The Nashville Predators began December with a 5-3 win over the Boston Bruins… the first time the team has begun a month like that so far this season. The fact that they did it without their number one center, against a team that was hot coming into the game speaks volumes about the depth of the Predators down the middle.
It was another “Preds-Jump-Out-to-Early-Lead-and-Almost-Blow-It” game at Bridgestone Arena… early in the second period, the Preds were up 4-0, drove Anton Khudobin from the net after getting two goals from Craig Smith in the first, then getting markers from Nick Bonino and Kevin Fiala just four minutes into the second. They were looking to cruise home with an easy victory
Yeah… and that’s the problem.
Nashville is developing a very nasty habit of letting off the gas when they get up big. I get it… it’s a natural inclination. But the NHL of 2017, where no lead is safe, simply won’t allow that to happen anymore without paying a price. Boston is a good team, and they got to work. You knew they were going to refuse to be embarrassed like that in front of their dad’s as last night was the beginning of Boston’s father’s trip.
Charlie McAvoy with a goal halfway through the second, Zdeno Chara with a goal 4 and a half into the third… David Pastrnak with a goal 75 seconds later and it’s a one goal game. Smashville got nervous in a hurry. After Pastrnak’s goal, Preds head coach Peter Laviolette wisely called his timeout… and instead of reading the team the riot act, he gathered them together and calmly brought their focus back and smartly halted the momentum that Boston had built. It one of those little moves inside a game that can turn it.
Oh… it turned it alright… 32 second later, Filip Forsberg was sprung by a sweet feed from Roman Josi and beat Tuukka Rask with a filthy wrister that effectively ended the Bruins comeback. You have to love the fire and maturity that has been growing in Forsberg’s play. He knows his talent and is delivering on it nightly.
The Predators have been on an every-other-night stretch for over three weeks now… and have thrived on it, going 8-2-1 since it began on November 14th. Tonight, that pattern breaks as the Predators are in Dallas for a crucial Central Division showdown.
The Stars are riding a 5 game win streak after a Sunday night rolling of the Colorado Avalanche in Denver and have won 7 of their last 8. Dallas has been a house of horrors for the Predators as they have only won twice in their last ten visits to Big D. The Stars have shown the same kind of home dominance that Pred fans have seen this season as the Stars are 10-2-0 at American Airlines Center.
Irresistible force, meet immovable object as the Predators are 4-1-1 in their last six on the road, the teams are fairly even in scoring, fairly even in defense. The key tonight may be on special teams as the Stars power play has been struggling over the past seven games, going 1-24 over that time. The Preds power play has been smoking hot, despite being held off the board for the first time this season at home last night.
Injuries may play a factor as Martin Hanzal and Marc Methot are out for tonight’s game according to the Stars website, Antoine Roussel is a gam time decision. Obviously, Ryan Ellis and Scott Hartnell are still on IR as I write this, Hartnell is reported to be close to a return, Ellis is on track for a return over the holidays. Ryan Johansen is listed as day-to-day.
The other question is in net for the Predators… do you go with Pekka Rinne on the back-to-back? Or does this one belong to Juuse Saros. I don’t expect to hear about that decision until the players hit the ice around 7pm tonight.
Pregame starts at 6:30 on the Predators Radio Network, 7pm on Fox Sports Tennessee. Game time is 7:30pm.
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Random Notes
- Sometimes being between the penalty boxes is pretty humorous. The exchange between Filip Forsberg and Brad Marchand was a riot… and a definite indicator of Forsberg’s growing maturity.
- The Stars need this one tonight. The Stars are 4-6-0 in the Central so far, the Preds are 7-1-1.
- The schedule takes a bit of a weird turn after this back-to-back finishes tonight. The Predator have a single game over the next seven days, Friday night vs. Vegas. The next game is the following Wednesday in Vancouver.
- The top three in the Central are in action tonight. Winnipeg is at Detroit and St. Louis is at Montreal.
- KHL Watch – Eeli Tolvanen’s Jokerit is back in action today against Severstal. Tolvanen stands at 17 goals and 13 assists for 30 points in 35 games.
- Speaking of Tolvanen, he has been named to the Finnish World Juniors Team. He has also been voted by fans to the KHL’s Bobrov Division All-Star team. Tolvanen got the second most votes of any player.
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