Philadelphia at Nashville - W 3-4 SO

Having very limited games playing against Eastern Conference teams, the Predators had to think going into last night that anything could happen.  And while a lot of things did happen and some things that probably should have happened did not, it wasn’t a blow out game for either team…thank goodness.  Past experience with games like this often shows that the Predators can not find a way to win the battle.  Going into the third period up two goals has often been a sign of doom as the minutes tick away in regulation and the opposing team starts to build the necessary confidence to overcome their deficit.  During a crucial time in the season when every last point counts, the Predators found a way to post a win and take two points, instead of being content to settle for one.

Things worth noting:

1. There were three broken sticks from the Predators bench alone last night.  Each one broken during play could not have come at a worse time; while the player was winding up to take a shot on net.  Though, I will say Shea Weber’s stick might have broken out of fear from the sheer force of his grip.
2. I am not usually one to gripe about the officiating but last night seemed to be exceptionally horrendous.  The lack of obvious calls that should have occurred was appalling.  It might be an understood code among the officials to let the players play the game, uninterrupted, as the playoffs get closer BUT they should still call games fairly.  A lot happens on the ice during the game so I get that there are going to be missed calls on occasion.  There just seemed to be a glaringly large amount of missed calls for the Predators last night.
3. Chris Pronger is one of my least favorite players in the league and last night did not change my opinion of him one bit.  However, I am grateful that he is with the Flyers this season so I’m only subject to being mad at him once a year.
4. Shootouts are still as stressful for me as ever though it was good to hear that the Predators record in the shootout this season is 6-3.  Also, Pekka Rinne had a pretty terrific game and my hopes for a Dan Ellis playoff run performance down the stretch is probably all for naught.
5. Scoring came from Steve Sullivan, Martin Erat and Jerred Smithson.  And while the Tootoo-Boyd-Dumont line didn’t score, they had some great chances as well.  Contribution from every line is how they need to win games and something that Coach Trotz has been stressing from day one.  Here’s hoping this is a trend that will continue.

Former Predators Greg Zanon and Marek Zidlicky are headed to town with the Minnesota Wild to face off against the Predators on Thursday; the two teams final contest of the regular season.  The Wild have a 2-1 edge on the season series and are a team still in the hunt for a playoff spot.  The Predators have not faced Minnesota since December 5^th, a game they lost 5-3.  Both teams have won their last three games.  Thursday night could get ugly.

Let’s go, boys!

Your Morning Jed: Donald Duck - The Hockey Champ

I found this 1939 Disney cartoon on the same day I came across the Goofy cartoon shared last week.  I might love this one even more because I am sucker for Huey, Dewey and Louie.

Good to see Donald Duck still refusing to wear pants, even on the ice...


Happy Tuesday!

Weekend Wrap Up: California Nightmare Became Sweet Dream

After Thursday night, there was no question that things needed to start looking up for the Predators.  And though their record at the Honda Center wasn’t the greatest (something I failed to remember before taking in two separate games there over the past few seasons), they found a way to win 1-0 against the Ducks on Friday night.  Was it a battle for both teams?  Oh, absolutely.  Was it the best win ever?  Hardly.  However, it was a game that helped to ease the sting of the night before.  Add in yesterday’s win at LA and you’re looking at a pretty successful road trip for the boys; one that could have gone horribly wrong after Thursday night had the team not used the “put it behind us and move on” philosophy.  This resiliency, a word used quite often by Coach Trotz, has shaped this team and defined who they are season after season.

The boys I like after this road trip: Shea Weber, JP Dumont, Patric Hornqvist and Colin Wilson.  All for obvious reasons, of course.

The boys who could be doing much better: David Legwand and our penalty killers (seriously, what happened this year?!?!).  Our special teams need some special help.

This week begins a nice long homestand for the team; only broken up by a one off game against St. Louis next Sunday and a game in Florida against the Panthers on the 29^th.  The Predators have had a lot of success on the road this season but you could argue that is because they have played more games on the road than they have at home so far.  This month is their last chance to bring that road success home and I look forward to what these remaining games have in store.

Also, I can not wait to see Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell back in the arena again, even if they are wearing Flyers jerseys.  I really hope the crowd gives them a nice welcome back and NOT in the form of booing or "SUCKS!" during the starting line announcements.

Let’s go, boys!

3/11/10 - Nashville at San Jose: L 5-8

In Atlanta, the Predators played well for the first 20 minutes of the game.  In San Jose, they played really well for the first 40 minutes of the game.  So it only stands to reason that in Anaheim, they will play amazing for all 60 minutes of the game, right?  RIGHT?! PLEASE TELL ME I’M RIGHT?!  After last night, I need to stay positive so I am going to focus on what the team did well; only taking a brief moment or two to highlight what needs improvement.  With all the Chicken Little attitudes lurking around this morning, it might be good to note that this was just one game and the Predators have bounced back from worse before.

Positive takeaways:

1. Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Klein weren’t paired together!  And even better than that, they fared much better than Ryan Suter and Shea Weber overall.  Kevin actually ended the evening with a +2.
2. Colin Wilson continued to contribute.  Things are starting to click for the rookie…and I like it.
3.  JP Dumont came out of the shadows and found some offensive spark, scoring two goals.  His second of the night served as the game tying 5^th goal for just a bit in the third.  Good job, Jean Pierre.
4. The power play was on another level last night.  Five shots on goal (yes, you read correctly) F-I-V-E, were generated during the first man advantage of the night.  And the Predators were able to capitalize on two of the four power plays they were given.  Let’s see more of this, please!
5. Newcomer Dustin Boyd has seemingly found his place on the team.  Being somewhat non-existent in the past few outings, he played well enough last night for me to actually take notice.  He probably should have been credited with scoring the Predators 5^th goal of the game during the second period even though Toronto ruled otherwise.  Nonetheless, way to go Other New Guy!

Now to harp on a few people just a little.  As much as it pains me to say this, the Smithson-Legwand-Ward line was HORRIBLE last night.  Jerred and Joel ended up a -3 on the night and Leggy would have been right there with them if not for the assist he got on JP’s goal in the third.  Ward and Smithson were on the ice for the two Sharks power play goals as well.  They were just really having an off night.  Apparently, so were Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, who ended up with a -6 and -5 respectively. Ouch.  Dan Ellis could have had a better night also.  Not every goal was his fault but he could have stopped a couple more than he did.  Cue the “glad we signed Pekka and not Elly” rants again…though I still believe they have both struggled this season…and it’s really still anyone’s game until one of them clearly steps up their game.

As with other losses like this, it’s best not to dwell.  There isn’t much time for that anyway, since the boys face off against the Ducks tonight in Anaheim.  Last time they rolled into the Honda Center, things did not go so well.  I remember…I was there.  The Honda Center is just not nice to me.  Maybe there will be a different outcome this time around.  Please, please let there be a different outcome.

Get it together, boys!  You can do this.

Your Morning Jed: Hockey Homicide

I just stumbled across this spectacular old Disney cartoon from 1945, featuring Goofy.  A-MAZING.

It kind of makes me wish everyone still went to hockey games all dressed up in suits and dresses, like an episode of Mad Men.

3/9/10 - Nashville at Atlanta: W 2-1

The Predators went down to Georgia.  They were looking for some points to steal.  And that’s exactly what they did.  The boys were able to walk away from the Philips Arena with a tiny little cushion of points over the Calgary Flames, who jumped into eighth place after a regulation win against Detroit last night.  The battle for playoff positioning, especially for seeds six through eight, has begun once again.

The night belonged to two Predators: Colin Wilson and Dan Ellis.  Wilson’s sweet little breakaway goal in the first period, thanks to a defensive turnover by Atlanta, turned out to be the eventual game winner.  Coach Trotz had commented that Colin was showing some offensive spark, even with limited ice time on the fourth line, over the last few games.  So, in true Coach Trotz fashion, he jumbled the lines a bit to see if that spark could light a fire when paired with the right line mates.  I guess it worked out in everyone’s favor, didn’t it? 
Both Predators goals were scored in the first period, so that should tell you a little something about how they fared the rest of the game.  The last 40 minutes of the game belonged to the Thrashers.  If it were not for the superb goaltending by Dan Ellis, the night could have ended on a bad note.  As was the case a couple of seasons ago, there might be another goalie showdown on our hands again.  Ellis has already proved once before that he can do his best work under pressure and carry the team on his shoulders and into the playoffs.  Yes, the organization has already appeared to make its choice for starting goaltender by signing Pekka Rinne to a contract extension.  And one could argue that Pekka can sit back and relax a little, knowing he won’t have to fight for his right to party be a starter next season; thus the reason for his less than amazing goaltending here lately.  But when a guy like Dan Ellis comes in and consistently steals games for his team, everyone should be taking notice.  Elly wants to be a starter and I think his play down the stretch will speak for itself.  As much as I want him to be in Nashville at the start of the 2010-2011 season, I’m inclined to believe that any team looking for a solid guy between the pipes (Chicago, or God forbid, Detroit) will steal him away before the Predators even have a chance to reconsider.



Here’s to the start of what I hope will be a great road trip…though San Jose kind of scares me a little...I'm not gonna lie.

Let’s go, boys!

(Both photos by Scott Cunningham/NHLI via Getty Images)

It's Been...One Week

Oh my goodness...it's been far too long since my last post.  Not just that but a lot of things have happened since last Sunday.  The end of the Olympics (I'm still in denial), the resuming of the rest of the NHL season, trade deadline day, and four Predators games in six nights.  I mean, that's A LOT, right?  I don't even know where to start...but the most logical thing is retrace the week's happenings after Canada won the gold medal.  So here goes.

So let's see...the NHL season resumed and the Olympic roster freeze was lifted at 11:00pm CST on Sunday night.  The biggest player in this year's trade deadline showdown appeared to be our very own Dan Hamhuis.  It was no secret that many teams seemed to be vying to snatch him off our roster to beef up their own defense.  However, going against the grain of the the quite popular opinion to get rid of him, I was more than a little worried that getting rid of Hamhuis would hurt the Preds far more than help since it wouldn't make sense to trade one defenseman for another.  True to form, good old General Manager David Poile played trade deadline day pretty safe; getting a couple of role players Denis Grebeshov and Dustin Boyd (from the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, respectively) and only giving up Ryan Jones and a couple of draft picks in return.  Now, the second I found out about Ryan Jones being placed on waivers, I knew there was no way he wouldn't be snatched up by another team.  I feel bad for the guy but as is the Predators way, there is always one player who seems to get the short end of the stick each season.  My hope is that Jonesy will really fit well with the Oilers, much like Rich Peverley did in Atlanta after the Preds let him go last season.  He'll just have to get healthy again first.

I'm not going to lie...getting back into the swing of things after having almost a month off from a home game was kind of hard.  The Olympic break kind of put me into the off season mindset so it took me a while to readjust to hockey season again.  Tuesday and Thursday night brought the team much needed wins to stay in playoff position.   Denis Grebeshkov had a nice debut game Tuesday night (against his former team no less) and it was good to see him fit in to the lineup quite nicely.  Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Kings marked a new record for Jerred Smithson.  With the empty net goal in the waning minutes of the third period, Smithson scored his 8th goal of the season, surpassing his previous career high of 7 from last season.  After having some unexpected down time with an injury earlier this year, it's good to see him still improving his game.

Friday's game against the Detroit Red Wings and this afternoon's game against the Vancouver Canucks were not so great however.  I don't know what happened in Detroit but the team on the ice was not the Predators I have been used to seeing here lately.  That game was just hard to watch.  Today's game was a lot easier to watch...for the first two periods.  The end was very reminiscent of so many other disappointing losses we've seen this season.  I'm just not a fan of losing the game by not playing the full 60 minutes and that seems to be exactly what the guys did today.  They need to take a day to regroup and then get it together before their last big road trip of the season, starting in Atlanta with the Thrashers on Tuesday.

Whew...that was a lot...and I probably could have said so much more but just think of this as the Reader's Digest condensed version.  This week will put me back on track for sure because I can not take another jam-packed week off like this again.

Oh, I do have to mention that yet another Predator [ahem] player has joined the world of Twitter: Jordin Tootoo (@jtootoo22).  Now, I'm all for anyone who wants to have a Twitter having a Twitter; HOWEVER, Jordin having one could be a little dangerous.  I say this because he is already a very popular guy with a lot of real life "followers".  Things could get a little sketchy for him as his Twitter popularity grows...especially if he keeps telling everyone where he's headed for breakfast and dinner.  Here's hoping the fans of Nashville will prove me wrong.

As always (and now more than ever), LET'S GO, BOYS!

Oh, and on a completely personal note: Happy Birthday to my Dad!!!