Tag: shea weber

Predators trounce Toronto 9-2; tie Franchise Record

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Source: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America

It’s the first meeting of two this season between the Nashville Predators and the Toronto Maple Leafs, with Nashville sitting 2nd in the Central Division and Toronto sitting 6th in the Atlantic. Though on different sides of the Conference Coin, both teams are looking to improve their appearances (Toronto is coming off a two-game losing streak and Nashville? Well, we always need positive press). So, were the Maple Leafs able to cut their losses and collect a win or is Nashville still clawing at St. Louis’s heels?
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First Period:
– Just 1:52 into the first period, the silent Taylor Beck clocks a wrister past Jonathan Bernier for his second goal of the season. Shea Weber (4) and Paul Gaustad (4) picked up the assists.
– A 10:14, Derek Roy nabbed his first goal (and point as a Pred) of the season with a backhander. Matt Cullen (4) and Ryan Ellis (7) collect the assists on Roy’s goal.
– Taylor Beck would finish off the first period with another goal, this time a backhander and on the powerplay for his third goal of the season. Filip Forsberg (13) and Seth Jones (5) would help with the assists.
– Toronto wasn’t that far being Nashville in SOG, with eight compared to Nashville’s twelve.

Second Period:
– Eric Nystrom picked up his third goal of the season at 18:45, putting the Predators up 4-0 over the Maple Leafs at the end of the second period. Taylor “on fiyah” Beck (2) and Craig Smith (4) picked up the assists.

Third Period:
– Mike Ribeiro set the third period on fire just 53 seconds into the period with a tip-in past Reimer. Ryan Ellis (8) would collect on the assist.
– Not even a minute later at 1:26, Filip Forsberg (9) would put Nashville up 6-0 with a deflected goal. Shea Weber (5) and Mike Ribeiro (11) would pick up the assists.
– Calle Jarnkrok would put the Preds up 7-0 at 3:06 for his first goal of the season with assistance from Colin Wilson (4) and Shea Weber (6).
– Pushing it 8-0 at 5:14, Roman Josi collects his third goal of the season with a wrap-around. Eric Nystrom (3) and Paul Gaustad (5) amass the assists.
– Former 2004 Nashville draft pick Mike Santorelli finally put Toronto on the board at 8:18 for his third goal of the season.
– Just a few minutes later at 10:32, Nazem Kadri (5) shot the Maple Leafs up 2-8 with assistance from Dion Phaneuf and former Predator, Cody Franson.
– Colin Wilson put Nashville up 9-2 at 17:28 with a snap shot for his second goal of the season; assistance from Calle Jarnkrok (2).

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And with Wilson’s goal (and much distaste from Toronto fans – many f-bombs dropped and a bag of what looked to be “sheet” and a jersey hit the ice), Nashville prevails in Canada on a Tuesday. Also prevailing is the fact Nashville has now tied their franchise record of number of goals scored in a game (vs. Calgary in 2006 and Pittsburgh in 2004). Oh, and let us also not forget the Predators have hopped-skipped-jumped St. Louis to take the lead of the Central Division… again. One more stat for the night: Shea Weber’s three assists tonight now tie him with Kimmo Timonen with 222 assists for Nashville.

Sadly, Olli Jokinen remains point-less, despite many chances tonight alone. However, just because he has been unsuccessful collecting a point, he has been a huge part in getting Nashville to where it is now, 12-4-2. You can see from the past few games that he is getting more and more frustrated, but his points will come.

Nashville is pushing eastward to face David Legwand in his new hometown of Ottawa on Thursday night, then it’s back to Nashville on Saturday night. But for tonight, it’s a celebration! Preds going up on Tuesday (as the cool kids say):

Preds Fall to Blues 4-3

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Source: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images North America

Ahh, another visit with the St. Louis Blues. Normally, a game this early wouldn’t be this pressurized (so to say), but because both St. Louis and Nashville are bouncing between first and second place within the Central Division, it’s going to have some tension. So, did Nashville cling to the coveted top spot or did St. Louis push its kid brother aside for first place?

First Period:
– Leave it to T.J. Oshie to put the Blues on the board first at 3:25 with his first goal of the season and a PPG on top of that. Oshie has been waiting for that goal since being placed on the IR after suffering a concussion back on October 28th against the Stars.
– The Blues would launch themselves up 2-0 at 12:45 with a goal from Carl Gunnarsson; his first goal of the season.
– Saving Grace Filip Forsberg would put Nashville on the board less than a minute later at 13:21 for his eight goal of the season. James Neal (5) and Roman Josi (5) would collect on the assists.

Second Period: – Captain Shea Weber would tie the game at 2 with his fifth goal of the season at 3:41. Filip Forsberg (11) and Roman Josi (6) would pick up the assists. WEB– At 15:18, Vladimir Tarasenko would work his magic for his tenth goal of the season, putting St. Louis up 3-2 late in the second.
– With under a second left in the second period, Roman Josi sunk a PPG to tie the game for his second goal of the season. Shea Weber (3) and Filip Forsberg (12) assisted in the tying goal.

Third Period:
– The lone goal of the third period would come from Paul Stastny, sealing the game and the top spot of the Central Division in favor of St. Louis.

So Nashville falls to St. Louis 4-3 in regulation, giving the Blues the reigning spot of the Central Division. However, Nashville is still right behind St. Louis, so one false move and they’ll be back in second place.

Preds give Jets Third straight Win

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Source: Sports.Yahoo.com

We’ll keep this short: Lots of penalties by both sides, yet it was Nashville’s special teams that ultimately failed in the long run.

First Period:
– The Jets wasted no time taking the lead at 2:53 with a PPG from Andrew Ladd (5).
– Not even three minutes later, Winnipeg would capitalize on yet another power play, taking the lead 2-0. – Number of penalties: two (both on Nashville – Matt Cullen (interference) and Colin Wilson (hooking)).
– Head Coach Peter Laviolette took a puck to the head late in the first period after Jacob Trouba slung one into the Preds bench. Laviolette stayed glued to the bench until the end of the period, but returned in the second with a fresh set of stitches.
Screen shot 2014-11-10 at 6.47.49 PMSecond Period:
– Leave it to Prince Filip to put Nashville on the board at 16:17 for his fourth goal of the season. Shea Weber (2) and Mike Ribeiro (7) picked up the assists.
KrRRMx– Number of penalties: four (three Winnipeg, one Preds – Roman Josi (roughing)).

Third Period:
– Blake Wheeler would seal the deal for Winnipeg with an empty-netter at 18:20.
– Number of penalties: five (three Winnipeg, two Nashville – Mattias Ekholm (holding) and Taylor Beck (spearing)).

Again, needless to say, the special teams has some work to do – it always has, but after tonight’s performance, it cannot be ignored any longer. Teams are quickly figuring out that, if they can get Nashville on the penalty kill, they just about have goal in the bag. Pekka Rinne and Carter Hutton can only do so much on their own.

Weekend Review: Still Undefeated in Regulation

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Image Source: Zimbio.com

Image Source: Zimbio.com

This past weekend was filled with some ups and downs if you are a follower of the Nashville Predators, but overall, it was a good weekend. The Preds took a quick road trip Northward, making pit stops in both Winnipeg and Chicago on the way home. Back-t0-back nights can be rough on any team, and Nashville is no exception… especially when you are facing a notoriously dangerous team like the Blackhawks on the second night of that back-to-back. But, as mentioned before, Nashville came back a little bruised, but certainly not beaten. Here are the quick highlights from Friday night’s escapade in Winnipeg and Saturday night’s throwdown in the Windy City.

Preds @ Jets – W 2-0
First Period:
– Mike Ribeiro got the ball rolling at 16:20 in the first period for his second goal of the season. Seth Jones (1) and Anton Volchenkov (1) picked up the assists.
Second Period:
– No goals in the second period, but Winnipeg came out swinging with ten shots on goal to Nashville’s seven.

Third Period:
– James Neal would light his first lamp in gold at 7:31 in the third with some assistance from Filip Forsberg (4) and Anton Volchenkov (2).

Three Stars of the Game:
1st Star: Pekka Rinne – First shutout of the season
2nd Star: Anton Volchenkov, two assists.
3rd Star: Ondrej Pavelec

 

Preds @ Blackhawks – L 2-1 OT
First Period:
– Johnny Oduya wasted no time drawing blood at 1:49 for his first goal of the season.
– Shea Weber would match Oduya’s goal at 11:17 with a powerplay goal, his third goal thus far of the season. Mike Ribeiro (1) and Colin Wilson (2) claimed the assists.
– Nashville came out on the sluggish end in the first period, with Carter Hutton getting his money worth with 12 shots on goal compared to Nashville’s miniscule three. However, it only took three shots to sink one for Nashville, whereas it took twelve for Chicago to slip one by Hutton. Glass half full, yes?

Second Period:
– Nada in the second period in the terms of goals, with Nashville only tallying one shot on goal during this period. Eek.

Third Period:
– Another goal-less period, but this time with Nashville ramping up the shots factor to twelve.

Overtime Hockey:
– Overtime didn’t last too long for both sides, as Jonathan Toews managed a breakaway to sink a shorthanded goal, ending the game in favor of Chicago 2-1.

 

So, one shutout against Winnipeg is in the books and one loss in overtime to Chicago. But hey – Nashville has not lost in regulation yet, thus keeping them ranked #1 in the Central Division. So, as I mentioned before, not all from this weekend was a loss and it ended up being pretty good for the Preds — minus their continuation of coming out in a sluggish, uncoordinated fashion as of late. Preds are back home this Tuesday against Martin Erat and the Phoenix Arizona Coyotes for a three-game stance (with Chicago and Pittsburgh heading this way, too).

Preds Outrival Stars 4-1

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Image Source: Zimbio.com

Image Source: Zimbio.com

The Predators continued their home stand last night by rolling out the carpet to divisional rival, the Dallas Stars. During the off-season, Nashville and its citizens were given a new reason to despise our neighbors to the West, due in part to a little nah-saying from a new member of the Stars, Jason Spezza. The Center made it verbally clear before being traded from the Ottawa Senators that he would not want to come to Nashville and join the Predators. Welp, I sure hope you don’t need that bridge one day, Mr. Spezza, as you not only lit the match, you torched the entire viaduct. Good job.

Anywho – enough about that guy – after slipping past the Senators Thursday with a win, how would Nashville fair against a tougher opponent with Dallas? Smoke ’em, that’s what. Here are the highlights:

Scratches: Rich Clune & Victor Bartley
Starting Lineup: Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm, Eric Nystrom, Paul Gaustad (A), Taylor Beck, Pekka Rinne

First Period:
– The Stars took control early in the first with a goal from Antoine Roussel at 7:14.
– Gaustad would drop the gloves with former Predator, Vernon Fiddler at 11:37
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Second Period:
– With less than one minute left in the second period, the Captain would notch his second goal of the season at 19:19 to tie the game at 1. Filip Forsberg (3) and Derek Roy (2) would collect the assists on Weber’s goal.

Third Period:
– Just like on Thursday, the third period would be Nashville’s waking point, with Paul Gaustad sinking his first goal of the season at 8:33. Taylor Beck (1) and Eric Nystrom (1) would pick up the assists.
– After collecting an assist, Eric Nystrom would go a step further and pick up a goal at 9:54, his second of the season. Gaustad (3) would nab the assist.
– Roman Josi would finish the beating with an empty-netter at 19:57 for his first goal of the season, with Eric Nystrom (2) collecting another assist and Shea Weber (1) picking up his first of the night and season.

Three Stars of the Game:
1st Star – Paul Gaustad
2nd Star – Eric Nystrom
3rd Star – Shea Weber

The Predators wrap up their first home stand Tuesday night as they welcome in the Calgary Flames.

Preds take Home Opener over Senators 3-2

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Happy Friday, everyone and boy, doesn’t it feel good to officially have hockey back in the Athens of the South? The Preds made sure you were awake last night as the narrowed passed the Ottawa Senators for a 3-2 victory in their Home Opener. So, without further ado, here is your recap from last night’s nail-biter:

Scratches/IR: Victor Bartley, Taylor Beck, Mike Fisher (IR), Matt Cullen (IR), Viktor Stalberg (IR).

Notes before the Game: Has everyone seen the awesome opening video/projector-on-ice show that the Preds outdid themselves with last night? If you haven’t, we have the YouTube link below, but if you want to see this in person, you better have or find tickets to Saturday’s game against Dallas. Jump to the 2:00 minute mark to see the projector show in action — special thanks to Jeremy K. Gover for the video.

y5XBNDPardon my language but… that was pretty. damn. cool. Again, if you missed it last night, be there tomorrow night.

First Period:
– No goals with Nashville out-shooting Ottawa 13 to 9.

Second Period:
– Ottawa would strike first on the board at 1:15 into the 2nd Period with goal from Kyle Turris. The Senators would hold Nashville at bay through the remainder of the second period.
– Nashville would remain on top of Ottawa in terms of shots, taking 10 to Ottawa’s five.
– In an “old habits die hard” moment, David Legwand – who spent an eon with the Predators and was their first ever draft pick – headed to the wrong penalty box after tripping Seth Jones. .Gif courtesy of the fine folks over at On The Forecheck.
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Third Period A.K.A. Wakey-Wakey Time:
– Thanks to a penalty from Jared Cowen at 19:41 in the second period, Nashville started the third period out with a lovely power play, which Craig Smith took advantage of for his first goal of the season. Smith was assisted by Filip Forsberg (1) and Derek Roy (1).
– Less than seven minutes later, Shea Weber would give the Predators a 2-1 with a wrap around goal with some assistance from Ryan Ellis (1) and Paul Gaustad (1).
– Not to be outdone, Eric Nystrom would answer at 10:20 with his first goal of the season, pushing Nashville up 3-1 with assistance from Paul Gaustad (2) and Filip Forsberg (2).
– However, the Senators weren’t snoozing through the third. Ottawa’s Alex Chiasson would sink one past Pekka Rinne to put the Senators within one with a little under six minutes to go in regulation.

Even with Craig Smith taking a hooking penalty with less than two minutes left in regulation (and Leggy taking a holding call with under a minute left), the Predators whipped back and held the Senators at bay to win their first game of the season.

Three Stars of the Game:
First Star: Shea Weber
Second Star: Filip Forsberg
Third Star: Paul Gaustad

So, needless to say, Nashville started out on the right foot yesterday, though there definitely were some bumps in the road that need to be looked at and addressed. The Predators are back tomorrow at 7PM to take on division rivals, the Dallas Stars.

Predators Captains Announced

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alterante

The Nashville Predators announced who will be the captains of the team this year, with really only one alternate needing to be decided. Is anyone surprised they gave the second ‘A’ to James Neal? Mike Fisher, though injured, will remain the first alternate captain, with Roman Josi wearing it while rotating through different players until Fisher returns. Though his first year with the Preds, Neal stepped naturally into a leadership role within the team, which makes me a prime candidate for the ‘A’.

The Predators open their season tonight at 7PM against David Legwand and the Ottawa Senators.

Roster – Preseason vs. Lightning

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c3c4736eda313461a153118a09e33706Earlier this afternoon, the Predators released who will be hitting the ice tomorrow night for the first preseason game on home ice.

DEFENSE:

PicMonkey Collage

On Defense: Roman Josi, Shea Weber, Johan Alm, Joe Piskula, Mattias Ekholm, and Anton Volchenkov.

FORWARDS:
PicMonkey CollageqList of Forwards: Eric Nystrom, Austin Watson, Calle Jarnkrok, Filip Forsberg, Gabriel Bourque, Kevin Fiala, Paul Gaustad, Olli Jokinen, James Neal, Taylor Beck, Vanilla Ice Mike Ribeiro, and Rich Clune.

GOALTENDERS:
PicMonkey Collage2Goalies: Pekka Rinne and Marek Mazanec.

Noticeable players taking the night off are:
– Colin Wilson, who collected an assist on Filip Forsberg’s wrister.
– Derek Roy, who assisted in Craig Smith’s goal.
– Craig Smith, who picked up a goal in yesterday’s game in Tampa Bay.

A Baby Weber

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Per a recent interview from Fox 17-Nashville, Shea Weber and his wife welcomed a tiny Weber into the family over the off-season. You can read the article here: www.m.fox17.com/sports/Shea_Weber_becomes_a_proud_papa (if the link isn’t working, check out our Facebook page — it has it on there). Now, the article doesn’t go into much detail, as Weber didn’t want to make a huge deal out of it. It’s a wonder how the news did not get out beforehand, especially after the news broke regarding teammate Mike Fisher and his wife, Carrie Underwood’s, bun in the oven. However, Mrs. Weber isn’t Country Royalty and doesn’t have a cult following — that we know of — to answer to. Of course, there is no way their pregnancy could be kept a secret — oh the woes of the limelight, am I right? As I mentioned, Weber didn’t go into specifics, just mentioning off hand that a baby had been welcomed to the family with no word on whether it was a boy or girl (or even a human at all — it could be a “fur baby” for all we know). Any who, congratulations to our Captain and his lovely wife on the new bundle of joy!

Note: The picture above is NOT the actual Weber baby. I just lucked upon an image on Thinkstock.com of a baby on a hockey glove. Cool beans!

Schedule: Preds Training Camp

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DSC_0024

Hola! Long time, no read! Eh, I’ll be back to posting a ton more once the season starts, so please bear with me. Now that Rookie Camp is over and done, it’s time for the big boys to return to town and get ready for the all important official start to they 2014-15 NHL season! Training camp began this morning at Centennial Sportsplex, but was not open to the public. Tomorrow, on the other hand, and the following days will be open to the public for your viewing pleasure (and beneficial for optimal lunch hour hockey time). Here is the on-ice schedule to follow in order to get your maximum hockey allowance before pre-season begins *gasp* next Tuesday.

Friday, September 19th:
– 8:45AM – 10AM
– 10:45AM – 12PM
– 12:45PM – 2PM

Saturday, September 20th:
– 8:45AM – 10AM
– 10:45AM – 12PM
– 12:45PM – 2PM

Sunday, September 21st:
– 10:30AM – 11:30AM
– Scrimmage @ 12PM
Monday, September 22nd:
– 9:45AM – 11:15AM
– 11:45AM – 1:15PM

Tuesday, September 23rd:
– 11AM – 12:15PM
6:30PM – @ Tampa Bay Lightning

Wednesday, September 24th:
– 10:45AM – 12:15PM
– 12:45PM – 2:15PM

Friday, September 26th:
– 9:45AM – 11:15AM
– 11:45AM – 1:15PM

Tuesday, September 30th – Friday, October 3rd:
– 11AM

Team White:

  • Defense – Shea Weber, Roman Josi, Joe Piskula, Jaynen Rissling, Anthony Bietto, Jimmy Oligny
  • Goalies – Magnus Hellberg, Rob Madore
  • Forwards – Olli Jokinen, Filip Forsberg, Calle Jarnkrok, Paul Gaustad, Viktor Stalberg, Brendan Leipsic, Viktor Arvidsson, Joe Pendenza, Justin Kirkland, Mikka Salomaki, Zach Budish, Jon Puskar

Team Silver:

  • Defense – Anton Volchenkov, Taylor Aronson, Victor Bartley, Mike Little, Jonathan-Ismael Diaby, Aaron Irving
  • Goalies – Pekka Rinne, Devin Williams
  • Forwards – Tristan Grant, Eric Nystrom, James Neal, Pontus Aberg, Gabriel Bourque, Tommy Veilleux, Mike Ribeiro, Felix Girard, Matthew Campagna, Colton Sissons

Team Blue:

  • Defense – Mattias Ekholm, Seth Jones, Johan Alm, Garrett Noonan, Brian Lee, Mikko Vainonen
  • Goalies – Carter Hutton, Marek Mazanec
  • Forwards – Craig Smith, Matt Cullen, Rich Clune, Derek Roy, Mark Van Guilder, Colin Wilson, Frederick Gaudreau, Josh Shalla, Austin Watson, Michael Liambas, Kevin Fiala

If you’ve never attended a training camp before and you don’t see your favorite player on the ice in the allotted time slot your chose to show up at, don’t panic; unless it’s Ryan Ellis (that deal is still floating in the atmosphere somewhere). No, there’s no need to panic. There will be different players in each time-slot, so you may see James Neal at 10:45AM – 12:15PM, but not at the 12:45PM – 2:15PM slot. Another thing to remember if you’ve never been is to arrive early. Centennial Sportsplex is bigger than the Ford Ice Center, but it’s no Bridgestone Arena. If you have little ones that want to be up against the glass (or you yourself), pack a brunch and get your booty to West End.