When the Predators left Smashville nine days ago, the team was out of playoff position, injured and even after two home wins that showed grit and resilience, Pred Nation was unsure if the corner was turned. Which Predator team would show up for a five game road trip that would set the tone for the team’s second half of the season.
I think we can consider those questions answered… with an exclamation point as the Predators finished a 4-1 roadie with a come-from-behind, 4-2 win over the Central Division leading Minnesota Wild. The win solidified the Preds hold on 3rd in the division and showed that Nashville could compete with the best in the conference, a team that was 19-2-2 since December 1st… well… now they are 19-3-2.
It was a confident Wild team that took the ice, determined to take Nashville’s heart by steamrolling the Predators in the first period. Minnesota dominated in zone time, out hit, out shot and outplayed the Preds on both sides of the puck, creating an 0-2 hole for the Preators to try an crawl out of on the last game of a trying road trip. Head Coach Peter Laviolette said it best in his postgame presser saying that after going down 0-2, it could have been “a day where you pack it in and fight for another day, and we didn't do that,"
The Predators got back to work, shift by shift, working their way back into the game. It is becoming a hallmark of this 16/17 team, not trying to do it all at once. It paid off quickly as James Neal halved the Wild lead. Nashville kept hammering away, keeping in mind that Minnesota played the previous night and went into the room between periods feeling better about their position.
As the third period began, Filip Forsberg took over. Two minutes in, Forsberg tied the game with a greasy goal, depositing a rebound off a Viktor Arvidsson shot. Ten minutes later, Forsberg writer home a filthy game winner off a great feed from Ryan Ellis. The game was iced by an empty net goal that was worthy of an old McDonalds Larry Bird/Michael Jordan commercial as Ryan Johansen pulled the ole “over the blue, off the glass, nothing but net” to pot the Preds up by two.
While the come-from-behind factor is a huge part of the story, Pekka Rinne’s performance cannot be overlooked. He had the Wild talking to themselves and kept the team close while the Wild went Wild in the first and kept the door closed during the few times when Minnesota pushed back in the third period.
OK… let’s get to the good the bad and the ugly from last night…
The Good – A team win, but James Neal and Filip Forsberg doing James Neal and Filip Forsberg things was very, very good last night.
The Bad - The start, give Minnesota credit, they came out strong and Nashville did not match their energy at the start of the game.
The Ugly - An incredibly flat first period, creating a 0-2 hole on the road to play themselves out of...
The team is back home today with a well-earned day off before they get back to work with two games inside the friendly confines of Bridgestone Arena before the All-Start break. The Predators welcome the Buffalo Sabres tomorrow night, limited tickets are available.
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Random Notes
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Where We Stand – After last night’s play, the Nashville Predators have 53 points in 47 games played and stand 3rd in the Central Division, trailing the division leaders by 12 points. Nashville leads 4th place St. Louis by two points, the Blues are in the first Wild Card slot, Calgary is in the second slot tied in points with the Blues.
- Last night’s win was head coach Peter Laviolette’s 500th career NHL win, he is only the 25th coach in NHL history to reach that plateau.
- Ryan Ellis continued his torrid play, posting two assists last night bringing his three game total to three goals, two assists and a shootout tally over the past three games.
- Looking ahead to Buffalo, don’t let their position fool you. The Sabres are 6-3-1 in their last ten and coming off a big win over Montreal. This is a good Sabres team.
- SIx games in the NHL tonight, all times CST – 6pm – LAK @ NYR, CAR @ WSH. 6:30pm – CGY @ TOR. 7pm – ANA @ WPG. 8pm – SJS @ COL, FLA @ ARI.
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