who blocked it out with his stick to the blue line. The puck was picked up by Sergei Kostitsyn, who skated the puck in on Khabibulin and fired a backhand shot that trickled through the Oiler netminder for a 1-0 Predators lead at 18:58 of the period.

The remainder of the period was an up and down affair, as both teams moved the puck well and created some scoring chances. The Oilers were defensed much better by the Predators, who held them to 7 shots for the period while the Predators recorded 5 shots.

Nursing a one goal lead going into the third period was going to be another test for the young Predators to see if they could shut down a potent Oiler offense.

Throughout this contest, the Predators played with fire by taking a number of penalties. They finally were burned when Ryan Suter was in the box for holding and Taylor Hall took a nice cross ice pass from Ryan Nugent Hopkins and had an open net in which to shoot the puck. Hall's first goal tied the game at 1 at 5:29 of the third period.

It was now up to the Predators to respond.

At 7:31 of the third, we saw how the Predators responded. Their response? Blowing defensive zone coverage and allowing Shawn Horcoff to make a beautiful pass to Ryan Smyth who was wide open in front of the Predators net and easily beat Rinne to make it 2-1. Both Jonathan Blum and Kevin Klein slid toward Horcoff and left Smyth wide open to attack the net. On the play, the Predator forwards on the ice were late getting back in defensive support, and this comedy of errors cost the Predators a goal.

Ryan Jones scored an empty netter at 19:22 to seal the win for the Oilers.

The absolutely horrid statistic from this game? The Predators only mustered 12- count, em, TWELVE shots on goal for the entire game. Three shots on goal in the third period. THREE shots. Now I am not a hockey coach, but to me that is not a formula for winning hockey games.

Here is the fact that all Predator fans must deal with: this is not a good hockey team. The young guys are making too many mistakes and the veterans have not stepped their game. Missing in action to date this season are Nick Spaling, Patrick Hornqvist, Matt Halischuk, and Cal O'Reilly, none of which have produced any sort of offense.

This is the second game that the Predators have blown a third period lead. This is a sign of tentativeness, lack of confidence, lack of experience, whatever it might be. Regardless, it is a problem that must be corrected quickly or this team will find itself way outside the playoff race early.

I have given this team a pass in their recent contests and called their flaws "learning experiences". The time for these painful learning experiences is, in my view, over. It is time for this team to begin to play disciplined hockey, gritty hockey, Predator hockey.

Right now, they are not even close to doing so.

My three stars:

1. Shawn Horcoff

2. Taylor Hall

3. Sergei Kostitsyn