Predators Wilt In the Third Period, Fall to Sharks 5-2

The Nashville Predators looked to continue their road success in the playoffs with a second round match up against the San Jose Sharks at the SAP Center. The Predators won 3 of 4 meetings against the Ducks at the Honda Center and were attempting to build on that momentum.

A scoreless first period saw both teams probe but neither would find the back of the net.

That would change in the second period as Mike Fisher sent the Predators into the second intermission with a power play goal.

The Predators seemed content to sit back and lost their attacking mode, and it cost them. They gave up power play goal to Tomas Hertl and Logan Couture, which were sandwiched around an even strength goal from Joel Ward.

The Predators pulled Rinne for the extra attacker and a Roman Josi shot deflected off Ryan Johansen to make it 3-2 with 1:49 remaining in the game.

Any hopes of a comeback were dashed by an empty net goals by Couture  and Tommy Wingels to make it 5-2.


Some observations:

• Craig Smith re-aggravated his injury suffered in game 3 of the Ducks series and was out of the line up. Pontus Aberg was called up, but did not play.
• Eric Nystrom drew back into the line up and was on  the 4th line with Paul Gaustad and Colton Sissons.
• Good to see the power play finally convert. The man advantage unit was 1-26 against the Ducks and definitely needed to get their groove back. Getting one on their second attempt hopefully gets their mojo going in this series.
• Both teams had spurts of intensity surrounded by tentative play. The Sharks were backing off defensively and allowed some room for the Predators in the offensive zone. The Predators had moments where they went into a shell and the Sharks peppered Rinne in net. First game jitters...maybe. Rust by the Sharks...perhaps. Look for the intensity and continuous action to ramp up in this game and in this series.
• The Predators tempted fate by putting the Sharks on the power play and it bit them. A dumb penalty by Johansen allowed the Sharks to get back in the game and get momentum early in the third period. The penalties will happen, but they cannot, CANNOT, be silly penalties.
• When the Predators get tentative and lose their attack mode, they are not a very good hockey team. The Predators have all season long turtled when they have a lead, and they did again tonight. And that allowed the Sharks to take the game to them and take the lead. This team is going to have to develop a killer instinct and forget going into the shell and hoping Rinne can bail them out.
• And when you dig a hole with a soft, passive game, it will cost you when you scramble to try to get back in. This is exactly what the Predators did in the third period. Losing their offensive effort and then being forced to chase cost them this game. 

The Predators were in this game, and in fact controlled this game until they decided they could sit back and hope Rinne would be able to hold them off. Letting the Sharks attack and pour shots on the Predators net was not going to succeed.

That style of play didn't work in the regular season. It certainly isn't going to work now.

This team can win this round. They have the talent to do so.

But they will not win if they continue to be passive.

My three stars:

1. Logan Couture

2. Joel Ward

3. Brent Burns

Predators Blow 2 Goal Third Period Lead, Fall In SO to the Sharks

The Nashville Predators went into the second intermission of their game with the San Jose Sharks at Bridgestone Arena with a 2-0 lead. They built that lead by attacking the Sharks and keeping them off balance, forechecking aggressively and not letting the Sharks get into any offensive flow.

All they needed to do to end a 3 game losing streak was to continue to do those same things over the last 20 minutes.

Easy, right?

Well, nothing is easy with the Predators.

They decided to sit back and go into a shell over the last 20 minutes, and it allowed Tomas Hertl to score twice forcing the game to OT.

Predator fans know all too well that OT is a disaster for this team.

The good news...the Predators didn't lose in OT.

The bad news...the Predators lost in a shootout 1-0 to drop a 3-2 decision that they never, NEVER, should have lost.

Shea Weber opened the scoring for the Predators with a rocket from the blue line over the shoulder of James Reimer to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

The Predators looked to have made it 2-0 on the power play as the period was winding down, but the goal was deemed to have occurred just a split second after the period expired.

The Predators would make it 2-0 in the second period as Calle Jarnkrok redirected a James Neal shot past Reimer to send the Predators into the second intermission with a lead that should have stood.

Instead, the Predators sat back and let the Sharks dictate play. Hertl made it 2-1 when he banged in a rebound past Carter Hutton.

Hertl struck again when he was able to beat Hutton off a rebound of a Brent Burns shot.

The teams went to OT, and the Predators managed to kill off a penalty and hold the Sharks off the board.

In the shootout, Logan Couture was the only scorer to seal the win for the Sharks.

Some observations:

• The Predators are certainly not inspiring a sense of confidence heading into the playoffs. Yes, they are in the playoffs, but this team should be sharpening their game. Instead, they are just muddling along, and I am afraid they are not going to be able to flip a switch and turn their game back on when the post season gets here. Sloppy play, defensive breakdowns, and a lack of mental focus are troubling. Hopefully, this team gets its act together in the last 3 games.
• Stefan Elliott saw action in his second game due to the absence of Ryan Ellis. Elliott looked much better in this game- more confident and positionally sound. Good experience for Elliott.
• Roman Josi picked up an assist on Weber's goal, his 45th of the year.
• The Predators continued their awful play in the face off dot, winning only 29% of their draws. This is an area of the Predators game that has to improve quickly.

This team has shown flashes of being outstanding, yet they have also shown glimpses of mediocrity. Until they decide to get consistent and elevate their game, I will not be confident in their prospects in the playoffs.

There are 3 regular season games left, boys.

Time to get your act together.

My three stars:

1. Tomas Hertl

2. Logan Couture

3. Carter Hutton

Predators Fire Blanks, Shut Out By the Sharks

The Nashville Predators continued their road swing out West as they traveled to San Jose to take on the Sharks. San Jose is outside a playoff spot, so the Predators knew they were going to play a team that was desperate and would bring the intensity.

The Predators would match the intensity of the Sharks and would outplay them for most of the game, but as has been the story of the Predators lately, they couldn't finish their chances.

Despite out shooting the Sharks 35-21, the Predators gave up a power play goal to Tomas Hertl and an empty net goal to Tommy Wingels to drop their 7th game in their last 8 outings.

Pekka Rinne did not have a lot of work but did make some good saves from close in. His counterpart, Antti Niemi absolutely stood on his head and thwarted the Predators scoring chances all night.


Some observations:

• The Predators were guilty of two penalties in the first period and yet still out shot the Sharks 14-6. The Sharks started the game with good territorial advantage but the Predators got a good push back and peppered Niemi with shots. Colin Wilson was especially active in the first period, creating some good scoring chances.
• Although he hasn't been rewarded in the past few games, Craig Smith has been playing some very good hockey. Smith hunts the puck down in the offensive zone and is dynamic with the puck on his stick. I really like the fact that he goes to the hard areas in front of the net and is willing to battle for rebounds.
• The Sharks have the 5th best power play in the NHL. The Predators certainly tempted fate by taking 4 penalties in the first two periods and it finally bit them on the 4th penalty kill. The Predators had done a good job killing penalties until the penalty late in the second period when the defense lost Tomas Hertl in front of the net.
• With the Sharks scoring first, that is 12 times in the lst 13 games that the Predators have allowed the first goal. Ugh!
• As much as the Predators dominated the first two periods of play, they came out in the third period and were just blah. They managed one shot on net in the first 7 minutes and struggled to even get the puck in the zone.
• Head Coach Peter Laviolette put his forward lines in a blender in the third period to try to generate some offense. Some chances were created but the Predators couldn't finish. At all.
• This game played out exactly like the game the Predators played in San Jose in December, a 2-0 loss where the Sharks sealed the win with an empty net goal.
• The Predators had two power play opportunities and didn't look good against a team that is 25th in the NHL in killing penalties. Once again, they struggled to get in the zone and their movement once in the zone was not good. The lack of an effective power play is going to haunt this team in the remainder of the regular season and in the playoffs.

I can't fault the effort by the Predators in 5 on 5 play. I can fault the inability of the the forwards to finish some very good scoring chances. This team has to finish when they create the prime chances like they did tonight. This has been one of the problems that the Predators have faced in this funk they have been in.

The Predators have now slipped to second in the Central Division. They, like the Blues, have 91 points, but the Blues have 2 games in hand.

If this team doesn't get its mojo back quickly, they run the risk of slipping further.

My three stars:

1. Antti Niemi

2. Tomas Hertl

3. Pekka Rinne

Predators Lackluster Effort Leads to Loss to the Sharks

The Nashville Predators traveled to San Jose to face the Sharks in the last game of a three game road trip. The Predators won the first two games of this road swing and were looking to build on that momentum against a Sharks team that always plays the Predators tough in their barn.

A total defensive breakdown by Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm allowed Tomas Hertl to be left alone in front of the net and he was able to get a puck past Rinne after the initial save to make it 1-0 Sharks at 5:01 of the first period.

The Sharks spent the remainder of the period dominating the Predators and controlling play. The Predators had no jump and were chasing the puck all period. if not for the play of Rinne, this game would have gotten out of hand early.

The Predators were going to need to regroup and come out with more energy in the second period.

The Predators effort was hampered when early in the second period Shea Weber delivered a booming check to Ty McGinn along the boards. Both players left the game and went to their respective locker rooms. Weber's absence left the Predators with 5 defensemen.

The Sharks continued to play with energy and jump while the Predators looked a step slow and back on their heels. Rinne's strong play was the only thing keeping the Predators close.

The Predators offense, much like the first period, was non-existent. they managed only 4 shots on net while the Sharks had 11. whatever offensive flow, magic or whatever that the Predators had displayed so far this season had completely disappeared in the first 40 minutes of this game. Without argument, this was the worst 40 minutes of hockey this team had played all season.

The Predators had a bit more jump in the third period and actually created a few good scoring chances. They continued to struggle connecting on their passes and the puck support in the offensive zone was weak, often short circuiting offensive possessions.

The Predators pulled Rinne with 1:46 remaining for the extra attacker and the Predators lost the face off and Joe Thornton promptly put it into the empty net for a 2-0 Sharks lead.

The game would end at that score. The way the Predators played tonight, they were not going to overcome a one goal lead, much less two.

Some observations:

• The Predators looked out of sync and sluggish in the first period and were thoroughly outplayed by the Sharks. No offensive flow and on their heels in the defensive zone and the Sharks pounced on the Predators. Rinne was very busy in the first and had to make some good saves to keep the score from being worse than it was. The Sharks out shot the Predators 18-7 and had good pressure in the offensive zone while the Predators never mounted a challenge to Niemi.
• The 18 shots were the most allowed in a period by the Predators this season.
• Weber missed about half of the second period as he had to get his armed stitched after landing on McGinn's skate.
• Paul Gaustad missed his second game in a row with a lower body injury.
• All season long, the Predators defense has been more active in the offensive zone, and they did that again tonight. A pleasant change from years past.
• Kudos to James Neal for being willing to drop the gloves when provoked. He handled himself well in his first fight of the year.
• Too many cute passes on the power play and not enough meat and potatoes of getting the puck to the net and scrapping for rebounds. This has been a problem for the power play unit all season. The power play unit just plain makes it too easy for the opponents to defend.
• Pekka Rinne was absolutely outstanding. He made some great saves and had lots of pucks coming at him. His save in the second period on Patrick Marleau was a thing of beauty. Without his solid netminding, this game would have been embarrassing for the Predators.
• Once again, the Predators were not good in the face off dot. This is one of the areas of their play that is going to have to improve.
• This was the second time this season that the Predators have been shut out.

This was just a weak effort by the Predators, and although they had a bit of push back in the third period, it was not nearly enough.

This game shows this team can't just step on the ice and expect to chalk upo a win. Bring a half-hearted effort and this will be the result.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Tomas Hertl

3. Joe Thornton