Tag: Pekka Rinne

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.

Blues Crush Predators 6-1

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Image Courtesy: Getty Images

Well, what can I say about last night’s game? Glad I was celebrating my college’s Homecoming, perhaps? Nah, I would’ve gone down with this ship if I had been there, but ouch; what a terrible way to start a long, seven-game road trip. The St. Louis Blues have always picked on little brother Nashville, but last night’s performance made even the strongest stomachs do a few flips, even all the way in Cookeville.

So, were there any highlights from last night’s game? Eh, one or two, but if I was a Blues blogger, I’d be up all night with this one. But there are still somethings we can discuss:

First Period:

  • Alexander Steen collected his ninth goal of the season on a powerplay brought about from a tripping call from Colin Wilson at 5:27. It only took Steen seven seconds to score, with the penalty beginning at 5:20.
  • St. Louis would pound Carter Hutton in the net with shots-on-goal at 17. Nashville was only able to send eight towards Jaroslav Halak.

Second Period:

  • T.J. Oshie would nab his second goal of the season with a tip-in at 7:35.
  • Jaden Schwartz would collect his second goal as well at 11:36.
  • Nashville took more shots in the second period, eight to St. Louis’ four.

Third Period:

  • Fifty-two seconds into the third, Nick Spaling would attempt to turn the tables, capitalizing with a short-handed goal, his first goal of the season. Mattias Ekholm would grab his first assist of the season.
  • Alexander Steen was well on his way to a Hat Trick with his second goal of the night at 4:37, his tenth goal of the season.
  • Predators would fall 5-1 with a goal from Derek Roy at 7:48.
  • Carter Hutton would be pulled after Roy’s goal, with Magnus Hellberg getting his first shot on NHL ice.
  • Alex Pietrangelo would score his first goal of the season on the powerplay to end the game in St. Louis’ favor, 6-1.

Welp, not too much to say after that game except Pekka’s injury has a lot of people freaking out. However, you cannot blame Carter Hutton for the awful game, though he isn’t out of the hot water just yet.

Also, the fact that Viktor Stalberg continues to be healthy scratched is not a good sign between he and Barry Trotz. He has expressed his distain and, you sort of side with the guy. Fourth line with Hendricks and Gaustad? Yea, not exactly an area to produce much from. It’s easy to understand his frustration but… that is the way of the Trotz. Someone has to take up residency in his dog house, and it looks like Mr. Stalberg has found his way.

Nashville has a few days off before heading out to Arizona to take on Phoenix on Halloween at 8PM.

Smith with Wild GWG in OT; Preds edge Jet 3-2

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Image Courtesy: Getty Images

Didn’t the Predators just play the Jets?
Oh yes, they did; and they won in Winnipeg 3-1. So, would the boys be able to capitalize over the former Atlanta Thrashers once again? Especially after the punishing loss in Minnesota on Tuesday? The home crowd always builds some much needed confidence, so here are the highlights from last night’s overtime game:

BEFORE THE GAME:

  • Late Wednesday afternoon, word started floating around that Magnus Hellberg, the 38th overall draftee (first goalie) in the 2011 NHL Draft and the current goalie for the Milwaukee Admirals, would be called up for the Thursday night game.
  • Carter Hutton took to practice on Tuesday, but Pekka Rinne was nowhere in sight, which got the ball rolling on speculations as to what was wrong with the Finnish Phenom.
  • Word was made official yesterday during a press conference with the media regarding Pekka’s condition. Feeling weak and with a high temperature, Rinne bowed out of practice and it was revealed that he has a spontaneous bacterial infection in his surgically repaired hip.

Yikes. For any of us that have experience with hip surgeries (no, not me personally), you know that those kind of infections can be serious. Luckily for Peks, it was caught quickly and the medically staff he has access to will not allow the infection to spread by any means. So, in a nutshell, Pekka is out for a minimum of four weeks and it is up to the level-headed Carter Hutton to step up to the starting goalie plate.

  • Mike Fisher skated in practice yesterday, along with concussed Roman Josi. Though Roman is still not 100%, Fisher didn’t hesitate to jump back into the game last night. After his wife, Carrie Underwood accidentally revealed that his lower-body injury was indeed a foot fracture, we assume Mike decided it was time to shake it off and hit the ice. You can’t hate on Carrie for the accidentally slip; it happens sometimes in passing and, unfortunately, this one happened on Twitter were scoop-hungry media ate it right up.

First Period:

  • Shea Weber would get the ball rolling in favor of Nashville at 15:53 with a powerplay slapshot that Ondrej Pavelec just couldn’t wrap his mitts around. David Legwand (5th assist) and Filip Forsberg (3rd assist) picked up the assists in Weber’s third goal of the season.
  • Nashville would end the first period outshooting the Jets just 10 to 9, but Carter Hutton was well-prepared to prove he could backup Pekka Rinne.

Second Period:

  • Winnipeg would finally slip one around Hutton with a wrap-around from Anthony Peluso for his first goal of the season. The second period would end with both teams tied at 1.
  • Winnipeg attacked the puck during this period, outshooting Nashville 14 to 9. It was not surprising that at least one shot would inch past Hutton, but it was actually a sneaky one that did it.

Third Period:

  • Patric Horqnvist would hit a snap shot to put Nashville up again, this time 2-1 at 6:04 for his fourth goal of the season. Mike Fisher (4th assist) and Seth Jones (3rd assist) would nab the assists.
  • Blake Wheeler wouldn’t give up so easily, sending a wrister past Hutton at 16:59 to tie the game again.

Despite extreme effort, both teams were unable to end the regulation period with a game-winner, sending the game into OT.

Overtime:

  • Only two shots between each team was taken during overtime, and it was Craig Smith would was able to capitalize on his shot.
  • With only 17 seconds left in overtime, Craig Smith, who has been stellar thus far this season, sent a slapshot past Pavelec with the help of David Legwand (6th assist) to win the game. Here’s the video:

As we mentioned, Craig Smith has been a quiet stud thus far this season, the kind of stud we have expected from him for a while. After his performance for Team USA during the IIHF series, we were starting to wonder when that grace would hit the NHL ice. So far, with 11 GPs, Smith is currently sitting in 14th amongst the league. We have this feeling his league rank will be getting closer to the Top 10 very soon.

The Predators have one last home game before going on a seven-game road trip. The Preds will not return to Nashville until Saturday, November 16th when they welcome in the 2013 Stanley Cup Champions, the Chicago Blackhawks.

Added Bonus:
Rich+Clune+Los+Angeles+Kings+v+Colorado+Avalanche+OfXJmj8sOf9lRich Clune vs. Matt Hendricks – September 23, 2009
Think they remember this now that they’re teammates?

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?

Hutton leads Predators over Jets 3-1

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Image Courtesy: Getty Images

The Predators have had some great outcomes thus far this season, but tonight it was finally time to let the Finnish phenom take a break and let the backup try his hand at a full NHL game. Insert: Carter Hutton, the confident backup for Pekka Rinne who has only had one shot at protecting an NHL basket. When was that? First game of the season when Peks was pulled in the first period against the St. Louis Blues. But hey, Pekka’s looking much better now (scared me there for a moment).

So, how did Hutton fair against Matt Halischuk and the Winnipeg Jets? Here are the highlights:

First Period:

  • No goals were tallied during the first, but Matt Cullen did collect the only penalty between both teams in the first at 15:58 with a hooking call on Matt Halischuk. Nashville was able to keep Winnipeg at bay, despite the Jets outshooting the Predators 15 to 12.

Second Period:

  • Ten seconds in, Matt Hendricks would head to the box for a tripping call, giving the Jets an early advantage in the opening of the second period.
  • Eric Nystrom didn’t mind being down a man, sending a wrister past Ondrej Pavelec for a shorthanded goal just twenty seconds in.
  • Patric Hornqvist would collect this third goal of the season at 12:07 with an unassisted snapshot.
  • Matt Cullen would pick up his second goal of the season at 14:17 with assists from Colin Wilson 4th assist) and Craig Smith (5th assist).
  • Winnipeg would lead Nashville in shots on goal with eleven to seven at the end of the second.

Third Period:

  • Evander Kane would collect his fifth goal of the season with a tip-in past Hutton, though it was simply a case of “lost puck”.
  • Carter Hutton and the Preds would hold off the Jets 3-1, despite being outshot in total 26 to 39.
  • Hutton would inevitably block 38 of those 39 shots; pretty good for his first full NHL game, right?

The NHL take notice of Hutton’s success as proven with this tweet:

Well, we had our stats wrong shots wise, but oh well.

Nashville has just one more game on the road before they head back home Thursday and, who’s that team? The Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

Preds Rookie Poise 2; Canadiens 1

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The Predators started their mini road trip with the first stop in Montreal against the 5-2-0 Canadiens. Nashville didn’t fair so well against fellow Original Six Canadian team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, so how would they fair against the Habs?

Well, you’re about to find out:

FIRST PERIOD:

  • Shea Weber found the net first at 12:31 with a powerplay goal due to a deflection off of Josh Gorges. David Legwand (3rd assist) and Filip Forsberg (2nd assist) picked up the assists on Weber’s wrister.
  • Eight penalties (three on Nashville, five on Montreal) would be tallied during the first period, with Weber the only one capitalizing on said chances.
  • Controversy came at 14:15 when Victor Bartley was given a goaltender interference penalty after being blatantly tripped into Carey Price. Luckily, Nashville used its penalty kill well and avoided a goal from the Habs.

SECOND PERIOD:

  • Brendan Gallagher would tie the game at 7:02 with a wrister past Pekka Rinne, his fourth goal of the season.

The game would remain tied at 1 at the end of the second period.

THIRD PERIOD:

  • Nashville would notch three penalties in the third, giving Montreal almost every possible chance to take the lead as possible, but Nashville’s penalty kill has been on point as of late.
  • At 18:33, the rookie that was picked 4th overall in the 2013 NHL Draft collected his second goal of the season (and second NHL goal overall) with a clean wrist shot past Carey Price. David Legwand (4th assist) and Colin Wilson (3rd assist) helped setup the puck for Jones’ incredible goal. See video below:

Wowza. Yep. Wowza.

The Predators would keep Montreal at bay until the final buzzer, collecting their first away game win of the season.
The Predators have no time to celebrate, though; it’s off to Winnipeg to take on Matt Halischuk and the Jets, the first meeting of the two new conference rivals this season.

Preds Fall to Kings in SO, 2-1

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pekkarinne

The Predators had arguably the best game performance of the season Thursday night, despite falling short in the shootout against the L.A. Kings. To keep this short and sweet since WordPress finally wants to work & because this game was three days ago, we’ll jump straight to the highlights:

FIRST PERIOD:

  • Matt Cullen would notch his first goal as a Predator at 10:33 with wrister past Jonathan Quick. Craig Smith (4th assist) and Gabriel Bourque (2nd assist) would gain the assists on Cullen’s first goal.
  • Just before the end of the period, L.A. would tie the game with a wrister from Slava Voynov at 19:18, his second goal of the season.

SECOND, THIRD & OVERTIME PERIODS:

  • Neither teams would be able to capitalize on the many penalties tallied in the second, third & overtime periods. Jonathan Quick would lose his helmet a few times, causing some understandable frustration in both the Preds and fans.

SHOOTOUT:
Craig Smith – MISS
Mike Richards – MISS
Filip Forsberg – MISS
Jeff Carter – MISS
Matt Cullen – MISS
Anze Kopitar – GOAL

Nashville came away victorious in the shots-on-goal area, notching 35 over L.A.’s 30. Nashville’s penalty kill has been on the up-and-up, which has always been a weak spot for them. The Predators end their home stance 3-3-1.

Predators best Panthers 4-3

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Image courtesy: Frederick Breedon

After being crushed 3-0 by the L.A. Kings, the Florida Panthers were hoping to regain some ground in Nashville, but the Predators, high off their win over the Islanders on Saturday, had other ideas. Nashville didn’t have such good luck against the Panthers in the preseason, but tonight was another ballgame. Here are the highlights from tonight’s game:

FIRST PERIOD:

  • Nashville sent out their claws first, with Shea Weber scoring his first goal of the season with a clean slapshot at 9:23. Mike Fisher (3rd assist) and Colin Wilson (2nd assist) picked up the assists on the captain’s goal.
  • Florida would out-shoot Nashville nine to six, but Pekka Rinne and the defense would keep the Panthers at bay during the first period.

SECOND PERIOD:

  • The Panthers would come out swinging in the second, with Jonathan Huberdeau would send a wrister past Pekka at 1:16 for his third goal of the season.
  • Mike Fisher would give the Predators the lead once again at 12:48 with his second goal of the season. Craig Smith (3rd assist) and Seth Jones (2nd assist) would help on the assist for Fisher’s goal.
  • Florida would tie it once more at 13:30 with a slapshot from former Predator, Marcel Goc for his third goal of the season.
  • Nashville would take the lead on shots-on-goal, with nine over Florida’s eight.

THIRD PERIOD:

  • Craig Smith would give Nashville another lead early in the third at 1:22 with a backhander for his first goal of the season. Gabriel Bourque would pick up his first assist and Shea Weber would nab his second on Smith’s goal.
  • Patric Hornqvist would help the Preds up 4-2 over the Panthers with a powerplay goal at 5:13 for his second goal of the season. David Legwand (2nd assist) and Filip Forsberg (1st assist) would collect the assists on Hornqvist’s goal.
  • Matt Gilroy would put the Panthers within one at 11:37 with a wrister, but it just wasn’t enough in the end to edge past the Predators for the win.
  • Nashville would again overpower Florida when it came to shots, out-shooting the Panthers fifteen to eight in the third alone.

Overall, Nashville would out-shoot Florida 30 to 25 and come out with the victory of 4-3.
Also to note, tonight was David Legwand’s 900th NHL game.

The Predators welcome the 4-3-0 L.A. Kings Thursday night, who actually lost 5-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight. Will that take down the Kings a peg or will that form a chip on their shoulder? Guess we’ll find out Thursday!

Preds top Islanders; Jones nabs first NHL Goal

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sethjonesSaturday was wedding day for us, but for all the other Preds fans out there, it was a day to celebrate. After a crushing 0-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night, the Predators knew something had to change in order to not make that mistake again. And Nashville did not disappoint against the 2-1-1 New York Islanders. Here are the highlights from Saturdays game:

FIRST PERIOD:

  • Though no goals were collected for either side, Nashville took the reins and notched nine shots on goal to the Islanders’ four. However, similar to Nashville’s attempt on Toronto’s Bernier, Evgeni Nabokov just wasn’t letting the puck in the net.

SECOND PERIOD:

  • Thanks to a boarding penalty given to Casey Cizikas against Eric Nystrom 51 seconds into the period, rookie Seth Jones was able to collect his first career NHL goal at 1:03 with a slapshot assisted by veterans David Legwand (1st assist) and Shea Weber (1st assist). You can watch the goal here:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-Xaik3y_qA
  • The Islanders would respond at 12:39 with a snap shot past Pekka Rinne from Frederik Nielsen for his second goal of the season.
  • New York would jump ahead of the Predators at 15:28 with a wrist shot from John Tavares, his third goal of the season. For those interested, Tavares is also an amateur dentist. On Friday night, he didn’t even hesitate to yank out his own tooth after taking a puck to the face. Here’s a lovely .gif, if you don’t believe me (you may have to click on it to get it to go, but fair warning):

toothYea, we couldn’t help but put that in here.

  • Late in the second period, at 19:07, Patric Hornqvist tied up the game with a wrister for his first goal of the season. Colin Wilson and Ryan Ellis picked up the assist.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMZN-Bi0shs

THIRD PERIOD:

  • Ryan Ellis would seal the deal for Nashville at 3:23 with his first goal of the season. Matt Cullen (2nd assist) and Craig Smith (2nd assist) would pick up the assists on the game winning goal.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1P5kqws1qA

Was it because Viktor Stalberg jumped off the IR so quickly or maybe Gabriel Bourque’s return that boosted some Preds pride? We aren’t sure, but Stalberg’s offensive presence may have played a deciding factor in Saturday’s game. Both teams were given two powerplay chances, but surprisingly, Seth Jones was the only one able to capitalize on the opportunity (which is good for Nashville anytime).

The Predators welcome in the 2-4-0 Florida Panthers tomorrow, who are a little down in the dumps after getting shutout by the L.A. Kings 3-0 yesterday. But remember, the Predators lost to the Panthers during two of their preseason games (6 to 3, then 3 to 2 in OT).

But, let’s leave this post on an interesting side (wait, the Tavares tooth pull wasn’t good enough?); how about Ryan Ellis taking on new Predator, Eric Nystrom? Yes, little Ryan Ellis put up his dukes against Eric Nystrom, who was then with the Dallas Stars. Here’s the video:

We are sure there isn’t any bad blood left.

Qualifying Offers, Draftees & KHL, Oh My!

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20130626-091731.jpg

Predators GM, David Poile spoke with the media yesterday regarding a few topics, including the upcoming draft and qualifying offers for currently players. The Preds organization is chomping at the bit for a top draft pick, and with the names that are in the hat, this high draft pick could be history-changing for the young team. Though, as much as the draft intrigues us, we have to admit it was more interesting to hear Poile’s take on some more familiar names and where they’d be for the 2013-14 season: Matt Halischuk, Jonathon Blum, Nick Spaling, and Sergei Kostitsyn.

David Poile stated that he did, in fact, extend a qualifying offer to Nick Spaling, which make no sense if he didn’t. Spaling wasn’t a powerhouse by any means this past season, but he knew when to make his presence count. With nine goals and four assists in the shortened 2012-13 season, Spals kept himself well on Barry Trotz’s good side. But two players Poile said he is “keeping his options open” with are Matt Halischuk and Jonathon Blum, two low radar players who have teetered on the fence between the Preds and their farm team, the Milwaukee Admirals. As much as we personally like Hally and Blummer, it might be wise for Poile to use them as leverage to swing a possible mid-to-late-round pick this weekend.

So with Nick Spaling pursued and Blum and Halischuk headed towards the door, that leaves Mr. Belarus himself. In a previous post, we relayed the information that SK74 had been offered a contract from the GM of Avangard-Omsk of the KHL. David Poile addressed this topic yesterday, confirming that there has been talks of “loaning” Sergei to the KHL, if he chooses to accept Avangard’s proposal. Due to a clause in the CBA, the Preds wouldn’t have to pay Kostitsyn’s salary or take his cap hit if he were to jump ship to Russia. Poile also stated that he would not risk a compliance buyout on SK74 and wants the issue resolved by July 5th.

Although Poile said that he’d ideally like to get a Top 6 forward, a Top 4 defenseman, and a backup goalie for Pekka Rinne, we are being skeptical and will wait to see his moves during this draft this weekend. We are hoping he does go in this order, however, as that is the magic combination for the Predators if they want to contend this upcoming season.