Category: Game Highlights

No Love for Nashville in Ottawa, Preds fall to Senators 4-3

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Gabriel Bourque scores his second goal with the Predators in Ottawa.

After the tough loss at home on Tuesday night, the Predators packed up and headed East to the capital of Canada to face to Ottawa Senators. Former Ottawa Senator, Mike Fisher, was given a standing ovation by the home crowd, his first game back in Ottawa since being traded to the Predators. Fisher spent his first 11 years of his NHL career in Ottawa and is missed dearly in Ottawa, but Nashville is happier to have him. Would the arrival of Mike Fisher mean the Senators would go soft on the Predators? Absolutely not. After losing seven straight games, the Senators were itching for a weak spot in the Predators and were able to capitalize on it, winning in regulation 4-3. Here are the highlights from Thursday’s game in Ottawa:

KEY POINTS:

  • Brandon Yip, Jack Hillen, and Brian McGrattan were all scratched for Thursday’s game, the typical bunch. Again, McGrattan could have livened up the game a bit, we think.
  • Ottawa wasted no time adding points to the board with a wrist shot passed Pekka Rinne at 4:46 by Jason Spezza, his 21st goal of the season.
  • Fourteen minutes later, the Predators would put the pressure on Ottawa, with a wrist shot from rookie Gabriel Bourque at 18:46, his second goal of the season and as a Nashville Predator. He was assisted by Jordin Tootoo and Ryan Suter.
  • Ottawa’s Chris Phillips would put the Senators up 2-1 at 7:50 in the second period with a wrist shot passed Pekka, his first goal of the season.
  • Patric Hornqvist would tie the game for the Predators once again at 12:40 on the power play, his 16th goal of the season. He was assisted by Ryan Suter and Martin Erat.
  • Ottawa would end the second period with the lead 3-2 at 18:55 with a tip-in by Jason Spezza, giving him his second goal of the night and his 22nd overall.
  • At 13:35, Chris Phillips would capitalize on his second goal of the night and his second overall with a wrist shot, sending the Senators up 4-2.
  • Martin Erat would gain the remaining goal for the Predators at 19:50, his 13th goal of the season. He was alone in his goal.
  •  Pekka Rinne made some amazing saves during this game, but let a few weak shots in the net. He was able to block 25 of 29 shots on goal.
  • The Predators took plenty of penalties during the game with six, whereas the Senators took five. The Predators were able to use one of the power plays to their advantage, but the Senators were able to use two of Nashville’s. Here are the guys who took the unnecessary penalties:
  1. Sergei Kostitsyn – 1:40 2nd Period – Holding
  2. Nick Spaling – 3:28 2nd Period – Tripping
  3. Francis Bouillon – 8:32 2nd Period – Hi-Sticking
  4. Martin Erat – 18:49 2nd Period – Hooking
  5. David Legwand – 11:55 3rd Period – Slashing
  6. David Legwand – 14:22 3rd Period – Hooking

This was the second straight loss for the Predators since December 23rd against Dallas and December 26th against the Red Wings.  The Predators will continue in the Eastern Conference on Saturday as they take on the defending Stanley Cup champs, the Boston Bruins in Boston at a special noon start.

Until then,
GO PREDS.

(Photo credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images North America)

Vancouver Scrapes by with Win in Nashville, Preds lose 4-3 in Shoot Out

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Colin Wilson gets the first goal for the Preds, but can't seal the win in the shootout.

The Nashville Predators welcome the always favored Vancouver Canucks to Music City on Tuesday night, hoping to continue their defeat of Western Conference rivals after the All-Star break. The Canucks, however, weren’t going to leave Nashville quietly, and both teams battled through regulation, overtime, and ultimately into a shootout.  Unfortunately for the Predators, it was the Canucks who slipped by with 2-point win, their 33rd win of the season, 4-3 in SO. Here are the highlights from Tuesday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks:

KEY POINTS:

  • The usuals found themselves scratched Tuesday night and that would be Jack Hillen, Gabriel Bourque, and the fighter himself, Brian McGrattan. Personally, we would have liked to see Big Ern take out Dan Hamhuis (boo) or Alex Burrows (oh heck, the whole team).
  • Both teams started out strong, but Vancouver struck first at 11:42 on the power play from Ryan Kesler, his 17th goal of the season. Both Alex Burrows and Dan Hamhuis (boo) assisted on the snap shot passed Pekka Rinne.
  • The Predators didn’t let the Canucks celebrate the 1-0 lead long, when Colin Wilson sent his own snap shot passed Roberto Luongo at 13:47, his 11th goal of the season. David Legwand and Patric Hornqvist picked up the assists.
  • Vancouver would return the pressure at 18:21 with a slap shot from Byron Bitz, his first goal of the season.
  • About 20 seconds later, the Canucks would score once more at 18:44 from Daniel Sedin, his 23rd goal of the season.
  • The Predators wasted no time in the second catching up the Canucks, with a tip-in from Sergei Kostitsyn at 4:14, his 14th goal of the season. Kevin Klein and Martin Erat assisted on the goal.
  • One minute later, at 5:16, Mike Fisher tied the game with a wrist shot passed Luongo, his 16th goal of the season. Captain Shea Weber picked up the only assist.
  • The third period produced no goals, but both teams fought hard for the winning goal. Overtime was basically the same as the third periods, with neither team able to seal the game, thus throwing the game into a shootout situation. Here is how the shootout played out:
  1. VANCOUVER – Mason Raymond – MISS
  2. NASHVILLE – Sergei Kostitsyn – SAVED BY LUONGO
  3. VANCOUVER – Ryan Kesler – SAVED BY RINNE
  4. NASHVILLE – Martin Erat – MISS
  5. VANCOUVER – Alex Burrows – GOAL
  6. NASHVILLE – David Legwand – GOAL
  7. VANCOUVER – Daniel Sedin – MISS
  8. NASHVILLE – Mike Fisher – SAVED BY LUONGO
  9. VANCOUVER – Cody Hodgson – MISS
  10. NASHVILLE – Ryan Ellis – SAVED BY LUONGO
  11. VANCOUVER – Alexander Edler – GOAL
  12. NASHVILLE – Colin Wilson – MISS
  • After twelve rounds, the Canucks were able to knock the Predators off and gain the 2-point win, leaving Nashville a little victorious (Nashville still got one point out of the game).
  • Pekka Rinne was just as strong as ever, stopping 3 of 31 shots. The Predators were able to get 4o shots on goal, with twelve of those shots taken in the second period.
  • The Predators only gave the Canucks one power play chance and, unfortunately, Vancouver was able to capitalize on Brandon Yip’s slashing penalty in the first period. The Canucks gave the Predators four power play chances, but the Predators were unable to use any of them to their advantage.

The Predators definitely felt this comeback loss to the Canucks, but at least scraped by with one point, much better than none at all. The Predators take some time in the Eastern Conference and head to the capital of Canada to face the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night and then over to Bean Town on Saturday to take on the defending Stanley Cup champs, the Boston Bruins at a special 12PM start game.

Until then,
GO PREDS.

(Photo credit: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images North America)

St. Louis leaves Singing the Blues for Fourth Time in Smashville

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Sergei Kostitsyn sealed the game for the Predators with an empty-netter.

The Predators welcome the St. Louis Blues back to the Bridgestone Arena Saturday night, the fourth meeting this season between the two division rivals. Before this game, the Predators had already shutdown the Blues all three times, so St. Louis was itching to ruin the fourth try on Nashville’s home turf. Saturday’s game also welcomed a ton of fans from both sides, the 16th sellout of the season for the Predators. Here are the highlights from Saturday’s game:

KEY POINTS:

  • Even though he made the cover of Saturday’s Preds Press, Jack Hillen found himself amongst the scratched that night, along with Jerred Smithson (his thirty-third birthday, geez – no love) and rookie Gabriel Bourque.
  • The Blues came out a bit scrappy, eager to get the first goal on Pekka Rinne. However, St. Louis made a fatal mistake when David Perron took a hooking penalty, giving Martin Erat his 12th goal of the season with a slap shot passed Jaroslav Halak on the power play at 6:59. Both Patric Hornqvist and Ryan Suter assisted on the power play.
  • Mike Fisher wasted little time at 12:30 with a wrist shot in front of the net, sending the Predators up and over the Blues 2-0. Fisher’s 15th goal of the season was assisted by Sergei Kostitsyn and Martin Erat.
  • The second period produced no goals, but Brian McGrattan reminded Ryan Reaves who you should and shouldn’t drop the gloves against. Though the video is voiced by the St. Louis announcers (and of course they are going to go for Reaves), but anyone with a brain can tell you Big Ern put the little Blues player in his place. We put the video on our Facebook on Saturday, but here it is in case you missed it:
  • Chris Porter made up his fellow Blues players with a goal at 4:01 in the third, finally getting the St. Louis Blues on the board (Dang! No doughnut for us…), his 3rd goal of the season.
  • St. Louis would continue to push Pekka Rinne to his limits, but in the end, at 19:37 with a nice, clean pass from David Legwand, Sergei Kostitsyn sealed the empty-netter along with the game, his 13th goal of the season. Along with the assistance from Leggy, Martin Erat picked up an assist and his third point for the game.
  • Pekka Rinne has been on fire since the get-go, and these last few games have produced some new contortionist moves from the Finnish phenom, keeping expectant goals away from the net. How was he not an All-Star goalie again? Pekka was able to block an amazing 42 of 43 shots on goal (we wouldn’t expect any less).
  • The Blues and the Predators both faced their share of penalties, with the Predators capitalizing on one of three given to them. The Predators also gave the Blues three chances, and here are the culprits:
  1. Jordin Tootoo – 13:27 1st Period – Tripping (absolutely horrible call)
  2. Brian McGrattan – 8:49 2nd Period – Fighting (awesome beat down)
  3. Craig Smith – 8:49 3rd Period – Delaying the Game – Puck over Glass (he sure makes some silly mistakes)

Since the Predators dismantled the Blues and their thought of a win, Nashville is now 4-0-0 against the Blues this season, though each game has been nail-bitingly close. The Predators continue at home on Tuesday when they welcome the oh-so-lovable Vancouver Canucks to Nashville. The puck drops at 7PM!

Also, congrats to everyone who ran, walked, jogged, etc. today during the Predators Fangtastic 5K! Although it was raining, that didn’t stop 1400 fans from taking on the 3 miler! We jogged it, but still felt the burn the next day!

Until then,
GO PREDS.

(Photo credit: Frederick Breedon/Getty Images North America)

Winning Streak ends in Philly: Preds fall to Flyers 4-1

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Alternate Captain Ryan Suter with the only goal on the night.

Though the Predators started out sluggish against Minnesota on Tuesday night and tricked the Wild, the Philadelphia Flyers didn’t fall for the act tonight, squishing the Predators in the city of Brotherly Love 4-1. It was clear from tonight’s performance, the Predators were still not completely back from the week-long break and are struggling to regain their game time composure. Although a loss is disheartening in its own way, at least it will no affect the Predators on the Western front end. Here are the highlights from tonight’s game in Philly:

KEY POINTS:

  • Jerred Smithson and Francis Bouillon were back tonight after suffering from upper-body injuries. As a result, Brian McGrattan, Jack Hillen, and new kid Brandon Yip were all healthy scratches.
  • The first fifteen minutes were scoreless, with both teams putting decent pressure on both goals. Philly was able get the ball rolling first at 15:41 with a snap shot passed Lindback from Wayne Simmonds, his 14th goal of the season.
  • The Predators looked like they may have tied it a 1-1 with a shot from Weber, but due to his shot being deflected off of Craig Smith’s high stick, the goal was waved off.
  • Philly’s Matt Read would send the Flyers up 2-0 at 14:32 in the 2nd with a snap shot, his 16th goal of the season.
  • The Predators finally were able to slip one passed Ilya Bryzgalov with a wrist shot. A beautiful pass from Halischuk to Smith and finally to Suter sealed the goal. This was Ryan Suter’s 6th goal of the season.
  • The Flyers would silence the Predators at 15:19 with a another goal from Wayne Simmonds and then seal the game at 18:55 with an empty-netter from Claude Giroux, his 19th goal of the season.
  • Pekka Rinne took the night off to watch the game from the bench while backup goalie, Anders Lindback took the reins, blocking 24 of 27 shots on goal from the Flyers. Anders, although the losing goalie, made some key saves tonight, blocking the Flyers from accurately scoring more goals during tonight’s game.
  • The Predators and the Flyers both faced their share of penalties, with the Predators facing five and the Flyers facing six. Unforunately for the Predators, the Flyers were able to capitalize on two of the six, whereas the Preds were unsuccessful on all five. Here are the five offenders of the box:
  1.  Gabriel Bourque – 9:56 2nd Period – Too many men/ice
  2. Ryan Suter – 10:22 2nd Period – Delaying Game/Puck over Glass
  3. Francis Bouillon – 12:18 2nd Period – Roughing
  4. David Legwand – 12:18 2nd Period – Roughing
  5. Jerred Smithson – 14:44 3rd Period – Interference

The Predators didn’t exactly take this game too seriously and, even though the Flyers may be in the Eastern Conference and might not be a huge threat to the Preds at this particular moment, the playoffs will be a totally different matter. We, as fans, would not want this Preds team to show up against the Flyers in say, the Stanley Cup playoffs, now would we? Just a precautionary tale…

The Predators make their way back to Nashville to face the always pleasant St. Louis Blues Saturday night at 7PM. Don’t forget! The Nashville Predators Fangtastic 5K Run/Walk is going on that day and you can run/walk/jog, too! It’s $40 until Saturday, then $45. However, you get a ticket to Saturday’s game and a t-shirt (everyone loves t-shirts, right?)! You can get more information by visiting our EVENTS page!

Until then,
GO PREDS.

Bitter Beginning ends in Unbelievable Comeback for Preds, Win 5-4 over Wild

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Matt Halischuk has become a leader amongst the Preds this season.

What a bittersweet way to return from the All-Star Game week-long hiatus! If you missed tonight’s game (or changed the channel during the second period), you missed a win that was definitely in true Predators fashion. The first two periods were sluggish and disappointing for the Predators, but the third period truly heated up for the lazy Preds and hung a nice embarrassment over the heads of the Minnesota Wild, who clearly should have won this game. Here are the highlights from tonight’s game:

KEY POINTS:

  • Francis Bouillon and Jerred Smithson were both scratched tonight, still suffering from their upper-body injuries. Brian McGrattan was, of course, the healthy scratch for the night.
  • Both the Predators and the Wild started the game out sluggishly, but unfortunately for the Predators, the Wild woke up at 8:04, with a snap shot from Dany Heatley passed Pekka Rinne.
  • Minnesota would continue to outplay the sleepy Preds with another goal at 12:36, Heatley’s second goal of the night and 17th for the season.
  • The second period had many Preds fans turning the channel, as Cal Clutterbuck nailed a wrist shot passed Peks at 1:29, putting the Wild up 3-0.
  • Matt Halischuk was the first Predator to wake up, realizing their was a hockey game going on at 9:33 with a tip-in, his 12th goal of the season. Halischuk has become a silent, but deadly key player amongst the Predators this season and we expect even more to come as the season continues. Halischuk was assisted by Kevin Klein and Brandon Yip.
  • When Predators fans began to think their team might have a chance, Kyle Brodziak all but wiped that hope from many with a wrist shot just 16 seconds into the third period.
  • When all seemed lost for the Predators, the entire team woke up at 9:22 when the new kid, Brandon Yip sent a wrist shot passed Josh Harding. The goal was put under review for Toronto to check out. Thankfully, the big wigs played in the favor of the Preds and gave Yip his first goal as a Nashville Predator. Yip was assisted by Matt Halischuk and Craig Smith.
  • Patric Hornqvist gave fans hope at 16:39 with a wrist shot, his 15th goal of the season. He was assisted by Sergei Kostitsyn and Shea Weber.
  • Before the Wild announcers could even announce Hornqvist’s goal, Mike Fisher tied the game at 4-4 at 17:00, his 13th goal of the season. Fisher was assisted by Colin Wilson and Martin Erat.
  • Mike Fisher sealed the game (and sending almost ever Predators fan into a frenzy) at a lone wrist shot, his 14th goal of the season.
  • The Predators out-shot the Minnesota Wild 30 to 25, with 12 of their shots taken in the third alone. Although Peks was a little off during the first and second periods, he was able to 21 of 25 shots on goal (not bad from being away for a week).
  • The Predators and the Wild also faced two penalties a piece, but the Wild was the only team able to capitalize on the penalty. Here are the two Preds who sat out in the box:
  1. Shea Weber – 12:15 1st Period – Holding
  2.  Jordin Tootoo – 6:02 2nd Period – Roughing (with Cal Clutterbuck)

Again, terrible first two periods, but outstanding third by the Nashville Predators. But hey, we expect the pesky Preds to make these out-of-nowhere turnarounds every now and then, don’t we? The Predators lucked out against the Wild, who obviously thought they had the win in the bag when they were up 5-2 in the third period. However, the Philadelphia Flyers probably won’t be as oblivious to the Predators comebacks (the Wild really shouldn’t be surprised, either) and hopefully this was the wake-up call the Preds needed before getting back on a winning schedule.

The Predators head to Philadelphia on Thursday and take on the Flyers at 6:00PM.

Until then,
GO PREDS.

Predators overthrow Blackhawks 3-1, Preds now Third in Central Division

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Mike Fisher continues his dominance against the Central Division.

The Predators may have just destroyed the Columbus Blue Jackets last night, but that didn’t seem to effect them much when game time rolled around tonight in Chicago as the Predators smashed the Blackhawks 3-1 in regulation. With this win, the Predators are  now third in the Central Division, knocking Chicago down to fourth. Here are the highlights from tonight’s extraordinary win in the Windy City:

KEY POINTS:

  • Brian McGrattan was scratched yet again tonight, along with Francis Bouillon, who did make the trip to Chicago. His travel to Chicago with the team gave hope as to if he would play tonight, but it was nothing but false. A surprise scratch was Jerred Smithson, who is still feeling the effects of his recent upper-body injury. Hopefully, it’s just a precautionary scratch.
  • Craig Smith took Chicago by storm at 11:49 in the first, sending the wrist-shot passed goalie Corey Crawford. Smith’s 11th goal of the season was assisted by Matt Halischuk.
  • Mike Fisher wasted no time after Craig’s goal to seal his own against the Blackhawks at 17:34 with a wrist-shot. Patric Hornqvist was Fisher’s only assistant on his 12th goal of the season.
  • The second period was relatively quiet compared to the first, with neither team scoring, despite five power play opportunities between both teams. However, new kid Brandon Yip has proven himself physically as he took on Steve Montador during this period. At first, it looks as if the two are just hugging, but Yip throws some damaging punches, clearly the victor in this fight. Here’s the video:
  • Chicago would finally get the ball rolling at 7:20 of the 3rd period, Dave Bolland with a slap shot that narrowly slipped passed Pekka Rinne on the power play.
  • Colin Wilson would capitalize on the empty net at 19:47, his 10th goal of the season. He was assisted by David Legwand and Ryan Suter.
  • Not many shots were taken throughout this game, with only 26 from the Predators and 25 from the Blackhawks. Despite this, Pekka Rinne had his share of action tonight, with most of the play in the Predators zone. Pekka was remarkable as ever, enough for him to take the lead in this NHL 2012 Vezina Trophy poll:

Yes, it's in Finnish, but that doesn't mean anything!

  •  The Predators started showing some fatigue after the first period, a sure sign that they played the night before. However, although Chicago did put pressure on the Predators, it just wasn’t enough to sidetrack them from wanting the third position in the Central Division. The Predators gave up several penalty kills to Chicago, 5 to be exact, and the Blackhawks were able to use one to their advantage. Luckily for the Predators, Pekka and the defense avoided more than just one power play goal. Here are the four penalty offenders:
  1. Mike Fisher – 1:17 2nd Period – Tripping
  2. Brandon Yip – 13:12 2nd Period – Fighting
  3. Mike Fisher – 6:53 3rd Period – Delaying Game – Puck over Glass
  4. Martin Erat – 8:41 3rd Period – Hi-Sticking
  5. Shea Weber – 15:17 3rd Period – Too many men/ice
The Predators will take on the Minnesota Wild next Tuesday in Minnesota, but before then, Shea, Craig, and Ryan will participate in the All-Star Game this weekend, with events starting this Thursday night.
Until then,
GO PREDS.

(Photo Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images North America)

Goo Goo Gone: Fisher seals the Elusive Goal, Predators win 4-1

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Mike Fisher was ready to end the season with the Blue Jackets with a win for the home team.

The infamous Goo Goo Goal of this season has finally been captured, and it was all due to handiwork from Alternate Captain, Mike Fisher on his second goal of the night. It’s been so elusive, in fact, that we here at Lady Preds may just get ours framed! If you did get yours, however, and the exact way to claim your Goo Goo seems a bit confusing, well you can redeem your coupon at any MapCo (no need to mail in the coupon).

Now that we’ve gotten that bit of exciting information out of the way, let’s get onto the game at hand. The Predators have dominated the Columbus Blue Jackets this entire season, winning five out of six games (the Blue Jackets slipped away with an OT goal on November 19th, making the final record 5-0-1). Although the second period Blue Jackets came out in full-force, the Predators withstood the determined underdogs, shutting them down 4-1 in regulation. Here are the highlights from last night’s game:

KEY POINTS

  • Ryan Suter returned after a questionable upper-body injury that sidelined him after the Philadelphia Flyers game. It seemed Coach Trotz was right in the fact that Suter’s injury wasn’t as worrisome as the fans had thought. Brian McGrattan and Brandon Yip were scratched for the night and Francis Bouillon is still out with an upper-body injury.
  • Mike Fisher got the ball rolling at 8:07 in the first period, with a brilliant wrist-shot from the slot. Martin Erat the only assist on Fisher’s goal, stealing the puck in the Columbus zone and shifting it to Fisher for the goal.
  • As stated somewhere up above, the second period was a bit lethargic for the Predators (we assume they just got a little big-headed for a moment). Rick Nash was able to capitalize on the sluggish behavior of the home team, tying the game at one at 6:14. It seemed, after that wake-up call, the Predators kicked back into gear.
  • Mike Fisher sent the Predators up 2-1 at 19:31, giving the fans everything their little hearts desired with the Goo Goo Goal (the first of the season and possibly last). Captain Shea Weber and fellow Alternate Captain Ryan Suter assisted on Fisher’s second goal (11th of the season) of the night on the power play.
  • The third period showed an entire different home team than from the second, with a wrist-shot from Matt Halischuk at 7:37, his 11th goal of the season. Halischuk’s goal could be a signal to the coaching staff that he does not want to be scratched anymore. Rookies Craig Smith and Ryan Ellis assisted on Hali’s goal.
  • Patric Hornqvist sealed another “sweet” goal at 16:51, the fourth goal of the night (that signals the Frosty goal) and his 14th of the season. Ryan Suter and Martin Erat assisted on the power play goal.
  • Pekka Rinne had yet another outstanding game, blocking 25 of 26 goals on net, with 16 alone during the second period. The Predators had five power play opportunities and took advantage of two of them. The Blue Jackets only had two, and luckily, were not able to capitalize on either one. Here are the two players who spent some time in the box:
  1. Martin Erat – 8:58 2nd Period – Holding
  2. Patric Hornqvist – 16:20 2nd Period – Too many men/ice

Although a great victory in the Central Division, the Predators have no time to rest. The Chicago Blackhawks are waiting tonight (Tuesday) for a rematch from Saturday’s game in Nashville, where the Predators smashed the Hawks 5-2. After tonight’s game, the Predators (minus Suter, Weber, and Smith) will have a nice break during the All-Star Game this weekend. The Preds will return to action on Tuesday, January 31st against the Minnesota Wild.

Until then, enjoy your Goo Goo and,
GO PREDS.

Predators blast the Blackhawks 5-2

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The Predators with their first win over the Blackhawks this season.

The Predators welcomed Central Division rival (for the first time this season) the Chicago Blackhawks into Smashville tonight before a sold-out crowd, the 15th for the Predators. Although the crowd was about 55% Preds fans, 45% Blackhawks fans, the Predators didn’t seemed too phased by the large amount of red throughout the arena. With Chicago being 4th in the league (3rd in the division) and the Predators being 8th (4th in the division), a win over Chicago would be a huge boost for the Predators. And, in true Predators form, Nashville whipped the Blackhawks 5-2 in regulation. Here are the highlights from tonight’s game:

KEY POINTS:

  • A surprising scratch tonight was Matt Halischuk, who was given the night off for new kid Brandon Yip to hit the ice for the first time as a Predator. Brian McGrattan was also scratched for the night and, as expected, Ryan Suter is still out due to an upper-body injury.
  • Marián Hossa gained the first goal of the night, putting Chicago up over the Predators at 15:05 with a nice backhand shot. However, the Predators fans didn’t have to wait long for the home team to respond…
  • At 17:19, Craig Smith chipped a nice wrist shot passed Corey Crawford on the power play, his 10th goal of the season. He was assisted by both Ryan Ellis and Sergei Kostitsyn. There’s a good reason why Nashville is 2nd in the league on the power play.
  • Kevin Klein wasted hardly any time during the second period, sending the Predators up 2-1 with a wrist shot. He was assisted by both David Legwand and Gabriel Bourque and this is his 3rd goal of the season.
  • The Predators continued to dominate in the second period, with a wrist shot goal from Colin Wilson at 11:14, his 9th goal of the season. He was assisted by David Legwand and Patric Hornqvist.
  • Sergei Kostitsyn, who was denied a goal earlier in the game, finished up the second period with a wrist shot at 16:03. This was SK74’s 12th goal of the season and has a 27.3% shooting percentage. Also, a side fun fact, Sergei is the only player this season to score two Frosty goals. He was assisted by Mike Fisher and Martin Erat.
  • Marián Hossa scored his second goal of the game (20th for the season) at just 48 seconds into the 3rd period, making Preds fans wonder if the Blackhawks would try to redeem themselves in the third.
  • However, Patric Hornqvist renewed faith with a nice slap shot at 3:08, his 13th goal of the season. It looked like at first Kevin Klein had sealed the goal, which would have made for his first multi-goal in a game. However, after it was rewarded to Klein, it was soon given to Hornqvist. Maybe next time, Klein!
  • The Predators out-shot the Blackhawks by only one shot, 23 to 22 and Pekka Rinne was able to block all but two. After allowing four goals, Corey Crawford was pulled and replaced by Ray Emery (Yea, he played for Anaheim last season…). Emery blocked four of five shots during the third, but it just wasn’t enough to save the Blackhawks in Smashville.
  • There weren’t many penalties during this game, with the Predators only giving the Blackhawks one power play chance. The Blackhawks, however, gave the Predators two chances, one of which the Predators capitalized on. Here is our one Predator who faced the penalty box:
  1. Jack Hillen – 14:08 3rd Period – Roughing
  • Francis Bouillon was injured during the first period and left the ice for the remainder of the game. According to Head Coach Barry Trotz, Bouillon’s injury does not look serious, but there’s no way of truly telling. We are hoping this upper-body injury does not involve a concussion again. There is a good chance someone will be called up from Milwaukee due to Bouillon’s injury, and it could possibly be Jonathon Blum. Time will tell.

With this win over the Chicago Blackhawks, the Predators are now 9-2-2 against the Central Division and are now 28-16-4 on the season. The Predators have Sunday off, but welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets into Nashville on Monday night. The Predators will then take on Chicago once again on Tuesday night in Chicago.

Thanks for coming down, Chicago! We’ll see you Tuesday!

Until then,
GO PREDS.

Predators Shutout Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0

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Pekka Rinne continues to dominate against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The Predators finished up their short, three-game road trip last night against division rivals the Columbus Blue Jackets. Okay, using the word “rivals” is being overly nice, considering the Predators have won four games against them and only lost one 4-3 in overtime. Needless to say, both the Predators and the fans were expecting a nice recovery win after being shutout 3-0 against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. Pekka Rinne and the Predators answered that loss with a shutout of their own, denying the Columbus Blue Jackets any goal 3-0. Interestingly enough, although the Blue Jackets are last in the league, Columbus was the only team left that had yet to have a shutout all season. Welp, that ending last night. Here are the highlights from last night’s game in O-HI-O:

KEY POINTS:

  • Ryan Suter was missing from action once again last night due to his upper-body injury. Although still unnamed, coach Barry Trotz did say it was not his head, so no concussions for number 20. Good news for Jerred Smithson, as he was released off the IR last night just in time to play against the Blue Jackets. Brian McGrattan was scratched along with the new kid from Denver, Brandon Yip.
  • With the news of Smithson’s release off the IR, news of a new Right Wing that was picked up off waivers from the Colorado Avalanche began to circulate. Brandon Yip was drafted 8th in the 2004 Draft by the Avalanche and has recently recovered from groin and arm injuries he sustained during the season, keeping him from major ice time. Most would say this could put the Predators in a sticky situation, but then again, same was said when the Predators picked up SK74 also…
  • Neither team was able to collect any goals during the first period, but Martin Erat was finally able in the second to give the Predators the advantage at 11:08. He and Sergei Kostitsyn completed a nice 2-on-1 to collect the goal. This was Marty’s 11th goal for the season.
  • Mike Fisher wasted no time grabbing his 9th goal of the season at 13:11 with assistance from Martin Erat and Roman Josi on the power play.
  • Shea Weber and his sniper shot from 160 feet away to the empty net sealed the game in the Predators favor at 19:28. Jerred Smithson and Kevin Klein helped set up the impressive shot. This was Weber’s 10th goal of the season.
  • Pekka Rinne was the much deserving 1st Star of the Night last night with his incredible 38 saves, including quite a few inhuman moves to block the net. After resting against the Rangers, Peks definitely proved he was rested up against the ever-competitive Central Division. This win over the Blue Jackets was Pekka’s 120th win of his career.
  • The Predators may have won 3-0, but they were out-shot 38 to 25. The Predators also gave the Columbus Blue Jackets more power play chances, but the Blue Jackets were unable to capitalize from any of them. Here are the three guys who took the penalties:
  1. Nick Spaling – 7:34 2nd Period – Tripping
  2. Francis Bouillon – 3:53 3rd Period – Hooking
  3. Sergei Kostitsyn – 18:43 3rd Period – Slashing

The Predators are still 4th in the Central Division, but are now 27-16-4 on the season and are 9th overall in the league. The Predators welcome the Chicago Blackhawks to Nashville tomorrow night, who are currently in 3rd in the division. As you might assume, the Predators are clawing their way to the top to topple the Detroit Red Wings, who are currently on a five-game winning streak.

The Predators and the Blackhawks drop the puck at 7PM tomorrow night. Don’t forget: If you normally purchase the $10 tickets at the box office on Saturday mornings, they have changed the way you can get tickets now. To sway the sell of tickets to scalpers, the Predators are now “raffling” the 100 $10 to fans who get to the box office 30 minutes before tickets go on sale. Hopefully this will work out well in the favor of the fans.

Until then,
GO PREDS.

Predators fall to the Rangers 3-0

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Nashville Predators destroy the Islanders, but can't quite nip the Rangers in the bud.

  • As expected, Ryan Suter did not play against the mighty Rangers tonight. The upper-body injury he sustained during the Flyers game, at some point, is snagging him more than expected. Jerred Smithson is still hanging in on the IR. Chris Mueller was also scratched for the night.
  • The hottest topic of the night, even more so than Suter’s injury status, was Anders Lindback taking the lead as goalie against the Rangers. Personally, as much as we like Lindy and think he’s a great goalie, we would have gone with Pekka simply because we want to show the team that’s 1st in the Atlantic (and the NHL) the best we have, right? Again, we love Lindback and know he’s good on his own terms, but when you play the best team in the NHL and on national television, wouldn’t you think Lindy could take on the Blue Jackets on Thursday? We could take this in several different directions with this topic (on how Columbus is in our conference/division and their game is more important than an Eastern Conference opponent), but we’ll hold off on that one.
  • The Rangers wasted no time landing a goal and scored one in each period. This was Henrik Lundqvist’s first shutout against the Predators.
  • Although the Predators were shutout, Anders Lindback did an exceptional job against the Rangers, stopping 26 of 28 shots on goal. The Rangers out-shot the Predators by one shot (27 to 28).
  • The Predators also gave the Rangers more chances to advance on the power play, but was able to keep them from capitalizing on the opportunities. Here are they three Preds who took the penalties:
  1. Colin Wilson – 2:00 2nd Period – Tripping
  2. Martin Erat – 18:24 2nd Period – Interference on Goalkeeper
  3. Martin Erat – 19:09 3rd Period – Hooking on the Breakaway (automatic third goal)

The Predators will finish up their on-the-road run Thursday as they stop in Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets. So the Predators weren’t able to take New York by storm, but at least they were able to take down one of those Yankee teams… (Yep, went there).

Until then,
GO PREDS.