Sunday, January 2, 2011

Post Game for 01/02/2010 Columbus at Nashville

     The Nashville Predators outplayed the Columbus Blue Jackets for two out of the three periods on Sunday for a 4-1 win and two points against a central division rival in front of 14,593.  With the two points, the Predators move to 44 points and 9th in the Western Conference while the Blue Jackets stay at 43 points and 10th.  You may ask why I bother to mention our position in the standings this early in the season, and the answer is simply that I like it.

     Tonight I brought five friends to the game with me, and three of those had never been to a hockey game of any type before.  RJ Umberger put the Blue Jackets on the board, and before I ever noted the time, Jimmy (my first timer friend and boss), quickly informed me that the goal had come at 37 seconds in.  My first thought was that I had totally failed, and I was sure that my first timers would never come back.  My second thought was that we had the entire game ahead of us, and that we would be fine.  The first sign, to me anyway, that there was going to be life was when I noticed that Wade Belak (Fireman Wade) was getting quite a bit of ice time in the 1st period.  While there is a very large group that could not care less about Fireman Wade, I happen to like him.  The 1st period ended with four penalty minutes split between the two teams, and Columbus up 1-0.

     During the intermission while I was getting a Pepsi, the locker room erupted.  I would have paid many dollars to have been a fly on the wall.  The second period began with Shea Weber leading the team.  At 02:59 he put the Predators on the board and my friend Jimmy excitedly put his hands straight up in the air, signaling a touchdown.  I knew at that moment that he would be back, and win or lose, I had succeeded in my mission.  Shea Weber would end up having a 3 point period, with 1 goal and 2 assists.  Nick Spaling and Patric Hornqvist (PPG) would also score for Nashville in the 2nd. 

     Sergei Kostitsyn wrapped up the scoring in the 3rd period at at 05:53, and the coveted Frosty was mine. Time ran out, and the Predators were up 4-1.

My thoughts on:

Wade Belak:  Fireman Wade had 08:44 of ice time tonight.  I was impressed and excited to see him play.

Marek Svatos:  Even though he ended up -1, this guy is going to be fun to watch, especially down the home stretch.  When he learns his team mates, and his team mates learn him, he will be dangerous.  Watching him skate is a pleasure.

Shea Weber:  What a captain!  This guy did so much more than have 3 points in the 2nd period.  He moved and motivated this team. 

     The Predators have now won two in a row, after a five game skid.  The Ducks host the Predators on Wednesday...catch it on FSTN with a 9:00PM (Central Time) West Coast puck drop.

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