Predators Drop Another Game to the Blues 1-0

The St. Louis Blues squared off against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena in a game that took on the characteristics of a heavyweight boxing match.

Both teams probed, took their offensive shots, and waited for the other to make a mistake to give them an opening.

It was the Predators that made the mistake, getting trapped in their own zone for a lengthy period of time and failing to clear the puck. That mistake wound up in the back of their net.

Troy Brouwer deflected a shot by Alex Pietrangelo past Pekka Rinne with 1:05 to go in regulation to give the Blues a 1-0 victory.

The Blues have won all 4 games against the Predators this season.

Some observations:

• Shots on goal were 11 apiece at the end of 2 periods as neither team would give an inch. That changed in the third period as the Blues had the quality scoring chances while the Predators rarely threatened Brian Elliott. Rinne had to make some huge saves, including a point blank stop on Magnus Paajarvi. Rinne was solid tonight and I can't fault him on the deflection that got past him. The Blues out shot the Predators 12-5 in the third as the offense was virtually non-existent. For the game, the Blues out shot the Predators 23-16.
• Ryan Johansen had 3 shots on net , but the rest of the Predators had no player record more than 2 shots on goal as the Blues defense did an effective job of choking off the offensive push. The Predators this season have had no answer for the heavy game the Blues play. They had better figure it out, because this is the kind of hockey every team will play between now and the end of the season.
• The Predators were good in the face off dot, winning 57% of the draws.
• I liked the game of Calle Jarnkrok tonight. He was aggressive in all zones and played with speed and pace. He was on a line with Craig Smith and Mike Ribeiro and this line created a few quality chances.
• Unfortunately for the Predators, there were not enough quality chances. Very little traffic to the net meant that Brian Elliott had a fairly easy night.
• This is the 6th time this season that the Predators have been shut out.
• There is no doubt that the Central Division is the toughest division in the NHL. If the Predators are going to climb into a solid playoff position, they are going to have to pick up their game against their division rivals. After tonight, the Predators are 6-10-2 against their Central opponents. 
• The Predators PK was solid, killing off all 3 of the Blues power plays. This unit continues to be effective and has really stepped up their play.
• On the other hand, the Predators power play was 0-3 and never really threatened the net. This unit has started to go cold, and the team needs this unit to pick up their sense of urgency and pace.

This is a tough loss for the Predators as it is a divisional loss and keeps them barely in the playoff hunt. With a chance to make up some ground  on the Blues and put some distance between the other teams chasing them, they sputtered.

It is not going to get any easier between now and the end of the season. Teams are going to be desperate and playing hard hockey.

They Predators are going to have to do the same.

My three stars:

1. Troy Brouwer

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Alex Pietrangelo

Predators Clinch Playoff Spot With 4-3 Win Over the Capitals, and Scenes From the Road

The Nashville Predators were looking to continue their winning ways going into their game with the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center.

The task was going to be a bit more difficult as Shea Weber was out of the line up and called day to day with the dreaded "lower body injury".

The Predators proved they were up to the task, scoring 3 first period goals on the way to a 4-3 victory.

Moments after killing off a 55 second 5 on 3 advantage for the Caps, Mattias Ekholm, who was one of the Preds in the box, took a puck that was muffed by Curtis Glencross at the Capitals blue line and beat Braden Holtby with a sweet backhand shot to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

Mike Fisher made it 2-0 with a wrist shot through traffic.

The Capitals former first round pick, Filip Forsberg drilled a wrist shot past Holtby for a 3-0 first period lead and that ended the afternoon for Holtby. He was lifted for Justin Peters after giving up 3 goals on 13 shots.

The Caps scored just 19 seconds into the second period as the Predators got scrambly in their end and Troy Brouwer lifted a puck over a fallen Pekka Rinne.

Brouwer would score a short handed goal as Forsberg made a blind drop pass in the neutral zone that Brower picked off and beat Rinne low to the stick side.

Mike Ribeiro gave the Predators a 4-2 lead after Forsberg won a battle on the wall and passed to Ribeiro in the low slot. He redirected it past Peters to give the Predators some breathing room.

That goal was the game winner because the Caps stormed out and scored just 20 seconds into the third period to make it 4-3. Mike Green scored from the blue line through traffic to cut the lead to 1 and increase exponentially the pucker factor of every Preds fan.

Rinne and the defense were able to shut the door on the Caps to secure the win and a playoff spot. The Predators have now won 4 straight games, including 3 over Eastern Conference playoff contenders (Montreal, Tampa Bay, and Washington).

Some observations:

• With Weber out of the line up, the defensive pairings were: roman Josi and Seth Jones; Mattias Ekholm and Cody Franson; and Anton Volchenkov and Ryan Ellis. The blueliners were very good today, and I have to give kudos to Volchenkov and Ellis in particular. They got caught several times with Ovechkin's line on the ice and handled themselves very well. And what can you say about Roman Josi? He handled some tough minutes and continues to impress with his poise, solid play, and ability to move the puck.
• I also really like the play of Mattias Ekholm. He is playing with confidence and has shown some offensive flair. His goal was a beauty, completely fooling Holtby with a quick backhand.
• I saw Weber in the hotel before the game and spoke with him. He did not appear to be in pain and was moving well. Hopefully he returns to the line up quickly.
• Filip Forsberg picked up a goal and 2 assists (thank you former Caps GM George McPhee!). But the play that really stood out to me was his work on the wall the win the puck and get it to Ribeiro for the game winning goal. One of the underrated aspects of his game is the strength that he has and his ability to use that strength to win puck battles. That goal was a direct result of his strong effort on the boards.
• Pekka Rinne was once again solid in net. He stopped 23 of 26 shots and picked up his 41st win of the season. Rinne looks confident and smooth in the net, and there is no doubt the team feeds on that condidence that he brings.
• The Predators held Alex Ovechkin without a goal. He had 2 goals in their contest against the Predators in Nashville. Ovi has now gone 7 straight games without a goal.
• The Caps had 45 hits to the Predators 17. That is an indication of how the Predators possessed the puck and forced the Caps to chase.
• Once again, the penalty kill was excellent, killing off all 5 of the Capitals power plays, including 55 seconds of a 5 on 3. The Caps have a potent offense and power play and the Predators did a good job of foiling their entries into the zone and disrupting their offensive flow.
• Likewise, the Caps did the same thing to the Predators power play. The Predators even managed to give up a short handed goal off a bone headed drop pass to no one by Forsberg. This unit has got to start performing at a higher level quickly. Please!

This was a very big win by the team, not only for clinching a playoff spot but for meeting the challenge of playing a quality playoff contender and taking care of business in a hostile environment.

Now they have to keep it rolling. Going into the playoffs on a roll is certainly preferable to limping into the postseason.

My three stars:

1. Filip Forsberg

2. Troy Brouwer

3. Mike Ribeiro

Here are some scenes from DC:

The Verizon Center is right in the middle of downtown. The 20 year old barn is a nice facility, but inside is starting to show its age a bit. While Verizon has the naming rights on the facility, notice the big T-Mobil LED ad on the corner of the building.

A view of the arena before the game.

The ladies just can't resist sharp dressed men wearing gold.

My hockey pal and traveling companion Mark Blake on the right and Pete Weber. We had an opportunity to tour the historic National Press Club and have dinner there on Friday night. The history in that facility and some of the exhibits there were amazing.

Predators Shoot Down the Capitals In a Shoot Out

Our elected leaders in Washington are a pretty dysfunctional bunch.

The hockey team in Washington is pretty dang good.

The Capitals brought their high octane offense to Smashville to face the Predators, who were struggling to get above .500, and the Predators managed to find enough offense to outlast the Capital in a shootout to win 4-3.

Patric Hornqvist scored two goals for the Predators, His effort was matched by Troy Brouwer of the Capitals, as he scored twice as well.

Hornqvist tallied his first goal by driving the net and chipping a rebound over the pad of Jaroslav Halak to tie the game at 1.

Hornqvist gave the Predators a 2-1 lead as he carried the puck into the offensive zone, drove the net, and roofed a backhand under the crossbar.

After Brouwer tied the game with a power play goal in the second period, Shea Weber beat Halak with a rocket from just outside the face off circle to make it 3-2 at 8:23 of the third period.

With Washington again on the power play, Nicklas Backstrom snapped a shot past Carter Hutton to tie the game at 3 at 12:20 of the third.

The remainder of the period was scoreless, as was the overtime.

In the shootout, Craig Smith was the lone goal scorer. Hutton stopped Evgeny Kuznetsov, Mikhail Grabovski, and Backstrom to secure the win for the Predators.

Some observations:

• The Predators shootout win was only their second win of the season in the skills competition. They are now 2-8 in shootouts.

• Hutton stopped 23 of 26 shots and all three shooters in the shootout. Hutton is now 10-5-2 in 2014.

• Mark Van Guilder made his NHL debut for the Predators. The 30 year old rookie was called into action with injuries to Nick Spaling and Paul Gaustad.

• Patric Hornqvist played an excellent game tonight. His energy helped propel the Predators to the win, and his first goal of the night was a typical Hornqvist play, driving the net and capitalizing (pardon the pun) on a rebound. His second goal was a thing of beauty, carrying the puck on the breakaway and lifting the shot under the crossbar. His two goal tonight give him 101 goals for his career. He now has 10 points (5G-5A) in his last 9 games.

• Rich Clune destroyed the Capitals Patrick Wey in a first period fight, and that seemed to energize the Predators. Wey did not return to the game after the scrap.

• Weber's goal gives him 21 for the season, tops among NHL defensemen. He also lead the Predators in TOI, with 27:47.

• The Capitals have the best power play in the NHL, and they showed it tonight, going 2-4. The Predators did not have a power play in the game.

This was a scrappy win by the Predators against a more talented team, a win that showed this team refused to quit under the pressure the Caps brought.

This is the kind of effort that this team needs to end the season on a positive note.

My three stars:

1. Patric Hornqvist

2. Shea Weber

3. Troy Brouwer

Same Song, Same Tired Refrain. Predators Fall to the Caps 5-2

The Nashville Predators traveled to the Verizon Center to take on the Washington Capitals and were in desperate need of a win. The Predators had just ended a four game home stand by losing every game, and faced a big challenge in the Capitals and their explosive offense.

Marek Mazanec was in net for the Predators, while the Capitals went with Braden Holtby.

Mazanec made a couple of stellar saves early in the period to keep the Caps off the board. Washington would get the first goal of the game, though as Troy Brouwer outmuscled Ryan Ellis in front of the net and was able to slide a backhand past the pads of Mazanec at 6:44 of the first period.

Rich Clune was called for interference at 13:06 and Alex Ovechkin fired a shot from the face off circle that caromed past Mazanec at 13:09.

So much for an effective penalty kill.

Karl Alzner made it 3-0 for the Caps with a blast from the blue line that beat Mazanec glove side at 16:19. this was just after Mazanec made 3 great saves in close after Kevin Klein had a give away in front of his net.

The Predators finally showed some signs of life as Roman Josi carried the puck into the zone a fired a wrist shot from outside the face off circle that beat Holtby over the shoulder to make it 3-1 at 19:38 of the first period.

The Caps out shot the Predators 14-12 in the first period.

the game was not out of reach- yet- but the Predators were going to have to get better goaltending and tighten up their effort in the defensive zone.

The Predators opened the second period skating better and firing shots on net. they created some great scoring opportunities, but could not finish their chances.

The Predators also played much better defensively, limiting the Caps shots and scoring chances. In the period, the Predators out shot the Caps 12-6.

If the Predators were going to get back in this game, they were going to have to do something that had been a struggle over the last 4 games, and that was finish their scoring chances.

At 3:39 of the third period, Nate Schmidt fired a puck from the blue line that beat an unscreened Mazanec stick side to make it 4-1.

The Predators made it 4-2 as Eric Nystrom broke in on a 2 on 1 and rather than pass, took a shot from inside the face off circle that beat Holtby to the far post at 3:52 of the period. Nystrom has a deceptively good shot, and he beat Holtby with a well placed shot.

The game turned into a pond hockey affair as both teams sped up and down the ice with scoring chances. The Predators tempted fate by giving up odd man rushes, and the Caps eventually made them pay as Eric Fehr buried a shot from the face off circle that beat Mazanec stick side to give the Caps a 5-2 lead at 14:50.

The Predators never threatened again after that score, and mercifully, the Caps did not score again.

Some observations:

• The Predators welcomed Shea Weber back to the line up after taking a puck to the eye on Thanksgiving night against Edmonton. weber was wearing a visor, which I hope he continues to do for the remainder of his career. Weber is one of the players that is grandfathered under the CBA and he can choose not to wear a visor because of his tenure in the League.

• The Predators scratched their second leading scorer, Craig Smith, in favor of Rich Clune. The logic of that move eludes me.

• Mazanec had to make some quality saves. The score would have been more embarrassing except for some very good play in the net. The goal by Schmidt was one he would like to have back, as it was an unscreened shot that blew past him. Mazanec was beaten stick side twice tonight on shots that seemed stoppable.

• Once again, the inability to finish scoring chances victimized the Predators. They put a lot of pucks on Holtby and he gave up rebounds, but we had difficulty finishing scoring chances in close.

• The Predators faced some familiar players in Joel Ward and Marty Erat.

• Patric Hornqvist took a big hit from Troy Brouwer late in the game and went to the locker room and did not return. It appeared that he hurt his shoulder again when he landed awkwardly on the ice.

This is a struggling team that is not playing good hockey. And that is a formula for falling far out of the playoff race.

If the Predators do not get back on track very quickly, this will be a long and dismal season.

My three stars:

1. Braden Holtby

2. Eric Fehr

3. Roman Josi

Capital Punishment: Caps Punch Out the Predators 4-1

There are times the Nashville Predators looks like Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks.

No, not an offensive force.

Instead, like Sedin getting punched by Brad Marchand in the Stanley Cup finals, they often look like a team that is getting punched in the face and not responding.

In their game against the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center, the Predators watched the Capitals out skate and out hit them consistently throughout the first period en route to a 2-0 lead. The Capitals did pretty much what they wanted and the Predators did not respond.

Anders Lindback started in net for the Predators, while the Capitals went with Michael Neuvirth. Lindback was under assault throughout the period, while Neuvirth had very little to do at his end of the ice.

The Predators recorded their second shot on net after 11 minutes had elapsed off the clock, if you want an indication of how ineffective the offensive effort was.

Alex Ovechkin notched his 11th goal of the season at 7:42 of the first period as he drove the net and beat Jonathan Blum to the low slot. His wrist shot beat Lindback over the shoulder to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead.

Nicklas Backstrom got his 12th goal of the season on a nice wraparound goal. He used the net to scrape off Jerred Smithson and beat Lindback to the far post at 15:51 to make it 2-0 Capitals.

Frankly, if the Capitals had not missed some open shots, the score could have been much worse.

The Capitals out shot the Predators 11-4 in the first period, but totally dominated the play as the Predators offense failed to show up in this period. The Predators continued their poor offensive effort that started in the St. Louis game, and unfortunately, that game did not appear to be an aberration.

In the second period, the Predators skated better and generated 8 shots on net to 3 for the Capitals. The Predators once again caught a couple of breaks as they gave up two 2 on 1 rushes that the Capitals could not convert. Although they generated 8 shots, there were only a few quality scoring chances, and Neuvirth was up to the task of stopping the Predators.

The Predators had three power plays in the the third period, and never really challenged Neuvirth on any of them. One failed to generate any shots on goal. The power play has been surprisingly potent up to this point for the Predators, but the Capitals PK was hustling and shutting down quality chances for the Predators.

Through two periods, the Predators had reverted back to their old and frustrating ways by passing up shots in favor of an extra pass. The fact is that the Predators lack the elite finishers that make this style of play a solid offensive strategy. The Predators were going to have to commit to shooting the puck and crashing the net if they were going to get back in this contest in the third period.

The Predators finally found the back of the net at 4:40 of the third period as Sergei Kostitsyn stole the puck and weaved his way through the Capitals defense and let a snap shot go from the face off circle that beat Neuvirth. Good to see Kostitsyn find the back of the net again. This was his fifth goal of the year.

The Predators began to skate and challenged the Capitals (finally!). The started buzzing the net, firing the pucks, and controlling play. This was the Predators team that was finally employing their formula for success.

The Capitals seized momentum back at 10:21 of the third period as Alex Semin skated in and unleashed a laser to the top corner that beat Lindback to make the score 3-1 Capitals. Now the Predators faced the double challenge of overcoming a Capitals lead and the enemy that was the clock.

With Craig Smith in the box for hooking, the Capitals tallied on the power play as Troy Brouwer tipped a shot from the point by Dennis Wideman to make it 4-1 at 13:46.

The Predators had a chance to cut into the deficit as Joel Ward was called for slashing at 14:16, but the Predators failed to get a shot on the power play.

The Capitals spent the rest of the period choking off the Predators offense, and the final score was 4-1 Capitals.

The frustrating thing about this team is their consistently inconsistent effort. You would think that by now this team would have learned that they have to play a full 60 minute game. Apparently, that has not been ingrained into their psyche even this deep into the season. One bad period can and often does spell defeat for this team, and they have continued to struggle with this concept.

Until they grasp the concept of a 60 minute game, they will continue to get punched out by their competition.

Kinda like Daniel Sedin.

My three stars:

1. Nicklas Backstrom

2. Alex Semin

3. Sergei Kostitsyn

Capital Punishment: Predators Defeat the Caps 3-1

The Nashville Predators took on the Washington Capitals at the Bridgestone Arena in a game that had all the characteristics of a heavyweight fight. Both teams took shots at the other, both teams had surges, and in the end, only one team was left standing.

That team was the Nashville Predators.

The Predators went with Pekka Rinne, while the Capitals countered with former Predator Tomas Vokoun.

For 55 minutes, it was a contest that went back and forth, with each team getting opportunities and both netminders making excellent saves.

Punch and counter punch.

The Predators opened the first period flying and generated some quality chances. Vokoun was up to the task for the Caps, while Rinne was solid at the other end of the ice. The Predators did a good job in this period of limiting secondary scoring chances as the Caps often got one shot on net and the defense was there to clear the puck and start the breakout.

The Predators out shot the Capitals 10-8 in that period.

In the second period, the Capitals asserted themselves. They created scoring opportunities and outworked the Predators throughout the period. Their 15 shots on goal to 8 for the Predators was testimony to their effort in the Predators zone. Rinne was called upon to make some tough saves to keep the Capitals off the board.

The Predators had a glorious scoring chance as Mike Fisher had a breakaway but was topped by the right pad of Vokoun. This was by far the best scoring opportunity for the Predators, and this game had the feel of one that would be decided by the first team that would crack under the pressure of a tight contest.

In the third period, the Predators got their feet moving again, and although out shot 17-13, they created some good scoring opportunities. Yet they were unable to solve Vokoun as the period wore on, and Predator fans were left wondering if they would find the back of the net.

Although there was a better effort in the offensive zone, the Predators went down 1-0 at 15:14 as Troy Brouwer took a shot that deflected off a Mike Fisher and over the shoulder of Rinne.

With the way this game had gone to this point, one had to wonder if the Predators could solve Vokoun and salvage a point.

The Predators would do better than get a point.

Just 28 seconds after Washington took the lead, the Predators would tie the game. Shea Weber carried the puck deep in the zone and slid a pass to Marty Erat, who was driving the off wing. Erat got behind the defensive coverage and tapped the puck into an empty net to tie the game at 1.

The Predators were energized by that goal and were skating hard in the final minutes. Their effort paid off as Marty Erat took the puck behind the net and slipped it to Colin Wilson who was driving the net. Wilson had an open net and buried the shot as he was being leveled by a Caps defender to give the Predators a 2-1 lead at 19:35.

With the face off at center ice, the Capitals chose to pull Vokoun for the extra attacker. The Predators controlled the face off and Shea Weber iced the win with an empty netter from the blue line at 19:40.

This was a character win by the Predators. They battled hard with the Capitals- a very good team that has an explosive offense- and took their best shot and came out with the victory. The Predators were able to keep the potent trio of Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alex Semin off the board. They created some good scoring chances and capitalized (pardon the pun) on their opportunities in crunch time.

Crunch time.

That critical period of the game when the team was down one and time was running out. The time when a lesser team would have folded. The Predators didn't fold, but instead kept fighting back, kept skating hard, and kept creating chances. Their effort didn't wane when it would have been easy for it to do so.

Character.

This is the type of win that can define a team. A win that a team can build upon. This game showed this young team that they can compete with one of the better teams in the NHL. Not just compete, but come out on top.

Just one game, but a game on which this team can build and draw upon in this long season.

A game that showed the Predators that they can another team's best shot and still stand victorious.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Marty Erat

3. Colin Wilson

Third Period Meltdown Dooms the Predators in a 6-3 Loss to the Blackhawks

As good as the Nashville Predator's win over  the Blackhawks was on Saturday, their re-match in Chicago was horrid. A third period meltdown cost the Predators a chance to sweep the back to back contests with their division rivals, as the Blackhawks turned a close game into a blowout, defeating the Predators 6-3.

The Predators were victimized by a third period that was a horror show. Tied at 2 at the end of two periods, the Predators took a 3-2 lead on the second goal of the night from J.P. Dumont. From that point on, the wheels absolutely came off for the Predators.

Before we get to the debacle that was the third period for the Predators, let's see how we got there.

The Predators opened the game with good jump and were out-skating the Hawks in the first period. Their effort paid off with four power play opportunities in the first period, and they were able to cash in on two of them.

The first tally of the game came from Marty Erat with Jonathan Toews in the box for holding.Erat buried a rebound past Hawks goalie Marty Turco to give the Predators a 1-0 lead at 2:04 of the period.

Chicago would tie the game on a Dave Bolland score at 6:38, as he beat Nashville netminder Anders Lindback.

The Predators would respond with their second power play marker of the period as J.P. Dumont corralled a rebound of a Shea Weber shot that was initially blocked by Brian Campbell. He beat Turco with a quick wrist shot to give the Predators a 2-1 advantage.

Chicago would tie the game with the only goal of the second period as David Legwand made a lazy croos ice pass at the Predators blueline that Bolland intercepted. Bolland put a spectacular move on Ryan Suter, the only Predator player that was back to stop the rush, and beat Lindback five hole.

To this point, the contest had been fairly even, Nashville had outshot the hawks at the end of two period by an 18-16 margin and had skated evenly with the Hawks through forty minutes.

As I said last night, it is a 60 minute game, but tonight the Predators unfortunately checked out after 40 minutes.

Oh, the third started well. J.P. Dumont potted his second goal of the night off a clean face off win by rookie Chris Mueller. Dumont gathered in the puck and beat Turco cleanly with a quick wrister that went high glove side.

3-2 Predators and we have a game that the good guys can win.

Not so fast.

A game that the Predators had played evenly with the Blackhawks suddenly spiraled out of control. Quickly.

With Ryan Suter in the box for holding, the Blackhawks struck on a power play opportunity of their own.Troy Brouwer was left all alone in front of the net and gathered in a rebound of a pad save by Lindback and knocked the puck into an open net as Lindback was out of position. Brouwer's goal came at 9:19 of the third

Tied at 3, the Hawks turned up the pressure and the Predators did not respond. Brouwer circled out the corner, split Marcel Goc and Shea Weber, and found himself alone in the low slot. His wrist shot beat Lindback to the glove side at 9:59 of the third.

Two goals in 40 seconds and the Hawks were flying and the Predators were back on their heels. And the assault was just beginning.

Brian Bickell scored at 14:08 and Jonathan Toews added the finisher at 16:58.

From up 3-2 with 11 minutes to go in the contest to down 6-3 at the end. Indicative of how bad the third period was for the Predators, they were outshot 18-5.

Absolutely putrid.

Compounding the sting of this loss was the fact that the Predators lost Francis Buillon in the first period as he was boarded by Brouwer. The Predators spent the rest of the contest with just five defensemen.No excuses, but you have to believe that fatigue was a factor late in the game for the D corp. Ryan Suter logged 32:43 of ice time; Shea Weber had 29:40; and Kevin Klein had 21:43.

With this loss, the Predators are now tied with the Blackhawks with 54 points, but have 2 games in hand.  The Predators lead the season series with the Blackhawks 3-2.

This is another example of how this team has to play a full 60 minutes to win a game. This was a game the Predators could have won, but their 11 minute lapse in the third period bite them hard.

There will be no rest for the weary, as the Predators are now headed to Phoenix to play the red hot Coyotes.

The importance of that upcoming game? The Coyotes sit in fourth place in the West, one point ahead of the Predators.

All the games in this tightly bunched Western Conference race are important. They are yours for the taking, boys. However, ya gotta play a full 60 minutes.

And avoid those pesky meltdowns.

My three stars:

1. Dave Bolland

2. Troy Brouwer

3. J.P. Dumont






























































































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