The Nashville Predators successfully avoided a franchise tying losing streak, but it wasn't pretty to say the least. Heading into the 3rd period with a 3-0 lead, the Preds and Ottawa Senators combined for a whopping 8 goals the rest of the game. In the end, 18,970 fans at the Scotiabank Place watched as the Senators rallied back, but shot themselves in the foot with penalties and lost 6-5 in OT.
Felder’s FICKLE Five:
1. Shots on Goal and Actual Goals - Nice to see the offense return tonight to the Nashville lineup. This is the first time all season the Preds 4+ goals and they obviously needed every one of them. 37 total shots on goal. Sometimes, being selfish is a good thing and the D-men showed that tonight. Suter and Weber both had 2 goals, while Franson had his 1st career goal. Great playmaking by Dumont as well who garnered 5 total points in this contest.
2. Can This Team Hold a Lead? - That was painful to watch from the 3rd period on. I've never seen a team give the opponent so many chances to get back into a game. 3 unanswered goals to start the 3rd period is not quite holding a lead. Yes, they rallied back and won, but this was very concerning to see them give up such a large lead.
3. The Man Advantage Has a Pulse - 11 shots on goal while on the man advantage and 2 goals. None of them were 5 on 4, but let's not get too picky here. This brings the unit up past that 3.7% and gets them a little closer to double digits.
4. Poor 3rd Period Goaltending - Pekka Rinne will likely want to forget his play from the 3rd period. Ottawa had 12 shots on goal in the 3rd and had 5 of those go past Rinne. The last two Ottawa goals were both squarely on Peks shoulders. Were it not for poor 3rd period goaltending the Sens never get a point out of this one.
5. More Disciplined Than Them - If you are a Sens fan you have to be disgusted with the type of penalties taken by Ottawa at the end of the game. Those type of things should never occur with such little time left. On the other hand, full marks to Nashville for tightening up after starting the 3rd so poorly. Also, I have to mention that the Preds did a good job of taking advantage of the Sens 17 giveaways as well. That type of undisciplined play with the puck on your stick is not helpful as many Predator fans know.
Other Notes:
* Tonight’s scratches were Wade Belak, Dan Hamhuis, and Teemu Laakso. Arnott and Tootoo are still on the IR list for Nashville.
* 1ST PERIOD
* GOAL for NASHVILLE - 14:57 to go. Ryan Suter just throws a wrist shot towards the net from the boards. He timed it well for the traffic in front and caught a break as Alexandre Picard tipped the puck and put it past his own netminder Pascal Leclaire. Just a flukey goal that I'm sure Mr. Suter will take. Suter (1) from Colin Wilson (1) and Dave Scatchard (1). Preds take a 1-0 lead for the 2nd night in a row.
* GOAL for NASHVILLE - 11:51 to go. J.P. Dumont wheels out of the corner and makes a nice little pass to Cody Franson who jumped into the slot. Franson shoots the puck low and the puck bounces off Leclaire's leg pads and right towards Alexandre Picard. Again, Picard gets a piece of the puck and tips it in. This poor guy is having a nightmare played out on ice. I honestly feel bad for Picard. Either way, we have yet another Pred notching their 1st career goal. Franson (1) from Dumont (2). Preds have a 2-0 lead. They MUST hang onto this kind of lead. If they find a way to lose this one then it's time for some major changes.
* GOAL for NASHVILLE - 9:08 to go. Joel Ward makes the Sens pay for a giveaway at the blueline. As he charged towards the net Dumont comes parallel and drives hard to Leclaire's stick side. Wardo holds onto the puck and then releases a great back door pass that gives Dumont the easy tap in goal. Things have started very badly for Ottawa as the Preds have scored on 3 of 4 shots. Dumont (2) from Ward (1). Preds have the surprising 3-0 lead.
* END OF THE 1ST PERIOD – NSH: 3 OTT: 0.Positives - Almost everything. Some lucky bounces but that's a big boost for this team trying to break a 6 game losing streak. Winning 57% of faceoffs, outshot Ottawa 8-7, killed off the only penalty against. Negatives - At this point, I have nothing. If I was extra picky I'd say they should have put the puck on net even more.
* 2ND PERIOD
* ZZZZZZZZ. Here's a brief summary of my thoughts through that period. If either team gives up a man advantage goal that's embarrassing. The goalies were the real show this period. Why are there so many empty seats in Ottawa considering the Sens have had a pretty good start to the season. I wish Goc and Jones would see more TOI. I just don't know what Barry expects from those two.
* END OF THE 2ND PERIOD – NSH: 3 OTT: 0.Positives - Haven't given up a goal. Still winning 59% of the faceoffs. Negatives - Barely outshot 20-19 so far this game.
* 3RD PERIOD
* 5 ON 3 GOAL FOR OTTAWA - 18:49 to go. A one timed shot from Chris Campoli slips past Rinne just below his glove. Both Suter and Sullivan were in the box taking holding and hi-sticking penalties at the :43 second mark of the 3rd period. Jason Spezza spotted Campoli at the point and gave him a great pass to one time. Campoli (1) from Spezza (5) and Daniel Alfredsson (7). The Preds lead is cut down to 3-1.
* GOAL for OTTAWA - 15:54 to go. This one comes 4 on 4. Suter sticks his man into the corner and follows through on his hit. This gave Nick Foligno space to drive towards Rinne on his glove side. Foligno got Rinne to drop just enough to put the puck in high past Peks. Just a breakdown on the rare 4 on 4 gave up one too many chances. Foligno (2) from Peter Regin (2). The Preds lead is now just 3-2.
* GOAL for OTTAWA - 11:50 to go. This my friends, is not good. The former San Jose Shark Milan Michalek strikes on a very well placed shot. This was a shot destined for the twine as it beat Rinne low stick side. Not much to explain here because usually this play results as a save but Michalek either made the perfect shot or the puck got a slight deflection that I couldn't see. Either way, it counts. Michalek (5) from Spezza (6) and Anton Volchenkov (4). The Sens have this one knotted at 3. Nice comeback for Ottawa sparked from that 5 on 3 at the beginning of the 3rd period.
* Preds call their time out here. Things have to be worrisome on that Nashville bench.
* GOAL for NASHVILLE - 8:33 to go. A big rebound after Campoli tries to block a shot and the puck jumps off his stick to the slot. Shea Weber finds the loose puck and puts it over a down and out Leclaire who was trying to track this puck from that rebound. Preds regain their lead and now have to find a way to hold onto it. Weber 92) from Alexander Sulzer (1) and Dumont (3). Nashville now has a 4-3 lead.
* GOAL for OTTAWA - You can place the blame squarely on Pekka Rinne for this one. Jason Spezza drives the offensive zone with intense speed. As he blows thru the faceoff circle on Rinne's glove side Pekka comes out to the side of the net with Spezza. This gives an open net opportunity to Ottawa if they can get the puck out in front and a shot on net. Spezza threads the needle behind Rinne who is well beyond the crease and gets the puck to Volchenkov's stick. Anton puts it in the empty net to tie this game. Volchenkov (1) from Spezza (7) and Erik Karlsson (3). Tied at 4.
* 2:59 to go and the Preds man advantage has a chance to take this game. Chris Phillips is in the box for Ottawa after getting called for a delay of game penalty.
* 1:20 to go and the Preds will now have 21 seconds of 5 on 3. The Sens make a huge gaffe by taking a too many men on the ice penalty while on the PK. Not the kind of penalty you can be proud of there.
* 5 ON 3 GOAL for NASHVILLE - 1:00 to go. The man advantage finally breaks through. Ryan Suter waits out the Sens D-man, and then hammers home a slap shot high glove side on Leclaire. This is the first man advantage goal for Nashville since the 1st game of their season. Ottawa fans have to be very upset with the poor decisions at the end of the game by their team. Suter (2) from Dumont (4) and Weber (3).
* "SHORTHANDED" GOAL for OTTAWA - 1.6 SECONDS to go. You have to be kidding me. I really can't believe this.The Sens had Leclaire at the bench for the extra man, which in this case made it 5 on 5, yet still a shorthanded goal. Rinne commits a giveaway while trying to clear the puck up ice along the boards. Daniel Alfredsson corrals it in the corner and waits to find a forward driving the net. Chris Phillips sneaks in behind Shea Weber and gets the perfect pass from Alfredsson. Phillips pushes the puck in under Rinne's leg pads. Rinne costs himself another goal on this one.
* TO OT WE GO
* 3:31 to go in OT and the Senators commit yet another penalty. This time Carkner gets tabbed for interference. Yet again the Preds can win with a man advantage goal.
* POWER PLAY GOAL FOR NASHVILLE - 2:49 to go. Shea "the BEAST" Weber lets the Cannon go, but it wasn't the high blaster, instead it beats Leclaire on the 5-hole. Suter with a nice flat pass to let Shea have his way with this one. Weber (3) from Suter (4) and Dumont (5). Preds finally lock up the W.
* FINAL SCORE IN OT – NSH - 6 OTT - 5.
My Three Stars:
1. Shea Weber - 2 goals including the OT winner, 1 assist, -1, team leading 7 shots on goal, 1 hit, 2 giveaways, and 1 takeaway.
2. J.P. Dumont - 1 goal, 4 assists, +3 rating, 3 shots on goal, and 2 takeaways.
3. Ryan Suter - 2 goals, 1 assist, -2 rating, 3 shots on goal, 1 giveaway, 1 takeaway, and 2 blocked shots.
Goalie Grade:F – The starting goaltender tonight was Pekka Rinne.
When you make two plays that directly result in giving up a goal, you have played poorly. When the other team gets a point out of the contest even though your team was up 3-0, you didn't do your job. Rinne finished the night with 27 saves on 32 shots.
Final Thoughts:
That may have been the worst win I've seen the Predators ever have. Yes, they broke their six game losing streak, but that 3rd period should give this team nightmares on the road to Chicago. I'm sure many will say, "Hey, it's a win. That's good enough." To me, it's not. This game showcased the best and worst of the Preds. Somehow they managed a couple of man advantage goals to salvage the 2 points, but if it were not for Ottawa's dumb penalties they may have rode momentum to their own W. Maybe this can build some positive momentum for Nashville, but looking at the schedule doesn't exactly build my own confidence. Yes, they won, and that should be a positive, but that was one ugly 3rd period.
The Predators next game is Saturday night in Chicago. Game time is 7:30 pm and to watch this game vs the Blackhawks you'll need the Center Ice package. Also interesting about Saturday is that every NHL team will be in action. What a night that will be.
Till next time, take care.
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