The Red Wing rivalry was renewed, but the 16,673 in attendance at the Sommet Center went home half fulfilled. Another OT game here in Nashville, but this time it was the away team that actually got the 2 points. With Todd Bertuzzi's second goal it lifted the Detroit Red Wings to a 3-2 overtime win over the Nashville Predators.
Felder’s FICKLE Five:
1. Giveaways… Again - I give up on this one (much like the Preds do with the puck). I've harped and harped and noted the stats each game. I'm tired of describing the many ways the Preds turn the puck over. Tonight, 17 total giveaways with Jerred Smithson leading the team with 3. The last time the Pred didn't enter double digits for giveaways was back in Chicago on Friday December 4th. Somehow, they only got credited with 1 giveaway that game. I suggest they use that film to better things.
2. Jonesy Shines - A very nice night for Ryan Jones. This is the type of player I've thought he could be all along. He finally caught a few breaks and then made the most of his ice time from there. It's too bad that Preds are likely shopping him on the trade block because Jones is a player that I feel can grow into a 2nd line role.
3. Better Starts - Here's what I've noticed on this seemingly forever home stand. If the Preds get out to a good start with energy, shots, and physical play, they tend to win games. If they sit back in the 1st, don't quite have jump, and let the opposition swarm them, they tend to lose. Sometimes, it really is as simple as getting a good start. Tonight, Peks kept them from being down early. Unfortunately, it took a 2 goal Detroit lead to wake the team up. Better starts are a must for this team as it usually is an indicator of the game to come.
4. Kevin Klein - I personally thought it was a really solid game for him. Unfortunately, he was paired with Hamhuis in the OT and that cost them the game. Hammer did make a stellar goal saving stop in the 1st period, but his play in the rest of the game force Klein to cover up his partner's mistakes. Klein led the game with 7 blocked shots. He logged 23:40 of TOI and also added a SOG and hit to his stat summary.
5. Other D-Men - Not a great night for Hammer or Shea Weber. Now, Webs is playing through an injury, and that appears to have gotten his defensive game off track a bit. It's been a few games in a row now where he hasn't quite played to the Beast-like level we all have come to expect. To me, this was one game where Webs stood out in a negative way. I already detailed Hammer's miscues in the point above. Hamhuis finished the game with 2 SOG, 3 hits, 2 giveaways, 1 takeaway, and 3 blocked shots. Weber finished with 6 PIM's, a -2 rating, 3 SOG, 2 missed shots, 2 hits, 1 giveaway, and 2 blocked shots.
Other Notes:
* Tonight’s scratches were Wade Belak and Alexander Sulzer. For Detroit their only scratch was Dan Cleary. The injured reserve list for the Wings is something else. Andreas Lilja, Jason Williams, Valtteri Filppula, Niklas Kronwall, and Johan Franzen are all currently on the IR.
* 1ST PERIOD
* 15:10 to go. Dan Hamhuis saves a goal. With the Wings on the power play, Rinne has to come out and play a slap shot from Todd Bertuzzi to the top right of his crease. The rebound goes to Patrick Eaves stick and he backhands the puck right at the empty goal. Hamhuis gets his stick on the backhand right at the goal line, catches the puck, and swiftly clears it towards the corner. Should of been a goal were it not for Hammer. Preds PK catches a break on that one.
* END OF THE 1ST PERIOD – NSH: 0 DET: 0Positives - Peks turned all Detroit shots away. Negatives - 2 man advantages and 0 shots on goal in that time. Outshot 14-5 that period.
* 2ND PERIOD
* GOAL for DETROIT - 18:39 to go. The Wings finally get one through on their 15th shot. Todd Bertuzzi drives low in the faceoff circle to Rinne's stick side. He puts on a spin-o-rama move with Suter covering him and gets a backhand shot on goal. Peks must've expected a pass instead because by the time he saw the puck along the ice it was going thru the wickets and in. Bertuzzi (7) from Drew Miller (1) and somehow Chris Osgood (1). Detroit now takes a 1-0 lead.
* GOAL for DETROIT - 8:23 to go. Odd sequence of events here. First Steve Sullivan appears to be slashed but gets no call and shows his frustration by smacking his stick against the boards. Just after this happens, Pavel Datsyuk hits the upper 90 on Rinne's glove side with his shot and then Drew Miller swats the puck down and in on Rinne's stick side. Ryan Suter watches the ref call it a good goal, and for the first time I've ever seen, he takes his stick and breaks it over the crossbar. Not sure I've seen that much emotion come from Suter before. The play goes to a review and it is confirmed as a good goal. Miller (3) from Datsyuk (16). Wings now have a 2-0 lead.
* POWER PLAY GOAL for NASHVILLE - The man advantage finally gets a shot on goal and guess what, it went in. Sully tees one up from the left point at the top of the faceoff circle. He puts it right at Chris Osgood's stick side low. Ryan Jones was doing some dirty work in front of the net and got a piece of the puck and tipped it up and in. Jones (1) from Sullivan (13) and Cody Franson (5). Red Wings lead is now just 2-1.
* END OF THE 2ND PERIOD – NSH: 1 DET: 2 Positives - Preds finally turned on the shooting and now lead the game in SOG's 24-22. A man advantage goal to keep the Wings in reach. Negatives - 2 goals against, the first of which was a soft one. Some controversial non-calls in this one as well.
* 3RD PERIOD
* GOAL for NASHVILLE - 15:15 to go. It's a game against Detroit so you know David Legwand is going to give it his all. J.P. Dumont's shots gets stopped by Osgood, but the puck come out to the glove side. Legwand and Derek Meech fight for the puck, and finally Leggy controls it for half a second. In that split second Legwand fires off a wrister high and the puck goes over Osgood's shoulder for a goal. Legwand (6) from Dumont (15) and Jones (1). We are all tied up at 2.
* TO OT WE GO
* GOAL for DETROIT - Just 24 seconds into OT. Legwand with a turnover just over the blueline. Klein races back to try and stop Bertuzzi on the breakaway to no avail. Somehow, Bertuzzi gets the puck to his backhand and scores the OT winner for the 2nd time in as many games.
* FINAL SCORE – NSH - 2 DET - 3.
My Three Stars:
1. Bertuzzi - 2 goals, +1, game leading 6 shots on goal, 2 hits, and 1 takeaway.
2. Jones - 1 goal, 1 assist, 3 shots on goal, and 1 takeaway.
3. Drew Miller - 1 goal, 1 assist, +2, 1 SOG, and 2 hits.
Goalie Grade:B- – The starting goaltender tonight was Pekka Rinne. You know Peks wants both Bertuzzi goals back. The spin-o-rama was a soft one there's no doubt. The OT goal was an interesting one because not many thought Bert could get to the backhand there, including Pekka, and somehow he did. Rinne stopped 26 of 29 shots against tonight.
Quotes:
Brandon Felder - "This was your biggest night in Nashville since your recall. Do you feel like you are getting more into the flow of things?"
Ryan Jones - "Yeah. I think that since I've been up I've been focusing on the details. Just trying to help out the team any way that I can, be a defensive player as well, and not be a liability when your out there. I think in the first couple of games I could have had a few more breaks, but fortunately they went my way tonight."
Felder - "What types of things has Barry and the other coaches been telling you to work on to stay up here and get some more ice time?"
Jones - "Be detailed, be good along the walls, pucks in and pucks out at the blueline. That's important you know. If you get the pucks out of your own blueline it's a chance to create odd man rushes. If you've got the puck you just have to skate, get it in, and forecheck."
*
Felder - "Talk about the overtime goal. A breakaway with a fairly crafty guy with the puck."
Pekka Rinne - "It was kind of hard. Kleiner was on his back and he's just a strong guy. I thought there was no way he could go back to his backhand, but I don't know, somehow he pulled that off and made a nice goal. He deked me for sure."
*
Felder - "It seems like each game lately the giveaway number is getting into the teens. Is that due to poor passing or the oppositions forecheck?"
Barry Trotz - "It's probably a little bit of both. It depends on the situation. The ones that are unforced are the ones that kill you. The second goal was an unforced error, plain and simple. Those end up in your net. When a team is forcing you, you've got some safeguards, you've got people back in position and you can safeguard against it a little bit. An unforced error, where you got people in a box, and they get out of the box, those ones don't have a lot of support because they aren't as routine."
Felder - "Franson over Sulzer?"
Trotz - "On the power play, we thought that may be a difference maker so Franny went in to that situation."
Final Thoughts:
Not quite the start or finish Predator fans wanted to see to this contest. To be honest, from my seat the Preds were lucky to get a point. By the time they woke up and started playing, they were already down a 2 spot. Giveaways were the big story in this one and it cost the Preds the game. Somehow, the Preds need to stop having 15+ giveaways a night. That's not sound hockey and they paid the price for it this time.
The Predators next game is Monday night in Columbus. Jordin Tootoo will miss this game as he is not flying out with the team. Chalk this next part up as a rumor, but I've heard that his right foot is indeed broken, which usually takes 4 to 6 weeks to heal. We'll probably hear the official diagnosis Monday. What may be the most interesting to watch on Monday is whether or not these teams can play a game that doesn't go to a shootout. The game will start at 6 pm CST and can be seen on FS-TN.
Till next time, take care.
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