Six goals, three in one period. That is what it took to finally break out of the goal scoring funk the Nashville Predators have been in. In one game the team added a full half goal to their goals per game average and got off the bottom of the league standings in goal scoring.

St. Louis was coming off of a three day layoff and it showed. They came out a tad flat and Nashville made them pay with a relentless forecheck that paid off with opportunistic goals from Ryan Ellis, Rich Clune and Nick Spaling, giving the Preds a 3-0 lead after the first period. That being said, St. Louis came out strong in the second period, imposing their will on the Predators, carrying the play in most of the period, with Nashville taking frustration penalties that eventually led the Blues only goal. But that goal came after Nashville built a five goal lead.

Some would characterize a 6-1 final as a blowout, but watching the game… it just didn’t feel like one. After the first period, Nashville lost something… maybe it was that elusive “detail” to their game that Coach Barry Trotz is always preaching. I do know that Pekka Rinne certainly earned the first star of the game and that Colin Wilson earned his status as NHL Third Star of the Night.

Wilson was a dominant force on the ice last night, posting three assists and buzzing the net with power. This is the kind of game that shows Wilson’s potential as a forward in this league. Pekka Rinne compeletely shut the door when St. Louis attempted to get back into the game making 27 saves over the last two periods. Martin Erat’s return was a successful one as well, posting a goal and two assists. A game with six different scorers, scoring by committee, and great goaltending… that’s Predators Hockey.

The team is back home for a little while now with five of the next six and seven of the next nine games inside the friendly confines of Bridgestone Arena. Next up… the Los Angeles Kings tomorrow night.

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Random Notes

- Last night’s win, coupled with Detroit’s loss pushed the Preds into the top eight in the conference for the first time this season.

- Last night’s scoring surge drove the Predators team goal differential down to a -1.

- Rich Clune got his first NHL goal last night.

- Interesting night in the NHL… especially the Calgary / Detroit game. Flames netminder Miikka Kiprusoff left the game late the second period with a “lower body injury”

- Chicago just keeps rolling, last night sending San Jose to their second straight home loss and building quite a lead in the Western Conference race, leading the league with an 8-0-2 record and 18 points.

- Interesting to see how Washington and Florida are struggling to start the season.

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