Tomorrow night’s game against the Edmonton Oilers marks the quarter pole of the NHL season for the Nashville Predators and it is a good time to look at the season so far… the good, the bad and the ugly.
The Good…
The Big Three – Pekka Rinne, Ryan Suter and Shea Weber have been playing some of the best hockey of their careers this season. A quick look at stat leaders has Weber leading the league in plus/minus, Suter is in third, Rinne is second in the league in wins and tied for first in shutouts.
David Legwand – Legwand is off to the best start of his career, showing confidence on both sides of the puck. Even after missing four games, he is the Predators’ leading scorer. His game now has a maturity and a leadership quality that has been shown in flashes in the past, but the consistency began late last season and has continued.
The Youngsters – The Predators are the second youngest team in the NHL, however, several players are performing like they are wily veterans. Colin Wilson looks to have learned the hard lessons from last year’s playoffs and is playing with an intensity that is contagious. Craig Smith has shown a maturity, a tenacity and a shoot first attitude that has been a breath of fresh air to the Preds offense.
The Bad…
Discipline – A team that is known for their discipline has lost it at inopportune times, perhaps it is a measure of the youth of the team, but Nashville cannot afford to give their opponents too many man advantage opportunities.
Shots on Goal - Nashville is 27th in the league in Shots on Goal. They have been outshot in almost every game this year. They are 28th in shots against. The team has done well so far, but this is not a recipe for continued success. The team's record is the only reason this isn't listed in the Ugly section.
The Ugly
Nothing incredibly ugly, but the Predators home record is not as good as it should be. The team has certainly improved on the pedestrian record it had coming into this five game homestand that concludes tomorrow night, but 4-2-3 is not what the team is used to achieving on Bridgestone Arena ice.
Summary
After 19 games the team is on pace to get 104 points on the season, safely in the playoffs, improved over last season’s 99 and potentially in contention for the division title. 104 points last season would’ve gotten home ice advantage for the opening round and tied for the division lead. A very solid start for this young team that is already showing the growth expected as the season progresses.
Before the dance of joy begins, there is plenty of work to do. A quick look at today’s standings show that two teams that were leading their divisions a few short days ago are now in 9th and 10th. The Western Conference shows no separation at all right now, with the possible exception of the Columbus Blue Jackets, all teams are within shouting distance of the top 8.
The Predators and the Oilers meet up tomorrow night for the last game of this five game homestand with the Preds having a chance to take eight of ten possible points. Game time is 7pm.
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Random Notes
- Pred players are participating in a Turkey Shoot today, helping the City of Life get Thanksgiving turkeys and hams those in need.
- Interesting little tiff happening between the Vancouver Canucks and recently retired Mark Recci. Obviously a sore pot was hit…
- The return of Sidney… Crosby is back in the lineup for tonight’s Penguins / Islanders game. Of course Versus has changed their coverage schedule to carry the game. 6pm CT airtime.
- The sale of the Dallas Stars was finalized over the weekend. New owner Tom Gaglardi was unanimously approved by the NHL Board of Governors on Friday.
- The Grim Reaper Coach Watch continues… who’s next??? A lot of observers are amazed that Scott Arneil is still behind the bench in Columbus but there are others on the watch… Joe Sacco in Colorado, Paul Maurice in Carolina and Bruce Boudreau in Washington… not sure if I buy of on the Boudreau thing… yet.
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