A new season is upon us, and I am happy to see it. In the hockey world of fans, bloggers, and writers this statement has been uttered or written many thousands of times over, and yet I feel the need to explain why I feel happy. Since I am a hockey fan and very amateur hockey blogger, I assume that most readers will see this title and think that I am referring to hockey. While I am in a sense, I feel the need to express life in general. The changing of seasons is usually a time in the year that comes and goes without very much notice from me. This year, for some reason that totally alludes me, I find myself in a whirlwind of emotion that I simply cannot explain. I feel like with the start of this season I am being presented with an unfamiliar road that is in fact less traveled.
In my personal hockey world, the Fall season brings a new year for the Nashville Predators. New faces join the familiar, and some of the familiar go into the books as former players. I am not going to go into who is new and who is not, and I am also not going to go into the subtle changes that the game will present us this year. What I simply want to convey is that the new hockey season once again brings a dream to the fans. The dream of winning a single game, or making a long playoff run will fill the minds of young and old alike. It is a dream that we can all share whether going to a game for the very first time, or being a regular year after year. A toast! To mental health. For me, and for many that I know, hockey brings a much needed escape from the daily grind.
Speaking of the daily grind, many of you know what I do for a living. I'm not specifically going to go into details about my employment, but I would like to tell a short story. This Summer has been especially stressful for me. I have been busy like so many others, and more than I care to admit, I have taken my stress out on friends and family members that did not deserve that form of treatment. I have been juggling my schedule trying to fit in inservice hours and I have been dealing with mounds of paperwork. I constantly have to deal with an office that is only open during the hours that I am asleep, and like so many others, my phone rings off the hook. While I quietly grumble and complain to myself, the summer trudges on. And it seems to just get worse.
Then, it happened. I was put in my place. I met a young girl a couple of weeks ago. She appeared to be in her late teen's, she was well kept, very normal looking, and when I met her she was with her mother. I had business with the girl's mother, yet I quickly greeted her by saying hello and turned my attention toward mom. I did not get a response, and thought nothing of it. The mother greeted me, formally introduced me to her daughter using sign language, and promptly informed me that the young girl was deaf. Mom and I started making our way to a table to discuss a variety of subjects at hand, and the young girl followed. Before I had taken three steps, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was obvious who was trying to get my attention, and I was initially aggravated because I do not know sign language. I turned, smiled, and quickly found that she only wanted me to see the small puppy that she was holding in her arms. I pet the dog for just a moment, then quickly sat down. I started talking with mom, and the young girl disappeared. After about three minutes, the young girl reappeared, again holding the dog. She brought it to me, showing me that she had put a dress on her puppy. I again started petting it, motioned that I liked the dress, and continued talking with mom. Realizing that the young girl appreciated company and wanted to interact with me, I started thinking that I could write a short note of appreciation to her. On to the rest of the story...I found out through conversation with mom that the young girl can not read, can not write, has the life skills of a 6 year old, and the vocabulary in sign language of a 3 year old. I found that this young girl, who was actually in her mid 20's, is totally defenceless. The greatest honor that she has the ability to bestow on another human being is to introduce her puppy. Maybe if you were in my shoes you would understand. Being allowed to simply pet this particular dog is one my greatest life achievements. Saying that I am deeply honored does not begin to express my gratefulness.
Who am I to even begin to think that I have the first problem? For a moment, I really believed that my life was stressful.
For reasons that have yet to be unveiled, I keep meeting people that completely change the way that I think...about everything. As I previously stated, a new road is being presented; it leads into the unknown and I welcome the challenge. Let the new season begin! Who knows, we may all actually be in for a pleasant surprise.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
New Places, New Faces, and Introducing the Winnipeg Winnipeg
Many of you noticed that the NHL released the 2011-2012 schedule today. This is always an exciting time of year for me, because I have great fun planning my road trips, and dreaming about what might be. I have high hopes for Nashville this year, I'm sure just like any other fan of any other team. Is this year going to be the year? Time will tell. Either way, a great story it is sure to be.
The schedule this year for Nashville is very similar to previous years. That will not be the case for all teams in the NHL this season however. As most of you know, the Atlanta Thrashers are no more. The team has been sold to True North Sports & Entertainment, and is in the process of moving to Winnipeg in Manitoba. For this year, the move will put a strain on the schedule. The Atlanta Thrashers competed in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference, and the currently unnamed Winnipeg team will also compete in the same division for the 2011-2012 season. Teams in the same division play each other more than teams in other divisions and/or other conferences. Since Manitoba Canada is definitely not in the Southeast, the teams in that particular division will experience longer flight times, and harder connections as they move from city to city. Nashville will play the Winnipeg team once this season, on Saturday March 24th. For the 2012-2013 season, Winnipeg will move to the Western Conference, and other teams will be slightly repositioned to even everything out.
I am very pleased with the schedule this year. I hope to travel to California for the first time in my life this season. The Predators will play San Jose, Los Angeles,and Anaheim on March 15th, 17th, and 18th respectively.
Have a great summer everyone! And as always, if you would like to join me on one of my road trips, just shoot me a message. All are welcome.
The schedule this year for Nashville is very similar to previous years. That will not be the case for all teams in the NHL this season however. As most of you know, the Atlanta Thrashers are no more. The team has been sold to True North Sports & Entertainment, and is in the process of moving to Winnipeg in Manitoba. For this year, the move will put a strain on the schedule. The Atlanta Thrashers competed in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference, and the currently unnamed Winnipeg team will also compete in the same division for the 2011-2012 season. Teams in the same division play each other more than teams in other divisions and/or other conferences. Since Manitoba Canada is definitely not in the Southeast, the teams in that particular division will experience longer flight times, and harder connections as they move from city to city. Nashville will play the Winnipeg team once this season, on Saturday March 24th. For the 2012-2013 season, Winnipeg will move to the Western Conference, and other teams will be slightly repositioned to even everything out.
I am very pleased with the schedule this year. I hope to travel to California for the first time in my life this season. The Predators will play San Jose, Los Angeles,and Anaheim on March 15th, 17th, and 18th respectively.
Have a great summer everyone! And as always, if you would like to join me on one of my road trips, just shoot me a message. All are welcome.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Where Exactly Did Tom And Anne Go?
Since hockey season is over (for Nashville) I am spending my summer doing various activities that happens to make the hot weather seem not so bad. One of my favorite things to do is catch up with old friends, and I have been able to do quite a bit of that over the past few weeks. I happen to have an old friend that writes short stories, and I have decided to do a review on one of his pieces. I usually chat with him at least weekly, so he has been able to update me on his newest publications.
First, about the author. Michael Reynolds writes in several genres, and I am currently reviewing a horror short story by the name of The Sweater. I have always known Michael to have many talents. Michael is incredibly musically inclined, has written excellent poetry, and even wrestled in high school. Since I am familiar with previous publications, I would almost recommend this short before even reading it. This, however, would do Michael a great disservice, so my review will be brutally honest. I am going to avoid a summary, and will include my opinions on the piece. As always, my opinions are what they are.
I find favor in this publication because of its genre. Horror stories have sparked my interest from childhood, and I fondly remember forcing myself to watch creepy movies back in the 80's. The story has two main characters, Tom and Anne, who are a young, almost poor couple that seems to be happy to simply be alive and together. They live their lives, work, play, and exist together. To me, they seem to be the type that may not be able to make it on their own. Together, they are much more than complete. Through a series of simple everyday choices that you or I would make without a second thought, terror strikes, and a happy couple is no longer so giddy.
What I enjoyed:
The structure of this short story is very interesting to me. I really enjoyed how the supporting characters were introduced. The flow seemed to be perfect when other people came into play. Supporting roles slowly mesh into the back ground as if they were a slowly changing scene in a live production. The attention is on Tom and Anne, and yet there is a presence that little by little forms another character. I also found favor in a couple of little things in this story that don't stand out quite as much. The length of this story is spot on. More information would have only confused the reader in my opinion. The amount of mystery in the story adds to the entertainment value. While I always enjoy trying to figure out what is going on, in this case I also enjoyed being left with a few questions. Being able to add to the story by using my own imagination ensures good entertainment for me.
What I would change:
Do understand that I am in no form claiming that I could have done a better job. The author is a personal friend and while my comments are not meant to be offensive to him, I believe that he would in fact be offended if I only offered a half rate review. With that said...
I have a slight issue with the first four paragraphs. I do understand their purpose, as they are vital to the story and the characters. The flow in the introduction seems to be interrupted...as if the engine needs to be choked. A couple of sentences appear to be chopped, and it could just...be edited. Notice that I said "slight issue". In paragraph five, the story smooths out and floats right along to the end.
Would I recommend this short story? Yes, I am recommending it, and I'll even clue you all in on where to pick up a copy.
The Sweater can be purchased from Amazon, and is in a Kindle only format. For all of you iPhone users, the Kindle application is free and easy to find. The cost to order the short is a mere $0.99, and can be charged through your existing Amazon account. I am going to include the Amazon link, and also a link to the author's blog. Happy reading!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Sweater-ebook/dp/B0053Y1T9O/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1
http://midreynolds.blogspot.com/
You can also follow Michael on twitter: @m_d_reynolds
First, about the author. Michael Reynolds writes in several genres, and I am currently reviewing a horror short story by the name of The Sweater. I have always known Michael to have many talents. Michael is incredibly musically inclined, has written excellent poetry, and even wrestled in high school. Since I am familiar with previous publications, I would almost recommend this short before even reading it. This, however, would do Michael a great disservice, so my review will be brutally honest. I am going to avoid a summary, and will include my opinions on the piece. As always, my opinions are what they are.
I find favor in this publication because of its genre. Horror stories have sparked my interest from childhood, and I fondly remember forcing myself to watch creepy movies back in the 80's. The story has two main characters, Tom and Anne, who are a young, almost poor couple that seems to be happy to simply be alive and together. They live their lives, work, play, and exist together. To me, they seem to be the type that may not be able to make it on their own. Together, they are much more than complete. Through a series of simple everyday choices that you or I would make without a second thought, terror strikes, and a happy couple is no longer so giddy.
What I enjoyed:
The structure of this short story is very interesting to me. I really enjoyed how the supporting characters were introduced. The flow seemed to be perfect when other people came into play. Supporting roles slowly mesh into the back ground as if they were a slowly changing scene in a live production. The attention is on Tom and Anne, and yet there is a presence that little by little forms another character. I also found favor in a couple of little things in this story that don't stand out quite as much. The length of this story is spot on. More information would have only confused the reader in my opinion. The amount of mystery in the story adds to the entertainment value. While I always enjoy trying to figure out what is going on, in this case I also enjoyed being left with a few questions. Being able to add to the story by using my own imagination ensures good entertainment for me.
What I would change:
Do understand that I am in no form claiming that I could have done a better job. The author is a personal friend and while my comments are not meant to be offensive to him, I believe that he would in fact be offended if I only offered a half rate review. With that said...
I have a slight issue with the first four paragraphs. I do understand their purpose, as they are vital to the story and the characters. The flow in the introduction seems to be interrupted...as if the engine needs to be choked. A couple of sentences appear to be chopped, and it could just...be edited. Notice that I said "slight issue". In paragraph five, the story smooths out and floats right along to the end.
Would I recommend this short story? Yes, I am recommending it, and I'll even clue you all in on where to pick up a copy.
The Sweater can be purchased from Amazon, and is in a Kindle only format. For all of you iPhone users, the Kindle application is free and easy to find. The cost to order the short is a mere $0.99, and can be charged through your existing Amazon account. I am going to include the Amazon link, and also a link to the author's blog. Happy reading!
http://www.amazon.com/The-Sweater-ebook/dp/B0053Y1T9O/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1
http://midreynolds.blogspot.com/
You can also follow Michael on twitter: @m_d_reynolds
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Predators Force Game 6, Anger Canucks' Mothers
Tim Wharnsby with CBC Sports is reporting that the Vancouver Canucks were hoping to stay in the city for Mother's Day. That dream will not be realized as the Nashville Predators took game 5 just a few hours ago 4-3, and both teams will leave for Nashville on Sunday morning. Is it possible to force a game 7? Time will tell.
"Tonight, the parts of the Sedin twins were played by Ren and Stimpy." While I wouldn't go that far, the twins have not been able to produce, and Pekka Rinne has been able to rob them both time and time again. While checking several message boards, I have found that some Vancouver hopefuls are calling for the coaching staff to cut their ice time. I've seen Nashville fans have similar reactions time and time again, and I do believe that the Vancouver staff will keep their money on the twins.
On Roberto Luongo: Luongo, Luongo, Luongo, you suck, it's all your fault.
Joel Ward scored two 3rd period goals in game 5 to keep the Predators alive. While he did very well tonight, I can't help but look back to game 3, where Joel looked tired from the start. Being consistent is key to stay alive. For the long haul, I believe that Joel Ward is going to be a definite need in the Predators future. He does have some issues to work out, but they are workable.
This series, and this season, has been all about first times. History is being made.
Happy Mother's Day Everyone! Well... not to everyone.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
What To Do With Dan? Predators Win 4-1
Tonight, the Nashville Predators took game one of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. The Predators seem to have gotten under the skin of the Ducks, and Mike Fisher scores twice as the most experienced Predator when it comes to the playoffs.
When it comes to getting under the skin of an opponent, it shows in several ways. Tonight in the third period, the Ducks found themselves in the penalty box over and over again. Six different players were penalized eight times, for a total of 40 minutes. The frustration level was very high, and I do believe that the Ducks were surprised that the execution level wasn't where they thought it was going to be.
Tonight Mike Fisher scored Nashville's fourth goal at 00:56 of the third period, and Dan Ellis was promptly pulled from the Ducks' net. He was replaced by Ray Emery, who played for the remainder of the game. As a fan, having the goalie pulled gets under my skin more than anything. Sometimes it sends the right message to the team, and a turning point is reached. Other times, the end of an embarrassment is all the coach is looking for.
I keep wondering who will start in net for the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Will Dan Ellis return? Will Ray Emery get the nod? Coach Randy Carlyle evaded giving an answer to that question in the post-game interviews, and leaves me wondering. I've decided to research the issue, and make my own decision. On Friday, we can see what actually matches up.
Dan Ellis:
Dan was born in Canada on 06-19-1980, and played with the Nashville Predators through the 2009-2010 season. Through a series of trades, he ended up with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and he played 31 games with them this season. In February, he was traded to Anaheim.
2010-2011 Season
With Tampa: 31 Games, .889 SV%, 2.93 GAA
With Anaheim: 13 Games, .917 SV%, 2.39 GAA
Ray Emery:
Ray was born in Canada on 09-28-1982. Ray has not had an easy career by any means. In 2009, Ray found out that he suffered from avascular necrosis, which is the same disease that ended Bo Jackson's career. In August of 2010, Ray once again began workouts, and signed with Anaheim on 02-07-2011 as an unrestricted free agent.
2010-2011 Season
With Anaheim: 10 Games, .926 SV%, 2.28 GAA
Momentum is an odd thing with a professional sports team of any kind. A change could mean total destruction, or could be their saving grace. My pick will be Dan Ellis for Friday; recent experience may prove to be a difference maker. I predict that the Ducks will work on their defensive strategy instead of make a change in net. "Gotta stay with Dan - or it smells of desperation." -EJ Mackie
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Live From Hartsfield-Jackson Predators Playoff Update
While Nashville will make the playoffs no matter what, Chicago and Detroit will determine our final position when they play today at 11:30AM. Can anything bad happen? Not really in my opinion. I have talked to several people about who the preferred matchup would be, and I seem to get a different answer every time the question is asked.
My best case scenario is this. If Detroit beats Chicago today, Nashville will earn the #5 seed in the Western Conference. This means that they will face off against Anaheim (#4) in the first round, with Anaheim of course having home ice advantage. Nashville finished the regular season at 3-1-0 against Anaheim, with a +6 goal differential. Interesting fact about Anaheim...they currently have three goalies on their roster. Jonas Hiller has recently been activated from the injured reserve list. They also have Dan Ellis, who played for Nashville last year and was traded in the off season, along with Ray Emery who is 3-2 in his last 5 games.
In the first round, it is also possible that Nashville could face off against Detroit or San Jose, of course depending on the outcome of the Chicago/Detroit game today. We shall find out in a few hours! The Chicago vs Detroit game will be on NBC today if you happen to be interested.
My best case scenario is this. If Detroit beats Chicago today, Nashville will earn the #5 seed in the Western Conference. This means that they will face off against Anaheim (#4) in the first round, with Anaheim of course having home ice advantage. Nashville finished the regular season at 3-1-0 against Anaheim, with a +6 goal differential. Interesting fact about Anaheim...they currently have three goalies on their roster. Jonas Hiller has recently been activated from the injured reserve list. They also have Dan Ellis, who played for Nashville last year and was traded in the off season, along with Ray Emery who is 3-2 in his last 5 games.
In the first round, it is also possible that Nashville could face off against Detroit or San Jose, of course depending on the outcome of the Chicago/Detroit game today. We shall find out in a few hours! The Chicago vs Detroit game will be on NBC today if you happen to be interested.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Predators Look Ahead To First Round
In tonight's game, the Nashville Predators fell to the St. Louis Blues 2-0 in the final game of the regular season in St Louis. I, along with several hundred other Preds fans, made the trip to watch tonight's game. Tonight's story does not start with the game, or begin with the morning skate. It begins with my travels; today has been an amazing day and I wish to share it with you.
I enjoy airports, airplanes, and traveling in general, and several months ago I decided to fly to St Louis to watch this game. Several people have asked me why. My answer has always been that I enjoy flying, and didn't have to pay much for the plane ticket anyway. It would have been cheaper to take the 303 bus or drive my car, but I made my decision and stuck with it. This morning I got up, headed to the airport, and started through security. It made me feel good when several TSA agents started asking me about the game. I felt as if the day was going in a good direction. I got through security, headed to my gate, and arrived at B5 in Nashville's airport to find a family playing a mix of gospel and bluegrass. It wasn't too loud, was soothing, and very enjoyable. I had an hour to wait on my flight, which can seem like an eternity while waiting in an airport. Today I enjoyed waiting, and even wished that I had gotten there earlier. The time drew near for the boarding process to begin. I watched a plane pull up to the gate, and the ticket agents announced that my flight to Atlanta would be on time, which meant that I could make my connection without an issue. While sitting in a seat facing the window, I saw a young woman with a small child in the corner of my eye, just to the right of me. They were headed my way, and I moved my feet to let them by. The woman had a camera, and was taking several pictures of her baby that appeared to be just over a year old. In the little boy's hands was a sign that said "Welcome Home Daddy", and it was then that I realized that these fine people had no interest in going to Atlanta. I then started paying very close attention to the activities at hand, and observed several people exiting the jet way, heading on to wherever they happened to be going. The woman and the little boy stood at the entrance of the jet way with the sign proudly displayed. I observed every man woman and child exit that jet way, excited to see what was going to happen. I also noticed that the entire group of people who were waiting to board the plane also had their eyes glued to that little boy. One by one they came out...but no daddy. The woman looked into the jet way with disappointment in her eyes, and I truly believe that the entire crowd broke into a cold sweat. I heard in the background, "oh no, he has missed his connection", and then immediately afterwards the woman with the little boy screamed with excitement as she finally saw her soldier. He was indeed home. The crowd erupted in applause...it was truly a sight. I could have driven my car. I could have taken the bus.
I did in fact arrive in St Louis and watched Pekka Rinne make 23 saves. I watched the Predators fall 2-0 to the Blues, and for tonight it just doesn't matter. After losing tonight's game, Nashville will be unable to clinch home ice advantage, but I'm ok with that. Nashville ends the regular season with 99 points.
How many people do not have the opportunity to hold up that sign? To my friends and family: you are appreciated.
I enjoy airports, airplanes, and traveling in general, and several months ago I decided to fly to St Louis to watch this game. Several people have asked me why. My answer has always been that I enjoy flying, and didn't have to pay much for the plane ticket anyway. It would have been cheaper to take the 303 bus or drive my car, but I made my decision and stuck with it. This morning I got up, headed to the airport, and started through security. It made me feel good when several TSA agents started asking me about the game. I felt as if the day was going in a good direction. I got through security, headed to my gate, and arrived at B5 in Nashville's airport to find a family playing a mix of gospel and bluegrass. It wasn't too loud, was soothing, and very enjoyable. I had an hour to wait on my flight, which can seem like an eternity while waiting in an airport. Today I enjoyed waiting, and even wished that I had gotten there earlier. The time drew near for the boarding process to begin. I watched a plane pull up to the gate, and the ticket agents announced that my flight to Atlanta would be on time, which meant that I could make my connection without an issue. While sitting in a seat facing the window, I saw a young woman with a small child in the corner of my eye, just to the right of me. They were headed my way, and I moved my feet to let them by. The woman had a camera, and was taking several pictures of her baby that appeared to be just over a year old. In the little boy's hands was a sign that said "Welcome Home Daddy", and it was then that I realized that these fine people had no interest in going to Atlanta. I then started paying very close attention to the activities at hand, and observed several people exiting the jet way, heading on to wherever they happened to be going. The woman and the little boy stood at the entrance of the jet way with the sign proudly displayed. I observed every man woman and child exit that jet way, excited to see what was going to happen. I also noticed that the entire group of people who were waiting to board the plane also had their eyes glued to that little boy. One by one they came out...but no daddy. The woman looked into the jet way with disappointment in her eyes, and I truly believe that the entire crowd broke into a cold sweat. I heard in the background, "oh no, he has missed his connection", and then immediately afterwards the woman with the little boy screamed with excitement as she finally saw her soldier. He was indeed home. The crowd erupted in applause...it was truly a sight. I could have driven my car. I could have taken the bus.
I did in fact arrive in St Louis and watched Pekka Rinne make 23 saves. I watched the Predators fall 2-0 to the Blues, and for tonight it just doesn't matter. After losing tonight's game, Nashville will be unable to clinch home ice advantage, but I'm ok with that. Nashville ends the regular season with 99 points.
How many people do not have the opportunity to hold up that sign? To my friends and family: you are appreciated.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
March Is Upon Us
As most of you have noticed, I have taken a month long sabbatical. My friend James asked yesterday if I was alive, and I assure you all that I am. March is a very important month for me, and I would like to dive into the topic of Spring. Predators talk? They lost in Edmonton last night, but that is all I'm going to say about that.
I read about a large number of people who love Spring because it is a time of rejuvenation; flowers begin to grow, the trees start to turn green, animals are seen frolicking in the meadow, and I hear/see people write, blog, and broadcast how they love the reborn feeling that comes, beginning with the month of March. I like to think of myself as a simple person, and I would like to share the reason why I love this time of year.
It gets warmer. As in...it was cold outside, but now it's not.
While I recognize that I am sometimes a much more complicated person that I really care to admit, I constantly remind myself that happiness can be very easy. The little things can make all the difference.
I read about a large number of people who love Spring because it is a time of rejuvenation; flowers begin to grow, the trees start to turn green, animals are seen frolicking in the meadow, and I hear/see people write, blog, and broadcast how they love the reborn feeling that comes, beginning with the month of March. I like to think of myself as a simple person, and I would like to share the reason why I love this time of year.
It gets warmer. As in...it was cold outside, but now it's not.
While I recognize that I am sometimes a much more complicated person that I really care to admit, I constantly remind myself that happiness can be very easy. The little things can make all the difference.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Calgary Visits Nashville Tonight!
Tonight, the Calgary Flames visit the Bridgestone Arena to take on the Nashville Predators for the third time this season; this will be the second time the teams meet in Nashville. Just a short time ago, Calgary was sitting in the next to last place spot in the Western Conference. Now they are in 12th place, and are only three points away from the final playoff spot. For a week I have dreaded this game because the Flames simply refuse to give up.
The last time the Predators beat the Flames at home was on January 15, 2008, and Nashville has yet to win a contest between the two so far this season. Goaltender Pekka Rinne will be the savior for the Preds tonight, and his play this season has been a treat for the fans in Nashville to say the least. Pekka received third star honors from the NHL for the month of January, and his eight wins ties him for the most of the month. While I cover my eyes during the game, I know that Rinne will be ready.
Marek Svatos and Francis Bouillon have both been placed on injured reserve for Nashville. Matt Halischuk and Chris Mueller have both been recalled from Milwaukee as expected. Both Halischuk and Mueller are having a great run with the Predators, and will be interesting to watch tonight.
For the Predators, another key player tonight will be Jerred Smithson while on the penalty kill. He is very efficient on the face-off, and may be a momentum swinger tonight. I strongly believe that Nashville needs to stay out of the box tonight, but with penalty killers like Smithson, Nick Spaling, and JP Dumont, the Preds should be just fine.
Tonight's game has a 7:00PM Central Time puck drop, and can be found on FS-TN. "The stretch" is upon us, the All-Star Break is over, and as along as Nashville plays their game the Preds will add two points tonight.
The last time the Predators beat the Flames at home was on January 15, 2008, and Nashville has yet to win a contest between the two so far this season. Goaltender Pekka Rinne will be the savior for the Preds tonight, and his play this season has been a treat for the fans in Nashville to say the least. Pekka received third star honors from the NHL for the month of January, and his eight wins ties him for the most of the month. While I cover my eyes during the game, I know that Rinne will be ready.
Marek Svatos and Francis Bouillon have both been placed on injured reserve for Nashville. Matt Halischuk and Chris Mueller have both been recalled from Milwaukee as expected. Both Halischuk and Mueller are having a great run with the Predators, and will be interesting to watch tonight.
For the Predators, another key player tonight will be Jerred Smithson while on the penalty kill. He is very efficient on the face-off, and may be a momentum swinger tonight. I strongly believe that Nashville needs to stay out of the box tonight, but with penalty killers like Smithson, Nick Spaling, and JP Dumont, the Preds should be just fine.
Tonight's game has a 7:00PM Central Time puck drop, and can be found on FS-TN. "The stretch" is upon us, the All-Star Break is over, and as along as Nashville plays their game the Preds will add two points tonight.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
My Thoughts Down The Stretch
This weekend, lots of people are enjoying the All-Star Break; fans and players alike. I happen to enjoy it myself, catching the highlights on the skills competition and looking at pictures taken by fans. Most of all, I enjoy this time because it gives me time to catch up on some non hockey related issues. For the Predators, the break gives the team time to rest after a long Western road swing. "The stretch" is upon us. Many people, announcers, bloggers, and commentators refer to this time all season. What does it mean for Nashville? Let's look into it.
The Nashville Predators have 32 games left in the regular season, and only 11 of those will be on the road. Spring always seems to be good to Nashville, and the home crowd will be able to give the team a good boost. I believe that February will be key, and the Predators will play 10 games at home, and only 3 on the road. In February, Nashville will take on a very tough schedule against teams like Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, and Vancouver. The Preds will also visit Philadelphia this coming up Thursday night to take on one of the best teams in the league. If the Predators can get the momentum going in February, it should carry over and get us through the regular season.
In March, Nashville starts off with a Western Canada swing, adding San Jose at the end. Many great teams, including Boston, LA, Detroit, Dallas, and Colorado will make a stop in Nashville, which makes for another hard month.
In April, Nashville has three home games, and play their only road game in St Louis for the last game of the regular season.
*Predictions*
Some circles say that predicting the final outcome can do more damage than breaking a mirror. I, however, have not much of a believer in luck, and I'm going to give it a shot.
I believe that Dallas, Detroit, San Jose, and Minnesota will begin and/or continue a slump down the stretch. These four teams seem to be quirky this year, and all have special issues that will cause them problems. Detroit, for example, has goal tending problems that are not going to get better any time soon. I believe that when the problem is finally fixed, it will be too late. I do believe that Detroit will make the playoffs, but their run in second place will be short lived.
Surging teams will include Chicago, Calgary, Phoenix, and LA. Calgary refuses to be a bad team, and even though their run is a little late, I believe that they will get into a playoff spot this year. Chicago is very able to perform and will decide to get serious down the stretch, and Phoenix will have momentum from Keith Yandle in February.
*Back To Reality*
Where does all of this leave for Nashville? I honestly have no idea. Time will just have to tell because for me, it is easy to critique teams as an outsider, and it is very hard make predictions on the team that I follow every day. I do know that the Predators will play several teams over the next couple of months that are going to refuse to lay down and give up two points. Of those include Calgary (two games), Vancouver (three games), Anaheim (one), and LA (one). Nashville has had an injury plagued season and despite that, they have done very well. Nashville takes on Calgary Tuesday night at the Bridgestone Arena for their first game after the break. They will come into the game with 60 points and 4th place in the Western Conference, and will look for a little revenge to start what is sure to be a February to remember.
The Nashville Predators have 32 games left in the regular season, and only 11 of those will be on the road. Spring always seems to be good to Nashville, and the home crowd will be able to give the team a good boost. I believe that February will be key, and the Predators will play 10 games at home, and only 3 on the road. In February, Nashville will take on a very tough schedule against teams like Detroit, Chicago, Dallas, Phoenix, and Vancouver. The Preds will also visit Philadelphia this coming up Thursday night to take on one of the best teams in the league. If the Predators can get the momentum going in February, it should carry over and get us through the regular season.
In March, Nashville starts off with a Western Canada swing, adding San Jose at the end. Many great teams, including Boston, LA, Detroit, Dallas, and Colorado will make a stop in Nashville, which makes for another hard month.
In April, Nashville has three home games, and play their only road game in St Louis for the last game of the regular season.
*Predictions*
Some circles say that predicting the final outcome can do more damage than breaking a mirror. I, however, have not much of a believer in luck, and I'm going to give it a shot.
I believe that Dallas, Detroit, San Jose, and Minnesota will begin and/or continue a slump down the stretch. These four teams seem to be quirky this year, and all have special issues that will cause them problems. Detroit, for example, has goal tending problems that are not going to get better any time soon. I believe that when the problem is finally fixed, it will be too late. I do believe that Detroit will make the playoffs, but their run in second place will be short lived.
Surging teams will include Chicago, Calgary, Phoenix, and LA. Calgary refuses to be a bad team, and even though their run is a little late, I believe that they will get into a playoff spot this year. Chicago is very able to perform and will decide to get serious down the stretch, and Phoenix will have momentum from Keith Yandle in February.
*Back To Reality*
Where does all of this leave for Nashville? I honestly have no idea. Time will just have to tell because for me, it is easy to critique teams as an outsider, and it is very hard make predictions on the team that I follow every day. I do know that the Predators will play several teams over the next couple of months that are going to refuse to lay down and give up two points. Of those include Calgary (two games), Vancouver (three games), Anaheim (one), and LA (one). Nashville has had an injury plagued season and despite that, they have done very well. Nashville takes on Calgary Tuesday night at the Bridgestone Arena for their first game after the break. They will come into the game with 60 points and 4th place in the Western Conference, and will look for a little revenge to start what is sure to be a February to remember.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Last Night: Predators Fall Late Despite Strong Effort
Last night's game was simply heart breaking for me personally. To see Nashville fight so hard and play with so much spirit just to lose the game late in the third period hurts beyond belief. Even with the Predators 2-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, the team has been given lots of data to process, and I believe they know what to expect down the stretch. This is not going to be easy.
Pressure and possession were key in the first period. Nashville came into last night's matchup showing Vancouver that they were not going to give up an easy two points. The Predators seemed to control well, cycle with the best, and the penalty kill was on its mark. There were not any goals posted in the first period for either team, but Nashville had control. I was impressed by their eagerness, which really showed with their 12-4 shots on goal advantage.
The second period also ended with the score 0-0, and the defensive plays were a spectacle to say the least. Pekka Rinne was unbelievable last night earning second star honors, and he made 33 whopping saves that no highlight reel could ever do justice. I believe that the video recap says it all. The hit summary includes one video, goal summery three, and there are 17 save video's listed that are all truly impressive. Seven of those save video's come from the second period. Roberto Luongo started in goal for Vancouver, and was selected as the first star of the game. The pre game commentaries were correct; the goal tending matchup was truly a sight to see.
In the third period, Shea Weber finally lit the lamp for Nashville right off the drop at 00:37. Vancouver knew that they had to react, and while the Predators gained momentum, it wasn't enough. At 10:39 the official hole digger for Vancouver, Alexandre Burrows, put the Canucks on the board. At 12:31 Lee Sweatt scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game to make it 2-1. Vancouver's response to Nashville's quick goal in the third period was impressive. The shots on goal total for the third was 17-7 in favor of Vancouver.
Even though Nashville did not come away with a point, I am proud of the effort. The light at the end of the tunnel shines brightly, and only time will tell what effect the All-Star break will have on the team. On another note, both Matt Halischuk and Chris Mueller have been reassigned to Milwaukee for the break. Even if they are called back up for the February 1st game after the break, it is reported that Nashville will save between $6,000 and $12,000 a day by making this move. With a subtle "you've made it" glance, Nick Spaling has not been reassigned. He will stay on the NHL level through the break, and is reported to be considering changing his last name to $paling.
The Twitter universe is proclaiming that this is Nashville's year to "break in" and finally make it past the first round of the playoffs. Currently, Nashville has a record of 27-17-6 and 60 points to give us fourth place in the Western Conference. There is no telling how this will all wash out in the end due to Nashville's injury plagued nature this year. There is hope...time will tell.
Pressure and possession were key in the first period. Nashville came into last night's matchup showing Vancouver that they were not going to give up an easy two points. The Predators seemed to control well, cycle with the best, and the penalty kill was on its mark. There were not any goals posted in the first period for either team, but Nashville had control. I was impressed by their eagerness, which really showed with their 12-4 shots on goal advantage.
The second period also ended with the score 0-0, and the defensive plays were a spectacle to say the least. Pekka Rinne was unbelievable last night earning second star honors, and he made 33 whopping saves that no highlight reel could ever do justice. I believe that the video recap says it all. The hit summary includes one video, goal summery three, and there are 17 save video's listed that are all truly impressive. Seven of those save video's come from the second period. Roberto Luongo started in goal for Vancouver, and was selected as the first star of the game. The pre game commentaries were correct; the goal tending matchup was truly a sight to see.
In the third period, Shea Weber finally lit the lamp for Nashville right off the drop at 00:37. Vancouver knew that they had to react, and while the Predators gained momentum, it wasn't enough. At 10:39 the official hole digger for Vancouver, Alexandre Burrows, put the Canucks on the board. At 12:31 Lee Sweatt scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game to make it 2-1. Vancouver's response to Nashville's quick goal in the third period was impressive. The shots on goal total for the third was 17-7 in favor of Vancouver.
Even though Nashville did not come away with a point, I am proud of the effort. The light at the end of the tunnel shines brightly, and only time will tell what effect the All-Star break will have on the team. On another note, both Matt Halischuk and Chris Mueller have been reassigned to Milwaukee for the break. Even if they are called back up for the February 1st game after the break, it is reported that Nashville will save between $6,000 and $12,000 a day by making this move. With a subtle "you've made it" glance, Nick Spaling has not been reassigned. He will stay on the NHL level through the break, and is reported to be considering changing his last name to $paling.
The Twitter universe is proclaiming that this is Nashville's year to "break in" and finally make it past the first round of the playoffs. Currently, Nashville has a record of 27-17-6 and 60 points to give us fourth place in the Western Conference. There is no telling how this will all wash out in the end due to Nashville's injury plagued nature this year. There is hope...time will tell.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
January Wrap Up: Nashville Visits Vancouver Tonight
Tonight the long road series ends for Nashville as they visit Vancouver with a 9:00PM Central Time puck drop. This game will be the first between the two teams this season, and they have split their last four meetings. The Canucks come into this game with the number one spot in the Western Conference with 69 points. The Predators have the fourth spot in the West with 60 points and hope for two points tonight; Anaheim also has 60 points with fifth place.
The Canucks have only won one game in their last five, and that was against Dallas when their offence exploded. The 7-1 win is a solemn reminder that Vancouver is not going to lay down, and they will be a dangerous opponent tonight. For who to watch, Dan Hamhuis was one of the goal scorers against Dallas giving him his fourth of the season. Dan started with Nashville in 2003 and is strong on the defense.
Nashville's Pekka Rinne will start in goal tonight, and is sure to give Vancouver fits. Vancouver works well together while on the power play, so staying out of the box will be key tonight. Many of the other numbers seem so close that they are uninteresting, but the Canucks have a strong offensive and are simply good at what they do. The Predators will have to click tonight to get a positive outcome, and I believe that they are up to it. With a day off yesterday after Monday's loss against Calgary, Nashville should be rested up and ready to go.
The All-Star break begins for Nashville after the game tonight, along with the end of their longest road swing of the season. The Predators return to Bridgestone Arena on February 1st, and if you are planning on attending the February 5th game against Detroit, tickets are going fast so grab some while you can.
The Canucks have only won one game in their last five, and that was against Dallas when their offence exploded. The 7-1 win is a solemn reminder that Vancouver is not going to lay down, and they will be a dangerous opponent tonight. For who to watch, Dan Hamhuis was one of the goal scorers against Dallas giving him his fourth of the season. Dan started with Nashville in 2003 and is strong on the defense.
Nashville's Pekka Rinne will start in goal tonight, and is sure to give Vancouver fits. Vancouver works well together while on the power play, so staying out of the box will be key tonight. Many of the other numbers seem so close that they are uninteresting, but the Canucks have a strong offensive and are simply good at what they do. The Predators will have to click tonight to get a positive outcome, and I believe that they are up to it. With a day off yesterday after Monday's loss against Calgary, Nashville should be rested up and ready to go.
The All-Star break begins for Nashville after the game tonight, along with the end of their longest road swing of the season. The Predators return to Bridgestone Arena on February 1st, and if you are planning on attending the February 5th game against Detroit, tickets are going fast so grab some while you can.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Road Trip Winds Down As Nashville Falls To Calgary 3-1
The score last night was 3-1 in Calgary as Nashville played its next to last game on this long road trip. The Predators are now 3-2 on the trip so far. Last night Nashville appeared to be on their heels for most of the game, and it looked as if no one on the team had gotten any sleep after the win in Edmonton on Sunday night. The Flames, however, played an excellent game, worked as a team, tallied twice on the power play, and got the two points last night.
It appeared as if momentum could not get going our way. I do understand that Nashville can't win every game, and if they did it honestly wouldn't be near as much fun to watch. Calgary scored the lone first period goal at 10:14 after a funny bounce from Curtis Glencross that Pekka Rinne could not do anything about. Shea Weber dove into the net to attempt a save, but the puck crossed the line. In the first period, the pressure from Calgary was impressive. Even when the Flames were a man down, it appeared as if Nashville could never get a man into position.
In the second period the Predators had hope when David Legwand wristed one past Mikka Kiprusoff at 10:32. The Flames refused to go away however, and made it 2-1 at 13:01 with Jarome Iginla's power play goal.
Even though Nashville did not score in the third, I thought it was by far the team's best period. Nashville came to life on the power play and pressured well, but were not able to get it done. I was most impressed with Marcel Goc; his ability to dig the puck out of the corner is impressive and he had 14:39 of even strength ice time last night. Even though I thought Nashville was finally in the game, Calgary made it 3-1 on the power play with a goal from Brendan Morrison in tic tac toe style at 14:18.
Nashville did pull Pekka Rinne last night, but time ran out before the extra attacker could give the Predators a chance. JP Dumont did not play last night after he was hit with a stick in the neck in Edmonton. Dumont's penalty killing abilities were missed last night. Nashville visits Vancouver on Wednesday to wrap up their road trip. They return to Nashville on February 1 after the All-Star break.
It appeared as if momentum could not get going our way. I do understand that Nashville can't win every game, and if they did it honestly wouldn't be near as much fun to watch. Calgary scored the lone first period goal at 10:14 after a funny bounce from Curtis Glencross that Pekka Rinne could not do anything about. Shea Weber dove into the net to attempt a save, but the puck crossed the line. In the first period, the pressure from Calgary was impressive. Even when the Flames were a man down, it appeared as if Nashville could never get a man into position.
In the second period the Predators had hope when David Legwand wristed one past Mikka Kiprusoff at 10:32. The Flames refused to go away however, and made it 2-1 at 13:01 with Jarome Iginla's power play goal.
Even though Nashville did not score in the third, I thought it was by far the team's best period. Nashville came to life on the power play and pressured well, but were not able to get it done. I was most impressed with Marcel Goc; his ability to dig the puck out of the corner is impressive and he had 14:39 of even strength ice time last night. Even though I thought Nashville was finally in the game, Calgary made it 3-1 on the power play with a goal from Brendan Morrison in tic tac toe style at 14:18.
Nashville did pull Pekka Rinne last night, but time ran out before the extra attacker could give the Predators a chance. JP Dumont did not play last night after he was hit with a stick in the neck in Edmonton. Dumont's penalty killing abilities were missed last night. Nashville visits Vancouver on Wednesday to wrap up their road trip. They return to Nashville on February 1 after the All-Star break.
Monday, January 24, 2011
"Spit It Out Already" And Here It Is!
The first person to leave their email address in the comment section will indeed win:
This item could arrive in your mailbox! Just be the first person to put your email address in the comment box, and you win! Now how cool is that! More contests will be coming up, so if you aren't fast enough for this one, keep checking back!
Around The League: The Week For Phoenix
I enjoy watching hockey, and I do realize that there is more than one team in the NHL. I like to keep up with what other teams are doing, and maybe you will enjoy knowing what is going on with some of the others Around The League (in a creepy echoing voice).
For the week coming up, Phoenix seems to have it easy before the weekend All Star break. They will play on Tuesday against Edmonton in Phoenix, and then Wednesday they will make the short trip to Denver to take on the Avalanche. The Coyotes are coming off a 4-3 loss against LA, and hope to make up some points this week.
Phoenix starts this week with 57 points at 24-16-9 and hope for home ice advantage again this year in the playoffs. The Coyotes have beaten the Oilers twice so far this season with nine goals for and three against for the two games. Edmonton will come to Phoenix after a shootout loss to Nashville on Sunday, and have 36 points for the season. Phoenix won the January 6th contest against Colorado by a score of 2-0, and will play them three more times this season including Wednesday's game. The Avalanche are only two points away from a playoff spot with 54 points and have home advantage for this week's game.
Phoenix tallied on the power play in both of the home-and-day off-and-home games against LA. Ilya Bryzgalov is always impressive with a .917 save percentage for the season and Shane Doan's shot is sure to entertain. My favorite player for the Coyotes, Vernon Fiddler, is an unknown (to me) for the week. On January 15th against the Ducks, Fiddler left early in the third period with an upper body injury after he fought with Matt Beleskey. I look forward to him returning to the lineup and I'm sure that the former Predators can't wait to get back in the game.
The All Star break is coming up this weekend, and afterwards the schedules get busy once again. Until then, there are four points on the line for Phoenix this week, and the streaky team needs them all.
For the week coming up, Phoenix seems to have it easy before the weekend All Star break. They will play on Tuesday against Edmonton in Phoenix, and then Wednesday they will make the short trip to Denver to take on the Avalanche. The Coyotes are coming off a 4-3 loss against LA, and hope to make up some points this week.
Phoenix starts this week with 57 points at 24-16-9 and hope for home ice advantage again this year in the playoffs. The Coyotes have beaten the Oilers twice so far this season with nine goals for and three against for the two games. Edmonton will come to Phoenix after a shootout loss to Nashville on Sunday, and have 36 points for the season. Phoenix won the January 6th contest against Colorado by a score of 2-0, and will play them three more times this season including Wednesday's game. The Avalanche are only two points away from a playoff spot with 54 points and have home advantage for this week's game.
Phoenix tallied on the power play in both of the home-and-day off-and-home games against LA. Ilya Bryzgalov is always impressive with a .917 save percentage for the season and Shane Doan's shot is sure to entertain. My favorite player for the Coyotes, Vernon Fiddler, is an unknown (to me) for the week. On January 15th against the Ducks, Fiddler left early in the third period with an upper body injury after he fought with Matt Beleskey. I look forward to him returning to the lineup and I'm sure that the former Predators can't wait to get back in the game.
The All Star break is coming up this weekend, and afterwards the schedules get busy once again. Until then, there are four points on the line for Phoenix this week, and the streaky team needs them all.
Predators Win in Edmonton, and Visit Calgary TONIGHT!
The Predators won in Edmonton last night in a 3-2 shootout decision, and they visit Calgary tonight to take on the Flames for the second time this season. Last night's game was won in a strange style. The Predators used some unusual goal scorers to get it done, and goal tender Pekka Rinne was able to call upon a higher power to keep Edmonton at two goals during regulation. The Predators play again tonight after a short trip South to Calgary, and after the learning experience they got last night, I say they are ready once again.
Last night, Alexander Sulzer scored his first ever NHL goal to put the Predators up 1-0 in the first period, and Joel Ward scored his sixth goal of the season to break a 1-1 tie in the third period. Andrew Cogliano and Taylor Hall scored for Edmonton to put the game into overtime, and then a shootout. Pekka Rinne called on The Force last night when one save was made; only, he didn't save anything. Pekka had lost his stick, and could not find it. It happened to be on the goal line, and when Shawn Horcoff backhanded one towards the net, the unattended stick saved the day. Luck? Chance? Ancient religious powers created by George Lucas? Either way, the puck did not cross the line and the Predators were very fortunate. Dirk Hoag, of www.ontheforecheck.com, said last night that it was the perfect game. In an abbreviation, he said that the Predators came away with two points, and have a great deal of material to work on in the locker room. Cody Franson scored in the shootout to put the Predators up 3-2.
Tonight, the Predators take to the ice again against the Calgary Flames, and I suspect that Anders Lindback will be in goal. The Predators come into this game with 60 points with a record of 27-15-6. Calgary stands at 15th place in the Western Conference with 50 points and a record of 22-21-6. While Nashville is in 4th place in the West, and Calgary is in 15th, the Flames are not out of the running and look for their third straight win tonight. There is only five points between Calgary and San Jose, and if any team can get back in, the Flames are up to it.
For Nashville, I predict that Matt Halischuk will be back in the lineup tonight in place of Wade Belak and he will be ready to play. Also, Martin Erat will be on the ice tonight, and he has three points in his last four games. The Predators have showed that teamwork is the name of the game, and that aspect can beat the Flames tonight.
Calgary has a team that refuses to give up, and they work very hard. Jarome Ignla leads his team well, and has 20 goals for the season. The forward has marks on the score sheet in three of his last five games, get lots of ice time, and has known the drill in Calgary since 1996. Also Tim Jackman will be interesting tonight. He has three points in his last five games, but only gets between seven and twelve minutes of ice time each night. He is a hard hitter, a physical player, and is able to swing momentum at a moment's notice. This is the North Dakota native's first year with the Flames, and he is making his presence known.
Nashville has had a busy road schedule, and they did play last night. Calgary played on Saturday, but should be rested up for tonight's contest. The Scotiabank Saddledome is sure to be loud tonight. The arena is one of the oldest in the NHL, but it appears as if their fans seem to like it just fine. Last Monday, they packed 21,273 in the building; it is only listed to seat 19,289. One game at a time; tonight's contest starts at 8:30PM Central Time, and you can catch it on FS-TN.
Last night, Alexander Sulzer scored his first ever NHL goal to put the Predators up 1-0 in the first period, and Joel Ward scored his sixth goal of the season to break a 1-1 tie in the third period. Andrew Cogliano and Taylor Hall scored for Edmonton to put the game into overtime, and then a shootout. Pekka Rinne called on The Force last night when one save was made; only, he didn't save anything. Pekka had lost his stick, and could not find it. It happened to be on the goal line, and when Shawn Horcoff backhanded one towards the net, the unattended stick saved the day. Luck? Chance? Ancient religious powers created by George Lucas? Either way, the puck did not cross the line and the Predators were very fortunate. Dirk Hoag, of www.ontheforecheck.com, said last night that it was the perfect game. In an abbreviation, he said that the Predators came away with two points, and have a great deal of material to work on in the locker room. Cody Franson scored in the shootout to put the Predators up 3-2.
Tonight, the Predators take to the ice again against the Calgary Flames, and I suspect that Anders Lindback will be in goal. The Predators come into this game with 60 points with a record of 27-15-6. Calgary stands at 15th place in the Western Conference with 50 points and a record of 22-21-6. While Nashville is in 4th place in the West, and Calgary is in 15th, the Flames are not out of the running and look for their third straight win tonight. There is only five points between Calgary and San Jose, and if any team can get back in, the Flames are up to it.
For Nashville, I predict that Matt Halischuk will be back in the lineup tonight in place of Wade Belak and he will be ready to play. Also, Martin Erat will be on the ice tonight, and he has three points in his last four games. The Predators have showed that teamwork is the name of the game, and that aspect can beat the Flames tonight.
Calgary has a team that refuses to give up, and they work very hard. Jarome Ignla leads his team well, and has 20 goals for the season. The forward has marks on the score sheet in three of his last five games, get lots of ice time, and has known the drill in Calgary since 1996. Also Tim Jackman will be interesting tonight. He has three points in his last five games, but only gets between seven and twelve minutes of ice time each night. He is a hard hitter, a physical player, and is able to swing momentum at a moment's notice. This is the North Dakota native's first year with the Flames, and he is making his presence known.
Nashville has had a busy road schedule, and they did play last night. Calgary played on Saturday, but should be rested up for tonight's contest. The Scotiabank Saddledome is sure to be loud tonight. The arena is one of the oldest in the NHL, but it appears as if their fans seem to like it just fine. Last Monday, they packed 21,273 in the building; it is only listed to seat 19,289. One game at a time; tonight's contest starts at 8:30PM Central Time, and you can catch it on FS-TN.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Predators Look For 60th Point Tonight Against Edmonton
Tonight, the Nashville Predators take on the Edmonton Oilers in Alberta, Canada. You can catch the game on FS-TN tonight at 7:00PM Central Time, or you could attend the game in person. How you ask? I've done the research, and if you hurry AND have the money, you could be close to the action tonight. Edmonton fans look for a little hope from their team, and the Preds look for two more points tonight in the first game between the two.
How do you get to Edmonton? First of all I do understand that it is early, but put some clothes on, grab a Preds jersey, get your cell phone and a charger, GET YOUR PASSPORT, and go get in your car. Don't keep reading...do it now. Now that you are in your vehicle and have the blog on your trusty cell phone, back out of the drive, and go to Atlanta. While on your way, make a call to Air Canada and request flights 8620 and 127 for today, and flights 158 and 8619 for tomorrow. Also, call Ticketmaster and/or the Oilers directly, and get a ticket for the game. When in Atlanta, steer your vehicle towards the airport, park your car, and take the little bus to the terminal. Flight 8620 will depart Atlanta at 11:20AM, so make sure you get there in time to get through security. Since you don't have any luggage, it shouldn't be that bad. Next, fly to Toronto, then on to Edmonton. Once you get to Edmonton, take a taxi to the Rexall Place, and enjoy. After the game, take a taxi directly to the airport, board your flight at 12:10AM, and head back home.
Who is actually thinking about it besides me? Anyone? Oh the cost...$1443.00 for the flight, about $50 for the game ticket, $100 for food and drinks, and about $100 for transportation. ROAD TRIP!
While at the game, I will be watching Pekka Rinne who will start in goal for Nashville. This guy has been a brick wall lately, and performs majestically to say the least. For the offense, goals and points have been coming from all over the team. With that said, I'm going to stick with Sergei Kostitsyn who is super hot.
Edmonton has opted out of today's morning skate, and Nashville had a large turnout yesterday for their practice that was open to the public. Yesterday, the Oilers had a skills competition at the Rexall Place that drew a crowd of over 12,000. For the Oilers, Ryan Whitney plays defense well, and has 27 points this season. He appears to realize that the set up works, and has two goals in his last five games. The 6'3" Boston native can be dangerous on both ends of the ice, and will be a pleasure to watch.
Even though Edmonton has went 1-6 in their last seven games, the Predators do not have time to relax. Tonight's game is projected to be a sellout, and Nashville will have their work cut out for them. Will you be among a sellout crowd in Alberta tonight? Either way, it is hockey night...can it get any better?
How do you get to Edmonton? First of all I do understand that it is early, but put some clothes on, grab a Preds jersey, get your cell phone and a charger, GET YOUR PASSPORT, and go get in your car. Don't keep reading...do it now. Now that you are in your vehicle and have the blog on your trusty cell phone, back out of the drive, and go to Atlanta. While on your way, make a call to Air Canada and request flights 8620 and 127 for today, and flights 158 and 8619 for tomorrow. Also, call Ticketmaster and/or the Oilers directly, and get a ticket for the game. When in Atlanta, steer your vehicle towards the airport, park your car, and take the little bus to the terminal. Flight 8620 will depart Atlanta at 11:20AM, so make sure you get there in time to get through security. Since you don't have any luggage, it shouldn't be that bad. Next, fly to Toronto, then on to Edmonton. Once you get to Edmonton, take a taxi to the Rexall Place, and enjoy. After the game, take a taxi directly to the airport, board your flight at 12:10AM, and head back home.
Who is actually thinking about it besides me? Anyone? Oh the cost...$1443.00 for the flight, about $50 for the game ticket, $100 for food and drinks, and about $100 for transportation. ROAD TRIP!
While at the game, I will be watching Pekka Rinne who will start in goal for Nashville. This guy has been a brick wall lately, and performs majestically to say the least. For the offense, goals and points have been coming from all over the team. With that said, I'm going to stick with Sergei Kostitsyn who is super hot.
Edmonton has opted out of today's morning skate, and Nashville had a large turnout yesterday for their practice that was open to the public. Yesterday, the Oilers had a skills competition at the Rexall Place that drew a crowd of over 12,000. For the Oilers, Ryan Whitney plays defense well, and has 27 points this season. He appears to realize that the set up works, and has two goals in his last five games. The 6'3" Boston native can be dangerous on both ends of the ice, and will be a pleasure to watch.
Even though Edmonton has went 1-6 in their last seven games, the Predators do not have time to relax. Tonight's game is projected to be a sellout, and Nashville will have their work cut out for them. Will you be among a sellout crowd in Alberta tonight? Either way, it is hockey night...can it get any better?
Friday, January 21, 2011
Momentum Key in 5-1 Win Against Colorado
Thursday night the Nashville Predators' offense went to work, and they beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-1. With the win, Nashville stays in fourth place in the Western Conference and gets two points for a total of 58. Colorado stayed at 54 points and has eighth place in the West. Third periods seem to be exciting for Nashville as of late, and last night was no exception. Last night's game was also the second game in a row that the Predators have scored five times.
In the first period, Nashville opened up the scoring at just 03:15 when Sergi Kostitsyn beat goal tender Craig Anderson with a wrist shot. Cody Franson made it 2-0 with his sixth goal of the season at 16:37, and the period ended with Nashville having a bit of a cushion. Although there were many chances for both teams in the first, there was only a total of 17 shots on goal between the teams.
In the second, the numbers suggest that it was a rather dull period. In reality Colorado was building momentum, and had a great chance from Matt Duchene's shot that produced a rebound. Ryan Stoa found the rebound in front and tapped it toward the net. The call on the ice was no goal, and play continued. Play on the ice was stopped however for a review, and for some reason, Nashville got a break, and Colorado lost its momentum. Hoards of people on Twitter, all of the Colorado fans, and the Avalanche coaching staff thought that they had scored. The disappointment was devastating to Colorado.
In the third period, Nashville lit the lamp three times, and Colorado was able to squash Pekka Rinne's shout out bid. With his first goal of the season, Matt Halischuk scored his second NHL goal at 02:05, and he set the pace. Matt is going to fun to watch in the years to come, and I really hope that he is able to stay with Nashville. At 04:22 David Legwand got on the board to put the Predators up 4-0, and at 09:27 Colin Wilson got his twelfth goal of the season to make it 5-0. Matt Duchene lit the lamp for Colorado at 16:23, and the game ended with a 5-1 score.
Nashville's next game is in Edmonton, Alberta against the Oilers on Sunday night. With a couple of days off, they will have the opportunity to rest up, but may also get passed in the standings. Phoenix is only one point behind Nashville, and they will play LA on Saturday. Even though I am fond of the Coyotes, LA may be able to help Nashville out. For Friday night, the only game that affects Nashville will be Dallas at Calgary. Hopefully Calgary will get win in regulation. For Saturday, Boston visits Colorado and Anaheim visits Montreal for two East/West games. Nashville fans will pull for the East teams here to keep points out of the West. The other games scheduled for Friday and Saturday either don't affect us, or will simply continue to put pressure on the log jam in the West. On Sunday Nashville and Edmonton face off at 7:00PM, and the game will be broadcasted on FS-TN.
In the first period, Nashville opened up the scoring at just 03:15 when Sergi Kostitsyn beat goal tender Craig Anderson with a wrist shot. Cody Franson made it 2-0 with his sixth goal of the season at 16:37, and the period ended with Nashville having a bit of a cushion. Although there were many chances for both teams in the first, there was only a total of 17 shots on goal between the teams.
In the second, the numbers suggest that it was a rather dull period. In reality Colorado was building momentum, and had a great chance from Matt Duchene's shot that produced a rebound. Ryan Stoa found the rebound in front and tapped it toward the net. The call on the ice was no goal, and play continued. Play on the ice was stopped however for a review, and for some reason, Nashville got a break, and Colorado lost its momentum. Hoards of people on Twitter, all of the Colorado fans, and the Avalanche coaching staff thought that they had scored. The disappointment was devastating to Colorado.
In the third period, Nashville lit the lamp three times, and Colorado was able to squash Pekka Rinne's shout out bid. With his first goal of the season, Matt Halischuk scored his second NHL goal at 02:05, and he set the pace. Matt is going to fun to watch in the years to come, and I really hope that he is able to stay with Nashville. At 04:22 David Legwand got on the board to put the Predators up 4-0, and at 09:27 Colin Wilson got his twelfth goal of the season to make it 5-0. Matt Duchene lit the lamp for Colorado at 16:23, and the game ended with a 5-1 score.
Nashville's next game is in Edmonton, Alberta against the Oilers on Sunday night. With a couple of days off, they will have the opportunity to rest up, but may also get passed in the standings. Phoenix is only one point behind Nashville, and they will play LA on Saturday. Even though I am fond of the Coyotes, LA may be able to help Nashville out. For Friday night, the only game that affects Nashville will be Dallas at Calgary. Hopefully Calgary will get win in regulation. For Saturday, Boston visits Colorado and Anaheim visits Montreal for two East/West games. Nashville fans will pull for the East teams here to keep points out of the West. The other games scheduled for Friday and Saturday either don't affect us, or will simply continue to put pressure on the log jam in the West. On Sunday Nashville and Edmonton face off at 7:00PM, and the game will be broadcasted on FS-TN.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Trade Deadline Pre Preview and Nashville At Colorado Tonight
Tonight Nashville visits Denver Colorado for the first of four meetings this season. The Predators, the Avalanche, and several other teams in the Western Conference are very evenly matched, which is the cause of the impervious log jam that everyone has been watching in the standings for weeks. Nashville has a record of 25-15-6 with 56 points, and Colorado has 54 points at 24-16-6.
Nashville has several things going for them in tonight's game. Pekka Rinne keeps getting hotter, and he is a sure bet for the start in goal against Colorado. Avalanche Center and headliner Matt Duchene is in a bit of a slump with only three points in his last five games. Goal tenders Peter Budaj and Craig Anderson have been far from perfect for Colorado and hopefully Nashville can cash in on their unpredictable nature.
The status of Francis Bouillon and Marek Svatos is unknown for Nashville. Bouillon missed Tuesday's game against Phoenix with an upper body injury, and Svatos is listed as day to day. For the Avalanche, Ryan O'Reilly will be out. Tonight's game will start at 8:00PM, and you can catch it on FS-TN.
On another note, the trade deadline is only 39 days away, and it is one of my favorite times of the year. I cannot make predictions on what Nashville will do; I'm by no means in deep enough to know what is going to happen, nor have I talked to anyone who does actually know. I will pass on what information I have, and as always this information is subject to change at a moment's notice. These possibilities are what they are, and I just enjoy dreaming of what might happen.
Nashville's Salary Cap is exactly $59,400,000, and the team has room to play. Currently the Predators are spending $50,531,855, they have $8,868,145 in cap space, and they can take a max cap hit of $20,618,437. What does all this mean? Nashville can spend, in salaries, a total of $59,400,000. With the confusing nature of trades, draft picks, and contract term lengths, the actual amount that Nashville will be able to spend can never be determined by me. The numbers do mean that Nashville can, if they so desire, pick up some people before the deadline.
To over simplify the situation, I offer this explanation. A team that is more than likely NOT going to make the playoffs at the trade deadline may elect to trade one or more of their high priced players. If a team is slumping through an off year, they can save some money by dumping high priced contracts, and gain draft picks for the following year(s). A team that is going to make the playoffs, or a team that is in the running may elect to spend money to give them an advantage.
My Pre Preview to the Trade Deadline would not be complete without an example, and I'm sure your going to like this one. The New Jersey Devils are at the bottom of the league with 29 points, and a record of 13-29-3. They are spending $65,002,142, and need to dump a large portion of their payroll. New Jersey may want to trade someone...like...Jason Arnott to free up a $4,500,000 salary. Now, I do understand that Arnott has a no trade clause in his contract, but rumor is that he is willing to wave that.
The deal is - Nashville can spend, but I have no idea whether they will want to or not. Fans also have to take into account that the Predators have players listed on Injured Reserve. If Steve Sullivan and/or Matthew Lombardi pop back into the lineup, the management has to re figure everything.
In the end, don't worry about it, enjoy watching the trades, catch the game tonight, and I'll see you at the Bridge on February 1.
Nashville has several things going for them in tonight's game. Pekka Rinne keeps getting hotter, and he is a sure bet for the start in goal against Colorado. Avalanche Center and headliner Matt Duchene is in a bit of a slump with only three points in his last five games. Goal tenders Peter Budaj and Craig Anderson have been far from perfect for Colorado and hopefully Nashville can cash in on their unpredictable nature.
The status of Francis Bouillon and Marek Svatos is unknown for Nashville. Bouillon missed Tuesday's game against Phoenix with an upper body injury, and Svatos is listed as day to day. For the Avalanche, Ryan O'Reilly will be out. Tonight's game will start at 8:00PM, and you can catch it on FS-TN.
On another note, the trade deadline is only 39 days away, and it is one of my favorite times of the year. I cannot make predictions on what Nashville will do; I'm by no means in deep enough to know what is going to happen, nor have I talked to anyone who does actually know. I will pass on what information I have, and as always this information is subject to change at a moment's notice. These possibilities are what they are, and I just enjoy dreaming of what might happen.
Nashville's Salary Cap is exactly $59,400,000, and the team has room to play. Currently the Predators are spending $50,531,855, they have $8,868,145 in cap space, and they can take a max cap hit of $20,618,437. What does all this mean? Nashville can spend, in salaries, a total of $59,400,000. With the confusing nature of trades, draft picks, and contract term lengths, the actual amount that Nashville will be able to spend can never be determined by me. The numbers do mean that Nashville can, if they so desire, pick up some people before the deadline.
To over simplify the situation, I offer this explanation. A team that is more than likely NOT going to make the playoffs at the trade deadline may elect to trade one or more of their high priced players. If a team is slumping through an off year, they can save some money by dumping high priced contracts, and gain draft picks for the following year(s). A team that is going to make the playoffs, or a team that is in the running may elect to spend money to give them an advantage.
My Pre Preview to the Trade Deadline would not be complete without an example, and I'm sure your going to like this one. The New Jersey Devils are at the bottom of the league with 29 points, and a record of 13-29-3. They are spending $65,002,142, and need to dump a large portion of their payroll. New Jersey may want to trade someone...like...Jason Arnott to free up a $4,500,000 salary. Now, I do understand that Arnott has a no trade clause in his contract, but rumor is that he is willing to wave that.
The deal is - Nashville can spend, but I have no idea whether they will want to or not. Fans also have to take into account that the Predators have players listed on Injured Reserve. If Steve Sullivan and/or Matthew Lombardi pop back into the lineup, the management has to re figure everything.
In the end, don't worry about it, enjoy watching the trades, catch the game tonight, and I'll see you at the Bridge on February 1.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Nashville's New Face: Matt Halischuk
Matt Halischuk has only played two games for Nashville, and has already racked up two assists, and earned second star honors against Phoenix on Tuesday night. Where did he come from, and how did he get to Nashville? That is what we are going to find out.
Halischuk was drafted 117th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils; he was their fourth pick. Before he was drafted, Matt played for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. While the team is primarily unknown to most people, from 1947-1960 the team was known as the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters. Supposedly the Mad Hatters fans started the tradition of throwing hats to the ice and coined the Hat Trick phrase. While playing with the Rangers, he scored 46 goals in 107 games, had 125 total points, and served 36 penalty minutes.
Halischuk played his first game on the NHL level on 10-29-2008 with the New Jersey Devils and was traded to Nashville over the summer of 2010 along with a second round draft pick for Jason Arnott. At the start of the 2010-2011 season, Matt reported to Milwaukee and went to work. He has played 29 games there this season, and has posted nine goals and seven assists. On January 16, 2011 Halischuk was recalled from Milwaukee, and made his debut with the Predators on the same day against Chicago.
When Matt was recalled from Milwaukee Nashville took a cap hit of $399,866, and Halischuk is reported to make $875,000 plus a maximum of $262,500 in bonus money on the NHL level for the 2010-2011 season. Unless his contract is extended, Matt will become a restricted free agent after this season.
The road to Nashville has been a twisting one, but I'm glad that Matt is able to come help us out. I'm always excited to see new people on the ice, and I hope he stays with the Predators long enough for Nashville's fans to see him in person. The Predators return home on February 1 to take on Calgary.
Halischuk was drafted 117th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils; he was their fourth pick. Before he was drafted, Matt played for the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League. While the team is primarily unknown to most people, from 1947-1960 the team was known as the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters. Supposedly the Mad Hatters fans started the tradition of throwing hats to the ice and coined the Hat Trick phrase. While playing with the Rangers, he scored 46 goals in 107 games, had 125 total points, and served 36 penalty minutes.
Halischuk played his first game on the NHL level on 10-29-2008 with the New Jersey Devils and was traded to Nashville over the summer of 2010 along with a second round draft pick for Jason Arnott. At the start of the 2010-2011 season, Matt reported to Milwaukee and went to work. He has played 29 games there this season, and has posted nine goals and seven assists. On January 16, 2011 Halischuk was recalled from Milwaukee, and made his debut with the Predators on the same day against Chicago.
When Matt was recalled from Milwaukee Nashville took a cap hit of $399,866, and Halischuk is reported to make $875,000 plus a maximum of $262,500 in bonus money on the NHL level for the 2010-2011 season. Unless his contract is extended, Matt will become a restricted free agent after this season.
The road to Nashville has been a twisting one, but I'm glad that Matt is able to come help us out. I'm always excited to see new people on the ice, and I hope he stays with the Predators long enough for Nashville's fans to see him in person. The Predators return home on February 1 to take on Calgary.
Nashville's Winning Streak Starts Again And Phoenix Fails To Stop JP
JP Dumont had three goals last night to give Nashville its first hat trick of the season, and the Coyotes fell to the Predators 5-2. This game was a strange one to say the least, and I believe that inconsistent nature of both teams made this game what it was. In front of 8,326 at Jobing.com Arena, Patric Hornqvist also demonstrated his capabilities with two goals for Nashville, and Matt Halischuk came away with two assists.
The first period was by far the strangest. JP Dumont scored at 08:16 to put the Predators up 1-0. While I was listening to the radio broadcast in my car, feeling very content for the moment, the PA announcer in Phoenix was announcing the goal. All of a sudden, Tom Callahan sounded like he was being attacked by the Coyotes mascot. I heard a loud unrecognizable utterance, and then "They Scored!". Patric Hornqvist had put one in the net at 08:28, just twelve seconds after JP's goal. While Nashville was up 2-0, Phoenix was not about to lay down. The Coyotes called their time out, and came back ready to play. After Alexander Sulzer was called for hooking, Radim Vrbata was able to trick the Nashville defense to make the score 2-1 at 10:31. At 14:01, Lee Stempniak was able to tie the game with his eleventh goal of the season, and the period ended at 2-2.
I'm going to officially change my mind, and call the second period of play the strangest of them all. JP Dumont came out of the intermission determined to beat the bad press he has gotten lately. He scored at 11:25 and 17:35 to give him his first hat trick in over nine years. Why so strange? Dumont's three goals tonight were his seventh, eighth, and ninth for the season. If he had 25 goals I would not be so impressed, but something or someone has ignited a fire under this man, and I'm glad he is playing for us.
For the third period, Patric Hornqvist scored his second goal of the night at 14:29 to give him 15 for the season. Steam rolled out of Ilya Bryzgalov's mask because the goal wasn't his fault. The Coyotes defense let Hornqvist have too much time, and the shot was perfectly placed. The game ended with Nashville over Phoenix 5-2. Hands went up.
I believe that Ilya Bryzgalov, who started in goal for Phoenix, had a really bad night last night. He made mistakes, and the defense did as well, but I personally believe he is due a little more credit than what has been given. The Coyotes defense could have saved him on at least two goals first of all. Second, Nashville's shot total seemed to be incredibly low. I am in no way saying that Nashville usually has more shots on goal in a game; trust me they do not. I'm saying that some of Nashville's shots that went under the "blocked" column should have went under the "shots on goal" column. I, however, do not make those calls, but hopefully the league will change the way that statistic is tallied in the future. Even though shots on goal has been a gripe of mine for over two years, Bryzgalov ended up with a grueling 0.762 save percentage for the evening, stopping 16 of 21.
Off of the statstic topic, Nashville travels to Denver and Phoenix travels to LA. Both play on Thursday night, both look for two more points, and Nashville prays for the month to end as they stare into four more games on the road before returning home on Feburary 1 to host Calgary.
The first period was by far the strangest. JP Dumont scored at 08:16 to put the Predators up 1-0. While I was listening to the radio broadcast in my car, feeling very content for the moment, the PA announcer in Phoenix was announcing the goal. All of a sudden, Tom Callahan sounded like he was being attacked by the Coyotes mascot. I heard a loud unrecognizable utterance, and then "They Scored!". Patric Hornqvist had put one in the net at 08:28, just twelve seconds after JP's goal. While Nashville was up 2-0, Phoenix was not about to lay down. The Coyotes called their time out, and came back ready to play. After Alexander Sulzer was called for hooking, Radim Vrbata was able to trick the Nashville defense to make the score 2-1 at 10:31. At 14:01, Lee Stempniak was able to tie the game with his eleventh goal of the season, and the period ended at 2-2.
I'm going to officially change my mind, and call the second period of play the strangest of them all. JP Dumont came out of the intermission determined to beat the bad press he has gotten lately. He scored at 11:25 and 17:35 to give him his first hat trick in over nine years. Why so strange? Dumont's three goals tonight were his seventh, eighth, and ninth for the season. If he had 25 goals I would not be so impressed, but something or someone has ignited a fire under this man, and I'm glad he is playing for us.
For the third period, Patric Hornqvist scored his second goal of the night at 14:29 to give him 15 for the season. Steam rolled out of Ilya Bryzgalov's mask because the goal wasn't his fault. The Coyotes defense let Hornqvist have too much time, and the shot was perfectly placed. The game ended with Nashville over Phoenix 5-2. Hands went up.
I believe that Ilya Bryzgalov, who started in goal for Phoenix, had a really bad night last night. He made mistakes, and the defense did as well, but I personally believe he is due a little more credit than what has been given. The Coyotes defense could have saved him on at least two goals first of all. Second, Nashville's shot total seemed to be incredibly low. I am in no way saying that Nashville usually has more shots on goal in a game; trust me they do not. I'm saying that some of Nashville's shots that went under the "blocked" column should have went under the "shots on goal" column. I, however, do not make those calls, but hopefully the league will change the way that statistic is tallied in the future. Even though shots on goal has been a gripe of mine for over two years, Bryzgalov ended up with a grueling 0.762 save percentage for the evening, stopping 16 of 21.
Off of the statstic topic, Nashville travels to Denver and Phoenix travels to LA. Both play on Thursday night, both look for two more points, and Nashville prays for the month to end as they stare into four more games on the road before returning home on Feburary 1 to host Calgary.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Predators Visit Beautiful Glendale Arizona
Tonight the Nashville Predators will visit Glendale, Arizona to take on the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena. The teams have split a pair of games so far this season, with the home team taking each contest. I had the pleasure of visiting Phoenix to take in a game last Spring. Due to the struggle the Yotes have had with attendance, and the recent sale of the team, many fans have made it their personal agenda to turn things around. The game I attended last Spring happened to be sold out, and even though I cheered for Nashville, I was happy to see that the Yotes were doing well.
Through my travels, I met a young lady that impressed me greatly. Heather McWhorter, President, Coyotes Coalition, is a college student from Georgia that happens to live in Arizona, and is also the biggest Coyotes fan on earth. I have never met her in person, and only briefly communicated with her through email and facebook, but I was immediately impressed. I quickly found that even though the Yotes were down and out, there were fans that refused to just let their team move to another city. I gladly stake what little reputation I have on the fact that Heather McWhorter has done more for the Phoenix Coyotes than any other fan has done for a single team in the history of sports. From organizing fans to work events, to putting butts in seats, to getting crowds of people to go to city counsel meetings...she has done it all.
Anyway, numerous articles, blogs, and commentaries have been published about the Coyotes and their troubles. For the most part, those troubles are in the past, and we are in the present. Tonight's game will be exciting, and I wish I could be in Phoenix to see it. It is my opinion that the Phoenix team can hold their own, and so can their fan base.
Nashville comes into the contest at 24-15-6, and they come off a loss against Chicago on Sunday. Phoenix comes in at 23-14-9, and they also enter the game after a loss last night against San Jose. These teams are very evenly matched when going by the numbers. The slight difference that I see is on the penalty kill, where Nashville has an 85.3% success rate, while the Coyotes are at 78.4%. I really doubt 6.9% will make or break either team.
For Nashville, Pekka Rinne is sure to be in net for tonight's game, and Shane O'Brien will be back from a two game suspension. Francis Bouillon is unknown for tonight, due to a Sunday night injury. As far as who to watch, there is the obvious Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Sergi Kostitsyn. For the not so obvious, the Jerred Smithson line has been producing as of late, and I suspect that they will continue to do so.
For Phoenix, I predict that Ilya Bryzgalov will get the start tonight in net. He did play last night, and while I have not seen the updates this morning, I believe he is the best choice for the Yotes. His lowest save percentage in his last five games is .914, and he is at 2.58 goals against average for the season so far. Bryzgalov can be a brick wall, and the Predators offense will have a hard time getting pucks into the net tonight.
This is the second game of six on the road for Nashville. Tonight will be the last game of a four game home stand for Phoenix, and prior to last night's loss against San Jose, they had won four straight. The game tonight is heavily promoted by the Coyotes with a t-shirt and beer giveaway, so the crowd is more than likely going to be extra rowdy. Both teams are craving points...let's just hope Nashville gets two tonight.
Through my travels, I met a young lady that impressed me greatly. Heather McWhorter, President, Coyotes Coalition, is a college student from Georgia that happens to live in Arizona, and is also the biggest Coyotes fan on earth. I have never met her in person, and only briefly communicated with her through email and facebook, but I was immediately impressed. I quickly found that even though the Yotes were down and out, there were fans that refused to just let their team move to another city. I gladly stake what little reputation I have on the fact that Heather McWhorter has done more for the Phoenix Coyotes than any other fan has done for a single team in the history of sports. From organizing fans to work events, to putting butts in seats, to getting crowds of people to go to city counsel meetings...she has done it all.
Anyway, numerous articles, blogs, and commentaries have been published about the Coyotes and their troubles. For the most part, those troubles are in the past, and we are in the present. Tonight's game will be exciting, and I wish I could be in Phoenix to see it. It is my opinion that the Phoenix team can hold their own, and so can their fan base.
Nashville comes into the contest at 24-15-6, and they come off a loss against Chicago on Sunday. Phoenix comes in at 23-14-9, and they also enter the game after a loss last night against San Jose. These teams are very evenly matched when going by the numbers. The slight difference that I see is on the penalty kill, where Nashville has an 85.3% success rate, while the Coyotes are at 78.4%. I really doubt 6.9% will make or break either team.
For Nashville, Pekka Rinne is sure to be in net for tonight's game, and Shane O'Brien will be back from a two game suspension. Francis Bouillon is unknown for tonight, due to a Sunday night injury. As far as who to watch, there is the obvious Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Sergi Kostitsyn. For the not so obvious, the Jerred Smithson line has been producing as of late, and I suspect that they will continue to do so.
For Phoenix, I predict that Ilya Bryzgalov will get the start tonight in net. He did play last night, and while I have not seen the updates this morning, I believe he is the best choice for the Yotes. His lowest save percentage in his last five games is .914, and he is at 2.58 goals against average for the season so far. Bryzgalov can be a brick wall, and the Predators offense will have a hard time getting pucks into the net tonight.
This is the second game of six on the road for Nashville. Tonight will be the last game of a four game home stand for Phoenix, and prior to last night's loss against San Jose, they had won four straight. The game tonight is heavily promoted by the Coyotes with a t-shirt and beer giveaway, so the crowd is more than likely going to be extra rowdy. Both teams are craving points...let's just hope Nashville gets two tonight.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Nashville Splits Home and Home With Chicago
This weekend, the Nashville Predators have been meeting up with the Chicago Blackhawks with a Home and Home. Saturday night, Chicago visited Nashville in a very exciting match up with the Predators winning 3-2 in a shoot out decision. Tonight, Nashville has lost to Chicago 6-3 in another nail biting game that came down to the third period.
On Saturday night, the bandwagon rolled into Nashville as the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champions came to town. With about 4,000 Chicago fans in attendance, the sold out Bridgestone Arena was very loud, and the Predators fed from the excitement. The first period seemed to be mediocre for the Predators, and the second period was worse, as Nashville couldn't seem to control the puck at all. With several stolen cross ice passes, Chicago was able to go up 2-0 at the end of the second. The first goal came at 14:59 of the first when Chicago was on the power play. Tomas Kopecky beat Pekka Rinne with a wrist shot, which made all those Chicago fans scream in excitement. At 04:29 of the second, Viktor Stalberg scored his seventh goal of the season, and most of the Chicago fans in the building thought the game was in the bag.
The third period of Saturday's game turned the tides. Nashville came out of the locker room handling well, and executing plays. While it did take almost half the third period for Nashville to get on the board, I knew it would come. The plan was simple; score one goal in the first ten minutes of the period, and one goal in the second. At 09:46, Jerred Smithson finally got Nashville on the board, and the crowd went totally wild. The Chicago fans sat down, and realized that the Predators had not given up. Just after the twelve minutes had past in the third period, Paul turned on the red light to signal a media time out. The Nashville fans gave a standing ovation, cheering on the team that they are so proud of. I felt as if the roof was going to cave in due to the energy in the building. When the light was turned off, the face off came to the left of Corey Crawford, who started in goal for Chicago. The puck traveled in the blink of an eye beautifully from Joel Ward to Ryan Suter to Shea Weber, who drilled a shot past Crawford. The crowd jumped to its feet, more excited than I had seen it all year. The game was tied at the end of regulation, and with no score in the overtime period, it was on to a shoot out. Marcel Goc scored in the shoot out, and Pekka Rinne stopped all three Chicago shooters to give the Predators the win.
After the game on Saturday, both teams almost immediately left the arena, and traveled to Chicago to do it all over again. Tonight's game started out with Nashville's power play, and it was ON FIRE. Don't hear that very much, do ya. Welcome Back Martin Erat! He scored at 02:04 of the first on the power play, to put the Predators up 1-0. Dave Bolland tipped one in at 06:38 to put Chicago on the board, and J-P Dumont scored on the power play again at 14:15 to give the Predators a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period.
In the second period, Tomas Kopecky tied the game at 2-2, and then the third period started. I think the Nashville fans wish that the intermission had never ended. The period looked good at 03:45, as J-P Dumont scored his second goal of the game to put the Predators up 3-2, but by the half way point of the third period, Nashville figured out that Chicago was not going to play around. At 09:19, Troy Brouwer scored a power play goal to tie, and then at 09:59, he scored the game winner. Bryan Bickell added to the tally at 14:08, along with Jonathan Toews at 16:25.
Tonight's game was not a total breakdown, and there were some good things that happened along with the bad. J-P Dumont had two goals in tonight's game, and ended up with a +1 rating. Just the other day, Dumont was listed as the biggest disappointment in Nashville for this season. While his numbers still aren't where they need to be, I was happy to see him perform tonight. Martin Erat scored tonight, which impresses me. Tonight's game is just his second since coming back from being listed on injured reserve. Also, the only other Predator that has a + rating tonight happens to be Matt Halischuk. Matt was recalled from Milwaukee, and I always like to root for the new guy. What went wrong? Our defense, including goal tending, was not where it needed to be tonight. I am usually the first to praise the goaltender, and to blame the defense instead of the net minder when we are getting scored on. Tonight I saw two goals that were totally Anders Lindback's fault, and I feel like I simply need to point it out. By no means am I down on Anders, mad at him, or anything of the nature. I just see one little thing of many that needs to be worked on. And on the defense, Ryan Suter was faked out of his shorts tonight on one of the third period goals. I thought it was pretty funny myself. Nashville simply needs to stay on its game, play THEIR game, and be a little more consistent. And I do realize that has been said time and time again.
It has been a long impressive hockey weekend for me. As I go back to the daily grind tomorrow, the Predators will as well as they travel to Phoenix for a Tuesday night metting. Between now and then, they have a lot to work on.
On Saturday night, the bandwagon rolled into Nashville as the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champions came to town. With about 4,000 Chicago fans in attendance, the sold out Bridgestone Arena was very loud, and the Predators fed from the excitement. The first period seemed to be mediocre for the Predators, and the second period was worse, as Nashville couldn't seem to control the puck at all. With several stolen cross ice passes, Chicago was able to go up 2-0 at the end of the second. The first goal came at 14:59 of the first when Chicago was on the power play. Tomas Kopecky beat Pekka Rinne with a wrist shot, which made all those Chicago fans scream in excitement. At 04:29 of the second, Viktor Stalberg scored his seventh goal of the season, and most of the Chicago fans in the building thought the game was in the bag.
The third period of Saturday's game turned the tides. Nashville came out of the locker room handling well, and executing plays. While it did take almost half the third period for Nashville to get on the board, I knew it would come. The plan was simple; score one goal in the first ten minutes of the period, and one goal in the second. At 09:46, Jerred Smithson finally got Nashville on the board, and the crowd went totally wild. The Chicago fans sat down, and realized that the Predators had not given up. Just after the twelve minutes had past in the third period, Paul turned on the red light to signal a media time out. The Nashville fans gave a standing ovation, cheering on the team that they are so proud of. I felt as if the roof was going to cave in due to the energy in the building. When the light was turned off, the face off came to the left of Corey Crawford, who started in goal for Chicago. The puck traveled in the blink of an eye beautifully from Joel Ward to Ryan Suter to Shea Weber, who drilled a shot past Crawford. The crowd jumped to its feet, more excited than I had seen it all year. The game was tied at the end of regulation, and with no score in the overtime period, it was on to a shoot out. Marcel Goc scored in the shoot out, and Pekka Rinne stopped all three Chicago shooters to give the Predators the win.
After the game on Saturday, both teams almost immediately left the arena, and traveled to Chicago to do it all over again. Tonight's game started out with Nashville's power play, and it was ON FIRE. Don't hear that very much, do ya. Welcome Back Martin Erat! He scored at 02:04 of the first on the power play, to put the Predators up 1-0. Dave Bolland tipped one in at 06:38 to put Chicago on the board, and J-P Dumont scored on the power play again at 14:15 to give the Predators a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period.
In the second period, Tomas Kopecky tied the game at 2-2, and then the third period started. I think the Nashville fans wish that the intermission had never ended. The period looked good at 03:45, as J-P Dumont scored his second goal of the game to put the Predators up 3-2, but by the half way point of the third period, Nashville figured out that Chicago was not going to play around. At 09:19, Troy Brouwer scored a power play goal to tie, and then at 09:59, he scored the game winner. Bryan Bickell added to the tally at 14:08, along with Jonathan Toews at 16:25.
Tonight's game was not a total breakdown, and there were some good things that happened along with the bad. J-P Dumont had two goals in tonight's game, and ended up with a +1 rating. Just the other day, Dumont was listed as the biggest disappointment in Nashville for this season. While his numbers still aren't where they need to be, I was happy to see him perform tonight. Martin Erat scored tonight, which impresses me. Tonight's game is just his second since coming back from being listed on injured reserve. Also, the only other Predator that has a + rating tonight happens to be Matt Halischuk. Matt was recalled from Milwaukee, and I always like to root for the new guy. What went wrong? Our defense, including goal tending, was not where it needed to be tonight. I am usually the first to praise the goaltender, and to blame the defense instead of the net minder when we are getting scored on. Tonight I saw two goals that were totally Anders Lindback's fault, and I feel like I simply need to point it out. By no means am I down on Anders, mad at him, or anything of the nature. I just see one little thing of many that needs to be worked on. And on the defense, Ryan Suter was faked out of his shorts tonight on one of the third period goals. I thought it was pretty funny myself. Nashville simply needs to stay on its game, play THEIR game, and be a little more consistent. And I do realize that has been said time and time again.
It has been a long impressive hockey weekend for me. As I go back to the daily grind tomorrow, the Predators will as well as they travel to Phoenix for a Tuesday night metting. Between now and then, they have a lot to work on.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Predators Plan To Start Another Streak With Home And Home Against Chicago
The Predators ended their winning streak at six games with a 3-2 loss in Florida on Thursday night, and the team plans to start rolling again with a Home and Home against Chicago. For Thursday night, Nashville appeared as if thy were riding a bicycle with a flat tire. Their play wasn't horrible by any means, but they weren't on their game. Losing 3-2 always hurts, and the game wasn't all bad. David Legwand made a beautiful goal in the third period, and also had an assist in the first. And while I naturally assumed that Tomas Vokoun would get the start against Nashville in goal, it turned out that backup Scott Clemmensen would get the win for Florida. He played his 13th game of the season against Nashville.
For tonight, Chicago comes to town with 51 points, which is only one point behind Nashville. The reigning Stanley Cup Champions have slumped a little more this year than in recent past, and Nashville has won two of the three previous meetings this season. After the game, both teams will board their respective airplanes and travel to Chicago, to do it all over again at the United Center on Sunday night.
When either team goes on the power play, pay attention. Penalty killing and power play numbers for these teams are drastically different, and chances are sure to arise when mistakes are made tonight. Nashville's penality kill is up to an 86% success rate, while Chicago's is only 77.6%. On the other hand, Chicago's power play is at an 24.4% success rate, while Nashville's is only 14.5%. As fans, we will either see a lot of exciting chances, or a total defensive lockup during the man advantage. When either team goes a man down, I'll be on the edge of my seat for sure.
I will be spending the afternoon at Bridgestone Arena catching a college matchup between the University of Alabama Huntsville and Merrimack College. Tickets are cheap, and there is a 1:00PM Central Time puck drop. If you call me, tickets are REALLY CHEAP. And when I say REALLY CHEAP, I mean $0.82 for a lower level seat. Let me know if you want me to get you tickets.
For Nashville and Chicago, the puck drops at 7:00PM Central Time, and you can catch the game on FSTN. If you are planning on attending, and don't have tickets...get them quick. The Bridge is sure to sold out tonight. SOLD OUT!
For tonight, Chicago comes to town with 51 points, which is only one point behind Nashville. The reigning Stanley Cup Champions have slumped a little more this year than in recent past, and Nashville has won two of the three previous meetings this season. After the game, both teams will board their respective airplanes and travel to Chicago, to do it all over again at the United Center on Sunday night.
When either team goes on the power play, pay attention. Penalty killing and power play numbers for these teams are drastically different, and chances are sure to arise when mistakes are made tonight. Nashville's penality kill is up to an 86% success rate, while Chicago's is only 77.6%. On the other hand, Chicago's power play is at an 24.4% success rate, while Nashville's is only 14.5%. As fans, we will either see a lot of exciting chances, or a total defensive lockup during the man advantage. When either team goes a man down, I'll be on the edge of my seat for sure.
I will be spending the afternoon at Bridgestone Arena catching a college matchup between the University of Alabama Huntsville and Merrimack College. Tickets are cheap, and there is a 1:00PM Central Time puck drop. If you call me, tickets are REALLY CHEAP. And when I say REALLY CHEAP, I mean $0.82 for a lower level seat. Let me know if you want me to get you tickets.
For Nashville and Chicago, the puck drops at 7:00PM Central Time, and you can catch the game on FSTN. If you are planning on attending, and don't have tickets...get them quick. The Bridge is sure to sold out tonight. SOLD OUT!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Predators Visit Panthers - Somewhere In Florida
Tonight the Nashville Predators (23-23-6) visit the Florida Panthers (19-20-2) with a 6:30PM Central Time puck drop in South Florida. Why "Somewhere In Florida" you ask? The title could read... Predators Visit Panthers In Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach Metropolitan Area, AKA Sunrise. Where is Sunrise? Well we don't know. Even Google has lost Sunrise, Fl not once, but twice. The Predators are 7-2-4 against the Eastern Conference this season, and they won the December 11 match up by a score of 3-0.
My predictions are what they are, but here we go. I expect to see a low scoring game, and predict that there will be a total of four goals scored between the two teams. Average goals scored for the Predators per game is 2.55, and for the Panthers per game is 2.71. This does not scream for an exciting game as far as goal scoring goes, but time will tell. Also, I predict that the power play unit, for both teams, will be an epic fail. The Panthers have gone 2 for 22, and the Predators boast a 14.8% success rate. On the other hand, I foresee that this will be a very exciting game for the defensive players. The penalty killing unit for both teams is top notch, with the Predators at 85.7%, and the Panthers at 84.6%. The success rate for the kill is among the top on the league for both teams. I believe that the defensive strategies and players will be a treat tonight.
Tomas Vokoun is a familiar name to Nashville fans, and he will be the one to watch tonight for the Panthers. Acquired from Nashville in the Summer of 2007, this is his fourth season with the Panthers. Vokoun still holds several goal tending records for Nashville, and gets special treatment when he makes a visit. He is one of the only players in the league that does not get the "SUCKS" treatment when his name is announced as starting goaltender. The fans still remember and appreciate his great service to this team, and to hear them cheer when his name is called is always heart warming. Tonight he plays against Nashville, and is almost sure to be dangerous.
Since I believe that this game will be a defensive match up, Pekka Rinne has to be the one to watch for the Predators. Goal tending is going to be key tonight. Rinne's goals-against average is 2.11 for the season with a .928 save percentage. Those numbers end up being among the best in the NHL, and Pekka has allowed just five goals in his last five games. While listening to him speak by telephone on NHL Live yesterday, I found that Rinne is very team oriented, and that he is always eager to learn.
The Predators look for their seventh straight win tonight, and hope to get two points and move to 54 total. The Panthers are looking to make it to 42 points and .500 for the season. They are looking for their second win in a row, and are hoping for their first playoff appearance since the 1999-2000 season. Tonight's game can be found on FS-TN, FS-F, RDS, and on the Predators Radio Network. If you happen to be tired of Dancing With Convicts, catch some Predators hockey tonight!
My predictions are what they are, but here we go. I expect to see a low scoring game, and predict that there will be a total of four goals scored between the two teams. Average goals scored for the Predators per game is 2.55, and for the Panthers per game is 2.71. This does not scream for an exciting game as far as goal scoring goes, but time will tell. Also, I predict that the power play unit, for both teams, will be an epic fail. The Panthers have gone 2 for 22, and the Predators boast a 14.8% success rate. On the other hand, I foresee that this will be a very exciting game for the defensive players. The penalty killing unit for both teams is top notch, with the Predators at 85.7%, and the Panthers at 84.6%. The success rate for the kill is among the top on the league for both teams. I believe that the defensive strategies and players will be a treat tonight.
Tomas Vokoun is a familiar name to Nashville fans, and he will be the one to watch tonight for the Panthers. Acquired from Nashville in the Summer of 2007, this is his fourth season with the Panthers. Vokoun still holds several goal tending records for Nashville, and gets special treatment when he makes a visit. He is one of the only players in the league that does not get the "SUCKS" treatment when his name is announced as starting goaltender. The fans still remember and appreciate his great service to this team, and to hear them cheer when his name is called is always heart warming. Tonight he plays against Nashville, and is almost sure to be dangerous.
Since I believe that this game will be a defensive match up, Pekka Rinne has to be the one to watch for the Predators. Goal tending is going to be key tonight. Rinne's goals-against average is 2.11 for the season with a .928 save percentage. Those numbers end up being among the best in the NHL, and Pekka has allowed just five goals in his last five games. While listening to him speak by telephone on NHL Live yesterday, I found that Rinne is very team oriented, and that he is always eager to learn.
The Predators look for their seventh straight win tonight, and hope to get two points and move to 54 total. The Panthers are looking to make it to 42 points and .500 for the season. They are looking for their second win in a row, and are hoping for their first playoff appearance since the 1999-2000 season. Tonight's game can be found on FS-TN, FS-F, RDS, and on the Predators Radio Network. If you happen to be tired of Dancing With Convicts, catch some Predators hockey tonight!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Nashville Plays Hard And Works Harder For Sixth Straight Win
Nashville gets two points over Minnesota in a very tight Western Conference and moves to 23-13-6 on the season with a 5-1 win. Mikko Koivu scored the lone goal for the Wild; for the Predators, David Legwand, Joel Ward, Nick Spaling, and Marcel Goc all turned the light on. Consistency has been key since the first of the year, and time will tell if the Predators can stay on track.
Minnesota came into this game looking to continue their road streak They ended up losing their first road game in a month, their second game in a row, and Jose Theodore left the Minnesota net half way through the third period with his stick between his legs. While the numbers might suggest an easy Predators win, I promise that it was no piece of cake. Nashville did score first with a goal from David Legwand at 07:03 of the first period, and Mikko Koivu tied the game up at 16:05. Both teams seemed to be very evenly matched, as the pre-game numbers suggested. The level of activity and speed of both teams was very impressive, and the first period ended with the teams tied.
The second period continued with multiple chances for both teams. Both continued to handle the puck well, and the period seemed like it was more of the same, even though Joel Ward broke the tie with the go ahead goal at 01:02. While I thought that the momentum may tilt after Ward's goal, Minnesota did not lose hope, and continued to be aggressive.
My prediction for the third period was that the game would come down to the final minute with the same score, and that the Wild would either score to tie, or die trying. I was wrong. At 04:18 Nick Spaling lit the lamp, unassisted. Nick Spaling? Nick Spaling. It was his third goal of the season. This goal really felt like Nick was flipping the puck in the zone to attempt a line change. When I saw the puck fly through the air from near the right point, the last thing I imagined is that he would score. He did. The puck slipped into the net on Theodore's right side like a mortar.
Shea Weber fired a shot from near the blue line, and got a rebound off Theodore to set up the most exciting goal of the game. With a crash of the net, the official signaled no goal as if he was screaming NO GOAL, he immediately signaled no goal again using the same emotion, and then Nick Spaling tipped the puck over the line, and the official signaled goal as if he was the most excited fan in the arena. He pointed to the net as if he was trying to chop the crossbar in half. Nick Spaling? Nick Spaling. The goal was his fourth of the season.
After Spaling's second goal of the night, the Minnesota coaching staff decided to make a change, and Anton Khubodin entered the game. At 12:53, the light was turned on for the last time as Marcel Goc put the Predators up 5-1. Marcel's goal was also unassisted. Khubodin stopped four of the five shots he faced, and tonight was his first game played on the NHL level this season after being recalled from Minnesota's AHL affiliate in Houston on January 8.
Nick Spaling was named the games first star, and while that will not be disputed by me at all, I first give props to the fans in Nashville. Attendance for tonight's game is officially 15,311. Attendance numbers are much more complicated than simply telling how many people showed up, and the staff came up with 15,311 because they added the number of tickets sold plus comp tickets. The number of people who actually walk through the doors can be drastically different; tonight it wasn't. I attended the last game that the Predators sold out (17,113), and there were large sections of empty seats in both the upper and lower bowls. As far as the lower bowl goes, I believe that not a single ticketed person failed to come to the game. The crowd looked great, and sounded even better.
The Predators travel to the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach Metropolitan Area to take on the Florida Panthers on Thursday, and they will be looking for a seventh straight win. This East-West match up is sure to be fun, and the Predators return home to take on Chicago on Saturday.
Minnesota came into this game looking to continue their road streak They ended up losing their first road game in a month, their second game in a row, and Jose Theodore left the Minnesota net half way through the third period with his stick between his legs. While the numbers might suggest an easy Predators win, I promise that it was no piece of cake. Nashville did score first with a goal from David Legwand at 07:03 of the first period, and Mikko Koivu tied the game up at 16:05. Both teams seemed to be very evenly matched, as the pre-game numbers suggested. The level of activity and speed of both teams was very impressive, and the first period ended with the teams tied.
The second period continued with multiple chances for both teams. Both continued to handle the puck well, and the period seemed like it was more of the same, even though Joel Ward broke the tie with the go ahead goal at 01:02. While I thought that the momentum may tilt after Ward's goal, Minnesota did not lose hope, and continued to be aggressive.
My prediction for the third period was that the game would come down to the final minute with the same score, and that the Wild would either score to tie, or die trying. I was wrong. At 04:18 Nick Spaling lit the lamp, unassisted. Nick Spaling? Nick Spaling. It was his third goal of the season. This goal really felt like Nick was flipping the puck in the zone to attempt a line change. When I saw the puck fly through the air from near the right point, the last thing I imagined is that he would score. He did. The puck slipped into the net on Theodore's right side like a mortar.
Shea Weber fired a shot from near the blue line, and got a rebound off Theodore to set up the most exciting goal of the game. With a crash of the net, the official signaled no goal as if he was screaming NO GOAL, he immediately signaled no goal again using the same emotion, and then Nick Spaling tipped the puck over the line, and the official signaled goal as if he was the most excited fan in the arena. He pointed to the net as if he was trying to chop the crossbar in half. Nick Spaling? Nick Spaling. The goal was his fourth of the season.
After Spaling's second goal of the night, the Minnesota coaching staff decided to make a change, and Anton Khubodin entered the game. At 12:53, the light was turned on for the last time as Marcel Goc put the Predators up 5-1. Marcel's goal was also unassisted. Khubodin stopped four of the five shots he faced, and tonight was his first game played on the NHL level this season after being recalled from Minnesota's AHL affiliate in Houston on January 8.
Nick Spaling was named the games first star, and while that will not be disputed by me at all, I first give props to the fans in Nashville. Attendance for tonight's game is officially 15,311. Attendance numbers are much more complicated than simply telling how many people showed up, and the staff came up with 15,311 because they added the number of tickets sold plus comp tickets. The number of people who actually walk through the doors can be drastically different; tonight it wasn't. I attended the last game that the Predators sold out (17,113), and there were large sections of empty seats in both the upper and lower bowls. As far as the lower bowl goes, I believe that not a single ticketed person failed to come to the game. The crowd looked great, and sounded even better.
The Predators travel to the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach Metropolitan Area to take on the Florida Panthers on Thursday, and they will be looking for a seventh straight win. This East-West match up is sure to be fun, and the Predators return home to take on Chicago on Saturday.
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