10/30/10 - Nashville at Detroit: L 2-5

The sky is not falling. I repeat, THE. SKY. IS. NOT. FALLING. It's just raining a little harder right now. All of the injuries are piling up and the holes in the roster are finally starting to show. This was the first game where the forward lines were jumbled for most of the game...and we all know that Coach Trotz starts up those shenanigans when things go awry. I wouldn't call this one of Pekka Rinne's finest games either. Not that every goal was a direct result of his missteps but he was definitely not on top of his play tonight. I was also hoping we'd see more of Linus Klasen than we did, especially considering his offensive power in the AHL as of late. The Swede only got 8 shifts of ice time in; I assume because Trotz decided to stick with the guys he was more familiar with once Detroit started rolling. And boy did Detroit start rolling...right over everything. The Red Wings figured out how to take advantage of every weakness the Predators were showing. The maturity of Detroit and their solid team play is always something the Nashville team has to overcome. Tonight, unfortunately, Detroit was able to get the better of them.

With four more road games over the next two weeks, the guys will have a lot of time to regroup, get healthy and get closer as a team. Every year, the boys look forward to opportunities to come together as a team and the road usually serves as a good place to do that. The West Coast road trip, starting with Phoenix on Wednesday should help seal their bond. It better, anyway. I'm ready to start celebrating wins again.

If You Can't Say Anything Nice...

...change the subject. No, seriously. I have absolutely nothing redeeming to say about what I saw (or didn't see, for that matter) on the ice last night. Instead of rehashing, we will just move on. 

I had this whole idea in my head last night to talk about what each of the players on the team would dress up like for Halloween but after the week I've had, I just can't get my brain to focus long enough to crank out a post that creatively  draining. However, if any of you 5 readers out there want to take a stab at it, you can leave your team costume suggestions in the comments.  I'm just going to leave you guys with this: how adorably naive is it of Pekka Rinne to refer to (I'm assuming) candy corn as "little orange and white candies" in the Predators Press from last night's game?  I didn't notice it until after I got home from the arena and I got a good laugh out of it for sure.

Tomorrow's game is the Predators first of the season against the Red Wings and I'm sure, as always, it will be no less than entertaining.  If you're in the mood to hang with some fellow hockey fans, the Predators are hosting their first official Tweetup of the season at Otter's Chicken Tenders on Demonbreun at 5:30pm.

Let's go, boys! Anything has got to be better than what happened last night.

Your Morning Jed: More Hockey Love from Disney

Again, it's the afternoon...but I refuse to rename this feature.

Perusing YouTube for a few moments at lunch, I discovered Hannah Montana apparently played a little hockey on her show at some point.  The clip is kind of short and pieced together but it looks like roller hockey?  Maybe the whole episode was themed around hockey?  I don't really know because I've never watched an entire episode of the show but here you go:



I don't know if this will get anyone all riled up for the game tonight but it couldn't hurt.  I was looking forward to it anyway.

Happy Thursday, everybody!

10/24/10 - Nashville at Tampa Bay: W 4-3

Observations:

I almost forgot about my Iron Man status in regards to JP Dumont.  I never should have feared he would miss a full game.  As always, my little Frenchman takes a lick and just keeps on ticking.

It is always hard to see a former goalie in another jersey.  Tomas Vokoun was especially difficult but I think seeing Dan Ellis in a Tampa Bay sweater was right up there on my sadness scale.  Say what you will about the guy but I absolutely loved him.  I want only good things for him, as long as he's not playing against the Predators.

Shea Weber netted his first goal of the season and it wasn't a slap shot from the point.  Dan Ellis probably never saw it coming.

Sergei Kostitsyn got his first goal of the season, with a little help from Jerred Smithson (in his 400th career NHL game), who both pick up their first points of the year.  Ugh.  Does this mean I have to lay off my Russian hate for a while?  

These Tennessee Lottery commercials are so bad, I actually miss the overplayed Live United commercials.

Joel Ward, do you need to be reminded what game you're playing?  This is obviously not baseball.

Too many penalties in the second period.  WAY too many penalties.  Although, I will say the penalty killers were looking pretty sharp.

Wow, that Cody Franson breakaway goal was pretty impressive.  Maybe Steve Sullivan should ask him for some pointers?

It is quite obvious that Tampa Bay has some serious offense.  I haven't seen so much flurry at the net from any of the other teams the Predators have faced so far this year. The defensemen were working overtime to keep the Lightning at bay.

The line of Dumont-Wilson-Erat intrigues me.  Wilson can't be called upon to finish every play.  And as soon as I finished typing this, Colin Wilson scores a goal to make it 4-1.

Those two quick goals from Tampa Bay had to have rattled Anders Lindback's confidence a bit and boy, did that make for a stressful last few minutes of the game. There is no question that just like last night, the goal tending is the reason the Predators were able to walk away with this one.  Though Lindback was a relative unknown at the start of the season, he is definitely starting to make a name for himself.


The team heads back to Nashville tonight with four points in their pockets and visions of a good night's sleep in their heads.  I worried that the late arrival time into Tampa would work against them but this team always seems to step up to the challenge when faced with some not-so-pleasant circumstances.  Now the boys have three days off before taking on the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night at the Bridgestone Arena. Thursday's game will be the last home game for the team until November 13th.  Another win would be a good way to keep things rolling, heading into such a long away game stretch.

10/23/10 - Nashville at Dallas: W 1-0

The game in numbers:

0 - TV feeds for the game tonight.  Even though Center Ice was offering the match up, it was unfortunately blacked out for the Nashville viewing audience.

1 - internet feed that was pretty clear; thanks to me having for real internet for once.  It really does pay to not bum a signal from neighbors.

1 - goal for Cal O'Reilly; his first of the season.

42 - seconds it took for O'Reilly to score what would end up being the eventual game winner.

7 - number of defensemen suited up for the evening.  Kevin Klein was a bit under the weather today and Teemu Laakso was called up from Milwaukee as a precautionary measure.  Coach Trotz chose to dress both of them, instead of scratching one.

3 - full lines of fowards, which unfortunately left Jerred Smithson and Nick Spaling the odd men out, except in the case of a penalty kill scenario.

4 and 32 - numbers worn (at one time or another) by both Cody Franson and recently-called up Teemu Laakso, making things slightly confusing when they are both playing in the same game.

2 - the period that seems to always plague the Predators.  They might not have scored a goal, but Dallas definitely out worked the Predators in this period; drawing two penalties, taking more shots on net and generating plenty of opportunities to get one past Pekka Rinne.

2 - breakaway chances for Steve Sullivan that he was, again, unable to capitalize on. When Sully finally does put one in the net on a breakaway this season, I think I might faint.

10 - number of minutes JP Dumont logged on ice before not returning to the game, with an as-of-yet unspecified injury.  GRRRREAAAAATTTTTTT.  Just what this team needs right now.

30 - total number of shots on goal Pekka Rinne faced against the Dallas Stars.  The 1-0 final score gives Rinne his first shutout of the year.  With as many opportunities Dallas had to score, Pekka basically stole the game from them.  If I'm a Dallas Stars player, I'm frustrated at my lack of ability to score against him.


Good to see the Predators back in the win column again.  After three tough overtime losses, this was the exact type of game I expected the boys to play.  Sound defense, solid penalty killing and nothing too fancy offensively.  The power play, though mentioned by Dallas announcers to be currently 12th in the league, needs some more work.  That second man advantage had me cringing.

The team heads to Tampa Bay tonight, wrapping up their quick road trip, for an early evening face off against the Lightning tomorrow.   Netminder Dan Ellis will be reunited with some of his buddies, though this time he'll be sporting the opposing team's colors.  Puck drops at 5:00pm CST.  The game will be televised on Sports South. 

Hockey Fights Cancer

Photo credit: Vanderbilt Children's Hospital

Tonight's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins is also a part of the Hockey Fights Cancer initiative around the NHL. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Vanderbilt Childhood Cancer Program, benefiting Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.

Last year, the Predators raised $125,000 for the hospital, which helped to further pediatric cancer research and support other pediatric programs.

Many childhood cancer patients, survivors and their families will be in attendance at tonight's game, as guests of the team and the Vanderbilt Division of Pediatric Hematology Oncology.

Come out and support the fight against cancer.  If you can't make it to the game, you can always give to this cause directly (all season long) through this link.

Seeing as how I love the team and I work at the Children's Hospital, there's no way I'd miss this opportunity to give back.  If you're headed to the game tonight too, don't forget to wear pink to show your support!  

10/19/10 - Calgary at Nashville: L 1-0 OT

This game was frustrating.  That's all there is to it.  No goal games are almost always the worst.  The fact that the team lost another player (and a crazy important one, at that) in Ryan Suter was just the frosting on the poop-flavored cupcake that was last night.

Major props to the remaining defense corps, as they had to really step up their games for almost the entire game.

Major headache for the waning power play though.  How many chances did the team get to at a man advantage that were squandered away?  Too many.

I do not want to see a repeat of this game tomorrow night.  That is all.

Your Morning Jed: Locker Room Re-do

Well, technically it's the afternoon but who's counting?

The flood water may be gone but the reminders of the damage it caused still remain. Many lost their homes/businesses, some lost their lives; so in comparison, the Predators were lucky.  

But damage is damage, and the team was without the use of their normal locker rooms for the entire pre-season.  The Predators were finally able to move into their new and improved locker room a couple of weeks ago.  

Go behind the scenes to see images of the damage, as well as the rebuilding phase all the way through to completion of the new space.

10/16/10 - Washington at Nashville: L 3-2 OT

Before the game, I tweeted "Hoping the Preds show the Caps that a team doesn't always need a superstar to be good at what they do."  Now, in essence, the team was able to do just that.  The Predators have never relied on one person to do the job of many and they certainly didn't start that tonight.  The team was well disciplined through the first forty minutes.  They were also doing a great job of putting pucks on the net, keeping the shot count in their favor by at least ten SOG heading into the third.  The pace of the game was much slower than a typical Predators game and I attribute that to the absence of Martin Erat and Matthew Lombardi.  The lines were a little jumbled but the guys were making the most of it.  Steve Sullivan and Cal O'Reilly were still connecting well on their shifts, creating a ton of quality scoring chances.  

So what exactly happened in the third period?  Well, the Capitals finally started getting their own man advantage opportunities and found a way to cash in on one of them and score another to tie the game at 2-2.  Then Backstrom laid a monstrous hit on Marcel Goc, which probably put him out of the game for a while.  And though the Predators were able to hold on to take the game into overtime, the team looked really tired in the waning minutes of regulation.  Leave it to Washington's (and the NHL's) superstar, Alexander Ovechkin, to win the game by scoring the 4-on-3 power play, while Ryan Suter sat in the box for a penalty that the superstar helped to draw. 

The Predators did get a point out of the night and that is the positive takeaway.  With Goc likely down for the count, things are going to be interesting for a while.  Look for even more line shuffling and a few call ups from Milwaukee to fill the voids.  I'd also expect players like Jerred Smithson and Jordin Tootoo to continue to be called upon  by the coaching staff to step up their games in order to keep things rolling.  

The Predators continue their home stand and face off against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night at the Bridgestone Arena.  Any time the Flames are in town, you can expect an entertaining game.  Grab yourself some tickets (click the Smashville logo above for discounted tickets) and come on down!  The puck drops at 7:00pm.

10/13/10 - Nashville at Chicago: W 3-2

Look, I realize that the last time the Predators were in Chicago, they were mere seconds (SECONDS!) away from winning their second road game of the first round and coming home with a 3-2 lead in the series.  Trust me, we all get it.  We all remember it.  And we all wish we could forget it.  We've got to leave that game and everything else about the post-season where it belongs; in the past.  This is a new season and I really don't want to hear about that fateful night any more than absolutely necessary. With five more regular season meetings between these two teams this year, it's time to write some new story lines.

So here's tonight's story:

With Martin Erat out of the lineup due to lingering back spasms, Wade Belak got to suit up tonight.  It appeared that JP Dumont would take Erat's place on the line with Colin Wilson and Matthew Lombardi.  Imagine my bewilderment to see Belak holding down that spot.  Granted, the lines were juggled quite a bit, as Coach Trotz is want to do, but it was still strange to see Wade on any line other than the fourth.

Ugh, face-offs are in need of some serious work.  It's a bumbling mess out there. Clean wins at the dot have been few and far between.

I love that Joel Ward is a true special teams guy.  You can stick him out there on the penalty kill or the power play and he's going to give it 100% either way.

The first period wasn't played as disciplined or as smart as this team is capable of. With the exception of the sequence leading up to Steve Sullivan's goal and some smooth puck handling by Colin Wilson, the guys were all over the place.

Anders Lindback had to be feeling the pressure during the first period.  On Saturday night, he didn't have much time to think.  This time, he had a few hours to mentally prepare for the game.  Neither one of the goals in the first period were a direct result of his miscues but wow, did he give up some dangerous rebounds.

I forgot to mention this after Saturday's game but I could not be happier that Trotz went back to the Smithson-Legwand-Ward line that clicked so well last season. They were a solid third line that consistently created some good on-ice chances. From what I've seen so far in these first two games, that trend continues.

While assistant coach Peter Horachek was being interviewed from the bench about some things that the Predators need to do better on the ice, he said that the guys have to use their feet more and stop reaching with their sticks so much.  As if on ironic cue, every single player on the ice at that exact moment was doing the very thing that Horachek said needed to stop.  Claaa-ssic Preds.

God Bless Colin Wilson for taking a shot as soon as the puck hit his stick.  Right through traffic and into the back of the net.  That was perfection.

Cal O'Reilly was having a great game tonight; really connecting with Sullivan. Let's see how long that sticks.

Is it just me or do all the guys' sticks seem a lot longer than they were last season? [I know, insert TWSS here]  Maybe it's just because they were reaching too much with the stick (even after Horachek said they have to stop that) but it was really noticeable tonight.

In contrast with Saturday night's game, Matthew Lombardi was almost non-existent in the game tonight.  This was most evident as he was dropped to the fourth line in the third period.

How about that timely power play, huh?!  Leave it to special teams guru, Joel Ward, to net the game-winner.  I pegged him as the first goal scorer tonight but I like it better that he made the most of the man advantage to win the game.

We have to address this:

Photo credit: @ericshuff

Okay, okay.  I know Joel Ward explained the significance of this cowboy "hard hat", given in the locker room post-game, to the player who was deemed the hardest worker on the ice.  BUT...based on his reaction to Pete and Terry's goading in reference to the hat, it was obviously not regarded as the most stylish choice by any means. Significance aside, I will not be able to take any player seriously while wearing that hat.  Period.  End of story.  Thank you and goodnight.


After that not so pretty second period play, the Predators managed to redeem themselves.  Not only did they skate away with two points, they helped Anders Lindback secure his very first NHL win.  The boys return tonight and have to gear up to take on the improved St. Louis Blues tomorrow night at the Bridgestone Arena. Tomorrow's game also marks the first game of one of my very favorite promotions.  It's College Night with lower bowl tickets for $25 or upper bowl seats for $10 with a valid college id; as well as half price drink specials through the first intermission.  

Come on out and get your hockey on.

Tuesday Top Ten

As the NHL season got underway this past week, I started to think of all the things that happen in any given year.  Like snowflakes, no two seasons are alike; but that doesn't mean there won't be a considerable amount of vaguely familiar circumstances game in, game out.  With this in mind, let's take a look at a few hockey happenings that are sure to grace us with their presence at some point throughout the next few months.

The Top Ten Things You Will Most Likely See/Hear/Experience in the 2010-2011 Season:

10. After a bad game, the coaching staff of the losing team will decline to comment on the officiating, while still managing to intimate that bad calls had something to do with the loss.

9. The Detroit Red Wings will manage to mesmerize the Toronto War Room into thinking a clear no-goal is actually a goal.  Oh, wait...they've already done this? Yeah, then just expect it to continue.

8. NBC and Versus will continue their love affair with Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, talking ad nauseum about both players' elite skills.

7. Brian Engblom's Hair

6. Someone will propose to their significant other on the Jumbotron, prompting everyone in the arena to answer for them, with an emphatic "NO!".

5. Commissioner Gary Bettman will be met with resounding "boos" no matter which NHL arena he visits.

4. At least one article a month will appear in a Canadian paper, decrying Southern hockey markets and picking apart each franchise's attendance and financial numbers.

3. ESPN's Sportscenter will rarely, if ever, feature a newsworthy hockey clip.  If a hockey clip does make the cut, however, the sportscaster will most definitely get either the player's name/team/city wrong.

2. A hockey player will find himself in a bit of a pickle after a late night out.  Oh, that's already happened too?

1. No matter how well the Predators do, they will continue to slip under the radar of the national media.

I am sure there are plenty of other commonly seen/heard/done NHL happenings that could be included, but this is just a top ten and I am only one person.  If you've got your own to add, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Happy Tuesday!

10/9/10 - Anaheim at Nashville: W 1-4

What a way to start the season, huh?  After watching quite a bit of the Anaheim-Detroit game last night, I was concerned about how the Ducks would fight back after their lackluster effort in the Motor City.  Most specifically, I worried how much they would find themselves dropping their gloves.  Seeing as how the Ducks are already known for their physical style of play, I wasn't particularly looking forward to this evening, for that reason alone.  However, for the most part, the gloves stayed on and the Predators managed to keep their wits about them, despite a few roughing calls here and there.

Thought I would go old school style and post my in-game observations, since I had quite a few tonight.  So here we go:

Cal O'Reilly is finally starting to make me take some notice of him.  Could this be his year?  Only Section 303's Jeremy will be able to tell us for sure.

Players I don't really miss at all, although I totally thought I would: Dan Hamhuis.  I honestly figured without Hammer in the line up, the Predators defense would be lacking.  However, it is quite possible the defense is stronger than it has ever been.  I will say though, if anything were to happen to either Weber or Suter, this team could be in big trouble.

While plenty of things change from season to season, some things never change. Case in point: Steve Sullivan missed a fantastic breakaway opportunity tonight; something I saw many times last season.

On the other hand, Steve Sullivan knew exactly how to throw a bomb in the back of the net during the power play to put the team up by one in the second.  Coach Trotz said he has been studying the power play and working on ways to improve it.  From what I saw tonight, there was far less fancy and much more smarts factored into the man advantage.  A couple of passes to set up and then you fire away.  That's how you get it done and that's when the power play pays off.

11 SOGs were given up during the prolonged 5-on-4, then 5-on-3, then 5-on-4 penalty kill in the second period.  The penalty killers (that weren't serving time in the box) were on top of their game tonight.  Jerred Smithson and Ryan Suter were an integral part of this kill, on the ice for 2:22 and 2:15, respectively, of the 3:15 Anaheim man advantage.  These are definitely the types of things I want to see continue.

JP Dumont looked like a different player out there tonight.  He didn't make a lot of passes and took more shots on the net than I ever remembered seeing from him last season.  Could it be that Arnott's absence is exactly what he needed to step up his game?

Patric Hornqvist's goal celebration after his goal late in the second period made me laugh.  It was almost as if you could see him breathing a sigh of relief, thinking "whew, thank goodness I've got that first goal pressure off my back!".

Things you really don't ever want to see happen during the first game of the season: the starting goaltender going out with an apparent injury.  Pekka Rinne left in the third and did not return.  Coach Trotz's post-game locker room update: Pekka has a lower body injury and will be listed as day-to-day.  Lower body injuries could be anything but Rinne was favoring his right leg before he left the ice so my guess is he tweaked something in the scuffle at net with Bodie and Bouillon early in the period.  However, I do so love being able to see an NHL rookie make his debut, as was the case for Anders Lindback, coming in for Pekka to play out the last 17 minutes of the third period.  If Rinne's injury still nags him next week, Lindback might find that he'll get more NHL experience in net sooner than he thought.

New Predator Matthew Lombardi was shot down from every angle tonight.  This was certainly not from lack of trying though.  I could almost sense his frustration.  I can't wait to actually see him score a goal now, so he can get that monkey off his back too.

Final Predators shot count: 49.  Yes, you read that right.  FORTY NINE.  Who says this team doesn't have enough offensive power?

Also, this picture:

Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images

I initially cracked up at this because of Pekka's stance, which is obviously a protective sprawl to cover the net, but comes off almost like a lazy, hang out, hey how's it going, guys? stance.  However, looking at the picture again, Teemu Selanne's face is quite hilarious too.  His eyes are very deer-in-the-headlights and I laugh every time I look at them.

And there you have it.  Hockey's back and all feels right in the world again.  The Predators won't see any on-ice action again until Wednesday night as they face off against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, in the Windy City. The boys will, however, be out and about in Nashville as they participate in their 5th Annual Predators in the Community Day.  Check the link for details to see where your favorite Predators players might show up around the city on Monday.  

A New Season, Some Fresh Faces and Great Expectations

October has finally graced us with its presence.  Fall is in the air...well, sometimes it is and then it gets up to 80 degrees again.  The NHL pre-season is over and the Predators start their 2010-2011 season on Saturday night; taking on the Anaheim Ducks at the Bridgestone Arena.  The team seems pretty well in place, barring any other surprise trades. For the record, I'm still shaking my head over Shane O'Brien.

Despite the absence of a few familiar faces, this year's roster sits well with me.  It is a good balance of young and old.  For starters, there's a smart combination in the leadership abilities of the new power couple, Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, with the comfortableness of seasoned veterans like Steve Sullivan and JP Dumont.  Then you've got David Legwand and Martin Erat, carrying some heady contracts that many are still waiting to see paid out in on-ice dividends.  If you don't want to gamble with those, there are always the hard working, true embodiment of Predators-style hockey players such as Joel Ward, Jerred Smithson, Marcel Goc and eh, I'll even throw Jordin Tootoo and Wade Belak in the mix here.  A lot of eyes will surely be on the fair-haired sophomore duo of Patric Hornqvist and Colin Wilson.  Can Patric meet the expectations of the coaching staff and will Colin live up to the hype?  Cal O'Reilly will make another go of it again this year.  Your guess is as good as mine as to how he weathers the storm this time around.  Weber and Suter notwithstanding, the rest of the defensive core doesn't have too much to prove.  Francis Bouillon, Cody Franson, Kevin Klein and Alexander Sulzer (along with newly acquired defenseman Shane O'Brien) should be able to keep things running smoothly.  With Pekka Rinne securely holding on to the number one goaltender position, there seems to be no question that the coaches and the team are confident in trusting Rinne's skill in net.

And yet, there are some new faces to grow accustomed to.  Forwards Matthew Lombardi, Sergei Kostitsyn and rookie backup goaltender, Anders Lindback. Lombardi comes to the Predators by way of the Phoenix Coyotes.  He looks to have added a considerable amount of speed to the team and stands to fill some of the scoring void left by Jason Arnott.  Russian Sergei Kostitsyn was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens during the Dan Ellis trade over the summer.  My feelings of all things Russian aside, Kostitsyn is still somewhat of a question mark in terms of what he can bring to the game.  I am sure I speak for a lot of people when I say it will be interesting to see how Sergei fits into the lineup.  As for the rookie Swedish backup goaltender, the choice to pick Anders Lindback came as a slight surprise.  The Predators coaching staff always enjoy saying "the road to Nashville goes through Milwaukee".  In Lindback's case, Milwaukee never factored into the equation.  As with Kostistyn, I haven't seen Anders play enough to know exactly how he'll perform.  

With all that said, new faces bring another level of excitement and anticipation to the game.  And this is a whole new season.  What do the next few months hold for this roster?  None of us can predict it and be 100% accurate.  All I know is: anything is possible.