A win is a win is a win. Last’s 2-1 shootout win at Wells Fargo Center was an important one for Nashville. Their first win in OT/SO is big… coming back to win is big… Pekka Rinne being back on his game is big… A road win is big… Getting off to a slow start, again… is just as big.
I just can’t put my finger on it… but this team’s slow starts are maddening and have bitten this team hard more times than they have recovered from them. You can almost predict that a bad bounce or two will go against this team and it will have to play from behind, as was the case last night when an Andy MacDonald shot bounced off a Preds defenseman and slipped past Pekka Rinne about 10 minutes into the first period. That was all Rinne would give up, stopping 31 shots overall.
The turning point in the game had to be the Predators killing off a 5-on-3 situation when Roman Josi and Adam Pardy took penalties 35 seconds apart… special teams have not been friendly to Nashville recently, but the Preds were successful in killing it off and began to seize momentum from that point forward.
I couldn’t have been the only observer that expected the game to finish 1-0 as Steve Mason was also having a very good night, but Filip Forsberg picked a very good time to pot his 4th of the season, redirecting a Matt Irwin shot to knot the game with a little more than 8 minutes to go in regulation.
A fairly fast paced OT session solved nothing and to the shootout they went, where Ryan Ellis won it, beating Mason for the only goal given up in the skills competition to win it for Nashville and giving the Preds their first non-regulation win of the season.
It’s a quick turnaround as the team left Wells Fargo Center to head up I-95 about 90 miles to Newark for tonight’s rematch against the New Jersey Devils. Pred Nation recalls that the Devils took down the Predators about two weeks ago and are hoping the Predators can continue their revenge tour. The Devils have been slumping, dropping their last four, all on the road… the problem for Nashville? New Jersey is 8-1-2 on Prudential Center ice.
Nashville will be looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since late November tonight, not sure if Coach Peter Laviolette will go with Pekka Rinne again or go with Juuse Saros, who authored an outstanding performance Saturday night against the Rangers.
Most reports have PK Subban on the scratch list again tonight. Game time is 6pm CT. Coverage on 102.5 the Game and Fox Sports Tennessee.
---------------------------------------
Random Notes
- The Dad’s Trip continues tonight.
- Preds are back home Thursday against the LA Kings
- Problems in Carolina last night as a problem with the ice making plant caused postponing the Hurricanes/Red Wings game.
- New York Rangers forward Rick Nash is out again with a groin issue.
- 12 games in the NHL tonight, all times CST – 6pm – NYI @ BOS, NSH @ NJD, NYR @ PIT, . 6:30pm – ANA @ TOR. 7pm – EDM @ STL. 8pm – CGY @ ARI.
------------------------------------
------------------------------------- SSR’s season nine is on, our next show is Christmas Eve at 8am on 102.5 the Game. SlapShot Radio is the longest running hockey show in the mid-south and Pete Weber and I bring you the best in hockey talk all season long. We have a very special, holiday edition of SlapShot Radio featuring 2016 NHL All-Star Game MVP, John Scott.
SlapShot Radio has been delivering great hockey talk to the most energetic and engaged fans in radio and advertising with us drives results. Our premier sponsors include day one sponsor Dr. Jane Bacon at Hermitage Family and Cosmetic Dentistry … make your appointment at (615) 872-7762, Mark Lonsway at ReMax Fine Homes, call him for all your real estate needs at (615) 207-7799, and TurfMasters… check out their great service at TurfMasters.com.
Advertisers… reach out to me in order to access our activated listener base though great advertising deals available when you email me at paul(@)slapshotradio(dot)com
You can also keep up with all the goings on with SlapShot Radio by following the show on Twitter @SlapShotRadio1 … Also... make sure to "like" SlapShot Radio on Facebook... here's the link.
-------------------------------------
KINDLE USERS: Please subscribe to Predators Buzz, a one-stop feed for all things Predators-related on HockeyBuzz. Your subscription includes a free 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month thereafter. For more information, click here.