Well… the weekend began ugly and stayed ugly until last night when the Predators brought a strong effort in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets in another wild up and down affair. These two teams do play some entertaining hockey… that is for sure.
Some much needed home time for a weary bunch of Preds after finishing a three game in four night stretch with plenty of travel in it. The Predators will take a much needed day off today before resuming play tomorrow night. A retribution game against the Minnesota Wild. A way to wash the nasty taste of the past three games out of the team’s mouth and get back on track as the playoffs are now just 17 days away.
After Minnesota on Tuesday, the Preds then host the suddenly hot San Jose Sharks, then a Saturday return match against the Buffalo Sabres. A team that will be looking for a little payback of their own after last Monday’s 4-0 pasting they took from Nashville in front of their home crowd.
The Predators do need to step their game up just a little. I don’t think I would hit the panic button yet… I also wouldn’t hit the “Gee I’m Worried Button… … Maybe I might give a gentle press on the “Hey guys, I’m mildly concerned… button. The team has been a little lucky over the past six weeks and that always comes back around, but the team has made their own luck in that timeframe as well.
Other concerns… A few minor injuries has folks a bit concerned… Calle Jarnkrok, Austin Watson, Yannick Weber… but gang… that’s why you get the depth that you have for a playoff run. And the cupboard is far from bare in Milwaukee.
Effort levels… well, last night was the turnaround game for that… if you look at the season so far, the Predators always seemed to end a bad patch with a solid OT loss, so… Pred Nation… keep your Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy handy and follow those two words written in large friendly letters on the cover… Don’t Panic.
And besides… more reserves are coming as Eeli Tolvanen has officially been released from his Jokerit contract and will be flying to North America on Wednesday. Now I am just as excited at this prospect as the next guy, however… I need to temper my enthusiasm.
I mean, it’s not like the young man hasn’t stepped it up every time he could… you know… his first couple of games in the KHL were complete duds… wait what? He has how many hat tricks in his first 11 games? Well… that’s the KHL, in the Olympics he… huh?? Oh yeah, he was the second leading scorer in the tournament, in only five games and was named to the Olympic All-Star team.
The NHL is different, but don’t underestimate this player while we try and manage expectations.
We will be keeping a close eye on this situation. Preds are back in action on Tuesday.
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“Where We Stand… update… a daily tracking of where the Preds are in the standings and the games that impact them most, brought to you by Mark Lonsway - THE real estate professional for hockey fans!
After last night’s play the Predators remain first in the Central Division and the Western Conference with 107 points, leading Winnipeg (0 GIH) by five points in both races … The Predators also now lead Tampa Bay (0 GIH) in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy by a single point.
Impact games tonight (all times Central) – 6:30pm – ARI @ TBL. 9pm – COL @ VGK.
Playoff seed chances - The Predators chances of top seed in the West stands at 87% after last night’s loss, their chances at the President’s Trophy are at 41.5%
The Current Opponent - If the playoffs began today, the Predators would draw the number 8 seed in the second wild card position… currently the St. Louis Blues.
Most likely first round opponent - The highest percentage goes to St. Louis at 28.6%... Colorado is at 24.5%, Los Angeles is at 18.6%.
Teams that have punched their playoff ticket - Nashville, Tampa Bay, Boston and Winnipeg. Playoff odds and playoff point line courtesy of SportsClubStats.com
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Random Notes
- Last night’s win clinched a playoff spot for the Jets… now they gotta figure out how to win a game in the playoffs.
- The Boston Bruins are hot on Tampa’s heels for the Eastern Conference lead and only three points behind Nashville for the President’s Trophy.
- Looks like Dallas and Calgary are fading from playoff contention… Dallas is five points out with six to play, Calgary is nine points out with six to play.
- Eeli Warning – Eeli Tolvanen’s Jokerit season is complete. Now we wait for signing news. He is scheduled to be in North America on Wednesday.
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------------------------------------- SlapShot Radio’s tenth anniversary season is on. As the longest running hockey show in the region, SSR feeds hockey fans what they crave… intelligent, fun, entertaining talk about their favorite sport and we do it from the opening of training camp all the way through UFA day… the only local hockey show that does that.
We are on every Wednesday night at 7pm on the Predators flagship station, 102.5 the Game. Our co-hosts, Dan Keczmer and JP Dumont bring a true insiders perspective to the show. Our next show is Saturday at 8am. We will be talking to hockey writer Adam Gretz and much, much more!
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