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Predators Out-Play Blackhawks 7-2

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Image Courtesy: Getty Images

Back-to-back games are rough on any team and after coming off a 17-day road trip, Nashville was no exception. But after losing 4-1 to Pittsburgh and turning right around to take on the 13-2-4 Chicago Blackhawks? But let us not forget the Predators way: When they should win, they lose; When they should lose, they win. Totally makes for great blood pressure, truly. Let’s jump to the highlights:

First Period:

  • Similar to last night, Nashville struck first with a wrister from Matt Cullen at 7:28, his third goal of the season. Craig Smith (6th assist) and Seth Jones (6th assist) would collect the assists.
  • Nick Spaling would put the Predators up 2-0 at 8:25 with wrister of his own for his second goal of the season. Craig Smith would notch his second assist of the game (7th overall) and Ryan Ellis would pick up an assist, too (4th overall).
  • Nashville would outshoot Chicago 10 to 7, with NHL rookie Marek Mazanec stepping up his game from last night’s punishment.

Second Period:

  • The Predators kept the momentum into the second with a Power Play tip-in goal from Patric Hornqvist (6th goal) at 9:02. Roman Josi, who was first awarded the goal, picked up his 2nd assist overall along with Shea Weber (5th overall).
  • Craig Smith (4th goal) would give Nashville a substantial 4-0 lead at 18:18 with a backhander past Corey Crawford. Matt Cullen (3rd assist) would pick up the assist.
  • Chicago would finally get on the board at 18:44 with a wrister from Patrick Kane, his 11th goal of the season.
  • Nashville would keep the Blackhawks at bay with a 4-1 at the end of the 2nd period, though this time, Chicago outshoot the Predators 18 to 13.
  • Kudos to Mazanec for blocking 17 of 18 shots during the second period, especially after being pulled after the same period the night before. Amazing what a game at home can do… even if there is way too many mustard jerseys filling said seats.

Third Period:

  • Chicago would embrace the second intermission and come out swinging in the third, collecting their second goal at just 6:14 into the second period. Brandon Pirri collected his 5th goal of the season on Chicago’s goal.
  • Viktor Stalberg would give his old team a big middle finger just fifteen seconds later with a backhander past Crawford for his second goal of the season. Gabriel Bourque (3rd assist) and David Legwand (12th assists) would help collect Nashville’s fifth goal of the night.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQHUu3XNfMw
  • At 12:19, Mike Fisher would pick up his third goal of the season with an assist from Patric Hornqvist (7th assist), putting the home team up 6-2.
  • And, at 14:07, Captain Shea Weber sealed the deal with his signature slapshot to put Nashville up 7-2. Roman Josi (3rd assist) and David Legwand (13th assist) setup Weber’s 5th goal of the season.
  • Chicago would put the extra pressure on Mazanec in the third period, outshooting Nashville a cool 16 to 7. Again, another shout out to the NHL rookie for blocking 15 of 16 shots on goal. He took a pounding, nonetheless.
  • Marek Mazanec, after being pulled after the second period the night before, collected his first NHL win tonight against the defending Stanley Cup champions. The final shot totals: Chicago 41, Nashville 30. So, doing the easy math, Mazanec blocked 39 of 41 shots on goal. Pretty spectacular for a rookie, eh?

Again, the Nashville Predators just have this uncanny way of defeating teams that just aren’t on the radar. Never, never count out the pesky Preds, my friends. Even after the whole ticket debacle, the Bridgestone Arena was still overrun with those awful red jerseys, which was not unexpected; we pissed them off. Maybe with this win, Chicago fans will have some respect when visiting Nashville and maybe, just maybe, take them down a peg or two. Did I personally hear the whole “two Cups in three years” line tonight? Yes, yes I did. As they say, “Scoreboard, son”.

Preds Fall 4-1 to Penguins

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Courtesy: Getty Images

The final stop of the 17-day road trip brought Nashville to 11-7-0 Pittsburgh Penguins Friday night. The tail end of this road trip has been brutal on the Predators, losing twice 5-0 and then scoring only one goal each in two games. Yea, the Predators have seen better days. So, would a trip to the Steel City bring the momentum Nashville so desperately desires? Well, not really.

  • Gabriel Bourque got the ball rolling early for Nashville at 2:28 with a tip-in goal with an assist from Kevin Klein’s shot.
  • Marek Mazanec was pulled after the second period, allowing two goals in the first period and two in the second. He’d come away blocking 21 of 25 shots, but Carter Hutton would block all eight taken in the third period.
  • Eric Nystrom would give the Predators a scare after coming out on the back end of his tussle with Tanner Glass. A little shaken up and sent to the locker room, Nystrom sent out this Tweet after the game:

  • Scratches of the Night: Rich Clune, Matt Hendricks & Victor Bartley

Pittsburgh would enviably overpower Nashville 4-1, putting them now at 12-7-0 overall & the Predators 8-9-2. Time to come home, boys! The Predators will welcome the ever-loved Chicago Blackhawks to town Saturday night, then return to the road Tuesday to face the old foe, the Detroit Red Wings.

Pekka Rinne Update: E.Coli Infection

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Image: Getty Images

So, we are all aware of Pekka Rinne’s infection in his surgically-repaired hip, but no one was prepared to hear exactly what type of infection it was.

An Escherichia coli (or E.Coli as it is affectionately called) infection. Yikes.

Though rare, infections in repaired hips are nothing to toy with and can cause serious damage or worse (we won’t go into those details). Luckily, Pekka’s symptoms were caught early and we don’t suspect his team of doctors will let it go unmonitored, so his expected recovery time is 6-8 weeks… just in time for Christmas/New Year’s.

Now, that’s just a rough estimate; his condition could worsen or get better depending on how his body reacts to antibiotics and other methods of recovery, just like any other type of infection. When the infection was intially discovered, Rinne did undergo a hip scope to clean out the infection.
However, do not get your hopes up for a speedy recovery. Just like any other serious infection, no one is going to be pushing Rinne back into the net any time soon, even if he’s the one claiming better health. I suspect we will begin hearing leaks of his recovery around the 6-8 week time frame, but I do not think he’ll be ready until he has been deemed completely back to 100%. No jumping back into the ice ahead of time for this guy!

So, that leaves Carter Hutton to man the goal posts until late December at the minimum. His confidence has me thinking he’ll be fine; a good stand-in until Peks can get back to his former self. When games go South for Nashville, all the blame cannot be bestowed upon Hutton, though he’s an easy target. Hutton’s had some outstanding, heart-stopping saves, but he has also had some blunders that would make kids in the juniors blush. But hey, you live and you learn, right?

The Predators are in Denver tonight to take on the 12-1-0 (yay) Avalanche, a team that defeated Nashville last month in their first meeting of the 2013-14 season. The Avalanche are hot, but Nashville’s known for their pesky determination and have pulled some wins out of nowhere. Let’s do that.

Late Goal gives Preds Win over Kings 4-3

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Courtesy: Getty Images

Game 2 of the longest road-trip in Predators history and, after coming up short in Phoenix, Nashville would need to slip around the 9-5-0 L.A. Kings to keep the coal burning. The second meeting between the pair, the Kings visited the Music City back on October 17th and left with a win in a shootout, 2-1. So it was now Nashville’s turn to come into the Kings’ home and steal a victory, yes? Jump on down to the highlights:

First Period:

  • David Legwand, who apparently wants to show who’s boss here lately, collected his third goal of the season at 11:15 on the powerplay. Seth Jones picked up his 5th assist, along with Patric Hornqvist collecting his fourth.
  • Shea Weber wouldn’t be quieted for long, scoring his own powerplay goal at 19:06 with Patric Hornqvist notching his fifth assist and Mike Fisher picking up his fifth as well.
  • The Kings were going down without a fight first, with Anze Kopitar sinking a wrister past Carter Hutton just 20 seconds after Weber’s goal.
  • The Kings would out-shoot Nashville 16 to 9, so give Carter Hutton some credit that only one was able to get passed him.
  • Rich Clune, after being scratched numerous times, returned in time to receive a 10-minute misconduct due to fighting and instigating Daniel Carcillo. Don’t get upset if you see Clune scratched again in the near future; it happens when you’re an enforcer.

Second Period:

  • Eric Nystrom would being the lone star in the second period with a snap shot past Jonathan Quick at 8:41 for his fourth goal of the season. You want to talk about someone who has shown his worth after being picked up during the off season. Patric Horqnvist would continue his helpfulness with an assist, his sixth of the season and third of the game.
  • Mike Fisher left the game during the second period after sustaining a lower-body injury. He did not return for the remainder of the game.

Third Period:

  • And here’s where L.A. would come roaring back like the lions they are. Dustin Brown would collect a sneaky tip-in at 9:41 for his third of the season, putting the Kings back by one.
  • Mike Richards would then tie the game at 11:18 with a powerplay goal from a Ryan Ellis penalty. At this point, the game looked like a flashback from the Phoenix game.
  • At 16:04, David Legwand would swoop in and seal the game in Nashville’s favor with a wrister, his second goal of the night & fourth overall. Mattias Ekholm would pick up the assist (3rd assist).
  • In a game similar to the one before it, Nashville slipped out of Hollywood with the win, thanks to David Legwand. Now, we know it takes a team to collect a win, but give a hand to Mr. Legwand; he started the game and ended it.
  • The Predators are now off to the Mile High City to take on the Colorado Avalanche for the second time this season. The first match up left the Predators with a loss of 3-1… let’s hope for better this Wednesday.

SCRATCHES FOR NASHVILLE:
Victor Bartley
Gabriel Bourque
Matt Hendricks

Coyotes best Preds in SO 5-4

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Courtesy of Getty Images

The Predators headed out to sunny Arizona for their first of seven away games on this historic 17-day road trip around the league. The Preds and Coyotes have butted heads in recent years, thanks to a meeting between the two in the second round of the playoffs two years ago. This season, however, the Coyotes are sitting just a little higher than Nashville with a 8-3-2 record compared to Nashville’s 6-5-1 going into Halloween’s game. So, how did Nashville fair in the Arizona heat? Check the highlights:

First Period:

  • Matt Hendricks scored his first goal of the season & with the Predators organization nine minutes into the game with a wrister past goalie Thomas Greiss. David Legwand (7th assist) and Mattias Ekholm (2nd assist) would notch the assists.
  • Eric Nystrom would put Nashville up 2-0 at 14:12 with a backhander for his third goal of the season. David Legwand would pick up his second assist of the night (8th assist) and Patric Hornqvist would tally his 3rd of the season.
  • A late powerplay goal from David Legwand would send the Predators up 3-0 at the end of the first period, Legwand’s second goal of the season. Seth Jones (4th assist) and Shea Weber (3rd assist) would help with the assists.

Second Period:

  • The second period would rest solely in the hands of Phoenix, with both goals awarded in their favor.
  • Jordan Szwarz would notch his first goal of the season at 2:21 in the second.
  • Derek Morris then collected his fourth goal of the season with a slapshot past Carter Hutton at 9:51.
  • Phoenix would end the second period down just 2-3.
  • Though Nashville had more shots on goal (8), Phoenix was able to connect more with two of their six.

Third Period:

  • Paul Gaustad would gain momentum at 4:15 with a wrist shot for his second goal of the season. Nick Spaling would notch his second assist of the season on Gaustad’s goal.
  • The Coyotes wouldn’t hang behind too long, with a powerplay goal by Shane Doan at 6:16, putting Phoenix again within one.
  • Antoine Vermette would tie the game at 8:17, eventually sending the game into overtime.
  • Again, Nashville came out with more shots on goal at 19 to Phoenix’s 10, but the connection was just not in the favor of Nashville during the second and third periods.

Overtime:

  • No goals with Phoenix getting four SOG and Nashville just two.

SHOOTOUT:
PHOENIX – Mike Ribeiro – MISS
NASHVILLE – Craig Smith – MISS
PHOENIX – Radim Vrbata – MISSNASHVILLE – Matt Cullen – MISS
PHOENIX – Oliver Ekman-Larsson – MISS
NASHVILLE – Mike Fisher – MISS
PHOENIX – David Rundblad – MISS
NASHVILLE – Gabriel Bourque – MISS
PHOENIX – Mikkel Boedker – GOAL
NASHVILLE – David Legwand – MISS

It’s never a good feeling to have control during one period and then completely lose it the next, never regaining it the rest of the game. Nashville puttered out after the first, but at least pulled it into overtime to gain a point than a complete loss. Something to note, Viktor Stalberg made his presence known on the first line, stopping the puck from going into the net during the second period, which could have been costly for Nashville in the end.

SCRATCHES FOR NASHVILLE:
Rich CluneFilip Forsberg
Victor Bartley

Wild shutout Preds 2-0

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Photo courtesy: Getty Images

It was the Nashville Rinnes tonight as the Predators finished up their road trip in St. Paul against the Minnesota Wild. What do I mean by the “Nashville Rinnes”? Well, by the outcome of the game, if it hadn’t been for Pekka, we’re pretty sure the Wild would’ve ended the game 29-o.
Now, we aren’t ones to put down the team, but it was clear the Predators were exhausted. They did not come out with the enthusiasm that they had against the Habs or the Jets. Pekka was on top of his game, as usual, so thankful we are for an amazing goaltender. Here are the minuscule highlights (for Nashville, anyways) from tonight:

First Period:
No goals, but plenty of tiffs. Five penalties overall, with Nashville taking three of those. Rich Clune, in his first game back in a while, dropped the gloves with Zenon Konopka at 2:07.

Second Period:
Late in the second, Minnesota would finally slip one around Pekka Rinne with a wrister from Justin Fontaine at 18:53.
Minnesota would end the second period leading Nashville, not only in goals, but in shots on goal with eleven to six.

Third Period:
Pekka would continue to battle against an aggressive Wild team, only to be pulled for the extra man late in the game. Unfortunately for Nashville, Jason Pominville would collect an empty-netter for the game-winning goal at 19:35.

Exhausted and with no heads in the game, Nashville stood no chance against a win-hungry Minnesota Wild. However, Nashville returns home Thursday to take on a recent opponent, the Winnipeg Jets. After the outstanding win Saturday, will the Predators know which buttons to push on the Jets?

2013-14 Regular Season Schedule

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Like I mentioned in the post before this, with the agreement on the Olympics we now have the official 2013-14 NHL regular season schedule! Here it is in all its glory:

Thu. Oct. 3 at St. Louis, 7 p.m.
Fri. Oct. 4 at Colorado, 8 p.m.
Tue. Oct. 8 Minnesota, 7 p.m.
Thu. Oct. 10 Toronto, 7 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 12 N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m.
Tue. Oct. 15 Florida, 7 p.m.
Thu. Oct. 17 Los Angeles, 7 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 19 at Montreal, 6 p.m.
Sun. Oct. 20 at Winnipeg, 7 p.m.
Tue. Oct. 22 at Minnesota, 7 p.m.
Thu. Oct. 24 Winnipeg, 7 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 26 St. Louis, 7 p.m.
Thu. Oct. 31 at Phoenix, 8 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 2 at Los Angeles, 3 p.m.
Wed. Nov. 6 at Colorado, 8:30 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 8 at Winnipeg, 7 p.m.
Sun. Nov. 10 at New Jersey, 6 p.m.
Tue. Nov. 12 at N.Y. Islanders, 6 p.m.
Fri. Nov. 15 at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 16 Chicago, 7 p.m.
Tue. Nov. 19 at Detroit, 6:30 p.m.
Thu. Nov. 21 at Toronto, 6 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 23 N.Y. Rangers, 7 p.m.
Mon. Nov. 25 Phoenix, 7 p.m.
Wed. Nov. 27 at Columbus, 6 p.m.
Thu. Nov. 28 Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Sat. Nov. 30 Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Tue. Dec. 3 Vancouver, 7 p.m.
Thu. Dec. 5 Carolina, 7 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 7 at Washington, 6 p.m.
Tue. Dec. 10 at N.Y. Rangers, 6:30 p.m.
Thu. Dec. 12 Dallas, 7 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 14 San Jose, 7 p.m.
Tue. Dec. 17 Chicago, 7 p.m.
Thu. Dec. 19 at Tampa Bay, 6:30 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 21 Montreal, 6 p.m.
Mon. Dec. 23 Boston, 7 p.m.
Fri. Dec. 27 at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 28 Los Angeles, 7 p.m.
Mon. Dec. 30 Detroit, 7 p.m.
Thu. Jan. 2 at Boston, 6 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 4 at Florida, 6 p.m.
Sun. Jan. 5 at Carolina, 6 p.m.
Tue. Jan. 7 San Jose, 7 p.m.
Thu. Jan. 9 Anaheim, 7 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 11 Ottawa, 6 p.m.
Sun. Jan. 12 Minnesota, 6 p.m.
Tue. Jan. 14 Calgary, 7 p.m.
Thu. Jan. 16 at Philadelphia, 6 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 18 Colorado, 7 p.m.
Mon. Jan. 20 Dallas, 7 p.m.
Thu. Jan. 23 at Vancouver, 9 p.m.
Fri. Jan. 24 at Calgary, 8 p.m.
Sun. Jan. 26 at Edmonton, 7 p.m.
Tue. Jan. 28 at Winnipeg, 7 p.m.
Fri. Jan. 31 New Jersey, 7 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 1 at St. Louis, 7 p.m.
Thu. Feb. 6 at Minnesota, 7 p.m.
Sat. Feb. 8 Anaheim, 7 p.m.
Thu. Feb. 27 Tampa Bay, 7 p.m.
Sat. March 1 Winnipeg, 1 p.m.
Tue. March 4 Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Thu. March 6 St. Louis, 7 p.m.
Sat. March 8 Columbus, 7 p.m.
Mon. March 10 at Ottawa, 6:30 p.m.
Tue. March 11 at Buffalo, 6 p.m.
Fri. March 14 at Chicago, 7 p.m.
Sat. March 15 St. Louis, 7 p.m.
Tue. March 18 at Edmonton, 8:30 p.m.
Wed. March 19 at Vancouver, 9 p.m.
Fri. March 21 at Calgary, 8 p.m.
Sun. March 23 at Chicago, 6 p.m.
Tue. March 25 Colorado, 7 p.m.
Thu. March 27 Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Fri. March 28 at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Sun. March 30 Washington, 7 p.m.
Fri. April 4 at Anaheim, 9 p.m.
Sat. April 5 at San Jose, 9:30 p.m.
Tue. April 8 at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Thu. April 10 Phoenix, 7 p.m.
Sat. April 12 Chicago, 7 p.m.
Sun. April 13 at Minnesota, 7 p.m.

We will add it under the Schedule page momentarily.
Which games are you marking on your calendar?

Preds release Pre-Season Schedule

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Ready for some pre-season action?

It’s here, it’s here, it’s here! Okay, so it isn’t the regular season schedule, but it’s just as good when it’s July and hockey is still two months away. Here is the schedule:

September 16, 2013 – at Florida Panthers – 1:30PM
September 16, 2013 – at Florida Panthers – 6PM
September 19, 2013 – at Tampa Bay Lightning – 6:30PM
September 22, 2013 – Home against New York Islanders – 5PM
September 24, 2013 – Home against Tampa Bay Lightning – 7PM
September 25, 2013 – at Washington Capitals – 6PM
September 27, 2013 – at New York Islanders – 6PM

So, although it truly starts the 16th, Preds fans will have to wait until Sunday the 22nd before they can settle in the cushioned seats at the Bridgestone Arena.

Have you already have your calendars marked for the 22nd and 24th? We might have…

Preds sign Hendricks, Hutton & Nystrom

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The Preds are signing faster than I can post!In addition to nabbing Stalberg and Cullen, Nashville has also added goalie Carter Hutton,  center Matt Hendricks and Left Winger Eric Nystrom to their list of new names.

Goalie Carter Hutton has been spending his days on the AHL level with the Rockford IceHogs, but was called up for one game during the playoffs with the Blackhawks. Will he be the immediate backup for Peks? We aren’t 100% sure but Poile was able to sign him to a one-year, two-way contract worth $550,000 on the NHL level, $100,000 on the AHL level.

Matt Hendricks, on the other hand, is familiar with the Nashville Predators organization. Drafted 131st overall in the 4th Round of the 2000 NHL Draft, it was Nashville that claimed the youngin’. Unfortunately, after taking a stab at college, Hendricks turned down a contract offered from Nashville and bounced around from team to team until finally settling with the Washington Capitals. He finally returned to the Preds for a contract worth four years, $1.85 million.

Last signee of the day is Left Winger Eric Nystrom of the Dallas Stars. The Predators were able to acquire the veteran for a four-year, $2.5 million contract.

Nashville is racking up with Forwards, but are they finished for today? We don’t think so. So much for us being productive on this rainy day at work…

Preds sign Stalberg & Cullen

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Looks like Predators have broken the ice on this first day of Free Agency. While other teams attacked with full force, Nashville sat back for a moment before taking the leap for Right Winger Viktor Stalberg from the Chicago Blackhawks. Just fresh off his recent Stanley Cup win, maybe the momentum will still be there when he suits for the Preds? We are hoping so because David Poile just signed the Swede to a 4-year, $12 million contract.

Just announced deal is Matt Cullen (no relation to Edward – I so funny, eh?), a 36-year-old Center from the Wild for two years, $7 million. He’s a bit under the radar, but what we do know is that this guy outscored everyone of Nashville’s current forwards… Yea…

We’ll keep you updated as the players get signed… or not signed.