Just 19 hours after what could be called their worst performance of the season, the Nashville Predators waltzed into Amalie Arena and took apart the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 on the strength of a dominating game from Filip Forsberg and an inspired goaltending performance from Juuse Saros.
Forsberg was dangerous all night long, posting two goals and an assist and now has six points over his last two games. You have seen him dialing it in for the last few games and it is kicking in now… to the consternation of the rest of the league. Forsberg’s second goal was Filip at his most dangerous… taking the puck from the just inside the defensive blueline, streaking down left wing, making a power move around Dan Girardi and deposit the puck by going against the grain for an absolutely gorgeous goal.
The goals all came from the top line of Ryan Johansen, who scored the first goal of the game, Forsberg, who had the middle two and Craig Smith… playing with Johansen and Forsberg had the fourth and final goal of the game.
For the team… It was a stunning turnaround after Saturday night debacle on Broadway.
In his postgame presser, Head Coach Peter Laviolette said “The guys played smart, and that's all on them. They had a meeting, they weren't happy with it and they straightened it out.… Nice to see, and nice to see so quickly.
You also have to love the power game being played by Ryan Johansen, he is playing with fire and quite a bit of piss and vinegar. His goal last night was exactly the kind of play thatg Pred Nation has been looking for… everyone on the ice, in the arena, watching on FS Tennessee expected the pass and Johansen snapped a wicked shot top shelf.
The Predators certainly earned their day off today, they will need the rest as they head into south Florida for a tilt against a desperate Panther team tomorrow night. Game time is 6:30pm central on Fox Sports Tennessee… pregame gets going on 102.5 the Game at 5:30pm.
Here are the highlights…
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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 113 points, leading Winnipeg by seven points in the Central and leading Vegas by 6 points in the Western Conference race … The Predators lead Boston in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy by three points, the Bruins do have a game in hand on Nashville.
Impact games tonight (all times Central) – 6:30pm – WPG @ OTT. 7pm – WSH @ STL. 9:30pm – COL @ LAK.
Playoff seed chances - The Predators chances of top seed in the West stands at 98% after last night’s win, their chances at the President’s Trophy are up to 66.5%
The Current Opponent - If the playoffs began today, the Predators would draw the number 8 seed in the second wild card position… currently the Colorado Avalanche.
Most likely first round opponent - The highest percentage goes to St. Louis @ 30.1%. Then Colorado at 28.2% and LA at 17.8%.
Teams that have punched their playoff ticket - Nashville, Tampa Bay, Boston, Winnipeg, Vegas, Washington and Toronto. Vegas has clinched the Pacific and Washington has clinched the Metropolitan Playoff odds and playoff point line courtesy of SportsClubStats.com
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Random Notes
- The Preds Magic Number for the Central Division crown is now 2… for the President’s Trophy it is now 6.
- Viktor Arvidsson is classified as day-to-day and did not play yesterday.
- It has been fascinating to watch the play of Eeli Tolvanen in the last two games. You can see him absorbing the game, gaging the speed, feeling his way.
- Next one to be eliminated… with only two teams remaining outside of the playoff mix, the Florida Panthers appear to be falling short of their late season run to the playoffs… their tragic number is down to 4. The other team? The St. Louis Blues currently are a point behind Colorado, but their tragic number is a healthy 8 .
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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.
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