Last night the Nashville Predators finally punched through in a game where they outshot and out played the opponent. The cherry on top may be they held onto their lead in the final minutes as well. WIth their 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues, the Predators now have some momentum heading into a critical home stretch for the season.
Before I discuss that, let me mention some real positives from last night.
- Patric Hornqvist has clearly become the most consistent forward on the Preds this season. Last night his continued efforts around the crease resulted in a rebound goal that tied the game at 1 apiece in the 2nd period. Hornqvist looks improved in every facet of his game compared to last season. Patric finished the night with a goal, a +2 rating, 3 shots on goal, 2 hits, and 1 takeaway.
- 37 shots on goal in a very positive sign, but in this case, the fact that they made it count just enough times is more telling. There have been a handful of games this season where the Preds had plenty of shots, but not enough goals to speak for it. Jordin Tootoo's goal may have been flukey, however it did bear the fruit of the "on net" message. Maybe most impressive in this one is that every player on the roster but one had a shot on goal (not including the goaltender of course). Only Wade Belak didn't register a SOG during his 3:05 of TOI. Leading the way was Jason Arnott with 6 shots on goal, followed by Thuresson with 5, and Dumont with 4.
- The defense played a significant role in the win this time. They did pretty well to limit the shots on goal that Pekka Rinne faced from the speedy Blues forwards. A total of 22 shots on goal were put up by the Blues. The last half of the 3rd period the D really clamped down and made sure that their lead stood.
- With the recent play of Pekka Rinne it's hard to imagine why he hasn't been re-cemented as the Predators #1 goaltender. With all due respect to Dan Ellis, Rinne has been the more consistent netminder since getting over that early season funk. Everyone knows that a goaltender doesn't stay hot the entire season, so it is critical to have a backup as solid as Elly is, but at the same time, I think their is some merit in letting a goalie know he's the #1 from here forward and to let his confidence build.
- Marcel Goc was given the healthy scratch tag last night. His handling by Barry Trotz confuses me more and more. Goc finally broke through and scored a goal against his former team the San Jose Sharks last Tuesday night. Reading what John Glennon reported in the Tennessean, it appears Trotzy preferred to play Belak since Cam Janssen would lace up the skates for the Blues. In the end, there were no fights (as usual with the Preds this season), Belak logged 3:05 of TOI with 6 shifts and Janssen logged 3:18 of TOI with 5 shifts. The role of the enforcer appears to be losing it's merit. I personally love a physical game and a good fight, but even I am wondering when the days of the enforcer will be extinct. It appears to be just around the corner.
***
With the injury list growing ever so small for the Predators now (just Colin Wilson remains out) we are finally getting a chance to see just what this team really is this season. Since the start of the season when the Preds began to slide, I looked towards the end of November as the time we will see just who this team truly is. The reason is that the Preds finish November playing 8 of their 9 games at home. This all starts tomorrow night vs Montreal. There is some real competition coming to the Sommet Center this month and it should show just what the Preds are truly made of. Last night was the 2nd quality win of the season (meaning a win against a team that made the playoffs last season) and this home stretch has the opportunity for many more. Montreal, San Jose, New Jersey, Columbus, Detroit, St. Louis, and Calgary all come calling on this stretch. The one game without a 09 playoff team (vs Florida on the 28th) has a special importance as well since that will be the debut of the Preds 3rd jersey.
Needless to say, the rest of the month is key. Come out of it with a winning record, and you are on your way to sticking around for the big dance. Have some troubles along the way and there aren't as many home games to lean on down the stretch. It may be too early to call games "must win", but this stretch comes close. Either way, I believe we will know just who the 2009-2010 Nashville Predators are come December.
See you at the rink tomorrow night everyone.
Till then, take care.
Questions, comments, and criticisms can be sent to [email protected] if you wish to contact me personally.
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