Predators Battle Back But Fall (Again) in OT to the Jets

43 games into the season, one would not think that a game would be a must win game for any team.

But for the Nashville Predators, this game  at the MTS Center against divisional foe Winnipeg qualifies as a must win game.

The Predators, losers of 4 straight games and struggling to gain consistency, are hanging on by a thread to the last Wild Card slot in the West with 45 points.

The Predators sit 4 points in front of the Jets and are tied with the Colorado Avalanche in points but are in the Wild Card slot by virtue of having a game in hand.

The Predators battled back from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game and force overtime before falling 5-4.

A horrible second period cost the Predators this game.

Kevin Fiala, in his first NHL game this season,  made his presence felt immediately as he banged a rebound of a Ryan Johansen shot under the crossbar for his first goal and the first goal of the game. Fiala cleanly beat Connor Hellebuyck by driving the net, something the Predators need to do consistently.

Dustin Byfuglien tied the game at 1 at 6:40 of the second period as he gathered in his own rebound and beat Pekka Rinne to the far post.

James Neal took a dumb interference penalty and on the resulting power play, Bryan Little buried a one timer to take a 2-1 lead.

Dustin Byfuglien scored on a wrap around to make it 3-1.

The wheels were coming off for the Predators in this game and in their season.

The Predators went completely in the ditch early in the third period as Nick Ehlers was sprung on a breakaway and he buried his shot to make it 4-1.

The Predators managed to show some signs of life, however.

Ryan Johansen scored his second goal as a Predator on the power play with some sweet hands in the low slot to make it 4-2.

Eric Nystrom jammed home a pass from Ryan Ellis to make it 4-3 with 8:07 remaining in the game.

After a slew of penalties, there was 1:39 of 3 on 3 hockey late in the third period. Rinne skated to the bench to make it 4 on 3. The Predators were unable to score during this man advantage.

They were finally able to break through and score with James Neal ripping a shot from the face off circle to tie the game at 4 with 13.5 seconds remaining.

A truly improbable comeback to force overtime.

In the OT, the Jets scored on their first shot as Blake Wheeler beat Rinne cleanly for the game winner.

Some observations:

• Viktor Arvidsson was reassigned to Milwaukee. With Colin Wilson being placed on IR, the Predators recalled Kevin Fiala and Cody Bass. Fiala was placed on a line with Ryan Johansen and James Neal. Certainly an opportunity for the young talent to show what he can do with some quality line mates.
• Forward lines were once again placed in a blender. Calle Jarnkrok, Mike Ribeiro and Filip Forsberg were on the second line. Mike Fisher, Craig Smith, and Eric Nystrom (?) were on the the third line. Miikka Salomaki, Cody Bass, and Paul Gaustad manned the 4th line.
• The Predators placed Cody Hodgson on waivers and he cleared and and was assigned to Milwaukee.
• Really sweet goal by Fiala to score his first NHL goal in just his third game with the Predators. He drove hard to the net, fought off a defender, and more importantly finished his chance with a great shot that he roofed just under the crossbar. The talented 19 year old has seasoned a bit in Milwaukee, and it would be good to see him stick on the roster. He is explosive and has tremendous upside and if he can play a solid game in all zones could give the Predators a real boost.
• The penalty on James Neal was an appropriate call and frankly, that penalty was just stupid. He hit a Jets defender long after the puck had left his stick and was called for interference. These are the kind of boneheaded plays that the Predators just can't make. And it bit them because they were stupid.
• The inattention to detail has cost the Predators. The jets second power play goal occurred because Mattias Ekholm failed to clear a puck when he had an opportunity to do so. Defensive breakdowns that are caused by mental lapses are winding up in the back of our net and the team has done nothing to reverse the negative trends that are causing their problems. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Draw your own conclusions about the play of this team right now.
• Let's be honest: the Predators have played some pretty sorry hockey for the past 2 months. So the question becomes, what will turn it around for this team? Will they find their identity? Will they be more physical? Will they start playing fundamentally sound hockey? I believe that the great failing of this team right now is that the coaching staff has failed to instill a sense of urgency and cultivate the character of this team. Can they turn it around? Right now, they are showing no signs of being able to do so.
• Apparently James Neal will have to lose a limb to avoid being called for embellishment.
• James Neal ripped a shot past Hellebuyck to tie the game. That was Neal's 200th career goal.
• Ryan Johansen hit the post in OT and the Jets came back and scored on their first shot in the extra period. The Predators have won only 1 OT game this season. If they miss the playoffs, they will look back on these points that they left on the table.
• Once again, the Predators failed to play a full 60 minutes. That second period was 20 minutes of miserable hockey. Elite teams play a 60 minute game. The Predators rarely do that.

I have to give the team big ups for battling back to tie the game and get a point. That was heart and character in that effort.

I have to give them failing marks for their sloppy play and inability to play a full 60 minutes.

It cost them a game a game they dearly needed to win.

And they are going to have to find a way to elevate their play for a full 60 if they want to change course.

My three stars:

1. Dustin Byfuglien

2. Kevin Fiala

3. Blake Wheeler

The Struggle Continues; Predators Fall to the Blackhawks 3-2

The Nashville Predators need a win in a big way.

The Chicago Blackhawks stood in the way of the Predators and that win, and the visiting Predators faced a tough task in getting a win at the United Center against a Blackhawks team that has won 7 in a row.

The Predators have lost 3 straight games.

Desperately needing the win, the Predators gave up the first 3 goals before dropping another game by a 3-2 score.

Andrew Shaw scored twice from the top of the crease and Brent Seabrook blasted a shot past Pekka Rinne from the blue line to give the Hawks a 3-0 lead. Mike Ribeiro scored for the Predators late in the second period to cut it to 3-1.

Filip Forsberg scored on a deflection that he batted out of the air with 36.3 seconds to go in the game and the Predators with the man advantage. That goal cut the Hawks lead to 3-2.

The Predators had difficulty getting control of the puck before one last scoring chance from Ryan Johansen that was turned aside by Corey Crawford.

Some observations:

• Colin Wilson missed his second straight game with a lower body injury.
• Anthony Bitetto was back in the line up and paired with Barret Jackman.
• Did you notice how the Blackhawks scored their first 2 goals? Andrew Shaw was creating havoc at the top of the crease and was the beneficiary of going to the hard area of the ice. This is an aspect of the Predators game that has been noticeably absent for too long.
• This is a Predators team that trying to find its identity right now. They are not overly physical; they are talented but not so that they can dominate an opponent; and they have difficulty  elevating their work ethic or overall game when they need to do so. Until this team discovers and embraces an identity, they are going to continue to be an average squad.
• I like the play of RyJo- Ryan Johansen. He is adept at winning face offs, is not afraid to go to the front of the net, and has shown that he has a wicked good shot. 
• James Neal came to play tonight. He was willing to shoot and play a physical game. he was one of the few bright spots for the Predators in a tough game.
• I can't fault Rinne for the first 2 goals, but man, that third goal was a back breaker that Rinne has to stop.

The Predators are a team on the skids right now.  And the only way out of it is to start to play fundamental hockey and bring a maximum effort for a full 60 minutes.

Until they do that, this is a team that will continue to flounder.

My three stars:

1. Andrew Shaw

2. Corey Crawford

3. Mike Ribeiro

Predators Have No Fight In Them, Fall to the Coyotes 4-0

The Nashville Predators were looking to find some consistency and some wins. A trip to Gila River Arena to face the Arizona Coyotes stood in their way of accomplishing those goals.

Pekka Rinne got the night off and Carter Hutton got the start, while Louie Domingue, who has been red hot for the Coyotes (5-0-2 in 7 starts), was in the net.

Hutton was tested early as Anthony Duclair was awarded a penalty shot and he stopped the attempt.

After a scoreless first period, the Coyotes struck first in the second period as Antoine Vermette tallied on a power play for a 1-0 lead.

Tobias Rieder scored 55 seconds into the third period on a shot that floated over the shoulder of Carter Hutton to make it 2-0. He added an empty net goal at 17:37, and Anthony Duclair scored with 14 seconds left to humiliate the Predators 4-0.


Some observations:

• Colin Wilson was scratched with a lower body injury.
• D pairs were changed. Petter Granberg skated with Mattias Ekholm in his first action since being acquired. Barret Jackman was paired with Ryan Ellis.
• Cody Hodgson drew back into the line up and was on a line with Viktor Arvidsson and Mike Fisher. 
• In the absence of Wilson, Filip Forsberg moved up to the Johansen and Neal Line. Calle Jarnkrok was on a wing with Craig Smith and centerd by Mike Ribeiro.
• The Predators penalty kill has had stretches of being bad and then showing some significant improvement. They are back to being bad again. This unit has never really looked in sync this season, although they have had some good stretches. They are back to looking out of sync again. And this is not good for this struggling team.
• On the other side, the Predators man advantage has been very inconsistent. There are moments where that u nit looks really good and moments where they have difficulty in getting in the zone. Again, the inconsistency of this unit mirrors the inconsistency of this team. Both have to improve.
• Maybe it is just me, but it seems that the constant line juggling by Head Coach Peter Laviolette has seriously disrupted the chemistry among the Predator forwards, both in the offensive and defensive zones. 
• The lack of production from the third line is troubling. Great teams get balanced scoring and there is none on the Predators right now. And the 4th line? It has David Legwand-itis. That is where offense goes to die.
• This team has completely lost its confidence and mojo. While talented, this is a fragile team that lacks mental toughness and the ability to fight back in the face of adversity. Halfway through the season and the Predators have only 2 wins when trailing after 2 periods. This speaks volumes about the toughness, or lack thereof, on this squad.

There is not much to say about this game, or frankly this team, that hasn't already been said. The season is wasting away and this team shows no ability to stop this miserable slide.

I hope I am proven wrong.

My three stars:

1. Louie Domingue

2. Tobias Rieder

3. Anthony Duclair

Predators Sloppy Play Dooms Them in 5-3 Loss to the Avalanche

Ryan Johansen was on the ice for his much anticipated debut for the Nashville Predators as they traveled to the Pepsi Center to take on the Colorado Avalanche.

While there is much anticipation about the appearance of a legitimate number one for the Predators, the importance of this game for the Predators shouldn't be lost.

The Predators hold the last wild card slot in the West, with 45 points. Colorado sits right behind them with 43 points. Patrick Roy, Head Coach of the Avalanche, called this game a "playoff game" and that only served to emphasize the importance of this game.

In a game as important as this to the Predators, their play was horrendously sloppy. They took 6 penalties and gave up 2 power play goals.

The Predators wasted a strong debut by Johansen with an abundance of penalties and sloppy play on the way to dropping a critical game by a 5-3 score.

Johansen made his presence felt immediately with the Predators on the power play. He held the puck before roofing a shot over the shoulder of Semyon Varlamov into a very small space for a Predators 1-0 lead. That was the Predators first shot of the game, and it was beautiful to see the finish and placement on that attempt.

The Avs evened the game on a power play of their own as they outnumbered the Predators down low and Jerome Iginla was able to gather in a rebound and slam it past Pekka Rinne.

The Predators got trapped in their zone late in the period and couldn't clear the puck. The turnover committed by the Predators resulted in a goal by Cody McLeod to make it 2-1.

Ryan Ellis tied the game at 2:45 of the second period with a wrist shot from the face off circle.

The Avs broke that tie as the Predators gave up a 2 on 1 and Gabriel Landeskog buried the shot to make it 3-2.

Once again, the Predators bounced back to tie the game on a wrist shot by Filip Forsberg from the slot. Johansen would pick up an assist on the play.

Tyson Barrie would break the tie with the Avs once again on the power play as he blasted a shot from the high slot to make it 4-3. On the play, Paul Gaustad's stick had broken, and he tried to get a new one from the bench. That decision left Barrie open for the shot.

And that was certainly not a good decision.

Jack Skille iced the game with an empty net goal with 1.4 seconds remaining on the clock for a 5-3 Avs win.


Some observations:

• Johansen opened the game on a line with James Neal and Colin Wilson. 
• My goodness, that first goal by Johansen showed what an elite finisher can do. He fit that shot into an extremely small window. That goal was a goal scorers goal, something the Predators have been lacking.
• Anthony Bitetto was in the line up and paired with Barret Jackman on the third D pair. 
• With the arrival of Johansen, players moved down in lines. Calle Jarnkrok centered the second line with Filip Forsberg and Mike Ribeiro on the wings. Mike Fisher centered the third line with Craig Smith and Miikka Salomaki on the wings.
• The Avalanche opened the game with lots of jump, in fact more than the Predators, which forced the Predators into three penalties in the period. The Predators got lucky in that the Avs wiped out one of their power plays with a penalty on the opening face off of the second Preds penalty. 
• The Predators defense has broken down numerous times recently, and they continued that trend again tonight. Part of this was the pressure that the Avs forecheck put on the Preds defense; part of it was that the Avs outskated the Predators for much of the game. These uncharacteristic breakdowns have cost the Predators as more often than not, the puck is finding the back of the net.
• Midway of the game, Filip Forsberg moved up to the first line with James Neal and Johansen. That lined combined for the Predators third goal of the game. they had several shifts together before Wilson rejoined that line early early in the third period.
• The undisciplined play of the Predators cost them this game. The Avs outworked the Predators all over the ice and forced them into taking way too many penalties. And the Avs have an excellent power play and they burned the Predators when they went down a man. This is the kind of play that this team cannot overcome.
• Austin Watson had a tough game, recording only 5:50 in ice time and was a -2 for the night.
• Anthony Bitetto logged 12;20 in ice time and was even +/- for the night.

The Predators looked like a team that didn't have a sense of the importance of this game. As it is, by continuing to fail to take care of business, they now find themselves tied with the Avalanche for the last playoff spot.

And if the Predators continue to struggle and play inconsistently, they won't be tied for long.

They will be on the outside looking in.

My three stars:

1. Ryan Johansen

2. Tyson Barrie

3. Carl Soderberg

Predators Make the Big Trade, Swap Seth Jones for Ryan Johansen

The Nashville Predators addressed a glaring need by acquiring Ryan Johansen, a true number one center, from the Columbus Blue Jackets for defenseman Seth Jones.

There is no secret that the Predators are weak down the middle and needed a real number one center that can compete with the elite pivots in the Western Conference. Acquiring Johansen gives the Predators a player that has the potential to play skate to skate with players like Jonathan Toews and David Backes.

Key word here: potential.

Two seasons ago, Johansen recorded 71 points and flashed that potential of being an elite center.

This season, Johansen has struggled along with the Blue Jackets, recording 6 goals and 20 assists in 38 games.

Johansen, 23, is 6'3" and 218 pounds. He ranks in the top 10 of all centers in the NHL in faceoffs, winning 51.8% of his draws.

There is no secret that Johansen and Head Coach John Tortorella didn't always see eye to eye, and the key aspect of this trade will be how quickly Johansen adapts to the tutelage of Head Coach Peter Laviolette and assimilates himself in the locker room.

In giving up Jones, the Predators lost a second pairing D man that has offensive upside and is still growing his game as well as physically.

This trade speaks to the depth that the Predators have in the organization on the blue line. It also speaks to the inability of this team to draft and develop quality centers, which is troublesome for the organization.

The acquisition of Johansen will allow the Predators to properly slot Mike Fisher, Calle Jarnkrok, and Mike Ribeiro. While these players are serviceable, they are not first line centers. Getting them slotted on a proper line will hopefully increase their productivity as well as their line mates.

This trade will also obviously cause some shuffling among the D corps for the Predators. It is expected that perma scratch Anthony Bitetto will get an opportunity to seize a role on the blue line. Bitetto has some good upside, but he will probably not slot in Jones position on the second pairing. It will be interesting to see how the 2nd and third pairs will shape up with Jones no longer in the line up.

If Johansen plays to his potential- there's that word again- then this trade is a huge win for the Predators.

Time will tell.

And Predator fans are hopeful.

Predators Can't Finish, Bombed by the Jets 4-1

Driving to the game tonight to see the Nashville Predators take on the Winnipeg Jets, I had to contend with lots of traffic.

That is something that Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck rarely had to deal with as he stymied the Predators, turning away 43 of 44 shots on the way to a 4-1 victory.

The Predators threw 44 shots at the Jets netminder, but were content to fire away mostly from the outside, giving Hellebuyck the opportunity to make a  number of routine saves.

Drew Stafford scored two power play goals, Ben Chairot notched a horribly soft goal, and Alexander Burmistrov added an empty netter.

Colin Wilson got the only tally for the Predators long after the outcome had been decided.

Some observations:

• Yes, the Predators threw a lot of shots at the net. And Hellebuyck did make some very good saves. But the quality scoring chances by the Predators were belied by the vast number of shots. Many were from the outside with Hellebuyck totally unscreened. Rarely did the Predators get traffic to the net, and with the lack of finishers on this team, that is essential to their scoring efforts. Unless the Predators make that commitment to get to the dirty areas, the tough areas of the ice, this team is going to continue to struggle and will find themselves on the outside looking in when the playoffs roll around.
• The Predators offense has become very predictable. Teams are jamming the middle and forcing the puck outside. That is where many of the shots tonight came from, and there was rarely traffic in front of Hellebuyck. This made a lot of his saves very routine. It is apparent that we do not have shooters that can routinely pick a corner and score the "goal scorers" goal. So unless we get players that can finish their scoring chances or we get players that can create havoc out front, look for more of these types of games.
• I don't fault Rinne on the first two goals. The defense left Stafford alone in front on the first goal, and his second was a perfect re-direct. But that third goal that Rinne let in was absolutely brutal and killed any hopes of climbing back in this game. This team has to objectively look at Rinne and realize that they have a 32 year old netminder that has been elite but is now on the downside of his career.
• The Predators were out hit by the Jets, who were the more physical team tonight. Hits were 17-10 in favor of the Jets.
• The Predators have won only 2 games this season when trailing after 2 periods.
• The Predators PK was atrocious. They gave up 2 goals on 3 Jets power plays.

This team has shown no ability to build positive momentum. Win a game, lose a game (or 2 or 3). This is not a formula to get into the playoffs, and unless this team can gain some consistency and positive momentum, they will likely miss the playoffs.

Look, I love this team and will always support them.

But I am also a realist.

And the reality is that this team is at best average.

And average is not going to get you in the playoffs.

My three stars:

1. Drew Stafford

2. Connor Hellebuyck

3. Tyler Myers

Predators Pick Up First OT Win, Top the Canes 2-1

After getting trucked by the Dallas Stars on New Year's Eve, the Nashville Predators traveled to Raleigh to try to right the ship against the Carolina Hurricanes.

No easy task as the Hurricanes have been playing some excellent hockey in the month of December, while the Predators have sputtered.

The Predators didn't get run out of the building in this one, winning a hard fought 2-1 game that took overtime to decide it.

Victor Rask opened the scoring for the Canes as the Predators defense broke down and allowed him to swoop in uncontested and bang home a rebound that Pekka Rinne gave up.

With the Predators on the PK, Mattias Ekholm took a shot from the blue line that hit and broke Paul Gaustad's stick and fluttered past Eddie Lack to tie the game at 1.

That was all the scoring in regulation and once again the Predators were headed to the black hole known as 3 on 3 OT, where they had never won.

Well, it is a new year and hopefully new luck for the Predators as Mattias Ekholm drove the net and fired a shot over the shoulder for the game winner.


Some observations:

• Cody Hodgson drew back into the line up. Austin Watson was the healthy scratch.
• Calle Jarnkrok faced his cousin, Elias Lindholm, a center for the Hurricanes and a 2013 first round pick.
• The Predators defense has uncharacteristically been breaking down in front of Rinne. The Canes first goal came when Victor Rask cleanly beat Mattias Ekholm to the front of the net to slam home a rebound. Rinne has made some big saves but has gotten very little help from his D recently. Until that trend changes, the Predators are going to continue to give up goals.
• The Predators recorded their second shorthanded goal in the last 3 games. Mattias Ekholm figured on both of those, getting the goal in St. Louis and firing a shot that hit the stick of Paul Gaustad to change direction past Lack. This was Gaustad's first goal of the season.
• It will be criminal if Roman Jois doesn't win the Norris. I defy anyone to show mw an NHL defenseman that has a more complete game than Josi. His play to break up a second period breakaway was stellar and demonstrated his speed and on ice awareness.
• Once again, defensive breakdowns and turnovers resulted in a great scoring chance in the third period by Jeff Skinner. Only a superb save by Rinne kept the Canes off the board. Sheesh...the sloppy play at times by the Preds in the defensive zone is just stunning. Rinne made some amazing saves in the third period to keep the game tied.
• Rinne stopped 27 of 28 shots.
• The Predators power play was 0-4 and rarely looked crisp. The power play has been hot recently and the Predators need to keep that unit rolling.
• In regulation, the Predators won 31 of 60 faceoffs and out hit the Canes 48-27. 
• Carolina out shot the Predators 11-3 in the third period as the Predators had no offensive push at all. For the game, the Canes out shot the Preds 26-20.
• Mattias Ekholm continues to blossom as a complete defenseman. He is a solid, physical presence that is seeing his offensive game grow nicely. I really like his pairing with mini-me Ryan Ellis as they compliment each other well.
• Filip Forsberg picked up the assist on the game winner and nearly had the regulation winner as his wicked wrist shot hit both posts but never crossed the goal line.

This was a nice rebound game after the debacle in Dallas. Rinne was outstanding and the Predators did just enough to win the game.

Now it is time to start stringing together some wins.

A new year, a new game, boys.

My three stars:

1. Mattias Ekholm

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Paul Gaustad