1/30/09 - Nashville at Calgary: L 1-3 Final

I still think Dan Ellis is getting the shaft.

Observations:

I really like the Jones-Legwand-Erat line. I think Ryan Jones is exactly what was needed to make things work for the other two.

I feel like all our guys forgot what a razor was. They've been sporting some pretty heavy scruff for the past couple of games. Radek Bonk's gone back to looking like a homeless man again and Erat actually has enough hair on his face for you to be able to see that he can in fact, grow a beard. What is this, boys? We're not in the playoffs yet.

Oh, Martin Erat...I will never grow tired of your interviews. They are unintentionally hilarious every single time.

Our first power play of the night SUCKED. I think Calgary took more shots on net than we did.

0-2, Calgary, after the 2nd...the offense that was there on Wednesday is no where to be found all of sudden. Not that we haven't had plenty of chances, but we're not putting them away...again. This is exactly why I wasn't so quick to call "comeback" after the Vancouver game.

Grrreaaattt...Jordin Tootoo gets injured from his fight with Todd Bertuzzi. We did not need another injured forward. I really hope we call someone else up because I do not think Antti Pihlstrom is an adequate substitute.

The Frenchman scores again! Glad to see Jean Pierre working his way back on the score sheet.

Okay, our second power play looked much better. If only Ryan Jones hadn't taken a penalty immediately following that shift of good pressure.

After the 5-on-3 and then the 5-on-4, we became really scattered with our play. A goal scored against us on the 5-on-3 was inevitable but it seems to me that we let it get in our heads, thus affecting how we mentally played out the remainder of the game. We have to stop doing that.

Wow...I can NOT believe we so blatantly had too many men on the ice like that. That was just...wow...

I am not a fan of pulling the goalie with more than two minutes left in the game. That's too soon to pull that move in my opinion.

The last "power play" of the night barely deserved to be called a power play.

So we didn't play horrible but we didn't play amazing. I'm going to say we were our pre-All Star break mediocre at best. I'd like to come off of this road trip with a couple more points so I'm really hoping that we can pull out a win against Edmonton on Sunday. The game will be radio-broadcast only (locally) so tune in to 104.5 The Zone at 1:00pm CST on Sunday for all the Predators action.

1/28/09 - Nashville at Vancouver: W 5-3 Final

So pre-game talk from Coach Trotz reveals that he wiped the slate clean and started fresh. Let's see how this plays out.

Observations:

I am very happy to see Ryan Jones back with the Predators. It's about time that they gave rookies (read: NOT Antti Pihlstrom) some more ice time.

Speaking of Antti Pihlstrom...glad to see him scratched again.

Alexander Sulzer taking Ville Koistinen's place in the line up was also promising. And then the poor guy goes down by a hit from former Predator Darcy Hordichuck. What an unfortunate night for him.

Nice goal, Joelie!! Looks like he's been taking some pointers from Ryan Jones about staying at the net. That line seems to be clicking too.

Okay, Zanon, here's the deal...you go down WAY too early when you're covering your man. Stalls in locker rooms around the league all say "For an easy goal, call Greg Zanon at 555-1212. He goes down every time."

With that said, I did feel bad for our defense tonight. Everyone had to pick up an unbelievable amount of shifts to make up for us losing Sulzer so early in the game.

Bad, BAD communication on our part leading to Vancouver's third goal...man, that was kind of hard to watch.

I'd love to know how many times a game Pete and/or Terry say "Here comes Erat...spinning". I would love to know if Erat takes ballet on his off days.

We should take all kinds of pointers away from Vancouver's power play. [Note that I said this BEFORE we starting scoring on ours. Even still, it wouldn't hurt to take some notes.]

Wow...we got a power play goal on a rebound?! Really? How'd that happen?

Jordin Tootoo drawing a penalty?! And it leads to the tying goal?

TWO THREE power play goals?! I don't even know what to say right now. I think these lines are working. Even the Smithson-Bonk-Belak line was getting some good chances out there tonight.

OH YES! MY FRENCHMAN!!!! Unbelievable. Unbelievable.

Dare I say with all the penalties called against Vancouver tonight that this is our makeup game from the horribleness that was the December 9th game.

Oh, Pekka...I'm not going to lie. You looked good out there tonight, even when you scared me because I wasn't sure if you could see the puck or not amidst all your flailing.

For the record, I still heart Dan Ellis.

So let's recap the scorers tonight: Ward, Erat, Arnott, Dumont, Legwand. With the exception of Joel Ward, the rest are players who have been expected to be the top goal scorers all season long. If Trotz's pre-game comments are taken into consideration here, maybe the entire team and not just the coach started fresh after the break. Am I calling this our comeback? Not yet but we sure as hell played a million times better than we had been so far.

Nice to see some emotion from the boys tonight too. Maybe they are listening to me...

Break's over; back to work!

For me, the All-Star break wasn't much of a break. I was pretty busy with posting and live blogging and what not. However, I hope for my sake and my sanity that my boys didn't slack off too much during theirs. Truthfully, I really hope that they took a few of these words to heart. Not that I'm saying they read this blog and actually apply what I say to their everyday life (I mean, it could happen but it's highly unlikely) however; some form of self-reflection and motivation over the past week or so would have served them all well.

Anyway, I'm not going to sit around and pontificate about what I think should happen from here on out because I'm waiting to see what we bring to the ice tonight. Will the shuffled lines have any impact on our offensive slump? Let's just wait and see, shall we?

Bring it, boys. And give me a reason to be okay with being ridiculously tired tomorrow morning.

2009 NHL All-Star Game

Thanks to all who joined in on the fun.

Versus Asks: What's on your iPod, Shea?

...Removed the video because it was driving me crazy...

Umm, Shea...telling me you like to put it on shuffle still doesn't answer the question.

All-Star Weekend: The Honda NHL Super Skills Competition

Kind of live blog-esque observations:

Shea Weber, if you're not going to wear a helmet, at least DO YOUR HAIR!!!

Carey Price's hair had me suddenly humming 'Ice, Ice Baby'. What was up with the Vanilla Ice flat top he was sporting?

"You know" must be a phrase that the NHL considers a mandatory thing to pepper in all your interviews.

Every guy that competed in the Fastest Skater competition looked like they were phoning it in. Seriously, Jeff Carter...it looked like he was just lazily strolling.

In terms of actual skill and originality, Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis had the Breakaway Challenge in the bag. However, was there ever any doubt that Alexander Ovechkin wouldn't end up walking away with that title again? Especially when the fans voted for the winner. His last little bit was pretty funny though...nice touch with the Gatorade there, Ovie.

I heart Pekka Rinne. He looked great during the Young Stars game.

The camera angle Versus used from the back of the net during the Accurate Shot competition scared me and it made me appreciate goaltending even more than I already do.

The Accurate Shot competition was ACTUALLY a competition this year. Nice job, Malkin.

Loved the kid in the corner of the glass by one of the benches who was completely dumbfounded by the sight of Ovechkin.

Mark Streit from NY Islanders needs to eat a sandwich. Seriously, if I met him in person, I could snap him like a twig.

Dangit, Zdeno Chara! I wanted Shea Weber to win the Hardest Shot so badly. We were all cheering when that 103.4 showed up on the screen. I thought he had it too. Next year, Shea. Next year.

The Elimination Competition was a nice addition this year. I liked seeing something that showcased the goaltending a little bit more.

Boston Bruin Marc Savard might steal my heart. He was pretty funny during his mic'ed up time. I like it when hockey players have personality.

Don't forget about the All-Star game tomorrow night at 6:00pm EST/5:00pm CST on Versus. See you tomorrow for the live blog!

Youngstars are All-Stars too

NHL.com posted a great article about Niklas Backstrom and Pekka Rinne this afternoon.

The Finnish Laurel and Hardy

Ce weekend a Montreal

The NHL Skills Competition and All-Star Game is being held in Montreal this weekend. I tend to think that the atmosphere of All-Star weekends contain a mixture of friendly rivalry and mutual respect. It's always enjoyable to watch some of the best names in the league cut loose a little bit. As fans, we don't always get to see their lighter, more amiable sides so it's a nice change of pace, even if just for a couple of days.

I'm especially excited to announce that in conjunction with HLOG and the Versus network, I will be live-blogging the All-Star game on Sunday (6:00pm EST/5:00pm CST). My game recaps usually have somewhat of a live blog feel to them but this time, it's for real. I'll be updating you with minute-by-minute action and (of course) my thoughts on the game in general.

I might also live blog the Skills Competition; mostly because of Shea Weber (anyone taking bets to see if he shows more enthusiasm than his usual 'I picked six' schtick?) but the jury's still out on that one because I will be watching from somewhere other than my house on Saturday.

Be sure to check back this weekend for updates on all the festivities.

A tout a l'heure mes amis et bonne chance, Shea!

For local Comcast customers, you can catch the 2009 NHL All-Star game on Versus (Channel 72) on Sunday, January 25 at 5:00pm CST. If you're not around a tv, you can catch it on 104.5 The Zone, with a pre-game show starting at 4:00pm CST.

Where is the love?

It's time to get down to business.

With the exception of a handful of games (I do mean just a handful...and I have tiny, tiny hands), I have yet to see the Predators team I know and love show up on the ice. The team I know would bring it to the ice every night. The team I know would fight through adversity and grind it out. The team I know would gladly stick up for their teammates when the cards were down. The team I know sometimes played with more heart than skill, yet I loved them anyway. The team I know played like a team and it showed. This is not that team.

Here's my call to arms: The Predators need to evoke the spirit and playing style of Jed Ortmeyer. Before you LOL and WTF all over that last sentence, hear me out. Jed Ortmeyer, when healthy (and maybe even when he's not healthy), plays every shift on the ice with 150% behind it. He plays with his heart first, head second. He plays like he means it, like hockey is what he's destined for, as if there is no other in job in the world that would better suit him. Now Jed is nowhere near the best player in the league. Heck, he's not really even in the league at the moment. But it doesn't matter. He puts it all out there and fans rally around him because of the energy he brings to the game.

With the whole of the league seemingly against us last season, we proved most everyone wrong by taking a "fire sale" roster and persevering through a few rough patches to come out on the winning side of the season. As a team, we didn't seem to care that we squeaked into the playoffs, seeded number 8. It didn't matter because we rallied together to overcome the odds stacked against us. We fought hard. We were resilient. We were defiant. We even managed to give the Red Wings a run for their money. In essence, we became a team of Jed Ortmeyers.

This season, more often than not, I find myself at a loss for words over our performance. I can't put together a string of feel good sentences to form a mushy paragraph about my love for this team...mostly because the love's not there. Something is amiss this time around. The drive, passion and love for the game, the Jed Ortmeyer-ness (if you will) just doesn't seem to flicker in our player's eyes. Oh sure, there are traces of individual exuberance; just not enough to light a fire that will ignite an entire team.

So boys, here's the deal. Find your passion for the game again. Take a step back in time and remember what it was like playing hockey as a child. Remember why you started playing hockey in the first place. Find the spark that began your journey and brought you to where you are now. And after you've done all these things, bring that passion, that love of the game, with you to the rink every day. Play more like the Tin Man and less like the Scarecrow. When you play like you mean it, it shows.

Oh, and if you were looking for a recap of the game tonight, here you go: the final score was 3-1, New Jersey.

The Curse of the Starter

For most NHL teams, there is a clear definition of goaltender roles in terms of starter and backup. For Nashville however, the men between the pipes must learn to remain on their toes (or skates) at all times because the starting role seems to be continually up for grabs, no matter who was awarded the role at the beginning of the season. History over the past season and a half has lent itself to this formula, much to the chargin of the fans and goalies alike.

At the start of the 2007-2008 season, Chris Mason was deemed our starting goaltender, with training-camp-surprise Dan Ellis in the backup role. As the season wore on, Mason’s nerves began to be pushed to their limits as he was pulled from games time and time again, in favor of Dan Ellis. Predators head coach Barry Trotz used the system of “ride a goalie while they’re hot and then bench them when they lose.” or what I like to call the Dance of the Rotating Goalies. While this makes sense in theory, it doesn’t translate well to the players who are constantly in the dark about whether or not the coach thinks they are good enough to stay in their current roles. Late in the season when it appeared as though Trotz was fed up with both Mason and Ellis’s performances, he threw yet one more obstacle into things. The organization called up Milwaukee Admirals starter, Pekka Rinne to take the place of one of the two netminders on the bench for a while. Due to a snowstorm and misplaced equipment, Pekka never got a chance to start his scheduled game. Coach Trotz put all his faith in Dan Ellis that night and the Predators found themselves on the winning side of things from then on out. This move proved too much for Chris Mason, whose confidence was shaken beyond repair and viewed most every game for the rest of the season from the comfort of the bench.

This led to Chris Mason being traded to St. Louis after the season was over, leaving room for Dan Ellis to rise to the starting goal tender role. However, with Pekka Rinne starting the first year of his one-way contract, Ellis’s fate was not so certain. Dan Ellis and Pekka Rinne both competed for the backup role to Chris Mason just one year prior so there were definitely questions as to who would be handed the starter title at the end of pre-season. Ultimately, it was awarded to Dan Ellis, with Trotz saying that he and Pekka would probably split the games 60/40. At this point in the season though, it seems Trotz is starting to get inside Ellis’s head, much like what he did to Mason just a season ago. And honestly, I’m sick of it. This in-and-out rotation does not work to any goaltender's advantage because they can not gain consistency if they are being pulled from games and benched for week-long stretches.

In my opinion, both Ellis and Rinne are of starting goaltender caliber. However, just like Chris Mason, Dan Ellis and NOT Pekka Rinne was awarded the starting position. Dan Ellis might have had a few off nights this season but then again, so has Pekka Rinne. So basically what I’m saying is: if this trend continues, no young goalie in their right mind will want to come to the Predators organization. Well, maybe they’d be okay with coming here but they should probably only ever strive for the backup position, and not starter. Because eventually, every one of our backups becomes our starters once Coach Trotz decides the starter is no longer good enough.

For more insight and opinion, see Paul's thoughts here.

1/17/09 - Atlanta at Nashville: L 7-2 Final

I kind of wanted to phone it in and not really do a recap since the boys pretty much phoned it in tonight as well. However, looking at my notes during the game, I had too much to say to not share.

Observations:

(Pre-game celebratory congratulations) Pekka Rinne is going to the Young Stars game! Yay for Pekka! He deserves it.

Antti Pihlstrom scratched?! FINALLY! Ryan Jones scratched?! Why?

After the first goal, it was evident that Koistinen shouldn't be on the ice...although Ellis should have had that.

Two goals against on two shots does not bode well for Elly. I think his confidence has been shaken.

Wow...three goals on four shots. I feel absolutely horrible for Dan Ellis right now. I mean, like I want to cry for him. I almost did even. Don't make fun...I'm a girl, with emotions. Coach Trotz, like always, is playing with our goalies' heads again and I hate it.

I think the Jordin Tootoo goal went in off of Vernon Fiddler's stick.

Unbelievably sloppy play tonight. I mean, seriously...we looked awful.

I'm not really even sure what to say. Atlanta out played us in every aspect of the game and made scoring goals look ridiculously easy.

As Forechecker mentioned (from a PredFans tweet) during the game, this game was very reminiscent of the LA Kings 6-0 massacre of last year. I was thinking the same thing at the end of the 2nd but I REALLY knew it was true after the SEVENTH goal.

If the Predators performance didn't scream offensively challenged, I don't know what else it could have.

It's also worth noting that I've never seen the arena empty out as quickly as it did tonight...before the game was even over.

Dear Predators Front Office, Rich Peverley must be loving you for trading him to Atlanta. It's evident that he's working out quite nicely for them.

I would have been ashamed had we not scored on the 5-on-3 late in the 3rd. Even though we played like crap tonight, no one is immune to Shea's shot.

Coach Trotz apparently started off his post-game press conference by apologizing to the fans for the performance tonight. I'm glad he did because we deserved some kind of apology/explanation for what we saw (or didn't see rather) on the ice.

Announced just after the game, Ryan Jones and Mike Santorelli have been sent back to Milwaukee. The Santorelli call makes sense (AHL All-Star game coming up and all) but the Jones call baffles me. He in place of Antti Pihlstrom is a mistake in my book. I continue to be completely at a loss of words over why Pihlstrom is still on our team. He is not producing. ANYONE can see that.

As per usual after games like this, everyone is saying we have to put this behind us quickly and move on. You know what though? We need to use this as a catalyst to never play like that again. If we want to have any hope of a playoff spot, everyone needs to pull together and decide once and for all what this team is made of.

1/15/09 - Nashville at Montreal: L 2-3 Final

Observations:

Alexander Sulzer played his first NHL game tonight, wearing former Predators captain Kimmo Timonen's number, 44. I liked him a lot during training camp and was surprised at how early they sent him packing. I missed Shea Weber but Sulzer looked good.

I was a little shocked to see David Legwand sporting an 'A' on his jersey tonight. I thought I'd never see the day.

I have to wonder if Jordin Tootoo felt like he had to come back in and start a fight since Coach Trotz called him out for his inconsistent game as of late.

PIHLSTROM!!!!! STOP TAKING BAD PENALTIES! And go back to Milwaukee already.

I don't think I've ever said this before but it is something I have noticed since some point last season. Vernon Fiddler and Jerred Smithson have eerily similar skating styles. The way they carry themselves is frighteningly alike as well.

Montreal's first goal late in the first seemed like one that Pekka should have been able to stop.

Girl Moment of the Night: Aw! I love the new Elly commercial. I almost forgot that they filmed one with him too.

What a random goal our first one was. I don't think anyone was expecting it, myself included. It also marked the end of an unusually long scoreless streak for JP Dumont. I was glad he was credited with the goal originally given to Kevin Klein. If Sullivan's goal could be credited to Radek Bonk's butt, then Dumont was definitely justified because at least the puck touched his stick.

I think the defensemen stood out to me a lot more than the offense during the second period. Suter took a shot from the point that had me thinking I saw Weber out there for a second. Even Koistinen was taking his shots.

Nice to see us go to the net again. We will be much better off if we continue to set up camp in front of the goalie and stuff the pucks in like Fiddler did.

Mike Santorelli, score a goal already! Oh my goodness!

I can not believe how many times Montreal missed our empty net. I thought we were bad on the empty netters but wow...just wow.

We fought hard tonight but not hard enough. I know a lot of our guys are battling injuries and illnesses so to put up the performance we did, I think we were pretty decent. Hopefully coming home and getting to sleep in their own beds will make all the difference come Saturday against the Thrashers. As of today, less than 1,500 tickets remain. The game will not be televised locally so if you're looking for some sports action this weekend, may I suggest the Sommet for all your hockey-viewing pleasure. You can purchase tickets by clicking here (keyword: predators) or by calling (615) 770-PUCK. See you Saturday.

1/13/09 - Nashville at Toronto: W 2-0 Final

Observations:

Ron Wilson comparing himself and the Toronto team to Barack Obama? ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME?!?! Honestly!

Forget what I said about the Jones-Santorelli-Dumont line on Sunday. They looked like they knew EXACTLY what to do out there together, especially in the first period.

I like seeing our guys go to the front of the net. We must be working on that in practices because I was very impressed to see every line have at least one guy set up shop in front of Toskala tonight.

Up and down games are really annoying but for two offensively challenged teams, I'm not really sure I should have expected any thing else.

Best Martin Havlat (from a couple of seasons ago) impersonation goes to, Ryan Jones, who needs to cut his hair; unless of course, he is growing it out for Locks of Love again.

What is UP with Erat?! He is never this feisty.

Broken sticks left and right...unbelievable.

We sucked it up pretty good in the second period. Too many penalties. Typical Predators hockey in typical second period fashion.

With Jordin Tootoo scratched, there was no chance for a Mayers-Tootoo fight. Man, I miss those.

STEVE FREAKING SULLIVAN! He is so back, my friends.

Dare I say David Legwand is finding his way?! I guess he can do just fine back on center as well.

I don't like the fact that they took away Sullivan's goal and gave it to Radek Bonk. It took away a little bit of the magic. Someone show me the replay because I didn't see him put it in the net. Must have been a deflection off his stick.

Nice win tonight. We might have struggled a little to find our offensive footing early in the game. I'm glad to see we cranked it up a few notches in the third. Now on to Montreal. I hope Steve Sullivan is well enough to play again on Thursday so he can actually get credited with a goal next time around. As in tonight, the game will be televised on FS Tennessee. Puck drops at 6:30pm CST.

1/11/09 - Nashville at Chicago: L 1-3 Final

Observations:

We looked like we were letting Chicago run all over us for the first half of the first period. But I liked the way we were committed to playing gritty and getting in there.

Jordin Tootoo's pass that led to Martin Erat's goal was awesome. That whole play sequence was nice to watch. If only we could have continued to play like that throughout the rest of the game.

It was a very, VERY aggressive first period. There were so many hard hits on both sides, I couldn't even keep up. We should have all expected to see that style of play after last night however. I knew Chicago would be out for revenge.

Antti Pihlstrom continues to annoy me with his stupid penalties.

We took too many penalties in the first couple of periods tonight. I thought we lacked discipline in the second period. I didn't like our positioning and I didn't feel like the lines were communicating well.

With the loss of Jason Arnott in the lineup for the night, Coach Trotz was going to have to do some creative pairings with the lines. I did not think that putting Vernon Fiddler as the center between David Legwand and Martin Erat was a good choice. I hope that Arnott's injury doesn't keep him out for long because like I said last night, I found the 10-19-11 line to be working well together so far.

I also noticed that Trotz played Ryan Jones and Mike Santorelli quite a bit in the third period. I'm still trying to decide if that line works well or not. I'm not really sure that JP Dumont knows quite what to do with the pair of rookies just yet.

Dan Ellis had a great game tonight, showing that he still deserves to carry the starter title. If it wasn't for some spectacular saves on his part, this game could have been far worse than it was.

After two high-scoring games for the Predators, we only managed to put one away behind the opposition tonight. Not that we didn't have a lot of chances but we seemed to fall into the trap of near misses again. It's hard to know what to attribute this to because I do feel like this team is finally picking up the pace and finding their identity on the ice. Tonight, I'm inclined to blame the near misses on the shuffled lines and miscommunication. I'll have to wait and see if that goes away once Arnott comes back.

The Predators remain on the road and travel to Toronto and Montreal before returning home to face off against Rich Peverley's new home, the Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday night. Both away games will be televised locally on FS Tennessee. Puck drops at 6:30pm CST for Tuesday's face-off against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

1/10/09 - Chicago at Nashville: W 1-4 Final

Observations:

Tonight's biggest story was definitely the return of Steve Sullivan. From the moment he took to the ice, the crowd was buzzing. I had seen him when he first started practicing with the team in early December; he has definitely come a long way from where he was then. It was almost surreal to see him out there during the game but wow, what a comeback.

I think I'm liking the line of 10-19-11. They seem to be finding some magic together.

Antti Pihlstrom's name was spelled wrong on his jersey at the beginning of the game. It was magically corrected before the game was over.

Pekka Rinne looked great at the end of the 2nd. I was worried for a while because he looked a little off out there during the first, coming out of the net a little too much for my liking.

I am TOTALLY against singing worship songs during a hockey game. There is a time and a place for it and that time and place is NOT during intermission at a hockey game.

Shea Weber and his cannon...I do believe it is one of my favorite things to see...EVER.

Erat was feisty tonight. I LOVE IT.

I have to wonder what happened to get David Legwand back on track offensively. I know he tends to be everyone's whipping boy but I think I'm liking how he's playing.

This was the first night of our home-and-home against Chicago. After tonight, I do believe the Blackhawks will be raring to go come tomorrow. Things have gone our way so far in the season series, with the Predators leading 2-0. I find it interesting that we struggled against this team a lot last season and they weren't as good as they are this time around. Makes me wonder if we're starting to find our way...finally.

Goodbye to You

Peverley to Atlanta

You know, this move by the Preds organization had me a little irritated yesterday. I still think they could have moved Antti Pihlstrom back down to Milwaukee for a while. Yes, the tiny, fair-haired Finn has speed but I think he's still lacking in some other areas.

However, every year there are casualities of war (as it were) and Richie P unfortunately got caught in the crossfire. I thought at the end of last season that another club would have picked him before we had a chance to re-sign him anyway. So, this is probably a good thing.

I wish Peverley nothing but the best with the Atlanta Thrashers. Hopefully he'll find a permanent spot in their lineup and find some great chemistry with his new teammates.

Have fun in the ATL, Richie Rich. And say hello to Nene for me, if you see her.

1/8/09 - Pittsburgh at Nashville: W 3-5 Final

I almost wanted to title this the "Bust Your Hump To Break the Slump" edition. Also, you read correctly. That was FIVE goals to three. FIVE.

Observations:

First of all, I would like to say that I was very happy with the Front Office's decision to call up Mike Santorelli. Immediately after finding out, I said they should pair him with Ryan Jones and let them show the rest of the team how to get things done. Things didn't exactly go that way but both "hockey babies" (as I affectionately call them) had a good showing tonight. Now if only they'd send Antti Pihlstrom back. I think he has overstayed his welcome at this point.

Speaking of Mike Santorelli, that poor boy had "scared to death" all over his face during pre-game warm ups.

Although it might have been a tad bit long, the Predators did a great job with the commemoration of Jason Arnott's 1000th game.

It was so odd to me that no one really noticed that both Kevin Klein and Ville Koistinen got the go ahead to play tonight until after we noticed it on their first shift out. I think everyone was still a little high off of the Greg deVries scratch that we failed to realize what else Coach Trotz had up his sleeve for the evening.

Although Pittsburgh lit the lamp three times in the first, I thought we had some good offensive pressure. That was pretty evident by the lopsided SOG count.

Jason Arnott had bad positioning when the puck was deflected off his stick to put the Penguins up by 2. Nice move there, Captain.

I don't think one person in the entire arena (that was a Preds fan anyway) thought Trotz pulling Elly was the right call; Ellis included. I hate that we continue to do this Dance of the Rotating Goalies business every year.

All three goals scored in the second period were like double take goals for me. Erat, then LEGWAND and then Smithson (his second in three games). Here was my initial reaction after each goal:

Martin Erat scoring a goal?! Say his name again because I don't believe it.

LEGWAND?!?! What team IS this?!

OH EM GEE...Jerred's goal was sweet. He fought for it and it paid off...BIG TIME!

After the second period, I knew Pittsburgh was going to come out hard in the third. Fortunately, Pekka Rinne was able to make the key saves when we really needed them.

When Jason Arnott got called for hooking or tripping or whatever crap call it was in the third, it was funny to me to watch three out of four Predators on the ice play 'Ring-A-Around The Crosby' with Sid the Kid. Our strategy during that kill was pretty obvious.

The last minute or so of the game was one of the most ridiculous minutes of Predators hockey I have seen in quite some time. There were so many guys fighting for us to get the puck out of our zone. That type of play is the type of play I hope for EVERY night; not just on the nights when it seems like we might have a chance to pull out a win. Win or lose, we should always be playing like we are fighting for our lives.

I struggled with finding the joy in this win. Not that I wasn't happy when the final buzzer sounded but it was almost as if I didn't know how to react to what just took place in front of me. I question if this is what we needed to get back on track or if this was one of those fluky games that we get occasionally. At this point, it's hard to say. One win in the midst of a lot of losses does not equal a comeback scenario to me...yet.

This win probably has a lot of people looking forward to Saturday's game. If the Titans win their first post-season game Saturday afternoon and Steve Sullivan returns to our line up against Chicago, the Sommet will be rocking come the 7:30pm CST puck drop. I can't wait.

Shea Weber Named to Western Conference All-Star Team

Congratulations are in order for Shea Weber. I wish he would have been voted in by the fans instead of just getting the nod from the League, but this will do too.

Also, I love his comments at the end of this video. More than anyone else this season, I am continually impressed with his focus on the game and tasks at hand. He's well on his way to earning a 'C' on his jersey in the future.

1/6/09 - Colorado at Nashville: L 2-1 Final

Observations:

*Noted in the first period only* What is this?! We were hitting; we were shooting the puck. I didn't quite know what to do with myself.

Ryan Jones crashing the net and stuffing the puck in behind Raycroft was sweet..and that's why Milwaukee has a winning record, people.

Jordin Tootoo had such a sweet backhand pass to Antti Philstrom late in the first. As is the running theme around here...if we had only been able to capitalize on it.

JP Dumont was uncharacteristically pissed after he didn't score on the breakaway. I love it when the Frenchman is riled up with anger. Someone on our team needs to show some emotion.

*Noted in the third* We are not playing to win. In fact, we are barely playing.

That sentiment alone should give you a good indication of the challenges this team is facing. I guess the question on everyone's mind is: why are we barely playing? Also, why are we content to continually let our coach say "we had some bad bounces", "it just wasn't our night", "we need to crash the net more" and yet the players aren't responding? I now, more than ever, believe that there is a disconnect between what the coaches want the team to do and what the team feels they should do on the ice. Something is just not working anymore and it is showing night after night after night.

In a professional sports environment, you can't really fire the players because obviously that would leave you in a bit of a predicament. So when you can't fire the players, you have to start looking at the coaching staff. I have never EVER been one to jump on the "Fire Trotz" bandwagon before. However, I do believe he has started to lose his ability to motivate his team and has let himself (and his players, for that matter) become complacent with the quality of their performance. Excuse after excuse does not hide the fact that this team has some glaringly obvious issues that could be addressed and corrected if handled properly.

David Poile has some tough choices ahead of him if he has any hopes or designs for this team to come out on the winning side of things this season. I do not envy him.

I'm a slacker...

I've had a crazy night so my recap won't be up until Wednesday; most likely early evening. I do want to point out that I thought we played well in the first and kind of okay in the third. The second, however, was a typical Predators hockey second period.

More tomorrow, I promise.

Lord of the Rink: The Return of the Missing Link

Sullivan to return soon?



Obviously, this is huge news for Predators fans. Steve Sullivan could be back in the lineup as early as this Saturday. With our lackluster performance as of late, it is good to hear some positive news for once.

I have my reservations about just how effective Sullivan can be for our team because: 1. he's got to be just a tad bit rusty and 2. we don't know what "really close" and "I feel great" really means. Not that I'm trying to be all Debbie Downer in this scenario but I'm inclined to remain cautiously optimistic. I need to see him on the ice, during a game, before I jump to any conclusions about his performance.

Still though, this news did put a little pep in my step on an otherwise dreary Monday.

As this is always a much discussed topic, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.

Just an FYI...

Hi, Predators website people:

The above image is from Thursday's game, NOT this afternoon's. You might want to switch out the picture on today's game recap because I don't recall Rich Peverley scoring a goal today.

I'm also fairly positive that the opposing team was not wearing jerseys that resembled those of the Vancouver Canucks either.

Thanks so much.

1/3/09 - Calgary at Nashville: L 3-2 Final

Observations:

The starting line this afternoon was Fiddler-Arnott-Erat. The next line thrown out there was Tootoo-Legwand-Philstrom. Then it was Smithson-Arnott-Dumont (I had to say 'what the puck?!?' on this one) AND THEN it was Ward-Bonk-Erat. Trotz was switching lines faster than I could keep up with them early in the first. On one hand, I was glad to see that he was trying to make adjustments for the lack of production. On the other hand, it was almost too much change. Honestly, I think I counted JP out there with about three different line combinations at one point. We can't get consistent if there's that much change.

I knew it was only a matter of time before Jerred Smithson scored another goal. He was in the right place at the right time. This girl was real happy after that goal. He also received the second star of the game. Again, yay!

Rich Peverley continues to impress me. He had some great chances throughout the game. His puck handling has gotten way better. Like I've said before, he gets better the more he plays. However, my only issue is that he has to actually capitalize on the chances he gets.

Martin Erat will never get over taking a penalty. He is such a little whiny baby when it comes to that. Two in a row for him. Can we say 'in the doghouse'....for a game at least?! Also Erat, you are so not my favorite player right now. You're officially back on my list.

Our penalty killers looked good today. I just wish I didn't have to see them out on the ice so much.

On the second goal, Jason Arnott was right where he needed to be in front of the net? Then Erat and Dumont both passing the puck with good control?! That play was like a blast from the past. Why can't we do that more often?

I LOVE me some Shea Weber!!!! I thought he played a solid defensive game today.

I don't like it when the intermission bands treat intermissions like mini-concerts. Leave it to the CCM artists to do that.

And our power play does it again...and by 'it' I mean, excels at being exceptionally awful.

I can not believe we lost. I thought we played pretty well this afternoon except for that fact that we seemed to be content with playing it safe in the third when the score is tied. It's almost as if Trotz tells the team to do that just so we can get one point; not even trying for two instead.

I hope and pray that this is not our downward spiral of awfulness, though it kind of seems that way right now. Four losses in a row does not sit well with me. With three games left in this five-game homestand, we better see some winning in the Sommet before the end of next week. My heart can't take the constant disappointment.

1/1/09 - Vancouver at Nashville: L 2-1 Final

So much for the retaliation game I was looking forward to.

Observations:

Tootoo vs. Burrows and Belak vs. Hordichuk; at least the fans got exactly what they were hoping for in terms of the fighting matchups.

Seeing Pekka as the starter was quite shocking for me. Elly must be pretty sick because I find it hard to believe that Coach Trotz would have put him back out there after Monday's game.

I think we might have actually be defending each other tonight. We seemed more together as a team, for once.

The rotating 'A' has found its way to Ryan Suter's jersey. I'm not really sure what I thinlk about that choice. I mean, I'm okay with him wearing it but I liked it on Shea Weber much better.

Radek Bonk's pass to Peverley on our lone goal was pretty sweet. I knew that shift had to pay off eventually because it seemed like we had a million and one chances.

It was comforting to see we stepped up our offensive play in the 2nd. SOG definitely increased dramatically, 22-13 in our favor at the end of 40 minutes. Much improved over 5-9 (in favor of the Canucks) at the end of the first.

With such a good offensive second period, it was disappointing to watch us flounder in the third. We were outshot 10-19 with SOG ending up even with 32 a side.

We should have had a little more jump on the power play late in the third. We just didn't seem hungry enough.

I feel like a broken record if I keep harping on our lack of offense so I won't. All I'm going to say is SOMETHING HAS GOT TO CHANGE.