Round two is here and the Predators and Blues are the first teams to drop the puck on the round tonight in St. Louis and if the crowd that attended the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers show at Bridgestone Arena last night is any indication, Smashville is ready to go… lots of gold and Let’s Go Preds shouts throughout the concourse.
Game one is the statement game. Each of these teams made strong statements in their first round series as both teams won, the Blues in a tight checking overtime game as they held serve at home, and Nashville with a pulse pounding 1-0 shutout on the road.
The attitude at Centennial Sportsplex over the last three days of practice has been all business... the prevailing sentiment? “We haven’t done anything yet.” That’s the right attitude to have, especially after slaying the dragon in the first round. The sense of mission is palpable. So what is different heading into the second round than past years? Why is there a reason to anticipate a different result? I think there are a several reasons for cautious optimism in Pred Nation…
- The clear lack of satisfaction exhibited by this team – The celebration of the series sweep over Chicago lasted far longer for Pred Nation than for the team. The team celebrated on the ice, but by the time the media hit the locker room postgame, the Preds were already focused on the second round.
- The team’s construction – This team is well constructed for the style of play the head coach wants. Speed and physicality… get the puck, get it out of the zone and get on the attack. On your toes hockey… call it what you want, but this team has the right players in the right places, most importantly… playing the right way.
- No Pacific Division crossover – This one is huge. By the time the Predators got to game seven against the Sharks, they had travelled over 60,000 miles in the first two rounds, twelve cross country flights. Heck… for St. Louis they could take a bus! The compact travel schedule is a big one for a team that plays like Nashville… and do not underestimate how this helps with the mental aspect of the game as well.
- Balance – The balanced nature of this team makes it a nightmare to scheme against for opposing coaches. Joel Quinneville was completely flummoxed by game three… he simply did not have an answer for the consistent four line roll that Laviolette was throwing at him.
Long time readers know… I am not going to leave it at that. Every reason for optimism can also lead to reasons for nervousness in Pred Nation… I have a couple;
- Believing your own press – Sometimes, when you shock the hockey world, you read a lot about how great you are. There has been a LOT of press pumping this teams tires… the team used a little of the “us against the world” chip on their shoulder in the first round… well, the world is now woke and that chip can be claimed by St. Louis as the overwhelming majority of pundits are predicting the Predators win this series. Confidence is good, confidence is sexy… over-confidence is lethal.
- Season-long inconsistency – This team has been maddeningly inconsistent throughout the season. Now some of that was caused by injury to key players, some of that was caused by new players adjusting and adapting to the system… or both. But there is just that nagging feeling, a little tickle that is a cause for vigilance.
- Running into a hot goaltender – Ask the Minnesota Wild about this one. Jake Allen stole the series for the St. Louis Blues. Even though the Blues won the series 4-1, it was far from a blowout on the ice… I happen to agree with Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau’s assessment of his team, they played well, but didn’t get the results… that sounds familiar and should keep the Preds grounded.
Game one starts at 7pm. Pregame coverage on the Predators Radio Network flagship station, 102.5 the Game begins at 6pm, live from St. Louis with Darren McFarland… Pete Weber and the coach Brent Peterson have the call. TV coverage will be on NBCSN with Kenny Albert handling the play-by-play. There is a party on the plaza at Bridgestone Arena that gets going at 6:30pm with food, fans and fun… the weather should be awesome, so you may want to come on out!
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Last night’s SlapShot Radio – a complete preview of the second round.
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The gauntlet has been thrown down from my fellow blogger in St. Louis, Jason Millen. We will make a small wager on this series… losing team’s blogger makes a donation to the winning team’s blogger charity of choice…
Mine will be Best Buddies of Tennessee… a charity very familiar to fans of the fang…
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Round Two Reset
Eastern Conference
NYR vs OTT – Game one is tomorrow night in Ottawa
WSH vs PIT – Game one is tomorrow night in Washington
Western Conference
STL vs. NSH – Game one is tonight in St. Louis
ANA vs. EDM – Game one is tonight in Anaheim
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Playoff Random Notes
- All indications are that Colin Wilson will be in the lineup tonight… also Craig Smith may not, but we will know a little more after day-of-game skate.
- The Predators are ranked 3rd in ESPN’s playoff power rankings behind Pittsburgh and Anaheim
- The odds for the Cup have been updated – Washington is the favorite at 3-1, Pittsburgh is next at 4-1, Anaheim at 5-1, the Rangers and Oilers are at 7-1, Nashville and St. Louis are listed at 8-1 and Ottawa is at 10-1.
- Preds all-world mascot Gnash is continuing his Twitter fun with this one… it is response to a tweet which asked him “how does it feel to be the last of your species? The Blues live on.” His response was epic…
- Several sources reporting that a major layoff is happening at ESPN today… good luck to those on-air personalities effected.
- Two game in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight – 7pm – NSH @ STL (NBCSN) 9:30pm – EDM @ ANA – (NBCSN)
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