Predators Continue to Struggle, Drop 2-1 OT Decision to the Flames.

The Nashville Predators have not won an overtime game this season.

The Calgary Flames have won 7 OT contests.

That trend continued at Bridgestone Arena as the Nashville Predators dropped a 2-1 overtime decision to the Flames.

The Predators continue to struggle, creating lots of shots but few quality scoring chances. The Predators only goal came a first period penalty shot as Cody Hodgson beat Kari ramo with a nice snap shot to the glove side.

The lead held up until midway of the second period as the Predators defense broke down and allowed T. J. Brodie to skate uncontested down the slot where he beat Pekka Rinne over the shoulder to tie the game at 1.

The game remained scoreless, but not for lack of effort by the Flames. Rinne made several great saves to keep the Flames off the board.

The Predators never really challenged Ramo with good scoring chances and the game was headed to OT.

In the extra session, the Predators turned the puck over and Johnny Gaudreau fed the puck to Kris Russell on a 2 on 1 and Russell buried the shot top shelf for the game winner.

Some observations:

• There are a lot of problems with this Predators squad right now. One of them is the lack of a strong presence in front of the net. While the Preds are getting shots, there is rarely good traffic in front of the net . Ramo was spitting out rebounds all night long, but rarely were the Predators in a position to retrieve the puck and put follow up shots on the net. Unless that changes, this team will continue to look good on the stat sheet and bad on the scoreboard.
• Calle Jarnkrok continues to grow in his role as the number one center. He is defensively responsible, has a deft touch with the puck, and is fast becoming the Predators best face off man. He was 10 of 15 in the circle tonight. Jarnkrok is not a true number one, but he is a solid number 2 center and has shown that he is a responsible and solid forward.
• The Predators struggling penalty kill showed up tonight. Granted, the Flames power play has been abyssmal, ranking 30th in the NHL (the Preds PK is 28th), but the Predators killed off a full two minutes of 5 on 3 after Mike Ribeiro took a penalty and James Neal took a stupid penalty for a shot to the head on the continuation of Ribeiro's penalty. The only shot the Flames got during the two man advantage was a spectacular stop by Rinne on the goal line with his pad. Hopefully this effort tonight gives this unit a bit of confidence and gets them on an upswing.
• It is obvious that the Predators forwards are struggling and frankly have lost their mojo right now. The shots are coming, but they are not dangerous. Rebounds are controlled by the defense (see point above) and there is little follow up or traffic to disrupt the opposing netminder. Until that changes, this team is going  to have a hard time scoring goals.

There is noit much to say about this game, or the games over the last 6 weeks. The Predators have shown themselves to at best be a middle of the pack team in the West and they will continue to occupy that position until they have some changes up front.

And in the brutally competitive Central Division, middle of the pack may mean being on the outside looking in when the playoffs roll around.

My three stars:

1. Kris Russell

2. Cosy Hodgson

3. T.J. Brodie

Predators Fizzle In Loss to the Flames

A Halloween matchup between the Nashville Predators and the Calgary Flames saw the Saddledome turn into a house of horrors for the Predators as they blew a one goal lead going into the third period and dropped a 4-3 decision.


The game featured two hot goaltenders as Pekka Rinne dueled with Jonas Hiller. Rinne entered the game with a 1.71 GAA and a .936 save percentage; Hiller boasts a 1.63 GAA and a .943 save percentage.


After a scoreless first period that saw both teams get some quality scoring chances, the Flames would tally first on the power play as Sean Monohan got loose in front of the net and banged home a rbound that Rinne could not control. Monohan beat Shea Weber to the front of the net and had an easy tap in to give the Flames a 1-0 lead at 4:23 of the second.


The Predators answered at 5:30 of the second period as Craig Smith worked himself open at the side of the net and fired a wrist shot past Hiller to tie the game at 1.


Mike Ribeiro won a face off in the offensive zone back to James Neal, who whipped a wrist shot through traffic that beat Hiller at 11:09 of the second period. Neal got the shot off quickly and Hiller had no time to react as he couldn't pick up the puck through the tangle of bodies in front of him.


The Flames tied the game at 2:36  of the third period as Rinne was under assault and made two saves but gave up a rebound that Jiri Hudler tapped into the open net. Hudler got lost in all the scramble around the net and was all alone for the easy score.


With Mattias Ekholm in the box for tripping, T.J. Brodie tried to pass the puck across the slot, but the puck caromed off the glove of Shea Weber and past Rinne to give the Flames a 3-2 lead at 4:23 of the third.


The wheels were wobbly, but they came off when Johnny Gaudreau scored high glove on the short side to make it 4-2 at 6:37.


Three goals in 4 minutes.


Yikes!


The Predators cut the lead to 4-3 on a James Neal power play goal at 10:47.


That would be all the scoring for the Predators and a game they should have won slipped into the loss column.


Some observations:

• A very weak goaltender interference call against Colin Wilson led to the Flames first power play, which they capitalized upon. So far in this young season, the officiating in the NHL has been inconsistent at best.

• The Predators generated some quality scoring chances, and it looked like Hiller was going to put on one of those performances that would thwart the Predators all night. Fortunately, Craig Smith broke Hiller's spell with his third goal in the last two games. good answer just 60 seconds after the Flames had scored and looked to be seizing momentum. it is good to see the Honey Badger starting to heat up.

• I really like the way Seth Jones has been playing. he has been quietly solid on the blue line and has shown very good offensive instincts. Jones looks stronger physically and is playing with confidence, all of which bode well for his game and for the team.

• Johnny Gaudreau- "Johnny Hockey" - is a special player. Speed, hockey sense, and a wicked shot. He absolutely undressed Anton Volchenkov with a sick one on one move and forced Rinne to make a great save.

• James Neal gas a nose for the net and a scorer's mentality. Oh yes, it helps that he can snipe the puck. Refreshing to see, and I think Neal's presence in the line up has helped the other forwards as everyone is firing the puck. I years past, the Predators would frustratingly pass up shots. Not now. And yes, I know part of that is the change in coaching philosophy, but also part of it is the example of a scorer like Neal.

• The Predators got back on their heels and the Flames took it to them in the third period. Yes, the Predators got some bad breaks, but the Flames jumped on them and took control of the game. That is disheartening, but what I do like is that the Predators fought back and didn't fold.

• That said, these are the games this team has to win. The Flames have been beset by injuries and have been inconsistent in their play. The Predators need to jump on a team in this situation and get the two points.

• Giving up three third period goals is just... awful. Gotta have the mentality of locking down an opponent, and more importantly, going out there and doing it. Neither happened tonight.

• Calgary blocked 36 shots. Wow.

• The Predators did not kill a penalty tonight, giving up two power play goals in two attempts. The Preds were 1-1 on the power play. Special teams are definitely going to have to improve, and quickly, for this team to have continued success.

This was a game that the Predators gave away. And frankly, they do not have the luxury of doing that in the ultra competitive Central Division.


My three stars:


1. James Neal


2. Jonas Hiller


3. Johnny Gaudreau

Predators Fall to the Flames 3-2 In A Shootout

The Nashville Predators got out-Predatored at Bridgestone Arena, dropping a 3-2 decision in a shootout to the Calgary Flames.

Joe Colborne scored the lone goal in the shootout for the Flames to secure the win.

Throughout the night, the Predators lost puck battles and for the most got out skated and out worked by the Flames. The Flames did a great job of limiting the Predators breakouts, clogging the neutral zone and making entries difficult. As a result, the Predators offense never really got in sync and struggled to find consistency.

The Predators were out shot 28-21, the first time they have been out shot this season.

Filip Forsberg staked the Predators to a 1-0 lead at 8:46 of the first period with his first goal of the season. Forsberg took a pass from Derek Roy and  ripped a shot past Flames netminder Kari Ramo from the face off circle.

The Flames answered with a goal by T.J. Brodie. They got a break when Anton volchenkov went dow to block the shot and it hit his stick and ramped over the Shoulder of Pekka Rinne at 10:01 of the first.

Calgary took a 2-1 lead at 5:19 of the second period off a goal from Mark Giordano on the power play.

The Predators would answer with Mike Ribeiro getting his first goal as a Predators. He gathered in a rebound of a Craig Smith shot that Ramo could not control that slid to the off side of the net, and he was able to bang it in at 15:10 of the second period.

A scoreless third period and overtime led to the shootout. The Predators sent Derek Roy, James Neal, and Olli Jokinen out in the shootout and Ramo was able to stop them all. Rinne gave up a goal to Colborne and stopped Jiri Hudler.

Some observations:

• Rinne made some great saves through the course of the game and got some bad luck on the deflection off Volchenkov's stick. the flames did a good job of controlling the puck in the offensive zone and keeping pressure on the Predators, and rinne bailed out the defense on more than a few occasions.
• As good as Rinne was, Ramo was outstanding. He made some very good saves, including off a re-direct from Craig Smith in the third period.

• The Predators had a difficult time handling the aggressive forecheck of the Flames, which disrupted their offensive flow all night. The flames attacked the puck in all zones and the Predators struggled to handle the pressure.

• Colin Wilson, who has generally been invisible so far this season, was moved up to the wing on the line with James Neal and Mike Ribeiro in the middle of the second period. I liked the way that line looked with Wilson on it. May this is what it takes to get Wilson's game jump started. He used his speed well to compliment his line mates.

• Shea Weber led the team in TOI with 30:53.

• The Predators were 0-2 on the power play.

• Craig Smith was +2 and had 2 assists on the night.

The Predators struggled tonight, but they can learn from this game and hopefully improve, especially when it comes to handling the aggressive pressure and the intensity of their opponent.

They get their chance Friday night in Winnipeg against a divisional foe.

My three stars:

1. Kari Ramo

2. Mark Giordano

3. Craig Smith

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 End Losing Streak, Douse Flames

The Nashville Predators ended a dismal losing streak, the longest in franchise history, with a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames at Bridgestone Arena in front of their 20th sellout crowd in this abbreviated season.

The Predators came back twice from one goal deficits to capture the victory.

Pekka Rinne was in net for the Predators and he faced 18 shots for the game, while Mikka Kiprusoff manned the pipes for the Flames and had to contend with 32 shots.

The Predators sent their fans home happy with an effort that can only be described as Predator hockey. The Predators hustled, fired pucks at the net, and scored by getting traffic in front of Kiprusoff.

Some observations:

Effort Was Exceptional

The Predators poured 32 shots on the Calgary net, and more importantly, did so with traffic in front. Goals by David Legwand and Nick Spaling were earned because they were in the hard areas in front of the net creating traffic and havoc in front of Kipper. It is one thing to shoot the puck, but for the Predators to be successful, they have to go to the net and disrupt. They did that very well tonight. They also did a good job of forechecking and slowing the Flames through the neutral zone. Their effort in all zones was solid and key to the victory.

Elementary, Mr. Watson

Austin Watson tallied his first NHL goal on a wrist shot from the slot. Watson has looked more comfortable in each of the games he has played at the NHL level and was rewarded tonight for his effort. Watson is a big body that has some upside and he needed this goal to boost his confidence. Now that it is out of the way, the hope is that he will find the net with some frequency.

Young Guns

In addition to Watson, Chris Mueller, Bobby Butler, and Filip Forsberg all got on the score sheet by recording assists. While the team has sorely missed some of the injured regulars, these young guys are getting some valuable ice time and they are contributing. While Predator fans are ruing the fact that the team will not make the playoffs, this trial by fire for the youngsters will pay dividends next season.

Legwand Leads

With his goal tonight, David Legwand he franchise leader in goals with 200. Congratulations to Legwand.

Halischuk Is Playing Outstanding Hockey

Matt Halischuk has elevated his game of late and the team has benefited. Halischuk notched his 5th goal of the season to give the Predators a 3-2 lead early in the third period. Halischuk has been strong on the puck and is taking it to the net and he has been rewarded for his efforts. He has been solid offensively as well as defensively and has taken a bigger role in the performance of the team. It's good to see his game grow and how he has responded to the challenge.

Final Thoughts

This losing streak and this season have been miserable. The positive aspects of this for the Predators are that there are players getting some invaluable experience in all situations and it will serve the team well in the coming seasons. The other aspect is that the team is forging character in this time of adversity. It is not going to be fun to watch the playoffs instead of participating in them. It is not fun losing. This team is tasting the bitterness of a sour season, and I believe they will learn from it and it will be a long term positive.

It had better be so.

My three stars:

1. Shea Weber

2. Roman Cervenka

3. Matt Halischuk