Saturday, January 8, 2011

Nashville Visits San Jose To Wrap Up California Road Trip

     The Nashville Predators will take on the San Jose Sharks tonight at 7:00PM Central Time to wrap up its three game California road trip.  Nashville has beaten both the Kings and the Ducks on this trip, and hope to sweep the series to come away with a fifth straight win.  Nashville comes in at 21-13-6, and San Jose at 21-15-5.

     San Jose will be coming into this game having lost two straight and this season happens to be their 20th year of existence.  The Sharks have had the upper hand on the Predators in recent years, but this year is a little different.  Both teams seem to be very evenly matched, and Nashville won the only other meeting between the two teams this season 3-2 in Nashville on December 15.  San Jose plays their games at the HP Pavilion (aka The Shark Tank) with a capacity of 17,562, and it is my opinion that they have the most annoying goal horn in the NHL. 

Who to watch for San Jose:

     Dan Boyle loves to play defense, and boy do they let him play.  For his last five games Dan has four points, hasn't played less than 25 minutes, and for his last contest he spent 29:18 on the ice. Boyle will be hard to score on, but he is also a danger on offense.  From the blue, Dan has 5 goals and 24 assists, making him a danger on both ends. 

     Dany Heatley can be dangerous on the right wing.  He has two 100+ point seasons under his belt, and has 15 goals and 22 assists so far in this one.  The Canadian Olympian is always fun to watch, and is 8th in the league in power play goals at 7. 

Who to watch for Nashville:

     I believe that goaltender Pekka Rinne will have his work cut out for him.  Peks is well rested however, with Anders "The Giant" Lindback getting the start against LA on Thursday.  Rinne has the ability to make an offense work so hard that it draws the life right out of them, and with the help of the defense there will not be many opportunities for the Sharks. 

     Marek Svatos scored his first goal with the Predators against LA, and I look for him to open up to become the beast that he is.  I was unfamiliar with Marek before he started with Nashville, but I have found that his enthusiasm drives his line, and the entire team. 

What Nashville needs for a win:

     Strike hard and early.  On a road game, nothing draws the life out of the fans, and the home team like an early goal.  Like Terry said...score, score again, score some more.  The Predators hope to make it a six point trip, and return home on January 11 to take on Minnesota. 

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