From the start you could see the game plan for the Vegas Golden Knights last night, stop the JoFA line at all costs and dare the rest of the lineup to beat them.
Mission accomplished.
The Nashville Predators posted a 4-1 win over Vegas last night on the strength of two goals in :57 seconds from Ryan Hartman that turned the entire game around. Vegas dominated the first 25 minutes of play, it was the strong performance in net from Juuse Saros that kept the game close while the Predators figured out that another home game was going to slip from their fingers. Hartman’s goals both came from really sweet feeds from Kevin Fiala, the first one going top shelf on a pretty backhand.
The Preds fired off those two goals and began to play the kind of hockey they are capable of, continuing the push into the third period when Calle Jarnkrok effectively put the game away, converting a cross ice pass from Kyle Turris from the hash marks that cleanly beat Vegas goaltender Malcolm Subban. The icing on the win was provided by an awarded goal as Viktor Arvidsson was interfered with while trying to score on an empty net to give Smashville free Frosty’s today and seal the 4-1 win.
Nashville will hit the first milestone of the season in fine shape. November 1st is the first check point on the playoff race… Elliotte Friedman has been way out front on this stat. Since 05/06, 84% of teams four points or more outside of a playoff spot on 11/1, miss the playoffs. Last season, the Panthers, Canadiens, Sabres, Wild, Oilers and Coyotes were four points or more out of the playoffs. Of those teams, only the Wild made the playoffs. One out of six.
Tonight’s game will have no impact on this stat so it is interesting to look at it this season right now, in the East, Ottawa, Philly, the Rangers, Detroit and Florida are four points or more out… in the West it’s Vegas, St. Louis and Los Angeles. Using that 84% stat, only one of those teams will make the playoffs. Talk about a sobering reality just 12 games into a season.
The Predators are sitting on top of the league with a 9-3-0 record, good for 18 points. It is always enlightening to get Terry Crisp’s take about this team... his most pithy observation was that it’s a lot more fun to be worried about this kind of stuff when you are winning. How true…
The Preds head to Tampa for a single game roadie against the Lightning tomorrow night before returning home for Hockey Fights Cancer Night this Saturday. Saturday night’s game against Boston is the last home game for two weeks.
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Random Notes
- One observation from last night. Vegas is a very tight team right now… they don’t seem to be having any fun out there…
- Before leaving for Tampa, the Preds have activated Pekka Rinne from IR.
- Former Pred Pontus Aberg has found a home in Anaheim, he has really been lighting it up lately.
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