|
|
Bloggers 
My HockeyBuzz
Cap Central
Fantasy
Rumor Chart
Forums
Store
Chat
RSS
|
Season Ticket Login Free Registration! |
Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 |
 |
|
Nashville Predators Blogger •
It was another close and spirited affair between the Nashville Predators and Columbus Blue Jackets. Yet again, the home team won. 13,790 looked on as these teams took the game to the max, finishing in a 4-3 Predators shootout victory.
Felder’s FICKLE Five:
1. The New Dad Leads The Way - What an incredible night for the original Predator, David Legwand. Earlier in the day his baby son is born and he still gets to the rink for the game. The reason he showed up? His WIFE said go play. So, with just 10 minutes until the warm ups, new daddy Legwand arrives. Well, it's a good thing for the Preds he showed up because he had a stellar game. This will be a day that Legwand never forgets. Most importantly because of the birth of his child, but you have to think he'll remember his performance that night as well.
2. Finding A Way To Beat Mason - Steve Mason was every bit of impressive tonight. Were it not for his stellar play in net I firmly believe the Blue Jackets would have left Nashville with 0 points instead of 1. He did give up 3 goals, however 2 were deflections, and only the Legwand shorty sticks out as one that he probably should have had. All in all, both goaltenders shone tonight and let everyone see why they were top rookies last season.
3. Special Teams - Any time you can chip in 2 man advantage goals and a shorty on top of that, it's a solid night for your special teamers. Legwand's shorthanded goal gained the momentum for the Preds at the start of the 2nd period, and then Erat's deflection on the man advantage put the Jackets on their heels. The team finished the night going 2 of 8 on the PP with 13:09 of time, while the PK unit killed off 2 of the 3 Columbus power plays. Before you dog the PK unit do realize that the Jackets have the 5th best PP on the road in the entire NHL. All in all, I thought it was a solid night when the teams were not at even strength.
4. Giveaways, Bad Passes, And Just Plain Sloppiness - There were certainly moments in this one where you had to wonder if the Preds could just break into the offensive zone cleanly. On top of that, the passing and puck possession was not very crisp. These are all things that can be fixed of course, but this is a continually developing trend this season that I'd like to see disappear all together.
5. Shutdown Defense - I felt the Preds D was very impressive at times tonight. They limited chances and shots on goal all while they made Rick Nash become almost invisible. Maybe most importantly, Shea Weber looked the Beast of old. He led the game with 7 shots on goal, had 2 hits, and really looked more comfortable out there than I had seen him in some time.
Other Notes:
* Tonight’s scratches were Andreas Thuresson and Alexander Sulzer. Colin Wilson remain on IR and is waiting clearance to get a rehab stint in Milwaukee. For Columbus, Kris Russell, Derek Dorsett, and Tom Sestito were scratched. On IR you'll find Fredrik Modin and Andrew Murray.
* 1ST PERIOD
* GOAL for COLUMBUS - 15:05 to go. We have a no goal play as Derick Brassard tries a cross ice pass to RJ Umberger. The puck gets deflected in the air and as it is falling, Umberger bats it down in between the space of Pekka Rinne's glove and leg pad, and then into the goal. The ref immediately waves the play off as no goal. The goal was of course reviewed by Toronto, who then ruled the goal should count. I'd have to say that the replay didn't look conclusive to me, but this is not football so what Toronto says, goes. Umberger (5) from Brassard (8) and Fedor Tyutin (10). The Jackets take a questionable 1-0 lead.
* POWER PLAY GOAL for NASHVILLE - 7:48 to go. Francis Bouillon tees up a slapper from the right point. Jason Arnott gets a piece of it in the slot and deflect it past Mason. No chance for young Steve on that one. Arnott (6) from Bouillon (2) and Sullivan (5). This game is tied at 1.
* GOAL for COLUMBUS - 7:33 to go. The Jackets respond on the very next shift. This time Rinne makes a really nice leg pad save but the rebound goes to Umberger who is skating just by the pipes. He stops and backhands the puck back in the direction of the crease, but the puck ends up going off the backside of Rinne and in the net. As fast as the Preds had tied the game, Columbus regains the lead. Umberger (6) from Brassard (9) and Anton Stralman (10). Blue Jackets take a 2-1 lead.
* END OF THE 1ST PERIOD – NSH: 1 CBJ:2 Positives - Leading the shots on goal 12-7. Winning in the faceoff dot 68% of the time. Negatives - Really sloppy passes and a lot of really disjointed plays. The D is letting the Blue Jackets gain the zone with speed too frequently.
* 2ND PERIOD
* SHORTHANDED GOAL for NASHVILLE - 18:31 to go. Jakub Voracek commits a killer giveaway to Martin Erat. Marty then took the puck to the point and passed it to David Legwand who was all alone and posted up at the top of Mason's crease. Leggy took the puck and then wired home a backhander stick side. Really nice play to make the Jackets pay for the costly turnover. Legwand (3) from Erat (4). The Predators have now tied the game at 2.
* POWER PLAY GOAL for NASHVILLE - 16:31 to go. A Cannon shot from the Beast named Weber gets deflected past Mason on the glove side. Marty Erat and Joel Ward were both in the lane creating a screen. Erat apparently was the one who caught just a piece of the puck as hit sailed in past the Calder trophy winner. A really fast and solid start to the 2nd period for Nashville. Erat (2) from Weber (7) and Legwand (7). The Preds now take their first lead of the game, 3-2.
* 1:48 to go. Jared Boll hits Wade Belak along the boards. A good clean shoulder to shoulder hit. Wade responds in the wrong way and instead of trying to drop gloves, he takes his stick and gives Boll a slash from in between the legs and up. That's right, he gave his jewels the business. Not a clean play from Belak at all and you have to wonder what he was thinking.
* POWER PLAY GOAL for COLUMBUS - 57.6 seconds to go. The Jackets make Belak pay for his stupid penalty. Anton Stralman walks in from the point and then pots one just underneath Pekka's glove. A pretty weak goal to give up here as Peks was square to the shooter. Stralman (3) from Tyutin (11) and Kristian Huselius (8). This game is now tied at 3.
* END OF THE 2ND PERIOD – NSH: 3 CBJ: 3 Positives - Some great special teams play in that period. Still outshooting the Jackets 25-18. Negatives - Still too many sloppy plays, and more importantly giveaways. Really ugly play by the Belak monster on Boll. You never want to see that kind of behavior.
* 3RD PERIOD
* 5:08 to go. Still tied at 3. So far this period has been all Preds and Steve Mason. 13 shots on goal compared to Columbus with 3 this period. Somehow, Mason is keeping the Jackets alive in this one.
* 1:16 to go. Kevin Klein gets called for a tripping minor. Had this been earlier in the game I'd say it's a good call, but when you get to 2 minutes left and under, to me, penalties have to be blatant. This one was so-so. Either way, Columbus calls a timeout to game plan how to steal this game in the final moments.
* After some really brilliant saves by Pekka Rinne, both teams earn a point as we got OT.
* There will be 44 seconds of 4 on 3 for Columbus to start this period. Preds have to continue to kill the Klein tripping penalty.
* 1:20 to go in OT and Goc draws a penalty on Nash. He gets tabbed for hooking. I honestly think the call was meant to go against Stralman but the ref made an error. Either way, the Preds have themselves a golden chance to win it before it goes to a shootout. Barry Trotz used his timeout at this point.
* TO THE SHOOTOUT WE GO
* The Scorers: For Columbus, just Rick Nash tallied. He drove down the far right lane, deked to the stick side, and then went for a low glove side shot. Not only did he score, but Nash went into the net with the puck.
For Nashville: Mike Santorelli again got the shootout started off right. Again he drove right at the goaltender full speed ahead. This time Santo slipped the puck just under the left leg pad of Mason. It appeared that Mason may have actually pushed the puck back and into the net with his leg pad. The shootout winner belonged to new father David Legwand. Leggy faked Mason high glove just enough to open up the bottom of the ice as he then wired the puck 5-hole.
* The Saves: Pekka Rinne made one real save. For Kristian Huselius it was quite the embarrassing attempt. Before he got in between the faceoff circles he lost the puck from his stick and never recovered. The actual only save of the shootout was Peks stopping Voracek. Jakub simply drove to the net and tried to sneak one in low stick side but Rinne made the save and shootout win look easy.
* FINAL SCORE – NSH - 4 CBJ - 3.
My Three Stars:
1. David Legwand - 1 goal, 1 assist, a shootout goal, +1 rating, 5 shots on goal, 1 hit, and won 11 of 21 faceoffs taken.
2. RJ Umberger - 2 goals, a +2 rating, 5 shots on goal, 1 takeaway, 2 blocked shots, and won 4 of 6 faceoffs taken.
3. Steve Mason - 45 saves on 48 shots against. Was THE reason Columbus got a point out of this game.
Goalie Grade: B+ – The starting goaltender tonight was Pekka Rinne. Another solid effort from Rinne. He did let in one weak goal so that decreased a letter grade, but other than that you couldn't complain about Rinne's night in between the pipes.
Quotes:
Brandon Felder - "Personally I thought you were a little more active tonight than in previous games. You were throwing the body around. Do you feel like you are back to 100% at this point?"
Shea Weber - "110%. I've felt alright since I've been back. I just want to keep it up."
Felder - "The power play has been really successful as of late. What do you attribute that to because since than you guys have been winning."
Weber - "That's a point we've been making every since before the season started. Our power play needs to be good and it wasn't earlier, but now it is clicking and we are winning game because of it."
*
Felder - "Another win in the shootout and again you were strong in it. Are you still just relying on instincts more than the video tape?"
Pekka Rinne - "Yeah. Obviously I watched the tape and picked up a couple of patterns that guys like Huselius and Nash are using but it's hard to guess so you have to trust your instincts. You can't really cheat."
Felder - "It looked like from you reaction that you thought Columbus first goal was a high stick."
Rinne - "Yeah. It was tough. To me the way he tomahawked the puck down, to me that's a no-brainer. It's a tough call for the refs and this time it was a goal."
*
Felder - "What was your thoughts on the first Columbus goal?"
Head Coach Barry Trotz - "We thought it was above the net. When we looked at it the best view of it to me, and I'm jaded a little bit because I didn't want the goal, but to me it looked a little high. What the referees had said was that they called it off originally, the referee behind the net did, and they do meet if they are not quite sure, and the three other referees thought it was a legal goal, so they can actually overrule the referee closest to the net. It was inconclusive on the film according to the NHL. According to the law they made the right call. So that's how that worked."
Felder - "So it wasn't Toronto that called it no-goal, it was the referees on the ice?"
Trotz - "Yes, yes. That's the way it should be. It should be up to the guys on the ice to call it. I looked at it on film and it's hard to decipher how close it was."
Felder - "What is it about Steve Mason that it is so tough to beat him? He seemed to be in all the right places."
Trotz - "He's a solid goaltender. He's a bigger person than you think. He's got a big frame and technically he's really good. Most goaltenders, if they have good tracking skills in terms of being able to connect the dots, they can really be outstanding in this league. He was "Rookie of the Year" last year because he's a talent. We put a lot of pucks at him. He was good for Columbus."
Final Thoughts:
Another really solid effort from Nashville. A 5-game win streak is just what this team needed to get back in the thick of things in the Western Conference. Night after night this team has proven they are tough to play against. They don't take many penalties, they throw pucks at the net, their special teams are improving, and most importantly they are picking up points. The only thing more you could ask for is to bury more of the many shots on goal.
The Predators next game is Monday night. Not only is it a rivalry game, but it is also the rare chance for the Preds to be on the VS network. The Detroit Red Wings will face the Preds for the first time this season and I'm sure this game will be a close one. The Preds are rolling while the Wings have re-found their game recently. Don't forget, this game starts at 6 PM (not 7) CST so make sure you do everything you usually do on game nights an hour early. You won't want to miss it.
Till next time, take care.
Questions, comments, and criticisms can be sent to brandonfelder@gmail.com if you wish to contact me personally.
Felder’s FICKLE Five:
1. The New Dad Leads The Way - What an incredible night for the original Predator, David Legwand. Earlier in the day his baby son is born and he still gets to the rink for the game. The reason he showed up? His WIFE said go play. So, with just 10 minutes until the warm ups, new daddy Legwand arrives. Well, it's a good thing for the Preds he showed up because he had a stellar game. This will be a day that Legwand never forgets. Most importantly because of the birth of his child, but you have to think he'll remember his performance that night as well.
2. Finding A Way To Beat Mason - Steve Mason was every bit of impressive tonight. Were it not for his stellar play in net I firmly believe the Blue Jackets would have left Nashville with 0 points instead of 1. He did give up 3 goals, however 2 were deflections, and only the Legwand shorty sticks out as one that he probably should have had. All in all, both goaltenders shone tonight and let everyone see why they were top rookies last season.
3. Special Teams - Any time you can chip in 2 man advantage goals and a shorty on top of that, it's a solid night for your special teamers. Legwand's shorthanded goal gained the momentum for the Preds at the start of the 2nd period, and then Erat's deflection on the man advantage put the Jackets on their heels. The team finished the night going 2 of 8 on the PP with 13:09 of time, while the PK unit killed off 2 of the 3 Columbus power plays. Before you dog the PK unit do realize that the Jackets have the 5th best PP on the road in the entire NHL. All in all, I thought it was a solid night when the teams were not at even strength.
4. Giveaways, Bad Passes, And Just Plain Sloppiness - There were certainly moments in this one where you had to wonder if the Preds could just break into the offensive zone cleanly. On top of that, the passing and puck possession was not very crisp. These are all things that can be fixed of course, but this is a continually developing trend this season that I'd like to see disappear all together.
5. Shutdown Defense - I felt the Preds D was very impressive at times tonight. They limited chances and shots on goal all while they made Rick Nash become almost invisible. Maybe most importantly, Shea Weber looked the Beast of old. He led the game with 7 shots on goal, had 2 hits, and really looked more comfortable out there than I had seen him in some time.
Other Notes:
* Tonight’s scratches were Andreas Thuresson and Alexander Sulzer. Colin Wilson remain on IR and is waiting clearance to get a rehab stint in Milwaukee. For Columbus, Kris Russell, Derek Dorsett, and Tom Sestito were scratched. On IR you'll find Fredrik Modin and Andrew Murray.
* 1ST PERIOD
* GOAL for COLUMBUS - 15:05 to go. We have a no goal play as Derick Brassard tries a cross ice pass to RJ Umberger. The puck gets deflected in the air and as it is falling, Umberger bats it down in between the space of Pekka Rinne's glove and leg pad, and then into the goal. The ref immediately waves the play off as no goal. The goal was of course reviewed by Toronto, who then ruled the goal should count. I'd have to say that the replay didn't look conclusive to me, but this is not football so what Toronto says, goes. Umberger (5) from Brassard (8) and Fedor Tyutin (10). The Jackets take a questionable 1-0 lead.
* POWER PLAY GOAL for NASHVILLE - 7:48 to go. Francis Bouillon tees up a slapper from the right point. Jason Arnott gets a piece of it in the slot and deflect it past Mason. No chance for young Steve on that one. Arnott (6) from Bouillon (2) and Sullivan (5). This game is tied at 1.
* GOAL for COLUMBUS - 7:33 to go. The Jackets respond on the very next shift. This time Rinne makes a really nice leg pad save but the rebound goes to Umberger who is skating just by the pipes. He stops and backhands the puck back in the direction of the crease, but the puck ends up going off the backside of Rinne and in the net. As fast as the Preds had tied the game, Columbus regains the lead. Umberger (6) from Brassard (9) and Anton Stralman (10). Blue Jackets take a 2-1 lead.
* END OF THE 1ST PERIOD – NSH: 1 CBJ:2 Positives - Leading the shots on goal 12-7. Winning in the faceoff dot 68% of the time. Negatives - Really sloppy passes and a lot of really disjointed plays. The D is letting the Blue Jackets gain the zone with speed too frequently.
* 2ND PERIOD
* SHORTHANDED GOAL for NASHVILLE - 18:31 to go. Jakub Voracek commits a killer giveaway to Martin Erat. Marty then took the puck to the point and passed it to David Legwand who was all alone and posted up at the top of Mason's crease. Leggy took the puck and then wired home a backhander stick side. Really nice play to make the Jackets pay for the costly turnover. Legwand (3) from Erat (4). The Predators have now tied the game at 2.
* POWER PLAY GOAL for NASHVILLE - 16:31 to go. A Cannon shot from the Beast named Weber gets deflected past Mason on the glove side. Marty Erat and Joel Ward were both in the lane creating a screen. Erat apparently was the one who caught just a piece of the puck as hit sailed in past the Calder trophy winner. A really fast and solid start to the 2nd period for Nashville. Erat (2) from Weber (7) and Legwand (7). The Preds now take their first lead of the game, 3-2.
* 1:48 to go. Jared Boll hits Wade Belak along the boards. A good clean shoulder to shoulder hit. Wade responds in the wrong way and instead of trying to drop gloves, he takes his stick and gives Boll a slash from in between the legs and up. That's right, he gave his jewels the business. Not a clean play from Belak at all and you have to wonder what he was thinking.
* POWER PLAY GOAL for COLUMBUS - 57.6 seconds to go. The Jackets make Belak pay for his stupid penalty. Anton Stralman walks in from the point and then pots one just underneath Pekka's glove. A pretty weak goal to give up here as Peks was square to the shooter. Stralman (3) from Tyutin (11) and Kristian Huselius (8). This game is now tied at 3.
* END OF THE 2ND PERIOD – NSH: 3 CBJ: 3 Positives - Some great special teams play in that period. Still outshooting the Jackets 25-18. Negatives - Still too many sloppy plays, and more importantly giveaways. Really ugly play by the Belak monster on Boll. You never want to see that kind of behavior.
* 3RD PERIOD
* 5:08 to go. Still tied at 3. So far this period has been all Preds and Steve Mason. 13 shots on goal compared to Columbus with 3 this period. Somehow, Mason is keeping the Jackets alive in this one.
* 1:16 to go. Kevin Klein gets called for a tripping minor. Had this been earlier in the game I'd say it's a good call, but when you get to 2 minutes left and under, to me, penalties have to be blatant. This one was so-so. Either way, Columbus calls a timeout to game plan how to steal this game in the final moments.
* After some really brilliant saves by Pekka Rinne, both teams earn a point as we got OT.
* There will be 44 seconds of 4 on 3 for Columbus to start this period. Preds have to continue to kill the Klein tripping penalty.
* 1:20 to go in OT and Goc draws a penalty on Nash. He gets tabbed for hooking. I honestly think the call was meant to go against Stralman but the ref made an error. Either way, the Preds have themselves a golden chance to win it before it goes to a shootout. Barry Trotz used his timeout at this point.
* TO THE SHOOTOUT WE GO
* The Scorers: For Columbus, just Rick Nash tallied. He drove down the far right lane, deked to the stick side, and then went for a low glove side shot. Not only did he score, but Nash went into the net with the puck.
For Nashville: Mike Santorelli again got the shootout started off right. Again he drove right at the goaltender full speed ahead. This time Santo slipped the puck just under the left leg pad of Mason. It appeared that Mason may have actually pushed the puck back and into the net with his leg pad. The shootout winner belonged to new father David Legwand. Leggy faked Mason high glove just enough to open up the bottom of the ice as he then wired the puck 5-hole.
* The Saves: Pekka Rinne made one real save. For Kristian Huselius it was quite the embarrassing attempt. Before he got in between the faceoff circles he lost the puck from his stick and never recovered. The actual only save of the shootout was Peks stopping Voracek. Jakub simply drove to the net and tried to sneak one in low stick side but Rinne made the save and shootout win look easy.
* FINAL SCORE – NSH - 4 CBJ - 3.
My Three Stars:
1. David Legwand - 1 goal, 1 assist, a shootout goal, +1 rating, 5 shots on goal, 1 hit, and won 11 of 21 faceoffs taken.
2. RJ Umberger - 2 goals, a +2 rating, 5 shots on goal, 1 takeaway, 2 blocked shots, and won 4 of 6 faceoffs taken.
3. Steve Mason - 45 saves on 48 shots against. Was THE reason Columbus got a point out of this game.
Goalie Grade: B+ – The starting goaltender tonight was Pekka Rinne. Another solid effort from Rinne. He did let in one weak goal so that decreased a letter grade, but other than that you couldn't complain about Rinne's night in between the pipes.
Quotes:
Brandon Felder - "Personally I thought you were a little more active tonight than in previous games. You were throwing the body around. Do you feel like you are back to 100% at this point?"
Shea Weber - "110%. I've felt alright since I've been back. I just want to keep it up."
Felder - "The power play has been really successful as of late. What do you attribute that to because since than you guys have been winning."
Weber - "That's a point we've been making every since before the season started. Our power play needs to be good and it wasn't earlier, but now it is clicking and we are winning game because of it."
*
Felder - "Another win in the shootout and again you were strong in it. Are you still just relying on instincts more than the video tape?"
Pekka Rinne - "Yeah. Obviously I watched the tape and picked up a couple of patterns that guys like Huselius and Nash are using but it's hard to guess so you have to trust your instincts. You can't really cheat."
Felder - "It looked like from you reaction that you thought Columbus first goal was a high stick."
Rinne - "Yeah. It was tough. To me the way he tomahawked the puck down, to me that's a no-brainer. It's a tough call for the refs and this time it was a goal."
*
Felder - "What was your thoughts on the first Columbus goal?"
Head Coach Barry Trotz - "We thought it was above the net. When we looked at it the best view of it to me, and I'm jaded a little bit because I didn't want the goal, but to me it looked a little high. What the referees had said was that they called it off originally, the referee behind the net did, and they do meet if they are not quite sure, and the three other referees thought it was a legal goal, so they can actually overrule the referee closest to the net. It was inconclusive on the film according to the NHL. According to the law they made the right call. So that's how that worked."
Felder - "So it wasn't Toronto that called it no-goal, it was the referees on the ice?"
Trotz - "Yes, yes. That's the way it should be. It should be up to the guys on the ice to call it. I looked at it on film and it's hard to decipher how close it was."
Felder - "What is it about Steve Mason that it is so tough to beat him? He seemed to be in all the right places."
Trotz - "He's a solid goaltender. He's a bigger person than you think. He's got a big frame and technically he's really good. Most goaltenders, if they have good tracking skills in terms of being able to connect the dots, they can really be outstanding in this league. He was "Rookie of the Year" last year because he's a talent. We put a lot of pucks at him. He was good for Columbus."
Final Thoughts:
Another really solid effort from Nashville. A 5-game win streak is just what this team needed to get back in the thick of things in the Western Conference. Night after night this team has proven they are tough to play against. They don't take many penalties, they throw pucks at the net, their special teams are improving, and most importantly they are picking up points. The only thing more you could ask for is to bury more of the many shots on goal.
The Predators next game is Monday night. Not only is it a rivalry game, but it is also the rare chance for the Preds to be on the VS network. The Detroit Red Wings will face the Preds for the first time this season and I'm sure this game will be a close one. The Preds are rolling while the Wings have re-found their game recently. Don't forget, this game starts at 6 PM (not 7) CST so make sure you do everything you usually do on game nights an hour early. You won't want to miss it.
Till next time, take care.
Questions, comments, and criticisms can be sent to brandonfelder@gmail.com if you wish to contact me personally.
Join the Discussion:  |
 |