There’s an old saying in poker… if you are looking around the table trying to spot the sucker, chances are… it’s you. Well Pred Nation has been trying to spot the best first round matchup and the general feeling around the conference is that the team you want to draw in the first round is… Nashville.
Last night’s 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild had all the characteristics of a Predators game as of late, an early lead, two quick goals given up and a furious attempt at comeback thwarted by a goaltender who was allowed to get his confidence back. The frustration was evident on the ice during the Shirts Off Their Back presentation as the players did everything they could to pull it together and be pleasant after a gut wrenching loss, it was evident in Peter Laviolette’s postgame presser and it was evident in Bridgestone Arena as Pred Nation wondered what happened to all the promise this season had shown.
When Laviolette was asked about his team and their upcoming practice today before leaving for Dallas, he said the following…
“Hopefully there’s a change of attitude; we’ve got to have some more urgency with what we’re doing,… Laviolette said. “We can’t lose battles, we can’t lose assignments, we have to have more pop to what we do on the ice. We can’t rely on a two-goal lead in the first [11 minutes] and we can’t hope to pull something out in the third period. It’s not good enough.…
“Hopefully there’s a change of attitude.… That says it all.
The regular season closes out tomorrow with a trip to Dallas. It is our Annual SlapShot Radio Road Trip so keep your eyes peeled for gold in the sea of green tomorrow night.
Here are your highlights, from nhl.com:
--------------------------------------
One of the greats passed away yesterday. Stan Hochman, longtime columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News died after a brief illness at the age of 86.
He spent 55 years writing about Philly sports, a man who believed in being prepared, in being competitive and most of all… being honest. He aggravated his share of Philly sports elite with his honest take on what happened on the field. But that aggravation was always tempered with respect, as his columns were always meticulously thought out, scrupulously researched and 99 times out of 100… right.
Godspeed Stan… rest well.
--------------------------------------
Random Notes
- Standings update after play on 4/9 – St. Louis claimed the Central Division title last night with their win over Chicago. That also clinched home ice for Nashville and the 2 spot in the division. SportsClubStats.com has a 86.4% chance of the Preds playing the Blackhawks in round one. That will be decided on Saturday as the Wild still have a chance to finish third in the division, they play St. Louis at 2pm CDT Saturday, if they win and Chicago loses in regulation against Colorado later that night, the Wild will be the Preds first round opponent.
- The Western Wild Card – Minnesota and Winnipeg stand in the wild card slots, the Central Division has put five teams in the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
- West Playoff Seeding Update - While the teams in the West are set, the seedings are not. The only confirmed places that cannot change is Nashville’s second in the division and Winnipeg’s second Wild Card. That’s it… the conference title is still up for grabs, Calgary has a chance to overtake Vancouver, Minnesota has a chance to overtake Chicago… lots to be decided on Saturday.
- East Playoff Seeding Update - A couple more teams clinched the playoffs last night as the Red Wings and Islanders punched their tickets, but the seedings are as crazy as the West. First off, the Atlantic is still not decided. The Rangers will be top seed in the East and Washington has secured hom ice for round one for finishing second in the Metro. The Wild Cards are still up in the air and ion a stunning turnaround, the Ottawa Senators went into the Garden and smacked down the Rangers to take over the first Wild Card slot in the East. Now both Pittsburgh and the Islanders have back-to-backs starting tonight so much could change. Boston’s loss to Florida puts them on the outside looking in with one game to play.
- The Predators announced the signing of forward Steve Moses yesterday. Moses is a Massachusetts native that played four years at the University of New Hampshire before playing this past season in the KHL. Playing? Heck he only set a single season goal scoring record for the league and registered almost a point per game. He will join the team next season.
- Plenty of theories running around about playoff scheduling next week… too many variables to figure it out yet.
- In the rookie scoring race, both Filip Forsberg and Johnny Gaudreau scored last night, Forsberg continues to lead with 25 goals, Gaudreau has 24. Ottawa’s Mark Stone has come up fast, he has 24 goals as well. You can make a Calder case for any of the three.
- Cody Franson played his 400th NHL game last night.
- The Predators recognized equipment guru Pete Rodgers last night for his 2000th game last night, which actually happens tomorrow night in Dallas
- Islanders / Penguins is huge tonight. For both teams…
- Memo to the NCAA... how about scheduling the Frozen Four on Friday/Sunday? Less conflict with NHL games and this season, you would have the field to yourself with no NHL games on Sunday. Just a thought as I was missing the National Semi-Finals last night.
- Two games in the NHL tonight – Islanders @ Penguins, Sabres @ Blue Jackets
--------------------------------------
You are invited to follow me on Twitter. Search for @PredPAPaul… Not only will I be updating when I get news or updates, but we are having a bit of fun by getting your input on Gnash introductions, weigh in on Twitter and who knows, we may use your introduction for the best mascot in the NHL at the next Preds game! 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.
-------------------------------------
SlapShot Radio is back every Wednesday at 7pm on 102.5 the Game and the SlapShot Radio Network… The podcast for last night’s show is posted featuring Jeff “K… Kovarsky, PA Announcer for the Dallas Stars, giving us a preview of what to expect for the SlapShot Radio road trip this weekend and the author of Chill Factor, David Paitson. Next week’s show is our annual playoff preview!
Our premier, day one sponsor is Dr. Jane Bacon at Hermitage Family and Cosmetic Dentistry … make your appointment at 615-872-7762.
We’ve got room for your business to be part of the SlapShot Radio family with effective and affordable playoff advertising packages for every budget. Be part of the excitement of Nashville hockey… Advertisers… reach out to me to access our activated listener base via email at paul(@)slapshotradio(dot)com
Radio station owners/programmers, join the SlapShot Radio Network, the perfect companion to hockey play-by-play… it helps to not only entertain, but deepen your listeners knowledge and enhances their enjoyment of the game… contact me using the email above to carry SlapShot Radio on your station, we are satellite delivered every week via SkyView on the SlapShot Radio Network. Each show contains two full breaks for your usage.
Our podcasts are posted…
-------------------------------------
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.