12/29/09 - Nashville at St. Louis: W 4-3

Just once, I would like to feel secure about our game when we're leading heading into the third. Not that I'm not glad we won, mind you. But the agony of watching the lead slowly get smaller and smaller is almost more than I can take sometimes.

Do not like:

We have been very lucky to stay so healthy thus far and now it seems we might have caught a little injury bug.

Kevin Klein going down with an upper body injury so early in the game. While we as fans might harp on him a lot for being a source of many a defensive breakdown, he is still a solid defenseman. Having him out of the lineup shakes up our chemistry once again. Expect the resident Duncan Yo-Yo spokesman, Alexander Sulzer, to be called up from Milwaukee any moment now.

Martin Erat getting a knee to knee hit in the second period and then not returning to the game. If you recall, Erat's previous knee to knee hit was caused by an unfortunate teammate to teammate collision between he and Jason Arnott during a Red Wings game three seasons ago. That hit put him out of the game for six weeks. I can not stress how much this can not be the case again.

Like:

JP Dumont, are you reading my blog? I called you out for being non-existent in these last few games and then you come out and assist on one goal and then score the eventual game winner. Are you slowly working your way back into my heart again? I think you might. Also, thank you for living up to your Iron Man status with me. That stick to the face looked like it hurt really bad (judging by the words I saw come out of your mouth, tisk tisk) and yet, you came back and played anyway. This is why I love you.

Patric Hornqvist. Seriously. I like everything about that boy right now. He is quickly becoming the catalyst for so many great plays on the ice.

Admiral Break:

While the Predators played in St. Louis, the Admirals played at home in Milwaukee and kicked some serious ice. Cal O'Reilly, Mike Santorelli, Dave Scatchard and my surrogate son Colin Wilson all scored in the 7-1 win over the Rockford Icehogs. I think we should feel confident in whomever we call up next as a forward should we need someone to fill in for Erat.


Now on to Columbus, where things have not been going so well for the Bluejackets. Can the Predators once again pummel their little brothers in Ohio and continue their dominance of this Central division rival? My guess is yes...but you never know, especially if Columbus is pissed. And if I was Columbus, I'd be REAL pissed.

Your Morning Jed: Edible Hockey?

I've seen some interesting pasta shapes before but never have I seen awesome pasta shapes like this: (From left to right: a hockey skate, hockey player and a goalie mask)

Which tastes really good in homemade chili (thanks, Mom!):
The best part? This pasta is made and sold locally by The Pasta Shoppe.At just $5.50 a bag, it's an affordable indulgence for any hockey lover.


Bon appetit and Happy Tuesday!

Weekend Wrap Up - Home-and-Home vs. Chicago

Well, I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas despite the fact that the last couple of games didn’t do anything to add to your cheer.

If you want to blame someone (besides the team) for the loss on Saturday night, my mother has decided it was all her fault. The only other game she has been to this year was the crushing 5-0 loss to the Calgary Flames on November 30th. I was holding out hope she could change our luck on Saturday but alas, it was not meant to be. Of her own volition, my mom has offered to refrain from going to another game (at least this season) so this won’t happen again. As much as I enjoy spending time with her when she's in town, I’m inclined to agree with her decision to stay away.

In a nutshell, we came out flatfooted on Saturday night. Even the sellout crowd couldn’t muster the energy needed to lift the guys to victory. Granted, the Erat goal gave us all something to rally behind for a bit but there wasn’t much else to cheer about for the remainder of the game. If the team had managed to use that goal to swing the game in a different direction, they could have handed Chicago a loss. Unfortunately I could tell it just wasn’t going to happen. For the first time ever, I left a game early; succumbing to sickness and also because I knew there wasn’t enough spark in us to turn it around in the last five minutes. I really hope I never have to do that again.

Last night’s game was a game that got away from us and it shouldn’t have. We held the lead after two periods and there was no reason for us to give it up so easily. The effort shown was infinitely better than Saturday’s and the determination to win seemed to be there. Defensive breakdowns and undisciplined play led to the two goals scored by Chicago in the third to put us on the losing side of the 2-4 score. The pressure we generated to equalize things at 4-4 was impressive and scoring from the blueline was nice to see, especially coming from someone other than Shea Weber. But dang it all, why do the Blackhawks have to have so many good scorers on their team? The late goal from Patrick Kane killed us even though we did valiantly try to tie it up again, with less than a minute left to play. It really sucks to lose games like this.

During his post-game interview with Pete Weber and Terry Crisp, captain Jason Arnott said that the team needed to start playing with the mentality of a team that is second in the division and one of the better teams in the Western conference instead of playing like they are in amongst the bottom feeders. When I heard him say this, I amen’ed and hallelujah’ed at the TV because it’s about time this team got it through their heads that not only can they run with the big dogs but they can actually BE the big dogs too.

Two additional items of note:

The loss of Jerred Smithson has already made an impact on the effectiveness of David Legwand and Joel Ward. I don’t agree with putting Andreas Thuresson on that line either. I don’t think that’s going to work out the way they hope it does. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong but as of right now, I would rather see someone else get a shot on that line for a while.

Why has no one called out JP Dumont for being nonexistent here lately? He is better than his current level of play would indicate and it does not sit right with me that he doesn’t seem to be called to task enough. Makes me wonder if his play would improve should he be reunited with Jason Arnott again...


So, here’s to cutting our losses, learning from our mistakes and moving forward. Let’s hold on to the attitude of “we are better than we think and the best is yet to come.” It certainly can't hurt, right?

Hockey Holidays from What The Puck

'Twas the night before a hockey game, down at the Sommet
Excitement hung in the air due to the next day's foray;
The skates were hung in each locker with care,
Knowing that Chicago soon would be there;
The players were at home nestled snug in their beds,
While visions of the Blackhawks danced in their heads;
And Gnash all alone in his jersey and cap,
Had just settled down for an afternoon nap,
When out on Broadway there arose such a clatter,
Gnash sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the front door he flew like a flash,
Ran down a flight of stairs in a mad dash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to his wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature zamboni, and eight men in hockey gear,
With a short and stout driver, so easy to spot,
He knew in a moment it must be Coach Trotz.
More rapid than tigers his skaters they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
"Now, Arnott! Now, Dumont! Now, Sullivan and Suter!
On, Erat! On, Legwand! On, Weber and Smithson!
Out to the ice! Don't trip and fall!
Now skate away! Skate away! Skate away all!"
Each player paused, with Gatorade to drink,
Then quickly and sprightly took to the rink,
Out on the ice, they knew just what to do,
Shooting the pucks, and sometimes dodging them too.
And then, in a twinkling, he heard from the eight,
The cutting and scraping of each little skate.
As he drew in his hand, and was turning around,
Down the tunnel Coach Trotz came with a bound.
He was dressed in a suit, from his head to his foot,
His clothes were all ironed, his tie pinned down to stay put;
A bag of pucks he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes -- how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And Gnash laughed when he saw him, in spite of himself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave him to know he had nothing to dread;
Trotz addressed the players and went straight to his work,
Barking out his orders; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, back down the tunnel he rose;
He sprang to the zamboni, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
Gnash heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good fight."

ARGH!

Update on Smithson injury

This is sad, sad news. What happened to him being the bionic man who never misses a game?

I'm going to go drown my sorrows in some (spiked) egg nog...and a little retail therapy.

12/22/09 - Nashville at Vancouver: L 1-4

As I said in my final tweet of the evening yesterday, we can't win them all. And as Coach Trotz says, when we do lose, we always find a way to lose big. There was no spark in our game, no pep in our step, no sense of urgency this time out. Can this be attributed to the fact that it was the end of a long road trip? Or that most of the guys had family around and with a couple of days off in between Calgary and Vancouver, they had a little too much time away from the ice to stay conditioned? Or, were we just bound to lose to Vancouver because for some reason or another, the Canucks always play like they are trying to steamroll us every shift? Whatever the cause of our lackluster play might have been, it is still good to come out of a western Canadian road trip with 4 of 6 possible points. At least now the guys can come home, rest up, recuperate and get ready for a showdown against our Central Division leader, the Chicago Blackhawks.

Thoughts on the game:

Disappointed that Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Klein were paired up again for this game. Did the coaching staff not learn from their mistakes in Calgary?

Not really sure I want to know why there were two guys in full green body suits next to the visitor's penalty box. It was kind of creepy. Although, I think it would have been better if they had channelled their inner Blue Man and "Blue'd" themselves.

Vancouver managed to take four SOG during their first power play? We need to take notes.

Did I jinx us by getting all excited over the second line being praised in the paper yesterday morning? Jerred Smithson being hurt is not good, not good at all. I hold out hope though since he's almost more of an iron man than JP Dumont is.

I still feel bad for Darcy Hordichuk every time he's scratched. What happened to him playing more for Vancouver?

Holy crap! Where in the world did that Shea Weber-Ryan Kesler fight come from?! That was really odd. Shea definitely won but I am still trying to wrap my head around why it started in the first place.

Vancouver scored four goals against us but for the most part, I have to say it could have been way worse if not for the play of Dan Ellis. He made save after save and stayed very active in net all night. He's said before that he plays his best when there are a lot of pucks flying towards him. Based on the lopsided shot count for most of the game, he had plenty of opportunity to showcase his skills...unfortunately.

The SOG count with about six minutes left in the second was 23-9, Vancouver. Twenty three to NINE. Oooo, weeeeee...what up with that?

Tough Guy of the Night Award goes to Francis Bouillon. That spot under his eye looked bad, even after they cleaned it up.


I kind of don't want to say this because most of you would expect me to, but I'm going to say it anyway. If Jerred Smithson is out of the line up for an extended period of time due to his hand/wrist injury, it is definitely going to mess up our mojo for a bit. Wade Belak most certainly can not fill the void on that line. Ryan Jones might be a good replacement for Smithson for the time being but in all likelihood, I'll expect a call up from Milwaukee to help plug the holes. Needless to say, I'm hoping Jerred has minimal downtime or none at all.

Your Morning Jed: Love for the second line

It was bound to happen eventually. My favorite line is finally getting some love from our local media.

Predators find offense in unlikely trio

Anyone else think it's interesting that Trotz calls out Jerred Smithson as the likely spark plug to David Legwand's recent boost in offense? Had he said Joel Ward, now that I could understand...but even Smithson was a surprise (albeit a nice one) for me.


Happy Tuesday!

12/19/09 - Nashville at Calgary: W 5-3

Well, well, well. Look at us finally beating Calgary. It's about time, considering they owned us all last season and the one meeting we'd had with them so far this season left much to be desired. Another great team effort this afternoon.

Things worth noting:

The refs were pretty liberal with the penalties in the first period. I especially think that roughing call against Calgary was quite odd. I've seen worse moves go unnoticed.

Staying at the net is going to continue to pay off for us. Patric Hornqvist has finally come into his own and I couldn't be more thankful for that.

Based on the amount of drop passes I've seen so far this season, I'm inclined to believe that the NHL held a league-wide drop pass workshop this summer. It's kind of out of control.

Could not be happier that Martin Erat has finally figured out how to play his game and really make an impact on our team. All of his naysayers have been remarkably quiet here lately...and rightfully so.

I can't remember if I've said this or not but one of our smartest off-season acquisitions in the last couple of years was definitely hiring Martin Gelinas as our Director of Player Development. What a class act.

The Belak-McGratton fight did not end well. It's never fun to see a player get hit in the head a few times, sans helmet.

Finally, on the third power play of the game, we start generating good pressure and great scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, we still can't seem to score during it. Pretty sure having Jason Arnott out of the lineup hurt us a bit.

Okay, it's time to start the Kevin Klein and Dan Hamhuis criticism again. It's unfortunate that the two of them have a hard time gelling. They are much better defensively when not paired together. Either that or I just notice their mistakes more when they are on the ice. Luckily for the team and the fans, Coach Trotz (and Coach Peterson) noticed their mistakes enough to break them up before the game got completely away from us.

I know it was an empty net goal but I think the way Martin Erat and Dave Scatchard set up that play was really smart. Erat could have easily taken a whack at the puck the second he crossed the blue line but he passed it to Scatchard who was more open. Dave played it smart as well to ensure he didn't miss. And my little puckhog actually gave someone else the opportunity to score this time around.


At some point, I feel as though I will sound like a broken record if I continue to say that this team keeps surprising me. But it's true. Yet, at the same time, in my heart of hearts, this is the team that I knew we were meant to be all along. They may not be superstars in the eyes of the rest of the league, but every single one of them is my very own superstar, even if they have the occasional off night.

While Thursday night and this afternoon served as our redemption games against Edmonton and Calgary, going into Vancouver, the Canucks will most likely be looking for some redemption of their own against us.

All I'll say is: Bring it on.

12/17/09 - Nashville at Edmonton: W 6-3

This team continues to surprise. The Predators, under the guidance and coaching of Barry Trotz and his staff, are proof that you don't need a "superstar" to carry the offense. They are getting the job done night after night, with help from everyone. I've always said that hockey is one of the only sports to really embody the essence of the word teamwork. The team I'm watching on the ice night after night just might be the evidential proof needed should I ever have to argue that point to a jury of my peers.

Some thoughts on the night:

Ryan Jones and Patric Hornqvist staying at the net continues to produce great results. Have we finally found our Scott Hartnell replacements?

Speaking of Ryan Jones, I know there has been a lot of conversation about how he deserves more than to be stuck playing on the third or fourth lines, but...Jones has the ability to bring the rest of his linemates up to his game when he's on a tear. In my opinion, that's the mark of a good player. Keep him where he's at and let's see how much he can improve his game and the game of those he plays with.

Three goals in the first period and they again came from three different players on three different lines. This offense continues to surprise me.

That sound you heard about halfway through "Wade's World" (which was hilarious, btw) was most assuredly the sound of puckbunnies' hearts breaking everywhere when Cody Franson said he'd be spending the holidays with Shea Weber and his girlfriend.

Though we've come a long way in terms of offensive prowess, we need to get back to being a little more disciplined. Stupid penalties like Too Many Men On the Ice and then Delay of Game AND they overlapped? No, no, no.

Just when I thought our special teams were failing us, we score on the power play again. It's about time. Nice play by Ryan Suter and Patric Hornqvist.

Does anyone else wish they'd made more than one Live United commercial for the season?

Dear Shea Weber, on behalf of the entire team, please find a way to control your slapshot so as not to always put your fellow Predators in harm's way while standing at the net. Much appreciated, your friends and teammates.

The unrelenting pressure from Edmonton in the last five minutes of the third period was probably the most sustained energy I've seen from any team in a long time. If our defense and goaltending hadn't been so solid, Edmonton could have easily come back to tie things up. Needless to say, I was impressed with their tenacity.

I love that even after Jerred Smithson got his empty net goal waived off due to an offside call, he went and scored a freaking awesome goal any way, just to top off the night. That was his second in as many nights and his sixth on the season so far. His promotion to the second line might be the best move Trotz has made all season.

Also, the pictures from this game were really awesome for some reason. Photographer Andy Devlin worked some amazing angles to get the shots he did. This picture, in particular, is high up there as one of my favorite in-game shots ever (Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images):
This, my friends, is how we win games. Contribution from every line. Playing as a team, not as individuals. Not letting a quick deficit in the first period give us a defeatist attitude. Earlier in the season, we did that more often than not. Now that we seem to have figured out how to keep our heads in the game, let's see how far we can go. Next stop, Calgary.

Your Morning Jed: Piece of Cake

In light of the fact that yesterday was National Cupcake Day (yes, that IS in fact an actual day and no, Hallmark has not created a card for it yet), I thought I would share with you an awesome cake that my friend made for my birthday a couple of years ago.

I know it's no Ace of Cakes caliber or anything but for someone who just loves to bake cakes for her friends on their birthdays, I thought it was pretty freaking great.

This has me curious to see if anyone else has seen some fantastic hockey cakes. If you have, I want to hear about them so I can give my friend a new level of cake making to aspire to.

Happy Wednesday!

12/15/09 - Tampa Bay at Nashville: W 4-7

While we might have taken 20 minutes to really get warmed up, we more than made up for it with the next 20 minutes. OH. MY. WORD.

For tonight's recap, I'm reverting back to last season's format for once because I had so many random things to say during the game. Looking back on what I jotted down, there was only one way to present it to all of you.

So, here, for old time's sake are my Observations:

Best quote ever, as relayed to me by a friend upon seeing that there is, in fact, absolutely NO WAY Martin St. Louis is 5'9': "Aw, I did not know that St. Louis was the Blueliner of the Game."

Tampa Bay has a million and one unpronounceable player last names. Except for my new favorite last name: Smaby; as in, smaby I will, smaby I won't. Seriously, this joke never got old as the night wore on. And don't think I won't use it again at some point.

The Jerred Smithson cross checking call really should have been a coincidental based on the fact Ryan Malone cross checked him into the ice first.

It's about time we get scoring from every line. This is awesome.

Why did Pekka Rinne use a TV timeout in the second period to scratch his junk? Did he honestly think no one would see that? Just wondering.... Oh, the things you see sitting right behind the goalie.

I absolutely love goals scored that are so soon after the last goal was announced that Paul McCann doesn't even get all the words out before the horn goes off again. No matter if it happens at home or on the road, those are my favorite.

I can't believe it's taken so long to say this but: Shea FREAKING Weber. If there's ever a fight I enjoy watching, it's a Shea Weber fight. The boy is quiet scary, which is pretty much the worst kind. I don't want to meet him in a dark alley, like, ever.

Speaking of fights, Kevin Klein owned the second fight of the night. Stephane Veilleux didn't even stand a chance.

Tonight's band, The Boomers, ultimately consisted of a father and his two buddies, with his teenage son thrown in because they needed a keyboard player. I'm not kidding when I say the kid was studying for his exams during the game. **Slight correction: The Boomers are a family band as I thought (though I failed to mention the mom as well) BUT the kid on the keyboards wasn't thrown in last minute for good measure. He's been with the band since its inception. Which, when you think about it, is pretty cool. I don't know how many 16 year old boys actually enjoy hanging out with their dads and his friends. My apologies to Jessica for the slight error.** And oddly enough, the band isn't nearly as loud as one would assume if you're sitting right next to the bandstage.

If you ask me, Movember was not, in of itself, sexy. BUT I do enjoy a good Justin Timberlake "Sexyback" reference and the in-game Movember video, spotlighting the various mustachioed players was pretty great.

Holy FREAKING crap. That Smithson-Malone fight was sad. I don't even care that Smithson got two for roughing. Jerred was all about playing dirty and I loved it. Ryan Malone seemed to have it out for Smithson all night after that cross check in the first period that SHOULD have been called but wasn't.

Ladies and gentlemen, the snare drum Gnash hits during games is deceptively loud when used right next to your eardrum. Trust me, I know.

Okay, I am so over Ryan Malone. I am glad we don't play Tampa Bay more than once a season.

Martin Erat is on a tear. And I lurvvvve it. I hope he starts to get some recognition for stepping up his game because it would be well deserved at this point.


This game had it all. Scoring from every line, three fights, goals galore. etc. Last night's game against Columbus (though I did not see it) and tonight's victory should give the team a good boost of confidence before heading out on their Canadian road trip. This is also exactly the kind of a game that needed to be played in front of a home crowd, with football season drawing to a close. Even though the game is won through dedication and tenacity on the ice, there is something to be said for good crowd support.

I'm going to enjoy watching them on the road over the next week but I'm already looking forward to heading back down to the arena on December 26th.

It's games like tonight that make me fall in love with hockey all over again.

12/12/09 - Detroit at Nashville: OTL 2-3

Once again, I really hate three point games, but, point taken.

We could have actually grabbed both points last night if we hadn't of waited until the second period to starting playing hockey. Everything about the first period was just sad.

I was glad to see Ryan Jones start making an impact because I figured it was only a matter of time before Trotz got annoyed with him again. If he keeps on a roll, maybe he'll find himself in the lineup more regularly. He deserves the chance to show us what he's capable of.

I love how Shea Weber full on punched a guy in the head during the first period and the refs didn't notice at all. And yet, he somehow still ended up with three penalties against him for the night. I'm not sure what happened but three trips to the box is pretty abnormal for someone as disciplined as Shea.

Trying to decide how long Trotz is going to keep Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Klein together this time around before he realizes that the combination isn't effective together. Dan Hamhuis by himself, on the other hand...he made a brilliant defensive play in the first period that left Pekka Rinne saying "I owe you one, buddy".

With Jordin Tootoo likely out with a broken foot and rookie Cody Franson sent back down to Milwaukee this morning, it looks like Wade Belak and Alexander Sulzer will see some more ice time in the coming weeks. I'd love, love, LOVE to see a Colin Wilson call up at some point but I'm not really sure where he'd fit in right now.

In yet another back-to-back of the season (is it just me or have we had a lot of them already this year?), the boys head out to Columbus today to get ready for the third of six match ups between the Bluejackets this season. The Predators have won both of the previous meetings, but both have come through overtime decisions. It would be really nice to not have a divisional game result in another three point outcome. I'll be out of pocket tomorrow night so I will not be covering the game at all. Since I won't be able to watch the game, I kind of have a feeling it will be a good one...because that's just my luck.

Do work, boys.

12/10/09 - Columbus at Nashville: W 3-4 SO

I HATE THREE POINT GAMES, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE PLAY TEAMS IN OUR OWN DIVISION.

Honestly, I could go on and on about how much I am starting to loathe three point games. Hmmm, I sense a long winded post a-brewing...

Also, as you well know, I hate shootouts. However, if all shootouts played out the way ours did last night, I might not hate them so much.

I don't really have too much else to say about the game last night. Glad we got the two points. REALLY glad we beat Columbus. Our big brother-little brother domination beat down continues.

So bring on the Red Wings. I think we're ready.

12/8/09 - Vancouver at Nashville: W 2-4

Oh my word. I'm not even really sure I know where to begin. This game had everything, minus a fight. Why is it that Vancouver hates us so?

I should go ahead and get this out of the way now because I'm sure everyone is expecting me to be up in arms over it. Being close enough to see the hit happen at ice level and watching the multiple replays of it in game, I have to side with the refs on the initial charging call. There was no question that Jerred Smithson was ready and willing to throw a hit on Alex Burrows. His elbow went a little high as he finished the check and yes, Burrows got a wee bit rattled. Did Smithson deserve the major as opposed to the minor? I've seen worse hits get completely overlooked but I'm not a ref and who knows what my initial reaction/call would have been in a similar situation. Did Smithson deserve a game misconduct? Absolutely not. According to post-game comments from Coach Trotz, he is fairly certain that call will get turned over, and rightfully so. Did Alex Burrows play up the hit a bit? Most definitely. Does Burrows now have even more of a target on his back at the arena than ever before? Ummm, yeah...and he better watch his back because it's obvious Predators don't forget too quickly.

Moving on...

How awesome of a night did Martin Erat have? I am positive his promotion to the top line directly tied his success on the ice. If I remember correctly, he played on the top line for a while last season and performed quite well then too. Maybe Coach Trotz should just let him think he's playing on the top line every night in order to keep his production up? Getting a hat trick on home ice had to feel pretty awesome. I have waited a long time to see that happen with my own eyes, considering his first hat trick was during a radio-only game two seasons ago. I knew all along my little puck hog had it in him.

The other equally strong performance of the night belonged to Pekka Rinne. There were so many good save sequences from him that I lost count after a while. The defense did a great job of backing him up as well. Everything just looked a lot tighter than it has been in games past. Although...I do have to point out this one thing that I saw him do twice last night that freaked me out a little. With Vancouver deep in the zone, Pekka did this thing where he looked behind him for a moment, thinking he'd let the puck slip in the net and take pause for a moment, only to have the puck actually be still very much in play in front of him. I know when there is a lot of commotion happening in front of the net, it's going to be hard to have complete control of the play but that move has to stop.

A few extras:

Patric Hornqvist stays at the net so much, I might have to rename him Dan Ellis 2.0.

I'll accept the re-pairing of Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Klein with some trepidation. The second things go south, I'll commence with the yelling again.

Most hilarious non-hockey related moment of the game: during the first TV timeout in the third period, Game Ops was doing their usual crowd shots on the Jumbotron. After a while, they zoomed in on a little girl who was elbow deep in her nose, just digging away. As if that wasn't good enough, she then proceeded to take her finger out and stick it in her mouth. Everyone watching, Dan Ellis included, immediately dissolved into a fit of giggles. Truly gross yet also one of the funniest things I've seen at a hockey game in a long time.


As if facing the nasty Canucks wasn't enough hatred for one week, the Columbus Bluejackets roll into town tomorrow night to face off against the Predators for the second of the team's six meetings this season. Thursday night is also College Night, which means half price sodas and beer through the first intermission as well as $25 lower bowl seats and $10 upper bowl seats with college ID. Discount tickets are also available here. [Special offer code: PREDS] Take a break from Christmas shopping and come out and enjoy the game.

Blog-Off Round Two: Get Your Vote On...Again

That's right, kids. I made the cut. I got through to Round Two of the NHL Arena's Nashville Predators Blog Off. I'm not quite sure how I managed to beat out a stellar blog (with an equally stellar podcast) like Section 303 but I'll accept my bid to Round Two with much appreciation.

In Round Two, you'll have to whittle down your favorites from five to three. This time, the votes are supposed to be based more on writing styles and ability. Clearly, the five remaining blogs all have a penchant for writing or they wouldn't be successful in the first place. But before you place your vote, ask yourself this question: who keeps you entertained, even in the roughest times? If you think of me, then there's your vote.

Now, some of the other fellow blog-off contestants *cough*Forechecker*cough* have chosen to try smear tactics to deter you from voting for anyone else, but homey don't play that. At What The Puck, it's all about the love. So all I'm asking is that you please consider showing some more love and voting for me to make it through to Round Three, which I'm assuming will be a showdown of epic proportions.

Besides, everyone knows funny blogs are the best blogs. Statistics and analytics are boooooorrrrriinnnngggg.

Weekend Wrap Up

These last two games were nothing if not inconsistent. The fact that I'm even having to type out that word irritates me to no end. Being inconsistent was our main stumbling block last season and what I would argue was the biggest reason we didn't make it to the playoffs. Now that I'm seeing slight traces of that same play creep back into this season, I am not happy.

On Friday night, we played an exceptional game against Chicago. Last night, someone asked me if I thought we really played that well or if the Blackhawks were having an off night. All of the lines were generating pressure. With the exception of Kevin Klein just standing at the net, watching Jonathan Toews work Dan Ellis over to score the lone goal for Chicago, our defense played well. For the first game of a yet another back-to-back, we looked sharp. If anything, I'd attribute the strong performance to the road trip mentality of strictly focusing on hockey, after having such a long homestand the week prior.

In all honesty, I'm not sure what to make of last night's game. I mean, is it really going to be a team like Minnesota to ruffle our feathers time and time again this season? Why do we always seem to have such a rough go of it when we play the Wild? Yes, we managed to score the first goal (and on the power play) and yet, by the end of the first, we were down 2-1. And that second goal by Minnesota was just UGLY to watch trickle in behind Dan Ellis. That goal took the wind out of our sails and we just never quite recovered from it. Unfortunately, the two goals we managed to score in the third did nothing to help out either, except for make the score look a little less sad on the post-game ticker.

Also, this....@smashville If Belak gets a point and no one is around to see it, did it really happen?...HILARIOUS.

These next three home games need to be amazing so I can start feeling good about my hockey team again.

12/02/09 - Nashville at Minnesota: L 4-5 OT

Well, after Monday night's lackluster performance, I knew anything was possible. It took us a little while to show up but I think we found a groove after a bit. Would I have liked to see us win the game? In the words of Jordin Tootoo, Dan Ellis, et al. "Oh, absolutely.". Am I happy we walked away with one point? In the words of Joel Ward, "Oh, for sure.". Could we have played a better game overall? In my own words, "Yes, yes we could have.". BUT, at least I saw better hockey last night. And I like the attitude the guys have about taking this short road trip to refocus their priorities back to hockey. Not that they aren't always thinking about hockey but as Jerred Smithson was quoted yesterday morning, "Nothing beats playing home games but it’s nice to get out on the road and just worry about hockey, no distractions."

A few observations:

I never would have expected the score to be 2-3 at the end of the 1st after the game on Monday. We had some good pressure from all lines.

Anyone else surprised that we were able to score because of a mistake made by Marek Zidlicky? Anyone? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Ummm, the Boogaard-Belak fight was not nearly as entertaining as it should have been. Wade, you're slipping.

And.........Zidlicky was the reason Arnott was able to score his second of the night. Does anyone miss him on our team? Anyone? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Trotz, why are you messing with my lines? Stop it now.

Pekka has come too far out of the net far too often here lately. This is half the reason Minnesota won the game.

Holy crap, Steve Sullivan had an awesome night. 4 points?! Wow...

Come to think of it, Jason Arnott had a pretty great night himself.


The Predators take on the Blackhawks in Chicago Friday night. Now that Marian Hossa is back in their lineup, I don't anticipate the games to get any easier. Tomorrow night should be interesting.

Your Morning Jed: Slap Shot Snoopy

A few days ago, ABC Family was running some old Peanuts cartoons and I happened to catch most of the classic "A Boy Named Charlie Brown". In the midst of it, I discovered this gem:



Who doesn't love a little Snoopy in their lives every once in a while, and especially around the holidays?

Put Snoopy on skates and be still, my heart.

Happy Tuesday!