Nashville is a wounded animal right now. Repeat after me, 'Nashville is a wounded animal right now'.
In fact they are so wounded that Kevin Fiala is doing extra time on the ice right now after the Predators game day skate. Message or more you can debate that, but something is not fitting right here and is this a bit more gamesmanship from Laviolette?
There are so many things to write about after the last game, the importance of game 4, players, performances, and more yet there is not enough time. Let's touch on a few things while the city of Winnipeg counts down to another Whiteout on a glorious spring day.
Before that- take a listen to me on Slapshot Radio from last night with Paul McCann
Tonight's show is up! Thanks to our guest @Teddier ! https://t.co/2CYwP14jqi
— SlapShotRadio (@SlapShotRadio1) May 3, 2018
1. Byfuglien
If big Buff keeps playing this way it's like he has found the fountain of youth and is back to 2010 again where he dominated as a forward. He's even better though as he is forcing his will on the game and doing so without the mistakes that come from his frequent high risk, high reward play. He's been good, very good and if you had to vote on a Conn Smythe across the playoffs right now he should be in that conversation.
2. Hellebuyck and Rinne
I expect Hellebuyck to shine tonight. He knew he was far from good in the first period and he knew that he had to make that save on Arvidsson in the third period too...and he did. I expect Rinne to have the same focus and aspirations tonight but the difference is Rinne unravelled last game taking a strange slashing penalty in third period. If you read Paul McCann's piece today he has an interesting take in it: Rinne was reacting to send a message to his team. Maybe not the way everyone should do it but if it's heard watch out.
3. Preds defense vs Jets defense
The Preds defense is the class of the NHL as their top 4 are lethal and very very good in many facets of the game but in this series they have not been scoring with only 3 goals vs 8 for Winnipeg. The Preds defense has 19 total points but 12 of those are secondary assets while the Jets have 20 points with only 7 being secondary assists. If Nashville can activate their defense better tonight's game could be very difficult for Winnipeg.
4. Shots for and against
It's been a topic in this series based on how the games have gone and how they have progressed within some games so let's take a look at recent history- the last ten games for each team.
Above is Winnipeg and you can see the Jets are owning the centre of the ice in the offensive zone and they are doing a pretty good job of dealing with it and other space in the defensive zone.
Nashville on the other hand is not as steady in front of their own net and boy do they like the right side of the ice in the offensive zone as seen below.
5. Maurice vs Laviolette
Tonight is the highest stakes chess match Paul Maurice has been in for some time. It appears that Scott Hartnell is coming into the lineup and perhaps he agrees with what Subban mentioned post game on Tuesday, that there is too much physical after whistle physical play. Hartnell would be the guy to clean that up, if he can, or draw the Jets into something they don't want. How Maurice counters will be interesting. Hartnell has averages around 10 minutes a game in 62 appearances for the Preds- I'm not sure what he can bring that Fail can't because he only generated 13 goals and 11 assist this year. It's also believed that Weber might play, has not played a game since March 24th. Again, does Maurice counter or simply roll his lines as he finished them, swapping Connor for Ehlers up top?
6. Depth factor
With the Preds perhaps adding two new players to the roster today in Weber and Hartnell does that change the dynamics for Maurice and would he put Mathieu Perreualt in who declared himself healthy yesterday? Perreault could be a game changer in depth simply because he could play on the 4th line and do what he did early the season, eat his opposition's lunch and dinner. This could be a game time decision and that's something that could be a part of number 5 above.
For this franchise there has never been a game with the stakes as high as tonight's. Win and they take a stranglehold on the series and put every ounce of pressure right back on the Predators. It's an opportunity few thought would be available at this point and the Jets have to seize it. How they do that will be decided in about six hours, but it's also an 'if' and the Jets have to realize wen opportunity knocks it does not stay around very long.