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Potential Playoff Clincher in Smashville

March 28, 2016, 9:57 AM ET [15 Comments]
Paul McCann
Nashville Predators Blogger •Predators Radio Network • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Happy Dyngus Day everybody! If you have no idea what that is… ask someone from Buffalo… or someone from the northeast who is Polish. Watch out for cheap perfume and pussy willows!

The Nashville Predators begin a Central Division back-to-back tonight with the completion of their home stand as they take on the Colorado Avalanche in a game that could clinch the playoffs for the Predators. Nashville takes off for Dallas post-game. The Av’s are coming to town after a devastating loss to the Minnesota Wild Saturday that left them five points out of a playoff spot and desperate to stay in the race with seven games left on their schedule.

Nashville is coming off a dominating win against a hapless Columbus team. It was nice to see the Predators play to their capability vs. down to the level of their competition, a good sign going forward. The team is also looking to add to a ten game home point streak and their total of 33 home sellouts.

Colorado comes it banged up and backed into a corner… a dangerous combination. They are missing Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon tonight as neither travelled with the team according to the Av’s website, Brad Stuart and Jesse Winchester are listed on IR. Nashville has Anthony Bitetto and Paul Gaustad as potential injury scratches, although Gaustad had practiced with the team before Saturday’s game.

Goaltending is another big question mark… I honestly have no idea who will be in net for either team as both teams took yesterday off for Easter. If I were a betting man, I’d guess Semyan Varlamov for Colorado and Carter Hutton for Nashville, if only to save Pekka Rinne for tomorrow night in Dallas.

Very limited tickets remain for tonight’s game, it is March of Dimes Awareness Day at Bridgestone Arena. There will be food trucks on the plaza from 11am-1pm, awareness night at the game and donations are being accepted to help fund lifesaving initiatives and research. Game time is 7pm, coverage on 102.5 the Game, Fox Sports Tennessee and the Preds Radio Network.

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Random Notes

- “Where They Stand” – Entering tonight’s play, the Nashville Predators are 4th in the Central Division with 91 points, trailing 3rd Place Chicago by 4 points. The Predators trail 2nd place St. Louis by 8 points and 1st place Dallas by 8, with a game in hand on all three teams being chased. The Predators are in the first wild card slot, leading Minnesota by 6 points and Colorado by 11

- The Predators win in regulation tonight and their playoff ticket is punched.

- If the playoff started today… the Nashville Predators would play the LA Kings in the first round.

- The Vesey Watch – Day Three… I have to admit, the longer this goes, the more nervous I get. However, this season (or franchise) doesn’t rise or fall on Jimmy Vesey as the team has shown on the ice. He would be a nice add, but not critical. That being said… I do expect a Harvard man to live up to his words and the spirit conveyed by them.

- What the Vesey Watch is telling me is that there needs to be adjustments to the rules on drafting NCAA players… in a situation like this, (if this happens…) the team should be compensated for losing a player in this fashion. Too much time and investment put in to get nothing in return through no fault of the team is not right and needs to be addressed.

- Well… it looks like Chicago took a page from the Predators “Get Well” book by feasting on Western Canada teams… back to back wins at Calgary and Vancouver can do that for you.

- Eight games in the NHL tonight, all times central – 6pm – WPG @ PHI, CBJ @ WSH. 6:30pm – BUF @ DET, TML @ TBL. 7pm – COL @ NSH. 8pm – ANA @ EDM. 9pm – CGY @ ARI, LAK @ SJS.

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