Blue Line Powers Predators Past Blue Shirts

The Blue Shirts from Broadway traveled to an different Broadway, one filled with honkey tonks and musicians singing sad songs. It was the New York Rangers that left Nashville singing their own sad song as the Nashville Predators got back to their winning ways with a 3-2 victory.

After Rick Nash scored on the power play to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead early in the second period, the Predators used goals by Roman Josi and Shea Weber to take a 2-1 lead going into the second intermission.

Ryan McDonagh tied the game in the third period with a shot through traffic before Mike Ribeiro scored the game winning goal at 7:14 of the final frame. Ribeiro blasted a shot from the face off circle past Cam Talbot for his 700th career point.

Pekka Rinne picked up his league leading 30th win and his first since coming back from a knee injury. He made 30 saves on 32 shots for the win.

Talbot, playing in place of an injured Henrik Lunqvist, stopped 20 of 23 shots, including a first period flurry from the Predators and a point blank shot from Filip Forsberg in the low slot in the third period.

Some observations:

• With the three points from the blue line ( Josi 1G-1A and Weber 1G) today, the Predators defensemen have 36 goals and 134 points, the most in the NHL. Josi picked up his 10th goal of the season, while Weber tallied his 12th goal.
• Josi had a stellar game and is shooting more. While his shot doesn't rival Weber's, it is a very good shot and his slap shot from the circle beat Talbot cleanly.
• Good night, Weber's bomb from the back of the face off circle was a blast. If that puck had hit Talbot, it might have gone through him.
• Rangers Coach Alain Vigneault did a good job of trying to keep Rick Nash and his line away from Shea Weber. That meant that Seth Jones was often on the ice when the Nash line was on the ice. Jones and Matty Ekholm did a good job of keeping that line in check, not allowing an even strength point.
• The Rangers are a talented team that brought an aggressive forecheck and once again, it created problems for the Predators. They often had a difficult time getting out of the defensive zone and struggled through the neutral zone. This almost cost the Predators as they turned the puck over several times at their blue line, allowing the Rangers to keep possession in the offensive zone.
• Colin Wilson got blown up by Dan Girardi with a huge open ice hit in the first period and did not return. He was listed as being out with an upper body injury. 
• The Rangers lost Jesper Fast in the second period with a sprained knee.
• The Predators had not beaten the Rangers on home ice since February 28th, 2004.
• The Rangers had won 3 straight coming into this game and were 7-1-0 on the road against Western Conference teams.
• The Predators were dominant in the face off circle, winning 41 of 64. 
• The Predators did a much better job of playing disciplined hockey, taking two penalties in this game. A nice change after the parade to the penalty box over the past few games.
• The Predators had a nice tribute video to Kevin Klein in his first game back to the Bridge since being traded to the Rangers.
• The Predators are 11-0-1 after losing the previous game, and are a league best 21-3-1 on home ice.

This was a big bounce back win by the Predators and it puts them back into first place in the Central Division with 74 points. The Blues are in second with 72 points, and the Predators are one point behind the Ducks, who have 75.

The grind of February continues with the Predators on the road tomorrow against Florida with another 2:00 start.

My three stars:

1. Roman Josi

2. Mike Ribeiro
 
3. Ryan McDonagh

Predators Out Worked and Shut Out By the Rangers 2-0

Nashville Predators Head Coach Barry Trotz gave his team the day off on Friday.

He night want to re-think that strategy as the Predators failed to show up at the Bridgestone Arena, falling 2-0 to the New York Rangers.

The Predators were out worked in all phases of the game. The Rangers choked off the Predators offense. They thwarted their entries with aggressive neutral zone pressure. And they dominated the Predators in the defensive zone, controlling the puck with a solid cycle game, making the Predators chase the puck much of the night.

Normally, the Predators work ethic can carry the team. Tonight, that was absent as the Rangers jumped on the Predators with their pressure and forecheck and never let up.

The Predators had no answers. No one on the team stepped up their game and the team could not handle the forecheck and pressure of the Rangers.

How bad was it?

The Rangers out shot the Predators 34-17, including a dominant 17-7 shot advantage in the second period when the Rangers took control of the game.

Marek Mazanec had to make a number of good saves to keep the score from being worse. He gave up a second period goal to Ryan McDonagh, whose blast from the point beat Mazanec five hole.

The Rangers added a third period goal from Derek Stepan and the game was over for all intents and purposes.

Cam Talbot manned the pipes for the Rangers, and he was rarely challenged by the Predators.

Some observations:

• The Jekyll and Hyde nature of this team continues to baffle. Their three game win streak prior to this game was solid hockey. Tonight, they reverted to their troubling ways. They could not handle the pressure of the Rangers and the offense was non-existent. The Predators need consistent effort and their top lines have to produce every game. The inability to establish consistency this far into the season is troubling.

• Mazanec had a solid game for the most. The first goal he allowed was questionable, though. Getting beat five hole from the point cannot happen.

• When the Predators entered the offensive zone, they showed the troubling tendency to pass first rather than take the shot. In their three game winning streak, the Predators were firing pucks at the net. When this team doesn't shoot and drive the net, they are in trouble. They were in trouble tonight.

• Patric Hornqvist played only 4 shifts and had 4:07 of ice time. He was hurt in the first period and is called day to day with an upper body injury. Hornqvist was hit up high with a shot from Shea Weber and in the first period and did not return.

This game was a poor effort by the Predators, and it was especially disappointing to see the team get badly outworked.

Hopefully, the Predators revert back to their hard working ways on Monday when they face the Coyotes at home.

My three stars:

1. Ryan McDonagh

2. Derek Steppan

3. Cam Talbot