Desperately trying to end a three game skid and a goal scoring drought, the Nashville Predators got just what they needed to get healthy against a struggling Edmonton Oilers team at the Bridgestone Arena.
The Predators suddenly found their scoring touch in a 6-0 win before their 24th straight sellout crowd.
Pekka Rinne was in net for the Predators, and recorded his 4th shutout of the season.
Colin Wilson led the way for the Predators offense with two goals and two assists.
Some observations:
The Killer B's
The Predators added forwards Bobby Butler and Zach Boychuk as waiver acquisitions and called up defenseman Victor Bartley from Milwaukee. All three had positive contributions to the win tonight.
Butler showed good jump and a willingness to god to the hard areas. His nose for the puck and ability to move his feet resulted in drawing three penalties against the Oilers. The Predators capitalized on two of the subsequent power plays.
Boychuk has incredible speed and offensive skills. The Predators just may be what he needs to get his game together and stick on an NHL roster. Boychuk made some slick passes, was strong on the puck, and re-directed a Shea Weber blast past Yann Danis for his first goal as a Predator.
I was very impressed with Bartley. He kept his game simple, made good passes on the breakout, and was solid in the defensive zone. Paired with Kevin Klein, he looked comfortable and did a good job of communicating with his partner on the blue line. Bartley even jumped in on several occasions in the offensive zone, and played with a great deal of poise.
The Push
Maybe it was the presence of the new players on the roster. Maybe it was the fact that there could now be some competition for ice time. Whatever the reason, the Predators played like the Predators tonight. They pushed the puck up the ice, played with jump, and looked for shots rather than passes. The Predators out shot the Oilers 34-24 and had a decided edge in offensive zone time.
This is the way the Predators have to play. Not fancy hockey. Simple hockey. Predator hockey. This is their formula to win games, and recently, the Predators had gotten away from that type of hockey. They will need to continue to play like they did tonight to keep winning.
The Wall
Rinne recorded his 4th shut out of the season, and although he was not seriously challenged, he did have to come up with a couple of big saves on Ryan Jones. Jones, a former Predator, had a shorthanded breakaway in the first period and another breakaway chance in the second period. Rinne stoned Jones on both attempts to keep the Oilers off the board and not allow the visitors to get some momentum.
Rinne is an excellent goalie, but has not had much help in front of him in recent games. Tonight, he was solid in net, making some timely saves, and the guys in front of him were much better. This is the combination that the Predators have to bring to the ice each game to win.
Wilson Wows
Colin Wilson played like many have believed he can play. Wilson went strong to the net for his first goal and his second goal was a rocket from the face off circle. Wilson dished out two assists and was strong on the puck and created offense. This is the kind of play the Predators need each game for the talented winger.
Clune Continues To Impress
Rich Clune isn't the most talented player on the Predators roster, but he plays with heart and effort every night. Clune got a goal by going to the hard area in front of the net, sliding home a rebound between the pads of Danis. He also went skate to skate with Oilers heavyweight Mike Brown in a first period fight. Clune skates hard and plays harder, something some of the other players on the roster should note.
Blind Hog
David Legwand scored on a fluke goal late in the first period, flipping the puck from the red line and skipping it past Dubnyk. This was Legwand's first goal since February 16th, and frankly, the Predators need much more from him.
I guess this goal proves the old adage that blind hogs do find acorns.
Hornqvist Hurt
Patric Hornqvist had a Patric Hornqvist goal to open the scoring by tipping a puck past Devan Dubnyk from in front of the net. That was the good. The bad was seeing Hornqvist crunched into the boards in the second period by Theo Peckham on a questionable hit and leaving the ice with what looked to be a badly injured shoulder. Hornqvist went straight to the locker room and did not return to the game.
This was a game that the Predators had to have. Nashville now has 25 points at the halfway mark of the season. I believe that it will take 55 points to get into the playoffs.
If that is the case, the Predators can ill afford any more losing streaks and will have to elevate their play to get into the playoffs.
This game reinforced to the Predators what they have to do to win. Get pucks to the net, play with heart, and keep it simple.
This is the formula upon which this team has to build in the second half of the season.
It starts tomorrow night.
My three stars:
1. Colin Wilson
2. Pekka Rinne
3. Shea Weber
Showing posts with label Theo Peckham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Theo Peckham. Show all posts
Friday, March 8, 2013
Monday, November 28, 2011
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
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
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