Shea Weber does not like devils, no matter the kind, especially when they mess with his buddies.

Chalk it up for another loss for the Predators, but this one was extra tough, considering the Preds were up 2-0 until the 3rd Period and were looking really good the entire game. Alas, that did not prevent the Devils from scoring on Pekka Rinne during the shootout, sealing the game 3-2 favoring the Devils.

Colin Wilson started the night off with the first Preds goal on a Power Play, with assists from Sergei Kostitsyn and David Legwand. Also in the first, Jerred Smithson sealed the final goal from the Preds with assists from Kevin Klein and Jordin Tootoo. However, the Preds found themselves in the penalty box several times during this game, including six in the first period.

1st Period Penalties for Preds:
Smithson – Hooking – 2 Minutes
Weber – Roughing – 2 Minutes
Kostitsyn – Hooking and Slashing – 4 Minutes (two separate accounts)
Brian McGrattan – Fighting – 5 Minutes
Jordin Tootoo – Unsportsmanlike Conduct – 2 Minutes

2nd Period Penalties for Preds:
Geoffrion – Roughing – 2 Minutes
Patric Hornqvist – Hi-Sticking – 2 Minutes
Shea Weber – Cross Checking – 2 Minutes

Somehow, with all of those Power Play opportunities for the Devils (9 in all), they didn’t score once during them, just during the third, which had no penalties for either team.

Tonight was definitely not a “where the heck was the team” kind of night, for the Preds played exceptionally well. However, it’s anyone’s game when it comes down to a shootout, and unfortunately, the Preds lucked out tonight. Trotz was quoted tonight as saying, “I’ll take this game over last game”, which we completely agree with, but a loss is tough… especially at home. Kostitsyn lead the team in shots, and he and Colin Wilson worked extremely well together. Klein also played well tonight, where he has seemed to struggle the last few games. And our new guy, Brian McGrattan, completely destroyed Cam Janssen in a fight during the 1st period (we brought him up for his aggression, I hear).

So to be completely honest, this was merely just a seriously tough loss, unlike the game on Thursday, which simply made the team look über bad. Now, the guys could have pulled the defense together a little during the third to keep the Devils from scoring, but as all Preds fans know, our defense can kind of… well, anyway.

The Preds hit the road to meet up with the Oilers in Edmonton on Monday, the 17th at 8:30PM. Let’s hope we continue the winning streak on the road (it will make up for these last two games).