In A Battle of the Best, Predators Beat the Lightning In OT

The Best of the West, the Nashville Predators, faced the Beast of the East, the Tampa Bay Lightning, at Bridgestone Arena. The Predators took this game in over time 3-2 for a League leading 22 home ice wins.

A spirited first period was scoreless but not for lack of effort by both teams. Andrei Vasilevskiy stoned Mike Ribeiro from point blank range with a sprawling pad save, while Pekka Rinne stopped all 10 shots he faced.

The Predators got on the board in the second period on goals by Seth Jones and Taylor Beck. Jones ripped a slap shot over the shoulder of Vasilevskiy and inside the far post that hit the goal net and came out so fast it was called a no goal by the on ice officials. After a video review, the call was corrected and Jones had his 6th goal of the season and the Predators had a 1-0 lead.

Taylor Beck made it 2-0 as he battled to the front of the net and slammed home a rebound of a Paul Gaustad shot. The goal was purely a result of Beck fighting through a defender to get to the front of the net and getting into prime scoring position.

Going into the third period leading 2-0, the Predators needed to play good defense and continue to generate chances in the offensive zone.

That didn't happen as the Lightning totally outworked and out hustled the Predators and tallied twice to tie the game.

Brett Connolly got the Bolts on the board as he banged home a rebound of a Valtteri Filppula shot. Connolly got to the front of the net unchallenged by the Predators defense and Rinne had no chance to stop the shot.

Nikita Kucherov tied the game with his 21st goal, and the Predators were back on their heels and chasing the puck throughout the period.

Regulation ended with the teams tied at 2.

In overtime and with time winding down, James Neal fired a wrist shot from the face off circle that beat Vasilvskiy between the pads for the game winner.

Some observations:

• The Predators turned the puck over 14 times, the bulk of those coming in the 3rd period. Several of those turnovers resulted in Rinne having to make some good saves to keep the Lightning off the board. Puck management was about as poor as I have seen in a while, and turning the puck over like the team did tonight is a formula for disaster. This area has to improve because good teams are more often than not going to make you pay for sloppy puck management.
• Once again, an aggressive forecheck by an opponent caused all sorts of problems for the Predators. The Lightning have some very talented players that play good team defense and they stymied the Predators on their breakouts and coming through the neutral zone, especially in the third period. Puck support was horrible tonight, as often a defenseman would be pressured by two forecheckers and have no one making themselves available for a pass. This often resulted in turnovers and the Predators be bottled up in their defensive zone.
• Great to see the line of  Gaustad, Eric Nystrom, and Taylor Beck rewarded with a goal tonight. They often draw the toughest defensive assignments and it was good to see them get on the scoresheet tonight.
• Speaking of Gaustad, Beck, and Nystrom, they were matched up against Steven Stamkos most of the night. Stamkos is arguably the best player in the NHL and they held him without a point tonight.
• With the injury to Mattias Ekholm, Anthony Bitetto was called up from Milwaukee. Bitetto logged 10:09 of ice time and dropped the gloves with Brett Connolly, whom he proceeded to hammer. Bitetto is a big body who is not afraid to mix it up physically and skates well. He was paired with Victor Bartley tonight on the third D pairing.
• Viktor Stalberg was also called up with Colin Wilson injured. Stalberg played on the second line with Mike Fisher and James Neal and picked up an assist tonight. I would really like to see Stalberg get his game going. He is big and fast and has a good shot. If he can find consistency to his game, he could be a big contributor for the Predators.
• Seth Jones continues to mature and elevate his game. His goal was a rocket of a shot, perfectly placed inside the far post. Jones is drawing some bigger minutes on the second D pair and is playing well. With his goal tonight, he has a career high five game point streak (3G-2A).
• The Predators have a league best 24-4-6 record in one goal games.
• James Neal's overtime goal was his 5th game winning goal of the season.
• The Predators won 57% of their faceoffs and were led by Paul Gaustad, who won 14 of 19 for 74%.
• Shea Weber led the Predators in TOI with 30:56.
• The Lightning have a very good young goalie in Andrei Vasilevskiy. He is athletic and made some very good saves, especially a first period save on Mike Ribeiro.

Make no mistake, the Lightning are an excellent team with lots of talented players. This wasn't a pretty win, but it was a win nevertheless. The Predators continued to attack and press and prevailed because they didn't back down.

There are some things to work on and improve, but the fact is that the Predators found a way to win and still sit first in the NHL.

And the view from there is great.

My three stars:

1. James Neal

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Andrei Vasilevskiy

Predators Sloppy Play Leads to Loss to the Lightning

The Nashville Predators took to the road to face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning looking to get back in the win column. The Predators needed a solid start to gain momentum and take the home crowd out of the game. The Lightning had lost only 3 times on home ice and the Predators could not afford to fall behind early.

The Lightning thwarted that goal just 2:25 into the game as Alex Killorn carried the puck into the offensive zone and eluded Nick Spaling, who had fallen on the play. The defense did not pick up Killorn and he used Seth Jones to screen Carter Hutton and beat him with a quick wrist shot to make it 1-0.

The Lightning more jump and speed than the Predators and controlled play though most of the first period. The Predators finally got their legs going and began to challenge the Lightning but could not find the back of the net.

The Lightning extended their lead to 2-0 at 19:06 of the first period on the power play. Marty St. Louis was alone in the high slot and unleashed a rocket that deflected off the stick of Mike Fisher and over the shoulder of Hutton.

This was not the start the Predators needed as they spent most of the period chasing the Lightning. Hutton was forced to make some big saves to keep the Lightning off the board, including a point blank shot from St. Louis who was alone in front of the net after a turnover in the defensive zone.

Shots were 11-8 for the Lightning.

The Predators got on the board at 6:36 of the second period just as a Predators power play had just ended. Matt Cullen took a shot from the face off circle that was kicked out into traffic by the skate of Lightning defenseman Radko Gudas. Craig Smith gathered in the rebound and fired the puck past Lindback to the glove side for his 7th goal of the year.

The Lightning answered the Predators score at 8:27 of the second as Valtteri Filppula found Teddy Purcell with a cross ice pass. Purcell's shot beat Hutton five hole to give the Lightning a 3-1 lead. The goal was set up by the speed of the Lightning into the Predators zone. If the Predators could not find a way to slow down the rush of the Lightning, this would be a long night.

The Predators tallied again on the power play as Matt Cullen found Craig Smith in the low slot with a backhand pass from behind the net. Smith popped a quick wrist shot past Lindback to make it 3-2 at 13:02.

The Predators allowed the Lightning to regain a 2 goal lead just 49 seconds later as Richard Panik deflected a Eric Brewer shot under the arm of Hutton to make it 4-2.

Hutton had given up 4 goals on 14 shots and that would be it for his night as Marek Mazanec came to tend goal.

The second period would end with the Lightning leading 4-2 and the Predators unable to keep the Bolts off the board when they drew close.

The Predators had a better offensive effort in the second period and out shot the Lightning 13-7.

Needing an energetic third period to get back into the game, the Predators came out flat. The Lightning once again used their speed to control the play and keep the puck from the Predators. Through the first 13 minutes of the period, the Lightning out shot the Predators 12-3 as the Preds offensive effort was non-existent.

The Predators pulled Mazanec with 2:43 remaining in the game for the extra attacker but struggled to get shots on net as the Lightning defenders swarmed the Predators in the offensive zone. The Predators could not capitalize with the man advantage and dropped their second game in a row by a 4-2 margin.

Some observations:

• The Predators scratched Colin Wilson tonight. No word if he is injured or ill.

• The Lightning welcomed back towering defenseman Victor Hedman, who had missed 6 games due to injury, and he played a strong game. He made several outlet passes that set up scoring chances for the Lightning.

• The Predators took most of the first period to get their game going. By then, they were down two goals. The second period was a strong period by the Predators, but there was no response in the third period. The Predators looked a step slow during these lapses and the Lightning used their speed to exploit the Predators, setting up some good scoring chances. This team is not good enough to take time off during a game and have a chance to win.

• Hutton did not look sharp on the goals allowed. he got pieces of most of the shots, but the Lightning were able to beat him five hole and under the arm on 3 of the 4 goals he allowed.

• Craig Smith had a strong game. he has great hands and the ability to handle the puck in traffic. His goals tonight were evidence of that skill set. He has great chemistry with Matt Cullen, and I hope that we don't see Smith as a healthy scratch any time soon. This team desperately needs offense, and he needs to be in the line up.

• Mazanec looked good in relief, stopping 19 shots.

This was a sloppy effort by the Predators. Especially disappointing was the inability to keep the Lightning off the board when the Predators cut the lead to one goal. This is a matter of discipline and focus.

And it has to improve.

My three stars:

1. Alex Killorn

2. Craig Smith

3. Anders Lindback

Predators Wilt Against the Wings

The Nashville Predators have been relegated to the role of spoiler as the season winds down, and they were in Detroit not only attempting to win their second game in a row but put a dent in the Red Wings playoff chances.

While the Red Wings were playing with a sense of urgency, the Predators could play loose and continue to audition some of their young players.

One of those would be Joonas Rask, who was called up from Milwaukee and was appearing in his first NHL game.

The Predators went with Chris Mason in net, while workhorse Jimmy Howard was in goal for the Wings.

The Predators welcomed back Mike Fisher, who has been out with an injury, and he made his presence felt early as he tallied the first goal of the game off a nice feed from Rich Clune.

The Wings answered with Valtteri Filppula getting free in the low slot and beating Mason with a quick wrist shot.

The Predators took a 2-1 lead on the power play as Shea Weber shoveled the puck to the front of the net. Mike Fisher was in front battling and Craig Smith took a shot that Howard stopped. Smith got his rebound and roofed the puck past Howard.

The first period ended with the Predators leading 2-1 but having to kill off 57 seconds of a  Detroit power play to start the second period.

The Wings tied the game just 1:01 into the second period as the power play had just expired. Johan Franzen gathered in a rebound and roofed a shot from a sharp angle.

Patrick Eaves got lost by the Predators defense and whipped a one timer past mason from the face off circle to give the Wings a 3-2 lead. Eaves was all alone as the defense broke down and lost track of the forward in a dangerous scoring position.

The Predators kept playing with fire by taking penalties, and the it burnt them as late in the period the Predators were once again down a man and Pavel Datsyuk skated the puck into the zone and blistered a shot past a screened Chris Mason to make it 4-2.

The Predators gave up 3 goals in the second period through some miscues and sloppy play. If they were going to have a chance to get back into the game, they were going to have to elevate their play.

Through two periods, the Wings had out shot the Predators 25-15.

The injury bug continued to bedevil the Predators, as they lost Matt Halischuk in the second period and for the rest of the game with an upper body injury.

The Predators attempted to get back into the game with some good pressure in the Wings zone but could not get a puck past Howard.

Justin Abdelkader extended the Wings lead to 5-2 late in the period as he buried a rebound past Mason, and any hope the Predators had of climbing back into this game were squelched with that goal.

The game ended with that score as the Predators wilted down the stretch in face of the pressure from a desperate Wings team playing with greater urgency.

Some observations:

Messy Mistakes

The Predators made a game of it early with solid play and good pressure in the Wings zone, but as the game wore on, their mistakes cost them dearly. Too many penalties and some blown coverage in the defensive zone allowed the Wings to get back in the game. Part of this is the presence of the new guys in the line up, and losing Halishcuk in the second period further jumbled the forward lines which didn't help the effort. The Wings were hungry and focused, and they capitalized on the mistakes the Predators made.

Welcome Back Mike

Mike Fisher returned to the line up and made his presence felt with the first goal of the game and was battling all night. It was good to see Fisher back and his effort and leadership on the ice will be a benefit to the young players.

Smith Shows Up

Craig Smith had a goal and an assist, his first points in...forever. Smith played with good jump and went to the hard area in front of the net for his goal. Smith has had a brutal season, but he has not stopped hustling and working. He has the potential to be a very good winger, but this season has been forgettable. hopefully, this is just a very bad sophomore slump and that these points will give him some confidence and get him untracked.

Gotta Have More

David Legwand has 21:18 of ice time; Sergei Kostitsyn had 19:08, the most among the forwards. They combined for 2 shots on goal. The Predators have to get more from these veteran forwards if they are going to be in any game. Tonight, they were invisible, and their offensive drought contributed to the Predators lack of production.

Final Thoughts

The result was about as expected as a team that is fighting to get into the playoffs matched up against a patchwork lineup. The effort by the Predators was spotty and the mistakes were costly. The Predators have one more chance to try to salve some wounds from this awful season.

Hope you bring it, boys.

My three stars;

1. Jimmy Howard

2. Pavel Datsyuk

3. Craig Smith

Predators Offense MIA in 4-1 Loss to Detroit

The Nashville Predators faced the Detroit Red Wings at the Bridgestone Arena in a Central Division tilt that saw the Predators try to win their second in a row over the Wings.

The big news for the Predators was that they were going to try to do this without their Captain, Shea Weber, and with two rookie defensemen in the line up. Weber was scratched with little information given as to why he was absent. Speculation was that he was feeling the effects of a crushing hit by Mark Fistric in the Dallas game on Friday. Rookie Ryan Ellis was called up from Milwaukee and took Weber's place.

Detroit won the game 4-1, and despite the score, there were some positive aspects to the Predators game.

The Predators out shot the Wings 32-22. They skated hard and competed well. Ryan Ellis acquitted himself well in his debut. Roman Josi continues to play a solid game.

Those were the positive aspects of the contest.

Those positives were outweighed by the fact that the Predators offense could not finish their chances. This is the Achilles heel of the offense. Finishing their chances was a critical aspect to their effort against Detroit, and the Predators could not find a finisher when they had the puck in the offensive zone. And this bit them in the ass tonight.

Detroit opened the scoring at 10:57 of the first period as Valtteri Filppula beat Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne from the slot inside the face off circle low to the glove side. This looked like a stoppable shot, but it snuck under the arm of Rinne to give the Wings a 1-0 lead.

At the end of the first period and down 1-0, the Predators were still in the contest, but it was critical that they get a goal and not let Detroit extend their lead.

That did not happen, as Pavel Datsyuk scored on a wrap around attempt at 12:52 of the second. It looked as if Rinne had the post sealed off and he got pushed into the net.. The official,  Dan Hasenfratz, signaled goal, but the play went to review. The replay was inconclusive and did not show the puck crossing the goal line, but it was not overturned and the Wings had a 2-0 lead.

Just 13 seconds later, Dan Cleary beat Nick Spaling in the low slot and had an open shot over the shoulder of Rinne to make it 3-0. This was a young team that faced some adversity and failed to respond, and Detroit took advantage to extend their lead.

In the third period, Filppula struck again as he got loose in the low slot and beat Rinne to make it 4-0 at 5:22 of the third period. Rinne had slid to the right of the net, and when the puck reversed to the left, he stumbled getting over. This left Filppula alone and with an open net into which to bury the puck. Once again, a defensive breakdown hung Rinne out to dry and Detroit capitalized on the failure of the defense to maintain their coverage.

Jonathan Blum scored at 17:48 to make it 4-1, the final margin of the game.

Going back to the absence of Weber, one could say that the defensive coverage would have been better with him on the ice. Maybe so. The fact is that three of the Wings goals occurred because the Predators forwards were beaten on the play.These defensive lapses cost the Predators an opportunity to win the game.

The Predators potent power play was 0-5 and failed to generate many quality chances against the Wings penalty kill. This crippled the chances of the Predators.

The other aspect of this game is the inability of the Predators forwards to finish their chances at even strength. Once again, the forwards passed up too many shots in favor of a pass, and their shots were for the most fairly routine for Detroit's keeper Jimmy Howard to handle. Occasionally, the Predators created some quality chances, but were unable to solve Howard. The fact is, those quality chances were few and far between.

Two of the top six forwards, David Legwand and Colin Wilson, did not register a shot on goal. The necessity of these forwards being involved in the offense goes without saying, and when they do not register a shot on net, this team is in trouble. 12 of the Predators 32 shots came from the defense, which means the Predators were not getting the puck deep and cycling to create chances with any efficiency.

This is indicative of the fact that this team has to develop a better offensive mentality. It looks good on the scoreboard to say that we out shot an opponent, but the shots have to be quality scoring chances. Tonight, there were very few of them.

This team has to understand that the deeper into the season they go, the more the defensive pressure will ramp up. This means the forwards are going to have to work harder and develop the "shoot first, pass second" mentality. Right now, that is as absent as Shea Weber was tonight.

This team is going to have to regroup and get back on track. Quickly. They have to develop their confidence in the offensive zone, and that starts with shooting the puck and going to the net.

Otherwise, this is going to be a long season for the Predators.

My three stars:

1. Valtteri Filppula

2. Jimmy Howard

3. Pavel Datsyuk