Smithson does some damage to David Wideman, but was it enough?

Alright, so Christmas has not only snuck up on us, it has also put is way behind on getting our post game write-ups done! Don’t worry though, we promised to get this game covered, even if it is a few days behind!Can you blame us for putting this one off until today? It wasn’t exactly the most exciting game the Predators have ever played, but it still needs to be covered.

The Predators came into Washington Tuesday, still flying on their five-game streak. However, Ovechkin and Backstrom weren’t in the giving mood to help continue that winning streak. The Predators only managed to squeeze in one goal against the Capitals, but it wasn’t enough against their four. Here are some of the highlights of Tuesday’s Father’s Game in Washington.

KEY POINTS:

• Kevin Klein did not make the trip to Washington due to the flu, thus putting Jonathon Blum on the lineup. Although he was called up last Saturday, this was Blum’s first return to the Predators lineup.
• Pekka Rinne was rested for the night and Anders Lindback was given the chance to take the spotlight Tuesday night.
• Like stated before, Washington was in no way feeling generous to help the Predators continue their winning streak, coming out strong in the first and dominating the Predators both defensively and offensively. Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom sent the Capitals up 2-0 in the first and continued that hold up into the third period.
• Sergei Kostitsyn scored the only goal for the Predators at 4:40 into the third, firing a high wrist shot passed goalie Michal Neuvirth. He was assisted only by Shea Weber.
• Although Sergei’s goal gave the Preds some relief, the momentum did not have enough time to catch on, as the Capitals scored two more goals to seal the game in their favor, 4-1.
• The Capitals only out-shot the Predators 23 to 21, and had three more penalties than the Predators. However, the Predator weren’t able to produce a goal on any of the PP, but the Capitals “capitalized” on one. Here are your two offenders of the box:
  1. Blake Geoffrion – 9:12 1st Period – Roughing
  2. Craig Smith – 13:19 3rd Period – Holding

The Predators probably took the loss a little harder than normal Tuesday night, possibly because all of their dads were there to critique them afterward. However, since this was written after their Columbus game, we all know that the loss to the Capitals didn’t hurt too bad…

GO PREDS.