It’s Hockey Night in Smashville as the Toronto Maple Leafs are in town for the first of ten home games in February for the Predators. The Preds amazing run at home so far this season has the team gathering 39 out of the 44 points available so far at home, including their current eight game home win streak. The Predators are tied for the league lead in home wins, home points and overall points. When these two teams last got together…
November 14, 2014 (pause from dramatic music sting)
A day that will live in Toronto infamy. (Music swells)
9-2… ‘nuff said…
This Maple Leaf team has been through a lot since that epic spanking. A six game win streak… followed by a 3-17-1 stretch… a coaching change… and a nine game losing streak coming into tonight’s game. That coaching change? Well… Smashville is welcoming back an old friend tonight, former Predators Assistant Head Coach Peter Horachek is behind the bench for the Leafs. Not sure what he did to deserve such a fate, he really is a good guy and I am sure we will hear a little of his inner monologue on JR Lind’s Twitter account.
Horachek can’t seem to buy a break, he did a fine job with the Florida Panthers as their interim, only to be caught up in front office changes with the Panthers and was not brought back. Catching on as an assistant with the Maple Leafs this season led to him being named the interim after Randy Carlyle was shown the door, but this team is so poorly constructed that Punch Imlach would have difficulty with it. It’s a bad situation in TO… and it has NOTHING to do with coaching. Role players have been sold as saviors… Contracts handed out to middling talents like they were the second coming of Gretzky… and let’s not forget that Toronto media, while there are some very good writers there, some have completely forgotten that it is their job to cover the team, not to create drama and bring focus onto themselves.
The Predators, on the other hand, have actually maintained while their Hart Trophy candidate goaltender, Pekka Rinne has been recovering from a sprained knee. The team has recovered the number one spot in the league and maintained their top Central Division spot. Carter Hutton has done a solid job between the pipes and is coming off his first shutout of the season. Rinne will be re-evaluated today for a potential return tonight. Good news for Pred Nation, as this means his return is sooner rather than later.
Besides the situation in the Nashville net, keep an eye on Mike Fisher and Filip Forsberg. Both players are maintaining very high levels of play. With Forsberg’s next goal, he will tie the franchise rookie goal scoring record, Fisher has posted 22 points in his last 25 games and the team is 9-1-1 in games where he scores.
Game time is 7pm, coverage on Fox Sports Tennessee and the Predators Radio Network (flagship – 102.5 the Game.) Some tickets remain.
Here is the game preview from nhl.com
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I’d like you to know about the Peterson for Parkinson’s fundraiser happening on February 16th at the Franklin Theatre. It’s called “Songwriters and Storytellers… and will feature performances from some of Nashville’s premier songwriters. Writers of hits for artists like Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney and Jason Aldean… just to name a few. For more information, including how to purchase tickets Click here. Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm… it should be an awesome show for a great cause.
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Random Notes
- Standings update after play on 2/2 – The Predators remain first in the division, conference and league. St. Louis is two points behind in the division. Anaheim is tied in points but the Preds have a game in hand on the Ducks. The Predators also have a game in hand and a six point lead over third place Chicago.
- The Western Wild Card race remains fairly steady. Winnipeg extended their loising streak to four last night but they remain in the first wild card slot with 60 points in 52 games. Calgary has leapfrogged Vancouver into third in the Pacific with 59 points in 51 games. The Canucks are in the second wild card slot with 57 points in 48 games and three games in hand on Calgary. Vancouver has a 3 point lead over LA, Dallas and Colorado trail by four points and Minnesota trails by five. Vancouver has a game in hand over everyone chasing them, two games in hand over the Wild.
- All Central division teams are playing tonight, two of the games involve head-to-head matchups with Chicago visiting St. Paul and Colorado invading Dallas.
- A blind squirrel finds a nut every now and again… Edmonton won a 13 round shootout (that’s not a typo) over San Jose last night.
- A second “Road to…… series debuts tonight on Epix, this one focusing on the Stadium Series game between the Kings and Sharks. There is a free live stream available on nhl.com
- Big loss for St. Louis as defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk will have abdominal surgery to repair an injury sustained in Sunday’s game against Washington.
- Eleven games on the NHL schedule tonight – Senators @ Devils, Panthers @ Islanders, Kings @ Capitals, Coyotes @ Blue Jackets, Sabres @ Canadiens, Lightning @ Blues, Maple Leafs @ Predators, Blackhawks @ Wild, Avalanche @ Stars, Jets @ Canucks, Hurricanes @ Ducks.
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SlapShot Radio will be back on Wednesday, February 18th at 7pm on 102.5 the Game and the SlapShot Radio Network… Our premier, day one sponsor is Dr. Jane Bacon at Hermitage Family and Cosmetic Dentistry … make your appointment at 615-872-7762. Also The Wine Shoppe at Green Hills and Burger Republic!
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