11/29/08 - Minnesota at Nashville: L 6-2 Final

Having had good luck with my flights home today, I was expecting that to be a sign of good things to come. Getting off my flight, I was greeted with the sight of Mike Santos (Director of Hockey Operations) and I took that as another good sign. THEN, during the Ambassadors Club meeting before the game, I found out I'm one of the top three sellers so far (I was shocked yet thrilled and delighted all at the same time). I was really thinking after all that goodness, there was no way we couldn't win. Unfortunately, that was all the goodness that was going to rain down on me for the day. This game was craptastic.

Observations:

The fight from Shea Weber early in the first came out of nowhere. I couldn't even figure out what the Minnesota player did to provoke him. He did not deserve the extra 2 for roughing though.

In the midst of doling out majors for fighting, Ryan Suter gets called for unsportsmanlike conduct. This is when I started to think that this game was not going to be pretty.

Minnesota made both of their first period goals look way too easy. Granted, they were scored on the power play, one during the 5-on-3 and another right after on the 5-on-4 but they just read Dan Ellis's book tonight.

By the way refs, that wasn't really goaltender interference by Jordin Tootoo in the second, but whatever...I don't think anything was stopping you from calling things against us tonight.

The fighting tonight was OUT OF CONTROL. Wade Belak jumped right in and showed us what he's made of in his first home game as a Predator. Unfortunately for him, his fight wasn't that spectacular. Little Scott Nichol tried, bless his heart, but his effort fell a little short as well. Now Jordin Tootoo, on the other hand; THAT was a good fight. If only we scored as many goals as we had fights tonight...we coulda been a contenda...

Now I know I mentioned how lopsided the calls were against us when we played San Jose earlier this month but I had no idea how many penalties were called against us tonight until I checked the stats after the game. ELEVEN minors and one double minor; the bulk of them handed out in the third period. This game was one of the more physical games, if not the most physical game, I've seen us play all season. However, we can not afford to take stupid penalty after stupid penalty. The penalties CLEARLY cost us the game tonight. Minnesota scored 5 of their 6 goals on the power play. Just when our penalty kill had gone and gotten good again, we had to go and screw things up. I did notice that Trotz mixed up the penalty kill forward pairings about halfway through the game. I'm not too sure if that had anything to do with the breakdown or not but I'm going to say that it certainly didn't help.

I'm not going to call out Dan Ellis tonight because if you saw what I saw after the game, you'd know he's kicking himself enough for all of us. The man is one of the most mild-mannered, nicest guys you'd ever want to meet (think hockey's Clark Kent, if you will) but I have NEVER seen the kind of emotion come out of him like it did at the end of the game tonight. Heading to the bench, he was visibly very upset; banging his stick against the boards by our bench and then throwing his stick down the hallway towards the locker room. I'm inclined to think that such a display of uncharacteristic emotion from Elly might wake the team up a little. The entire weight of the loss can not be placed solely on his shoulders though. This is a team sport and we can only win if we function like one, in every aspect.

On a side note: Sci Fi Night is something I hope the Predators organization won't do again any time soon. There were way too many opportunities for me to have an anxiety attack tonight. Storm Troopers on the ice, Darth Vader on a zamboni...I could barely deal.

The Predators are on the road again (I feel like that's all I ever say anymore) and will head out to Buffalo to take on the Sabres Monday night. This will be our only match up against this Eastern Conference team all season. I don't know if anyone remembers the massacre we barely endured against this team last season but I'm praying we don't intend to recreate that mess again. The game will be televised locally on FS Tennessee. Puck drops at 6:00pm CST.

11/28/08 - Nashville at Atlanta: W 4-3 Final OT

Small side note: Last season I watched a few games via some crazy Chinese internet feed and there were times when I just gave up and listened on the radio because the quality was so horrible. Tonight's feed was amazing. I felt like I was watching it on tv.

Observations:

I did not have the pleasure of seeing Dan Hamhuis's short-hander in the first but that was a great way to start the game. Fiddler and Hamhuis needed that little spark for their games.

Scott Nichol's goal early in the second period was one of the craziest things I've seen in a while. I still can't believe the the puck actually went through the net. What a fluky goal.

I was all ready to say that Dan Hamhuis was having a good night with one goal and one assist from our first two goals but he then managed to be on the ice for all of the Atlanta goals. Yeah, a multi-point night AND a -3?! That doesn't work out to a great game, there Hammer.

Atlanta's second goal of the night was a result of two overly dramatic defensive plays. Zanon slid across ice to block the shooter from a tough angle on the side of the net. Then Hamhuis essentially makes the same move in front of the net to block the second shooter. I understand blocking the shot but taking the full body block twice in front of the net only leads to wide open chances for the other team to score...which they did.

It was odd to me to see the SOG count in favor of Atlanta after forty minutes of play. What game were the officials watching? It seemed like we were consistently crashing our net so I'm not sure I believe that stat.

Our first goal in the third was kind of a dirty one but what a nice play by Jerred Smithson to get Arnott the puck to put it up and over Hedberg's shoulder. That's what I'm talking about. I keep saying Jerred's offensive play is way better this season than it has been in seasons past. I'm glad he's not proving me wrong.

I'm still loving the chemistry between Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. That long pass Shea made to Ryan that resulted in the overtime game-winner was a good one. Suter also had great on-ice positioning for once.

This is a game we should have won and I'm definitely happy that we did. Now it would be nice for the boys to come home and find themselves on the winning side of things in the Sommet Center again. Former Predator Marek Zidlicky and the Minnesota Wild are in town tomorrow night to take on the Predators for the first time this season. The game will be radio-broadcast only so if you're in town, you should head on down to catch the action in person. I'll be back in town just in time for tomorrow night's game, as long as my flight gets in on time. Puck drops at 7:00pm CST.

I got what I wanted!

Nick Tarnasky traded to Florida

This seems like a pretty even trade to me; exchanging one fighter for another. Wade Belak has a ton of penalty minutes so far in his NHL career. He might actually fill our fighter role quite nicely.

Goodbye, Nick. I hardly knew you but I'm glad to see you go. Maybe Florida's system will work out better for you in the end.

The season so far...

Since we’re now a quarter of the way through the season, I think it’s time for me to do an assessment of how each Predators player has fared thus far. Hang with me here; this is going to be a long one.

In order by number (because, again, I’m anal):

2 – Dan Hamhuis: Hammer’s had a decent season so far. I haven’t been frustrated with his play or his puck control, which is good because that was something I said he needed to work on at the end of last season. However, he is -7 for the season right now and that ties him for second worst with Vern Fiddler. For a defense guy, that’s not the best stat to have.

4 – Ville Koistinen: I argued earlier in the month that Trotz needed to come to a decision regarding which one of the interchangeable defensemen was going to get the green light to play. I guess he’s made his decision because Ville has played 14 out of 21 possible games at this point. I think they’re looking for him to be a power play specialist (especially after last night’s shifts) and we all know our power play could use some work. I hope things come together for Ville. I haven’t seen much of him that impresses me so far but it’s still early.

5 – Greg Zanon: Z is kind of middle of the road for me right now. He’s not playing horrible but he’s not fantastic either. I think he could benefit from a little bench time in order to allow some else *cough* Kevin Klein *cough* to play but I’m not Barry Trotz.

6 – Shea Weber: I can’t say one bad thing about Shea Weber. This boy is on fire. As of last night, he had more points in the 20 games he’d played than he had the entire season last year. This boy is playing like it’s his contract year and it’s not. I mean, he signed a three year deal over the summer so you’d think that maybe he’d coast through this season. His performance and the numbers he’s putting up are un-freaking-believable. This is totally his breakout year and I couldn’t be more excited to watch it all unfold.

7 – Greg deVries: At -12, deVries is easily the worst player on our team, statistically speaking. And to be completely honest, he’s probably one of the worst players, non-statistically speaking. I constantly find myself agitated by his play (or lack thereof). A lot of people have transferred their hatred of Marek Zidlicky over to deVries. At this point in the season, I can’t say that I disagree with them.

8 – Kevin Klein: Poor, poor Klein. I mention him in this round up because he is listed on our roster...however this boy is getting the worst treatment. He’s played just seven games and the way things are going leave me to assume that he might not get to play again. Klein got the shaft the majority of last season as well. I said in my pre-season preview that I was shocked when we offered anything to Klein in the off-season and then completely floored that he actually accepted an offer. In my honest opinion, his talent is being wasted by keeping him here. He’s a perma-scratch with little to no hope of ever coming off the bench to play. Unless someone were to get injured, he’ll be lucky to see much more ice time with the Predators this season. Please, please Mr. Poile, trade him away and let him become a talent for a team that actually needs him.

10 – Martin Erat: As one of my favorite players, Erat hasn’t really disappointed me yet this season. He still has issues learning how to let go of the puck and ACTUALLY SHOOT IT but he’s working on it. And you’ve got to give the guy major props for his adaptability. He never seems to know who’s going to play on his line. The Legwand-Erat pairing doesn’t seem to be working out so well this season but that might be more about Legwand’s shortcomings than E’s. I really enjoy him on the top line with Dumont and Arnott. He’s also producing well offensively with 7 goals so far this season. And if my beloved puck hog will just learn to let his shot go off a little more often, he’ll be on track to another record year.

11 – David Legwand: I don’t really know if I even want to talk about Leggy. He’s a sore spot for a lot of people who follow the team. Plain and simple, David Legwand is not producing. He’s not really clicking with his linemates. He’s taking stupid penalties. I have no idea what is wrong with him this season. My theory is that he’s become really comfortable with his role on the team; too comfortable even. He’s always been touted as our “franchise guy” but I have yet to see him perform to a level that would warrant such a moniker. Heck, Tootoo would be a better “franchise guy” at this point...and we all know how I feel about that playa.

12 – Scott Nichol: For the role that Scott Nichol fills for the Predators, he’s having a good year so far. He gets out there and generates the energy when it’s necessary. He’s not afraid to go in for the short handed try, which I absolutely LOVE. The fact that he stands 5’9” (a “fact”, I might add, that needs to be checked because I’ve stood next to the guy before and I’m saying there’s no way he’s that tall because I’m only 5’0” so I know short) doesn’t seem to ever slow him down either.

14 – Radek Bonk: He’s only at a -1 so far, which is leaps and bounds better than his league-wide worse -31 last season. He’s centered a line with Jordin Tootoo and Jerred Smithson for the past month or so. Surprisingly, this line combination is working for me. While it might not be the top-scoring line, they’re all generating energy and offensive chances when they’re out on the ice. Trotz has also been putting him on the power play here lately. I’m not really sure what that’s all about because it seems like a weird choice but again, I’m not the coach.

19 – Jason Arnott: Along with Shea Weber, our captain has been one of the most consistent players thus far. Jason was tasked with generating more offense due to the potential offensive loss that was expected following the whole Radulov debacle. Fortunately, he has not disappointed. Trotz has tried to pair Arnott with some different wingers but I FIRMLY believe that he should stay on the line with Dumont. Don’t break up the Family, Trotz!! Dad doesn’t function nearly as well without Mom there to back him up.

20 – Ryan Suter: Okay, Ryan has definitely made some improvements because I have yelled at him a lot less than I did last season. He still has his off nights but thankfully, he and Shea have found some good chemistry and are both very in sync with one another. Keep it up, kid.

22 – Jordin Tootoo: He’s definitely trying to bring his offensive game to a new level this season while still trying to factor in his role as a fighter. I think it’s working rather nicely so far. I’ve been impressed with his ability/maturity to stay cool under some serious agitation. My personal thoughts of him aside, I’m enjoying his game...on the ice.

25 – Jerred Smithson: I think he is becoming our penalty kill specialist this season. He’s also winning a nice percentage of his face offs too. His offensive game is better than it has been in seasons past. I think he might actually have a chance to notch more than seven goals this season. I'm also looking forward to Jed Ortmeyer’s return because I know that they were a great penalty kill pair. Not that Joel Ward doesn't get the job done; it's just that Jerred and Jed had great chemistry on the ice last season. I’m probably a little biased here but it’s true.

27 – Patric Hornqvist: Baby lost his mojo. What happened? I think the decision to send him down to Milwaukee was a good one because he needed conditioning and more time on ice to hone his skills. I look forward to his return to see what he's capable of after the stint with the Admirals.

28 – Ryan Jones: I’m admitting right now that I didn’t understand what all the hype was about when we acquired him in the Zidlicky trade. I mean, grown men were gushing...and I do mean GUSHING...over his game and how much he would bring to the table. As I had never seen him play before, I wasn’t about to jump on that bandwagon. I’ve seen hyped-up players come in here before and pretty much do nothing to take our team to a different level (i.e. Peter Forsberg). However, he is finally starting to get to me. When paired with the right people (and that is the essential ingredient to his success) he is a player to watch. He gets in there and finds the spots on the ice that every other player seems to miss. He’ll stand in front of the net, like good ol’ Scott Hartnell used to do so well (single tear...that just made me realize that I miss Hartnell). He has the ability to score the dirty goals; the ones that Arnott, Dumont and Erat aren’t so fond of. If he wants to continue his adventure in that area, I’m more than happy to watch him fill that role. Bring him back from Milwaukee already!

29 – Joel Ward: Mr. Came-Out-Of-Nowhere-Surprise-of-Training-Camp, oh, I love thee. Here lately he’s been shuffled around to a bunch of different lines. Last night, he was on the line with David Legwand and I think that was a travesty. Maybe Trotz put him there to put a little pep in Leggy's step but I don’t think it worked. He is being wasted on that line. He gelled well with Arnott for a while but ultimately, I don’t know which will be the best fit for him. He’s also been Jerred Smithson’s penalty kill partner as of late and that’s working out pretty good so far. In any event, I liked him during training camp; I liked him during the pre-season games and I still like him now.

35 – Pekka Rinne: Pekka is unfortunately stuck in a bad position because he’s currently playing second fiddle to one hot goalie. I think we need to give him a little more chance to play but until the team can get their bearings and learn how to stay consistent, I have a feeling he’s going to ride the pine a little longer. Once we’ve passed our rough patch, I’m positive Trotz will have more confidence to stick him out there a little more often.

37 – Rich Peverley: Richie Rich is running a little hot and cold so far. I think he’s still looking to catch his stride. It doesn’t help that he’s being shuffled around in the lineup either. Trotz has been using him in the shootouts; sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn’t. I really liked him last season so I hope that he’s able to get over the hurdles of adjusting to playing full time at an NHL level and find that “it” factor that will set him apart from the rest.

38 – Vernon Fiddler: Sometimes he really surprises me and brings on the offense when I least expect it. Other times, I barely remember that he’s on the ice during a shift. I think Coach Trotz might be slightly disappointed with his efforts so far and this has led to a few scratches. He’s a solid penalty killer and like Nichol, finds the open chances to score shorthanded. However, like Peverley and Ward, I think he might still be searching for his identity within this year’s team.

39 – Dan Ellis: Things seem to be a little touch and go here. I know that a lot of the goalie’s success is dependent upon the team that plays in front of him so I can’t/won’t place the entire burden on him. I think he’s playing as well as one can with the defense that backs them up each night. But he has said himself that there are things that he could work on in order to stop the soft goals from getting through. I’m just glad he recognizes his weaknesses and wants to correct them.

71 – JP Dumont: There are a lot of people who have said that JP was robbed of a place on the All-Star ballot this year. I’m inclined to agree with them. JP is one of my other favorite players and I know I can always count on him to generate energy and offense at the perfect times. He also currently leads the team in assists, having had a hand in 17 goals. Not only that, but he’s also tied with Shea with 21 points over all. Not bad, Jean Pierre. Not bad at all.

74 – Nick Tarnasky: I have absolutely nothing good or worthwhile to say about Nick. He needs to be traded away as quickly as possible. Throw him in a deal with Kevin Klein and maybe the other team won’t notice that they’re getting a player that’s not worth the paper his contract was printed on.

Whew, this took me two plane rides, a layover and a few additional hours to finish. Agree/disagree/want to discuss further? Leave it in the comments.

Oh, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

11/25/08 - St. Louis at Nashville: L 1-0 SO

We were robbed.

Observations:

The first period was slllloooooowwww....hardly any action. Maybe it was the early start time, but wow...BORING! Sleepy, sleepy first period.

Milwaukee Admirals call up Antti Pihlstrom looked really good on his shifts. Taking shots on goal and looking for the chance to score. He had a lot of almost goals tonight.

I'm not sure how I feel about the whole Team Tootoo thing. Do we REALLY need to inflate his ego anymore? I mean, I get it. It puts fans in seats and it's kind of a cool way to introduce the casual fan into the world of hockey but yeah...don't get me started.

I liked the storyline between the pipes tonight. It was a clash of our former starter and the man who stole his role. Chris Mason faced 47 shots tonight and what a performance. Dan Ellis was strong too but let's face it, he didn't have nearly as much work to do in this game as Mason did.

Props to Dan Hamhius and Greg Zanon for sticking it out on that crazy ridiculous long shift about halfway through the second. We were all just waiting around for one of them to take a dumb penalty and neither one of them did.

Speaking of loooonnnggg shifts, Ville Koistinen was out for AT LEAST 3:00 during the overtime period. Honestly, I'm surprised he didn't fall out once he finally hit the bench. Our guys were working their butts off tonight.

Right before overtime, I said if we go to a shootout, we lose the game. I really should start to make a living predicting outcomes of games because I'm almost always right. I said we'd lose because Elly didn't have to play as hard tonight....and I was right. Both St. Louis shooters used the same move on him and he couldn't stop it....that needs work.

I hate shootouts, I hate shootouts, I hate shootouts.

For me, this game still showed our inconsistency because we couldn't put the puck away. We had a lot of good chances and near misses and we definitely brought on the offense but it was very frustrating to continue watching us not score.

Okay, now it's time for a little holiday break. The boys will be back [on the road AGAIN...surprise, surprise] Friday night in the A-T-L to take on the Thrashers. I will be in Michigan for a little va-cay with the parentals so I might actually miss seeing and/or listening to this game. Here's hoping that we play well and come away with the two points this time. Puck drops at 6:30pm CST and will be televised locally on FS Tennessee.

11/23/08 - Nashville at Carolina: W 5-2 Final

Observations:

What a first period...five penalties called against us, two extended 5-on-3 opportunitites for Carolina, and we still came out on the winning side of things after twenty minutes of play. Dan Ellis and our penalty killers deserve all the credit for not allowing the Hurricanes to score when we were at such a disadvantage.

Jason Arnott and JP Dumont combined to score the first goal of the game with a nice pass from Greg deVries. I know Trotz is still trying to find the right combinations to generate the most offense but in my opinion, Arnott and Dumont work best together, not apart. Nice goal, boys.

Great save by Elly in the second. He robbed Carolina of a goal on that sequence.

Scott Nichol's goal in the second was very reminiscent of Tootoo's goal on Friday at Tampa Bay. I don't think Cam Ward was expecting a shot like that from Nichol.

Scratch what I said on Friday about Shea Weber not being able to score from the point much longer. What a shot on the power play to put us up by 3 in the second. Then another great cannon at the end of a power play in the third. Seriously though, if I was on the ice when he ripped one of those off his stick, I would duck to get out of the line of fire...or die from impact if the puck hit me.

We played well today but I'm still bothered by our inconsistency. A bad game followed by a great game does not equal a recipe for staying on the winning side of things. I guess my biggest issue here is that we seem to pull ourselves out of a funk after a sub-par performance with closed door meetings or heart-to-hearts between the players. However, we really shouldn't have to do that every other night. If play stayed consistent, all we'd need to do is allow for minor adjustments following the occassional off night. By no means am I complaining about the way we played today but I'm reserving my praise until I see that we can sustain a solid performance over an extended period of time.

The Predators return home to take on the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday night. The game will be nationally televised on Versus; the only nationally covered game for us all season (unless the NHL picks up a Sunday game against Dallas on NBC in February). Puck drops at 6:00pm CST, a full hour earlier than our normal start of 7:00pm, to accomodate the Versus broadcast schedule.

11/21/08 - Nashville at Tampa Bay: L 1-4 Final

Observations:

Kevin Klein is getting the shaft again this season. I'd like to see us trade him to another team that actually needs a defenseman. He's really being wasted on our roster if we don't let him play.

Most teams have already caught on to Shea Weber taking shots from the point. He needs to rethink his strategy or he will have a hard time scoring any more goals this season.

Throwing the stick?! Bad judgement call there, Leggy. If you're on a short leash, that move certainly won't give you any slack.

We're inconsistent...AGAIN. This game sucked. I'm not sure what needs to happen here but we've got to do something to help us kick start our game.

Elly's save percentage definitely suffered tonight. We outshot the Lightning and yet they were far more successful in scoring.

For a team that's struggled so far this season, Tampa Bay certainly knew how to shut down our play. They were everywhere they needed to be in order to prevent us from scoring. I'm sure, as Pete and Terry both said, it had something to do with impressing their new coach. In any event, it was absolutely frustrating to watch. I can't imagine how much more frustrating it was for the Preds.

Next up, the Predators take on the Hurricanes before returning home for their second match up against St. Louis on Tuesday. Sunday's game has a 2:00pm CST start time and will be televised locally on FS Tennessee. With the 10-0 Titans back home on Sunday, I'm doubting there will be much interest in the Predators that day.

And while I'm happy for the Titans success this season, you can rest assured this girl's main focus will be to cheer on her boys (hopefully to a win) as they face Carolina at the RBC Center. Puck drops at 2:00pm CST.

I'm going to miss my little hockey babies...

Hornqvist and Jones re-assigned to Milwaukee Admirals

Okay, okay...so I'm listening to David Poile on 104.5 The Zone right now and it doesn't look like the boys will be in Milwaukee for an extended period of time.

Even if it's only a week, Hornqvist is in need of a little conditioning. His play had fallen off a bit in the last few games. Jones, on the other hand...I only saw him progressing.

This could see the return of Jed Ortmeyer, who was finally cleared to resume practice with team while they were away the last couple of weeks. Most people are quick to assume that Jed is an expendable part of our team; that he's just another fourth liner who can be inserted and removed from our lineup at will. To that I say: yes and no. Yes, I think Jed has not had enough ice time in his past few seasons in the NHL to really warrant being suited up every night. However, he put up some great numbers at the University of Michigan and he had a pretty good year with the Rangers during the 2005-2006 season. And before he got injured last season, Jed was a great penalty kill partner when paired with Jerred Smithson.

Just a little food for thought: if we're going to eventually drop someone from our roster, Nick Tarnasky is a perfectly good waste of space. Jed could more than fill his role (offensively).

It kind of seems like the organization has something up their sleeve here while trying to figure out what works in order to create the best chemistry. So I guess I'll just have to wait and see what becomes of this little dance of the players.

11/17/08 - San Jose at Nashville: L 4-1 Final

That...was brutal.

Observations:

The first game back from a road trip is always challenging; viewed by the coaching staff and players as more of a road game feel than a home ice feel. Our first game back from the longest consecutive road trip in franchise history proved to be more challenging than usual; especially when we played a team that was out for blood...literally.

On a positive note, it was so good to be back in the Sommet, even if only for a night. For me, it was like going home again. I also have to give props to Jerred Smithson for acknowledging the fans during the 104.5 post game show. There's nothing better than our players letting us know that they like playing in front of their home crowd. And we definitely like being their home crowd.

This game was definitely more about physical play than it was about scoring goals. Well, at least from the Predators perspective. It was a hardcore hockey-fight fan's dream come true. With the way things were going, I fully expected there to be at least two or three more fights before the night was over. Martin Erat and Jerred Smithson both had their fair share of verbal exchanges with some of the Sharks players. And what's gotten into deVries? I mean, that man is the oldest player on our team and he got TWO fighting majors last night! TWO!?! Left the ice a bloody mess after the second one too...and that's not a pretty sight to see up close and personal.

Jordin Tootoo returned to fan-favorite form again last night as well. I know he's always a target and there has to be some regulation when it comes to how often he finds himself sitting in the penalty box for a fighting major but sometimes the pestering is a bit much. I thought Trotz was going to hold him back from any fights for the full season so it was good to see him give the okay to wail on a couple of guys.

Watching Scott Nichol and Joe Thornton fight was hilariously entertaining. Obviously it was a uneven match up but I don't believe there is any opponent, big or small, that Nichol would be afraid to take on. Stature does not matter to that man and I love him for it.

I wanted to avoid talking about this next topic but it's somewhat unavoidable after a game like last night's. I try to stay as objective as possible when it comes to the refs because they are just doing their job and I tend to agree with most of the calls (for or against us). However, the officiating was, in my opinion, pretty crappy last night. There were calls that should have been made against both teams that were shockingly overlooked. I know I've said this a lot here recently but it bears repeating that it appears Jordin Tootoo has a permanent seat in the penalty box, no matter who's officiating that night.
And yes, I do understand games like these happen only a handful of times each season. The team (and fans) can't place the blame on a loss by pointing the finger at the officials. BUT...when the coach and players are visibly irritated from the bench by the non-calls (or the overwhelming lopsided calls) coming from the refs, I do take notice. For the record, I did A LOT of noticing last night.

Moving on...the team took a much deserved day off today and will resume on-ice practice tomorrow and Thursday. They face the Tampa Bay Lightning Friday night at Tampa Bay. So much for coming back home from a road trip.

Puck drops at 6:30pm CST. The game will be televised locally on FS Tennessee.

11/15/08 - Nashville at Los Angeles: W 3-1 Final

Observations:

So last night I thought that tonight's match up was our first meeting with the Kings this season. How quickly I forget. Our first game against L.A. came less than a month ago but after re-reading my recap of that game, I can see why my memory failed me. That game was crap. This one was not.

Martin Erat's back! Stay healthy, E. Predators hockey just isn't the same without my favorite puck hog.

Does anyone else think it's a little bit weird that some of our best scoring chances in the first period came from the Tootoo-Bonk-Smithson line? Not that I'm complaining; it's just an interesting combo.

David Legwand was back to form with his almost goal scoring again. If he were to ever participate in an accurate shot competition, it would end in a massive fail.

What a great pass from Dan Ellis to put us up by one in the second. That was an excellent example of the right way for a goaltender to play the puck.

I love assistant coach Peter Horachek's interviews with Pete and Terry. No matter what kind of game we happen to be playing, he's always very candid.

Our play picked up in the third period and I was glad to see that we didn't shut down and just try to play through the period on cruise control. This was definitely a game we needed to win in regulation.

We're really starting to find some good energy in late third period power plays.

That empty netter was nice icing on the cake. Thank you to L.A. for that one. I'm sure Shea Weber thanks you too.

What an exhausting two weeks this has been. After an abysmal start, I definitely did not expect us to sweep all three California teams. We are starting to tighten up, find the right line combinations, and figure out what works and what doesn't.

So now the boys come home but don't really get much down time. The San Jose Sharks will be in town Monday night, looking to steal back the two points that Dan Ellis and the Preds stole from them on Tuesday. Puck drops at 7:00pm CST at the Sommet Center. With the game a radio-only broadcast, I'd love to see the arena full of fans ready to welcome the team home and hopefully cheer them on to another win.

11/14/08 - Nashville at Anaheim: W 4-3 Final OT

It was bittersweet to watch this game on TV tonight. I was supposed to be at the Honda Center experiencing this game live and in-person. It would have been nice too, since we lost last time I was there. Oh well...I'll see you in March, Honda Center.

Observations:

Ryan Jones...drawing a penalty and then scoring on the ensuing PP?! I might have to jump on the bandwagon now. And if he replaces Baby on the Family Line, his nickname will be Adopted.

I miss Martin Erat. I'm inclined to think the team feels the same.

Jean Pierre, you must have drawn some inspiration from that little song I wrote for you on Tuesday. That goal was sweet.

Simultaneous penalties?! I don't think I've ever seen that happen before.

Multiple tears for the tribute to Korinne Croghan. And FYI...the way to a girl's heart definitely starts with a story like this one.

Nice to see Jordin Tootoo take exception to the linesman who made a BLATANT error in holding him off from Steve Montador when Toots wasn't the player to drop his gloves. I might not be a big fan of Jordin but that was a huge mistake by the official. That also goes to show that Tootoo really does have a target on his back no matter what.

Joel Ward was back in the lineup tonight and helped tip in a PP goal in the third. I'm certainly glad that hockey players rebound from concussions quickly. If I had been hit like Ward was in Calgary, I would have been out for at least a month.

I love it when we play physical. We're not known for that particular style of play but when you're on the ice against the Ducks, you don't really have a choice. Dirty, dirty Ducks...

What a pass by Jason Arnott to give Dan Hamhuis a clean shot on net in overtime. That was a great, GREAT goal.

Our play definitely improved during this game. Pete and Terry kept mentioning how the coaching staff switched up strategy during practice; choosing to use the "chip and go/run" method. It really helped us get in there and move the puck. We were playing back and forth hockey and getting into our zone, which was missing from the first four games of this trip. I like to see the coaching staff making the necessary adjustments/line changes (even if that means the Family gets broken up) in order to figure out what works and what wins us games.

The boys wrap up the road trip [read: FINALLY] tomorrow night with their second meeting against the Kings this season. The game will be televised on FS Tennessee and broadcast on 97.1 WRQQ. Puck drops at 9:30pm CST, which I won't mind nearly as much this time around.

As it should be

After last night's ridiculous performance between the pipes, Dan Ellis is rewarded with accolades from both ESPN and the NHL.

It's so good to see our players getting recognized in the media for a job well done.

Revel in it, Elly. And then use this to push yourself towards amazing games on Friday and Saturday.

11/11/08 - Nashville at San Jose: W 4-3 Final OT

I know we've only lost the last three games and it's still early in the season but I can not tell you how surreal it seemed when I typed a 'W' into this post's title tonight. WE FREAKING WON...IN THE SHARK TANK...ON THE ROAD...IN THE MIDDLE OF ONE OF THE MOST GRUELING ROAD TRIPS WE'VE EVER HAD.

::ahem:: I'll stop shouting now.

Observations:

Dan Ellis..someone give the man an extra case of Pedialyte. He played out of his mind.

SOG in the first period were so lopsided that we were very fortunate to end the period only down 0-1. What a barrage of penalties called against us during the first twenty minutes of play. We need to get that under control too (just add it to the list).

I thought our lines were all over the place during the Colorado game but OH. MY. WORD. I knew Trotz had switched up the defensive pairings (minus the Twins) but I had no idea how mixed up the offensive line combinations would be. My Family Line is all kinds of screwed up. I can't hand out any more nicknames because it's exhausting trying to keep up with it at this point.

After watching these last few games on TV, I now know what's missing from our game. WE DON'T SET UP PLAYS ANYMORE. This revelation came to me as I watched us we spend the majority of time in our defensive end. What the puck is going on?

*song break* Where, oh, where did my Jean Pierre go? Where, oh where can he be? With an A on his chest, he's usually one of the best. So, where oh where is my JP?! [Seriously JP, ALLONS-Y!]

Well, crap...I was all ready to start hating on Ryan Suter again but after he tied the game in the third, I had to let him have his moment.

The amount of penalties called against us were almost as lopsided as the shot count. Were we playing the Sharks or the Red Wings tonight?

Who is this Setoguchi guy? Why don't I remember him from last season? Why does he enjoy playing badminton so much? Maybe it's because he likes to say the word "shuttlecock".

Ville Koistinen shows up big in overtime to put us over the top. Trotz, figure out who you're keeping in already...it's either Klein or him. Make a decision.

The Predators head down to SoCal tomorrow to get ready for back-to-back games against Anaheim and L.A on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Both games will be televised on FS Tennessee.

I would talk about this game more but I'm delirious and I've got to be up in...oh...five hours. I'm out.

Captain of the Injured Reserve

So let’s talk about the current status of Steve Sullivan, his injury and whether or not anyone actually believes he will return to the team. I’ve been mulling over this topic for a while as there have been promising updates here and there in the past few months. As recently as this morning, there were rumors floating around that he is very close to practicing with the team again. My question is this: does anyone put stock in this; and more importantly, does anyone actually expect Sully to ever return to the ice at all?

Opinions on his status are varied. I’ve heard some speculate over the past year or so that Sullivan is not nearly as injured as everyone has been led to believe. On the flip side, the countless newspaper articles would lead one to believe that the seriousness of his injury has left him frustrated with the lack of progression towards complete health. These articles also seem to reflect the fact that he seems to genuinely try all he can to rehab quickly and get back out there.

Honestly, I'm on the fence here. Sullivan hasn’t played in so long that I barely think of him in terms of the team and its players. The last time he did play a game as a Predator, the team was made up of a much different group of guys than what it is now. How would Sullivan fit into this year’s group? Would he bring us back to the level we need to play at in order to find ourselves in playoff contention again? How much of his downtime factors into the way he plays if he does return before the season is over? Who would get sent down to Milwaukee as a result? What if Sullivan’s return messes with our line chemistry? Assuming, of course, we find line chemistry this season...

Sully's last game played was February 22, 2006. That was well over two years ago now. During his (mostly) healthy years with us, he put up some some pretty substantial numbers. If he was able to come back into the game seemlessly, I think he would be the much needed missing piece of our ailing puzzle. However, with all the lingering unknowns, it's hard to think of the possibilities of his return.

Any thoughts?

11/08/08 - Nashville at Colorado: L 0-1 Final

Observations:

So we follow up a ridiculously high-scoring game with a 0-1 game. Trotz obviously stressed defense, defense, defense in yesterday's prolonged video session. My only problem with that is we didn't balance out the defense with enough offense to win.

This game was a battle of wills against two teams who have been playing average or below-average hockey so far this season. Colorado came into tonight in the midst of a five game losing streak. They obviously wanted it a little bit more than we did.

With Joel Ward and Martin Erat both out with upper body injuries they received during the Calgary game, our lines were kind of all over the place. Rich Peverley was inserted into the top line with Jason Arnott and JP Dumont. Patric Hornqvist dropped down to play with David Legwand and Ryan Jones. For a team that continues to play so inconsistent, maybe all of these line changes will help Trotz find that chemistry that seems to be missing right now.

Good to see guys like Vernon Fiddler, Jerred Smithson and Scott Nichol get some quality scoring chances. Since Trotz pours on the love for his third and fourth line players, it's nice to see they're reciprocating with solid performances. And when "pad save" and "Jerred Smithson" are said in the same sentence, that makes my heart happy.

David Legwand might be more shocked about penalties called against him than Jerred Smithson is, if that's even possible.

Play in all three periods was better than I've seen in a while. By a while, I mean the last two games, specifically. My only gripe is that Arnott needs to learn how to finish the scoring chances he creates.

Dan Ellis played a spectacular game tonight. Darcy Tucker's goal was definitely not Elly's fault. Scott Nichol missed a block in front of the net from a weird pass; and I can't really fault him either because he doesn't play defense.

This was still a loss, no matter how many positives I can take away from it. I wish we could have gained a little bit of momentum going into the Shark Tank to face San Jose on Tuesday. The boys get their only day off tomorrow and will take in an Oakland Raiders game. This should give Erat and Ward extra time to nurse their injuries. Tuesday night's game will be televised locally on FS Tennessee. Puck drops at 9:30pm CST, unfortunately. Oh, Pacific time zone starts...so brutal on my sleep schedule.

11/06/08 - Nashville at Calgary: L 6-7 Final

WHAT. THE. PUCK.

Observations:

So the theory goes that when the backup goalie plays, our defense plays better in front of him. Yeeaaahhh, THAT certainly was not the case tonight. Pekka Rinne did all he could with the limited amount of help he had. I think there was only one of the four goals in the first that was a direct result of Pekka's bad judgement. However, a shorthanded goal given up on the first power play of the game; not the best way to start the night either.

Aww, Baby apologized for his accidental high stick to a Flames player in the first...Mom and Dad are teaching him such good manners.

I think Nick Tarnasky is a waste of good roster space. We've got plenty of guys that are getting scratched every night in favor of putting a fourth liner out there who does absolutely nothing productive with his shifts on the ice.

JP Dumont is the perfect example of resiliency. Taken down late in the first by a shot to the ankle, I honestly did not expect to see him back on the ice for the balance of the game. Yet there he was lending a helper to our first goal of the game, early in the second. Love you for that, JP.

I want to throw down with Cory Sarich for that hit he put on Joel Ward behind the Calgary net in the second. Ward did not return to the game in the third.

Jim "Bearcat" Murray is CUH-RAZY...I mean, certifiable.

We need to re-learn how to control the puck; go back to the basics during practice and remember how we should be playing hockey.

Vernon Fiddler gets his first goal of the season on a penalty shot late in the third. His move on Miikka Kiprusoff was freaking awesome. Way to go, Fids.

This game had everything short of an overtime period. We found a way to scrape it together and get back in it, especially after being down by FIVE early in the second. The only thing missing was a win for the Predators; which would have been ridiculously sweet considering everything that seemed to go wrong for us tonight.

The boys fly out to Denver tonight to get ready to take on the Colorado Avalanche Saturday. If we take anything away from this game, it should be our ability to fight back from such a deficit. Now if we can just use that fighting spirit to our advantage against the Avs, I'll be a happy girl. Saturday's game will be televised on FS Tennessee, also available in HD for those lucky enough to have it. Puck drops at 8:00pm CST.

11/04/08 - Nashville at Vancouver: L 0-4 Final

Where was our offense? Where was our defense? Were we even a hockey team out there tonight?

Observations:

Four goals against does not bode well for Dan Ellis's save percentage. Please, God, PLEASE...do not let this be another starting-goaltender-becomes-backup-goaltender scenario. I just know that Elly is beating himself up over this.

During the FS TN post-game interview with Pete Weber and Terry Crisp, Captain Jason Arnott said "rolling four lines in the third period isn't working for us on the road." If that's what cost us the game, I'm glad the problem has already been identified. Here's hoping it gets addressed and corrected before Thursday.

The penalty calls against us tonight were quite unfortunate, directly leading to two of Vancouver's four goals. In turn, our penalty kill percentage got way worse. I think Scott Nichol's absence had a little something to do with that. He's so good on the PK.

Patric Hornqvist was feisty tonight. I don't know what got into him but I think he's starting to take after JP a little.

I haven't been able to see a practice since the end of training camp but it looks to me like Trotz has the boys working on their passing. We're doing some crazy fancy backhand passes here lately. If only those fancy passes resulted in GOALS.

I love Jerred Smithson's facial expressions when he's mad about taking a penalty. No matter if it was a good call or not, he always acts like he can't believe he's in the box.

I think we are having some communication issues. In the Florida game and tonight's, I saw a few sequences on the ice where we had too many guys all bunched together. This is going to lead to more goals being scored against us if we don't figure out how to communicate better and find our place on the ice.

With all the player accolades being thrown around, I do need to take a moment to congratulate Barry Trotz on coaching his 750th NHL game with one team. That is quite the accomplishment. Despite other's opinions, I am very happy to have him as our coach.

The Predators hop on a flight tonight and head to Calgary to face the Flames in our second match up of the season. For our sake, I hope we play a better game this time around. The lead we blew against them on October 23rd was such a disappointment. The game will be televised on FS TN (channel 28 for Comcast customers). Puck drops at 8:30pm CST.

2008-2009 All-Star Ballot released

Jason Arnott and Shea Weber were both named to the 2008-2009 NHL All-Star Ballot .

Ideally, I'd love to see both Jason and Shea get invites for the All-Star Weekend in January. How killer would it be to have them compete against each other in the Hardest Shot competition? Arnott came in second last year and his shot isn't anywhere close to scaring me as much as Shea's.

Now that the election is over, I'm ready to focus on this ballot. And at least this outcome won't affect the landscape of an entire country.

Voting starts November 12th. Team Arnott/Weber all the way!

Quickly rising in the ranks for favorite...

So I might be a day late to the party but I still think this is newsworthy.

For just the second time in franchise history, a Predator has been name as one of the NHL’s Stars of the Month. JP Dumont had the privilege of being the franchise’s first honoree in January of this year.

So I’ll give you one guess as to which player was given this distinction for the month of October…

Shea FREAKING Weber

Congratulations, Shea! This honor is most decidedly deserved.

11/01/08 - Florida at Nashville: W 2-3 Final SO

The Predators not only hosted the Florida Panthers today, but also their first inaugural "Breaking Into Sports" workshop. The workshop included a panel discussion with several executives from the Predators organization as well as a career/university fair. Now I signed up for this event thinking that I would walk away with a better understanding of the sports entertainment industry and maybe meet a few people I could use as contacts. I was also told that it was NOT specifically catered to high school and college students...but I was told wrong. While I enjoyed listening to Ed Lang and Chris Parker, I didn't feel like I walked away knowing any more about the sports industry than I already knew. The "career" fair was mostly a bunch of area universities pushing their sports-centric MBA programs; the sports organizations represented were only offering information to those interested in internships. I don't regret spending my entire day at the Sommet (shout out to the couple from Dayton; hope you guys had a great time at the game!) but I do hope that the Predators learn how to better market these kinds of events in the future.

Now, on to the game...

Observations:

Shea Weber...I can't say one bad thing about this boy. He takes shots, blocks shots, throws hits and most importantly SCORES GOALS. If he doesn't make it to the All-Star game this year, I'll be shocked.

We played a horrible first and second period tonight. I mean, HORRIBLE. We finally woke up in the third but WOW. Our defense (I'm talking to you, Zanon, deVries and Hammer) was bad and our offense was so sluggish I thought we might be asleep out there. With our crazy schedule over the next two weeks, we can't afford to play like we did tonight.

Pekka Rinne started again tonight and had a few sequences of great saves. I'm happy his nerves have calmed down. If he is meant to be the future of Predators goaltending, I look forward to the future.

I was a little disappointed that the Panthers chose not to play Tomas Vokoun and opted for backup Craig Anderson instead. I really wanted to yell 'KOOOUUUUNNN!' at least once this season.

I. CAN. NOT. STAND. SHOOTOUTS.

With the conclusion of tonight's game, the Predators now face their longest road trip of the season. Six games spanning sixteen days away from home; this is going to be interesting. In a way, I'm glad this is happening so early in the season because it will help us to show others what we're made of. Let's hope we're made of all the components of a winning team. I don't want to go through another six game skid like last season.