Tag: Pekka Rinne

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)

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 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.

Double Dose for Avalanche: Predators Sweep Back-to-Back Games

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Pekka Rinne makes an unbelievable save against Colorado’s Milan Hejduk.

 

On Tuesday night, the Nashville Predators and the Colorado Avalanche began a two-game back-t0-back schedule, starting out in Denver, then moving the action to Nashville on Thursday. The Predators and the Avalanche only meet three times during this season, and with the first two being back-t0-back, both teams were looking to dominate the two-game series. Since we’re writing this with the Philadelphia game tonight in Nashville, we’ll shorten both games with the highlights of both games. That, and you probably already know who dominated the two-game series…!

 

Tuesday in Denver :

  •  Jerred Smithson and Jack Hillen found themselves scratched for the night in Denver. Although Jack Hillen’s scratch was a healthy one, Smithson’s was a little more complicated. Due to an undetermined lower-body injury, Smithson’s condition could render him out for a few games.
  • The Predators came out in Denver with hunger in their eyes, completely dominating the first period. The Predators in the first period alone had thirteen shots compared to the Avalanche’s six, if that tells you anything.
  • Nick Spaling drew blood first at 4:31 in the first period, with assistance from Jordin Tootoo and rookie Gabriel Bourque.
  • Thanks to a tripping penalty from Colorado’s T.J. Galiardi, Ryan Ellis was able to notch his second NHL career goal at 7:41 on the power play. He was assisted by Martin Erat and fellow rookie Roman Josi.
  • From his assist on Ellis’s goal, Martin Erat was quick to make a goal of his own at 15:05 with assistance from Mike Fisher and Ryan Suter.
  • Ryan O’Reilly would put the Avalanche on the board at 19:24 of the second period on a power play due to a hooking call on Francis Bouillon, but it wasn’t enough for the Avalanche to stop the Predators.
  • Patric Hornqvist would finish up the game with a goal at 15:34 in the 3rd period with assistance from Ryan Ellis.
  • As this season has proven, anytime Nick Spaling scores, the Predators haven’t lost in regulation. Nick Spaling should score more often.
  • Pekka was also on his game Tuesday night, blocking 32 of 33 shots on goal. Although the Avalanche were able to score their one and only goal on the PP, both the Predators and the Avalanche had the same amount of penalty chances. Here are the three Predators who sat in the box:
  1.  Matt Halischuk – 2:53 2nd Period – Interference on Goalkeeper
  2. Francis Bouillon – 18:25 2nd Period – Hooking
  3. Patric Hornqvist – 0:15 3rd Period – Interference
  • It was clear the Avalanche were not prepared for complete domination from the Predators Tuesday night, but were they more prepared for Nashville on Thursday night…?

 

Thursday in Nashville:

  • Both Jack Hillen and Jerred Smithson were scratched again against Colorado, with Smithson’s injury still tying him down.
  • Although the Predators dominated the Avalanche in Colorado, the Avalanche were more prepared when they arrived in Nashville, with Ryan O’Reilly scored unassisted at 6:09, putting Colorado on the board first.
  • At 12:17, Gabriel Landeskog put the Avalanche up 2-0, sending the Predators into panic mode.
  • In the 2nd period, David Legwand gave the Predators their first goal of the game at 11:02 with assistance from Matt Halischuk and Francis Bouillion.
  • Sergei Kostitsyn tied the game for the Predators at 8:48 in the 3rd period, with assistance from Mike Fisher and Roman Josi. Neither team was able to score again, thus throwing the game into overtime.
  • Thirty-four seconds into over time, David Legwand was able to slip one passed Colorado’s goalie, Jean-Sebastien Giguere to seal the game in the Predators favor.
  • Although they dominated the game in Denver, the Predators did not out-shoot the Avalanche, where as they did during this game 35 to 29. Even though Pekka let a few more get passed him than during the first game, he was still able to block 27 of 29.
  • The Predators also had six chances to score on the power play, but did not capitalize on any of them. The Avalanche were only given two chances, yet nor did they use them to their advantage (and they were given a double minor). Here are the two Preds that spent some unwanted time in the penalty box:
  1. David Legwand – 6:49 1st Period – Cross Checking
  2. Craig Smith – 16:17 1st Period – Hi-Sticking (double minor)
  •  Due to the snowy weather outside, the Predators were only 200 tickets short of another sellout, but Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers is sure to fix that issue.

 

For a team to collect all four available points on a back-t0-back series is pretty outstanding, even if one of them went into over time. The next time the Predators will see the Avalanche will be Thursday, March 8th. Hopefully, by that time, Shane O’Brien will be off the Injured Reserve (he was placed on it just days before the first meeting on Tuesday).

The Predators welcome the Philadelphia Flyers tonight at 7PM, then are off to New York to face the Islanders and the Rangers next week. The Predators will return to Nashville on Saturday, January 21st to face the Chicago Blackhawks.

Until tonight,
GO PREDS.

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

Predators Pick Swedish Goalie for #38 in NHL Draft

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Even though he’s Swedish, he sort of looks like a baby Pekka!

With the #38 draft pick, the Nashville Predators selected Magnus Hellburg of Sweden. Although some are wondering if the Predators needed another goalie, considering the awe inspiring moves of Pekka Rinne this past season, but that may have been the reason Poile chose another goalie. Supposedly, young Magnus is a beast on the ice, similar to Pekka, so no matter what, he could come in handy. As you may have guess by his age, however, he won’t exactly be jumping straight into a Predators jersey this coming season. Hellburg signed a two-year contract with Frölunda of Swedish Elite League.

Like we said, some are a little concerned by our first actual draft pick, but you can check out his stats here. From his stats, we have a feeling he will fit well in the line of Nashville goalies.