After Nashville’s 1-0 victory in game one of the Predators – Blackhawks series, I am just a little bit grayer… and may have lost a year or two of lifespan… but damn was it worth it. I knew this series would be a good one… but the delicious tension was wonderful!
Nashville played an almost perfect playoff road game… and anytime a defensive mistake was made, Pekka Rinne was there, stopping 29 shots enroute to his second playoff shutout and the franchise’s first game one victory in their history. Rinne has taken his share of criticism after last season from rather ill-informed members of media that doesn’t follow the team as closely… but this has been a bounceback season for the Predators star. And I am sure that Pred Nation would love it if Chicago pundits would keep on writing about how Rinne is no longer elite.
The other big story… Who else but Viktor Arvidsson? RV got the only goal last night, his second ever playoff goal… and it also was his second ever game winning playoff goal. So many writers made him an X-Factor in this series… and they were right.
So let’s get to the good, the bad and the ugly of last night’s tilt…
The Good - The Predators were flat out excellent defensively last night
The Bad - Calle Jarnkrok has to shoot the puck when you are over the blue line on an empty net… that pass could’ve joined Martin Erat’s in Preds/Hawks playoff infamy if Nashville would’ve lost.
The Ugly - Hard to find ugly in last night’s game, at least on the Predator’s side…
It’s only one game… repeat that to yourselves Smashville... It's only one game, but it is a type of game that Chicago was supposed to win as the “been there, done that” group that they are. But they could not crack the Preds defense or Pekka Rinne.
That being said… Chicago will come out with blood in their eyes for game two and Nashville will need to be ready for it.
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Playoff Status
Eastern Conference
Washington vs. Toronto – WSH leads 1-0 – Game 2 – tomorrow night in Washington
Montreal vs. New York – NYR leads 1-0 – Game 2 – tonight in Montreal
Ottawa vs. Boston – BOS leads 1-0 – Game 2 – tomorrow in Ottawa
Pittsburgh vs. Columbus – PIT leads 1-0 – Game 2 – tonight in Pittsburgh
Western Conference
Chicago vs. Nashville – NSH leads 1-0 – Game 2 tomorrow night in Chicago
Anaheim vs. Calgary – ANA leads 1-0 – Game 2 - tomorrow in Anaheim
Minnesota vs. St. Louis – STL leads 1-0 – Game 2 – tonight in Minnesota
Edmonton vs. San Jose – SJS leads 1-0 – Game 2 – tonight in Edmonton
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Playoff Random Notes
- Excellent penalty kill by Nashville last night… may want to limit the penalties a bit more.
- Shot blocking was excellent as well last night.
- The Predators limited giveaways, another key to the win last night.
- I saw several posts claiming that if Chicago plays the way they did in the second and third periods, they will win the series… ummm… how do you do that? You don’t win if you don’t score … even us folk in Nashville know that… :-)
- For the second consecutive night, a young Canadian team blew a 2 goal lead as Toronto punched Washington in the mouth in the first period last night… the Caps did come back to win in OT.
- Anaheim proved that other teams were right to want to avoid them... they jumped on Calgary like Chicago votes... early and often, even though the Flames gave 'em a run at the end.
- Home teams went 1-4 on night one of the playoffs… they went 2-1 last night… Canadian teams are 0-5 so far…
- Four games in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight, all times CST – 6pm - NYR @ MTL (USA), CBJ @ PIT (NHLN). 7pm – SLT @ MIN (NBCSN). 9:30pm – SJS @ EDM (NBCSN).
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