Predators Fall to Blues 2-0, Await Final Standings

The Nashville Predators dropped the last regular season game of the season to the St. Louis Blues by a score of 2-0. The Predators finish the regular season with 99 points on a the basis of a 44-27-11 record.

The Blues scored on a beautiful goal by T.J. Oshie off his knees and a wicked wrister from Alexander Steen after an egregious turnover by the Predators.

The Predators clearly looked like a team that played a tough game the night before as the Blues forecheck kept the Predators from generating a consistent offensive flow all night. When the Predators did get good scoring chances, Jaroslav Halak cleaned up any threats.

Pekka Rinne made some amazing saves for the Predators and kept the score from being much worse than it was.

Now the Predators wait for the weekend games to wrap up to see where they will wind up in the standings. Several games could affect their final standing. If they had won this game, they would have locked up fourth place in the West and home ice. As it is, they will now wait to see where they will be seeded.

Not much else to say about this game. The Predators are obviously going to be disappointed in the fact that they do not control their destiny as to their final standing.

That is a negative that they have to quickly put behind them. They should dwell on the positive of the brilliant run they made to the playoffs.

They should also learn from this loss about the drive and the intensity that they are going to have to bring to every game in the playoffs. They have battled to get to this point. The playoffs will be a war.

The focus is on the positives. This team survived injuries to key players that would have crippled other teams. They are not offensively gifted, yet they score enough to win. They amassed 44 wins against what some would say are improbable odds. They have a cohesive dressing room. This team is built to win, now they have to get over the mental hurdle of winning a round.

A new season starts next week. A season of dreams. A season of war.

A season to make a name for this team and silence the critics.

Predators Clobber Columbus 4-1, Clinch Playoff Spot

The start of the Nashville Predators game with the Columbus Blue Jackets was delayed 15 minutes because of a balky pane of glass. That delay just postponed the inevitable as the Predators won their 17th straight game on home ice over the Blue Jackets by a score of 4-1 and in the process clinched a playoff berth.

This was not an inconsequential game for the Predators, because if they had lost this game and the game tomorrow night at St. Louis, and Dallas won out, the Predators would be on the outside looking in when the playoffs rolled around. Would the Predators have the focus and the drive to do what was necessary against a team that always played them tough?

The answer was a resounding "yes".

Pekka Rinne got the start as expected and was stellar in net. Columbus outshot the Predators by a wide margin, 45-25. Yes, many of these shots were from the perimeter, but Rinne was called upon to make several solid saves. He was spectacular at the start of the second period, a period that saw the BJ's outshoot the Predators 22-7. Early in the second, Rinne made several amazing saves to hold Columbus off the board.

The Predators opened the scoring at 6:00 of the first period when Mike Fisher made a strong drive through the Jackets defense. He split two defenders on the rush, drew the defense to him and Columbus netminder Steve Mason to the post. He slid the puck to Patric Hornqvist driving into the low slot and Hornqvist had an easy tap in for the Predators first goal and the only goal of the period.

Rinne's strong play held the Jackets off the board and the Predators rallied around the Finnish wall.

Matt Halsichuk scored at 1:48 of the second with a nice move that got Mason moving from side to side. Halischuk slipped the shot from the slot under the pad of Mason to stretch the lead to 2-0. Halischuk continues to play well in both zones and has earned the confidence of the coaches with his play. It is nice to see him rewarded with his 4th goal of the season.

The Predators stretched the lead to 3-0 just 54 seconds later as Patric Hornqvist intercepted a lazy clear by the Jackets defenese and rifled a backhander over the shoulder of Mason.This was Hornqvist's 21st goal of the season, and his play continues to be full tilt every night. I have been impressed with the effort he brings to the ice every night.

Derek Brassard finally solved Rinne with a wicked slap shot at 18:38 of the second period. This goal was a result of a failed clear by the Predators defense, and cost Rinne his shutout.

The Predators regained the 3 goal lead at 12:25 of the third period as Sergei Kostitsyn notched his 23rd goal of the year off a pass from Patric Hornqvist. The pass caromed off the leg of Kostitsyn past Mason, and after a video review, it was deemed a good goal.

Game, set, and match.

Early on, when the Predators jumped out to the 3-0 lead, you could look at the faces of the BJ's and just see the "oh no, here we go again" expression. The fact that the BJ's haven't won in Nashville since April 2006 is in their heads. They look as if they expect something bad to happen when they step on the ice in Nashville.

It does.

Sure, the Jackets were without Rick Nash and Kris Russell, but the Predators are dealing with a myriad of injuries as well. This game was a matter of "want to". Who wanted to do what was necessary to win the game? Who had the better compete level? Who would do what it would take to win the game?

In all phases, that was the Predators.

With the win, the Predators record is 44-26-11, good for 99 points and 4th in the West. With a win tomorrow in St. Louis, the Predators could finish the year in 4th place and secure home ice advantage.

More importantly, the Predators have clinched a spot in the playoffs. Now it is time to get the first round monkey off their backs.

There is a lot more hockey to be played, boys. It's now time to bring a new level of effort for the playoffs.

Time to clobber some more opponents.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Patric Hornqvist

3. Matt Halischuk

My View

Random ruminations from your resident curmudgeon...


All of us are by now aware of the budget crisis in our nation. There has been much posturing about cutting federal spending, with the Democratic incumbents wanting to make token spending cuts and say that is sufficient, and with the Republicans wanting to make more substantive but yet still insufficient cuts to the budget. Out of all this hue and cry has emerged a budget proposal from House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) that he calls The Path to Prosperity. Ryan has proposed cutting over $6 trillion from government spending over the next decade, and while that sounds impressive, understand that programs proposed by President Obama over the next ten years would require funding of $46 trillion dollars. Ryan's cuts amount to only 13% of the proposed spending over the next ten years! Perhaps more troubling is the fact that Ryan,one of the most fiscally conservative lawmakers in Washington, does not propose to balance the budget under his plan until 2040. Let me say it this way- our most fiscally conservative and level headed representative in Washington does not propose to balance the budget for another 30 years. What this means is that our country will deficit spend itself into oblivion and we will be content to let them if we do not force Washington to change their attitude toward managing the resources of this great nation. To continue down this path is not a path to prosperity but pure insanity.


"Vegetarian" is an old Indian word meaning "bad hunter".


Now that we are unraveling more of the monstrosity of socialized medicine that is Obamacare, we are finding more and more new surprises. Although, with this President and his willing accomplices in the Democratic Party that help create this fiasco, I don't think we should be surprised. Let me tell you about the latest one. Have you heard of the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program (EERP)? This is a $5 billion dollar grant program that is tucked away inside Obamacare that ostensibly is being used to pay for health insurance for individuals that take early retirement. So far, the majority of the money from this fund has been paid to states that Obama carried in the Presidential election, labor unions, and a few private companies. I don't know about you, but I would call that a "slush fund", but that's just me. Here is the interesting tidbit about the EERP: according to the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, both the Washington Post and CBS, the television network, have received funds from the EERP. The Post received $573,217 and CBS received $722,388 from the fund. These funds are ostensibly being used to defray the cost of insurance for early retirees, but once it gets into the company coffers, the government relies on the company to report its usage for this specific program. All well and good, but frankly, it is a bit disturbing that major national news outlets are receiving direct aid from the federal government. Think that they are totally impartial now on their reporting about Obamacare? If you do, I have a marvelous investment in a bridge that we need to talk about. The fact is, these two "news" outlets should put a proper disclaimer on every newspaper and television newscast that they are a "subsidiary of the Obama administration". At least then they would not have to keep up their charade of impartiality.


They say that absolute power corrupts. I'm okay with that, because we need the electricity.


Great Britain has gone down the path of socialized medicine years before the United States, so it is instructive to see how it is working out for the delivery of health care to the Britons. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), not so good. The BBC reports that Peter Kay, the President of the British Orthopaedic Association says that as a cost saving measure, hip and knee replacements are being delayed indefinitely. Imagine being in pain and needing a hip replacement and having your doctor tell you that it cannot be performed because the National Health Service has to save money. The BBC surveyed orthopaedic surgeons across Britain and 152 specialists responded that their patients are now more disabled and in greater pain because of the delays. According to the National health Service, the minimum wait time to have a hip or knee replacement is now 18 weeks after approval, and that is expected to get longer. As was discussed in the debate over Obamacare, when the money starts to run out- and it will in a government run health program- the delivery of healthcare will be rationed and the outcomes for the patients will be less favorable. America, unless Obamacare, the socialized medicine monstrosity that was rammed down our throats is repealed, this is your fate that awaits you.


My wife said she is glad to be married to me, because there are a number of things that go wrong that she can't blame on the government.


And that, my friends, is my view.

Thrashers Trashed by the Predators 6-3

The Nashville Predators haven't clinched a playoff spot yet, and the three remaining games on their schedule are important. The Predators played with a sense of urgency and knowledge of how important these games are as they jumped out to 5 goal lead en route to a 6-3 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers at the Bridgestone Arena.

Early in the contest, the Thrashers did a good job of clogging the neutral zone and stifling the Predators offensive flow. In fact, the Thrashers had a bit more jump than the Predators at the outset. The Predators are a team that continues to push, however, and they kept challenging the Thrashers defense, probing for an opportunity to get the puck in the net.

They would cash in on their efforts at 5:24 of the first period as Jordin Tootoo shot the puck and Atlanta netminder Chris Mason kicked the puck out with his pad to Matt Halischuk driving into the low slot. Halischuk slid a backhand shot five hole for the game's first tally.

The rest of the first period was a back and forth affair, with both mason and Pekka Rinne making solid saves to keep the score 1-0.

Jordin Tootoo would change that at 19:18 as he would gather in the rebound of a Marty Erat shot and fire the puck past Mason to make it 2-0 Predators. Tootoo would take advantage of Nik Antropov's failure to clear the puck that was lying in the blue paint after a save by Mason and would tap the puck into the net.

The Predators were energized by that goal and would keep the pressure on the Thrashers. Mike Fisher controlled the puck behind the net and found Sergei Kostitsyn driving to the front of the net. Kostitsyn sent a wrist shot toward Mason that got under his arm and inside the far post to make it 3-0 with just .8 left on the clock.

Every Predator fan remembers what happened the last time we had a 3 goal lead, don't you? Sit back and let the other team dictate the play and watch the lead slip away. The question on the home crowd's mind was would we see a replay?

The answer was an emphatic "no".

Jordin Tootoo tallied his second goal of the night to make it 4-0 Predators at 1:56 of the second period. Matt Halischuk sent the puck toward the net, where it was tipped by a Thrasher defender and off Tootoo's skate for the goal. The beauty of that play was that the Predators put the puck on the net with traffic going to the front and they were rewarded.

Simple hockey. Effective hockey.

Mason was pulled after allowing 4 goals on 16 shots and Ondrej Pavelec was brought in to face the onslaught.

Pavelec held the Predators off the board for the remainder of the second period. Rinne was equally effective, and at the end of 2 periods, it was 4-0 Predators.

Sergei Kostitsyn welcomed Pavelec to the party at 2:28 of the third period as he took a beautiful pass from Cody Franson from the point and tapped the puck into the open net to make it 5-0 Predators. Kostitsyn had worked himself open at the side of the net and the Atlanta defense lost track of him. Franson had his head up and the pass was cross ice and right on the tape. On the play, Pavelec had no chance as the defense left Kostitsyn alone in prime scoring position.

Shoot the puck and go to the net. Simple hockey. Effective hockey.





Atlanta finally solved Rinne at 3:06 of the third as Blake Wheeler beat Rinne high glove side with a beautiful shot into a very narrow space.

The Predators would answer at 6:18 of the period on the power play as Kostitsyn found Mike Fisher driving to the net behind the Thrasher defense and hit him with a pass on his tape. Fisher slammed the puck into the open net to make it 6-1 Predators.

The Thrashers would add 2 late goals as Blake Wheeler would score at 16:25. Rinne was screened by Patric Hornqvist and did not see the shot until the last minute. Nik Antropov would score at 17:10 to make the score 6-3. The Predators changed line matchups late in the game and had their 4th line out against the 2nd line of the Thrashers, which contributed to the final Atlanta goal.

When scoring 3 or more goals, the Predators are 40-4-2. When scoring first, the Preds are 29-5-8.

With the win, the Predators currently are 4th in the Western Conference with a record of 43-26-11, good for 97 points. With one point in their final two games, or with a Dallas loss, the Predators are assured of a playoff spot.

This game points out the way the Predators have to win games: shoot the puck and drive to the net. When they do this, they generate scoring opportunities and are effective.

It really is a simple game.

Two games left. Time to lock down a playoff spot. Keep playing the way you did tonight and it will be yours.

It's simple.

My three stars:

1. Jordin Tootoo

2. Sergei Kostitsyn

3. Patric Hornqvist

Honorable mention: Matt Halischuk

Predators/Thrashers Preview

Play 60 minutes. Take no shifts off. No passengers. Bring it all game long.

It's a simple game.

Predators Blow a 3 Goal Lead, Fall to Wings 4-3

The Detroit Red Wings defeated the Nashville Predators in overtime 4-3. Once again, the Predators failed to close out an opponent when they had a sizable lead, this time a 3-0 advantage.

This is a sad refrain heard by Predator fans too often during the course of this season. The Predators have yet to develop a killer instinct, and once again it bit them in the ass. Keep failing to close out opponents and this team will look back with regret on another wasted effort not only in a single game, but in the playoffs.

It is amazing to me that this team continues to take their foot off the gas when they have an opponent on the ropes. Detroit's first goal occurred when Jonathan Blum failed to clear the puck out of the zone when he was 10 feet from the blueline. Jakub Kindl corralled the puck at the blue line and fired a quick wrister that got past Pekka Rinne, who looked surprised that the puck didn't get out of the zone and was certainly surprised by the shot.

Detroit's second goal came when Blum was trapped on a long shift and could not clear the front of the net. Justin Abdelkader, who has obviously taken lessons from Nik Kronwall when it comes to leaving his feet to launch himself at an opposing player's head, tipped a shot from Brad Stuart and the puck fluttered past Rinne for the second Wings goal.

The Predators had built their 3-0 lead on the strength of a Ryan Suter rocket at 19:00 of the first with the Predators on the power play. The second goal was scored by Marty Erat at 1:42 of the second period off a nice pass from Shea Weber while the Predators were on the power play. Webs found Erat cutting to the net and put a perfect pass on his stick, which Erat re-directed past Jimmy Howard into the open net. The Predators third goal was a shot from Sergei Kostitsyn that he absolutely ripped past Howard at 2:37.

With this lead, the Predators just had to continue their attack and play sound defense. As you already know, that didn't happen.

The Red Wings tied the game at 3:59 of the third with another goal from the head hunting Abdelkader. The Predators had now seen momentum snatched from their hands and Detroit hunting for the win.

The Predators now developed a sense of urgency in their game and created some good scoring chances. Howard made some good saves to keep the Predators off the board. Rinne did the same at his end of the ice, and once again, we were heading to overtime.

Sergei Kostitsyn had another good scoring chance in overtime but could not get the puck past Howard. Detroit capitalized on their one good scoring chance as Dan Cleary got free in front and tipped the puck past Rinne, who was visibly upset after the score.

Perhaps Rinne needs to jack up some of his teammates and get them to play with the same fire that he does. Then I wouldn't be writing the same frustrating storyline about the Predators being unable to hold a lead.

Frankly, there is nothing else to say about the Predators inability to hold a lead in a game. If this team does not develop the mental toughness to keep an opponent down, this storyline is going to be painfully repeated.

Nashville won the season series with Detroit with a 4-1-1 record. The one point gives the Predators 95 points and a record of 42-26-11, currently 6th in the Western Conference.

My three stars:

1. Justin Abdelkader

2. Ryan Suter

3. Jimmy Howard

My View

Random ruminations from your resident curmudgeon...


Did you ever wonder why the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) lobbied so diligently for the passage of Obamacare? The socialized healthcare plan was built on $500 billion in cuts to Medicare, which benefits the seniors that AARP is supposed to be representing. Well, regular readers of this blog know that I always say follow the money, so let's do that, shall we? According to a report released Thursday by the House Ways and Means Committee, AARP stands to gain an extra $1 billion dollars in profit from Obamacare. How so? AARP makes money by licensing their name to insurance companies to brand the insurance companies product that is sold to seniors, such as Medicare Advantage. It isn't actually AARP offering the policy, but a private insurer that has paid a licensing fee to use the AARP name. In 2009, AARP received almost $700 million in licensing fees. One of the main lciensing fees comes from Medicare Advantage policies, which allow the policy holder to use private insurance instead of Medicare. Medicare Advantage now covers about 25% of all seniors. Approximately half of the funding for Obamacare will come from cuts to Medicare Advantage, which will mean nearly 7 million seniors will lose that coverage. These seniors will be forced into Medicare or Medi-Gap insurance. Guess who sells Medi-Gap insurance? AARP. And guess what they get for selling it? 4.95% of all premiums. The licensing fees for Medicare Advantage are set for years, so there is no loss in revenue to AARP regardless of the shrinkage in the program. And AARP is set to reap some mighty big profits from more seniors being forced to purchase Medi-Gap insurance. The icing on the cake? You have to join AARP to purchase Medi-Gap insurance. So you have a lobbying group that ostensibly serves the interests of its members making a ton of money off of the socialized healthcare program enacted by Congress. And they did this at the expense of their members. Always, ALWAYS, follow the money.

Standing in line at an ATM the other day, an elderly lady asked me for help to check her balance. I gave her a hard shove. Her balance wasn't very good.

Think that people or companies don't respond to economic incentives? Government at all levels does not, but Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman begs to differ. He warned Illinois Governor Pat Quinn in a letter that the recent tax increases that his company is considering relocating out of the state because the tax burden has become onerous. His letter to Governor Quinn stated in part,

"I want to stay here. But as the leader of this business, I have to do what is right for Caterpillar when making decisions about where to invest. The direction that this state is headed is not favorable to business, and I would like to work with you to change that."

Quinn's response?

"Caterpillar is not leaving Illinois. I don't think we should panic at all."

The fact is that the tax hikes recently enacted and signed into law by Quinn make Illinois one of the highest tax states for businesses in the U.S. The tax increase that businesses in Illinois face is 49%, from 7.3% of revenue to 10.9%. This means that Caterpillar can chose to move to a number of states and slash their tax rate significantly. Moving Caterpillar out of Peoria would mean that 23,000 workers would be displaced. Think that wont have an impact on that city? And the state?Caterpillar has already started to respond. They have said that the company will make no more investment in Illinois, and in fact is constructing a new $120 million plant in Victoria, TX. It is high time for politicians to realize their tax policies have consequences, and an unfavorable environment for businesses and individuals will force a response.

Someone actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a note on my windshield that said "Parking Fine".


Candidate Barack Obama campaigned on "Change". How have things changed? I'm glad you asked. Here are some key measurements of change since Obama took office:

                           2009     Today    % Change

Crude Oil            $38.74  $91.38    135.9

Unemployed          7.6%      9.4%     23.7

Corn                     $3.56    $6.33      78.1

Sugar                    $13.77  $35.39  164.7

Income                  $50112 $49777     -.7

I don't know about you, but I'm not sure I take much more of this "change".


Turns out the random drug test at work didn't mean I get to test them.

And that, my friends, is my view.