Nashville Predators

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The Morning After Round-Up and Perspective: Predators 3, Blues 1

After a loss in Philadelphia on Thursday night, it was imperative that the Nashville Predators return to Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night and regain their swagger.The opponent was the St. Louis Blues who began the game a point ahead in the standings with two games in hand. The Blues came out firing but the Predators held tough. By the time Mike Fisher made it 2-0 Preds, it was almost a foregone conclusion that the Preds would win another game at home based on their recent record of 13-2 in their last 15 games at Bridgestone Arena.The Predators were anything but dominant earlier this season as they started the year 4-5-3 on home ice. At the end of November, their 11-9-4 record showed little signs of things to come.The turnaround had roots in a December 1 win in Vancouver when the team went down early and roared back to a 6-5 win. Unfortunately, they came home and laid a couple of eggs in losses to Buffalo and Phoenix that they would love to have back.The season turned in the next …

Top Defenceman So Far This Season

In mid-November, I picked Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators as the top defenceman in the league so far this season. In January after Weber had lost time to a concussion, I updated this pick to Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins. Now that Weber is back and healthy he has played himself back into the position of Norris Trophy front-runner.

Weber has 35 points which places him among the top scoring defenders in the league and second on his team. His +19 +/- rating leads his team. Weber is a dominant defenceman who has had more value to his team than any other. Zdeno Chara and Nicklas Lidstrom are other contenders for this award but neither has as many points or a team leading +/- rating. Erik Karlsson is also worthy of mention since he is the dominant offensive defenceman in the league but he is not nearly as strong in his own zone.
Continue reading “Top Defenceman So Far This Season”

Rinne earns 11th straight win, turns aside 41 shots to stop Blues

Martin Erat had a goal and two assists and Pekka Rinne made 41 saves
as the host Nashville Predators moved past the St. Louis Blues into
second place in the Central Division with a 3-1 victory on Saturday.Rinne has won a franchise-record 11 consecutive starts in goal for the Predators.
Sergei Kostitsyn collected a goal and an assist for the Predators. He
secured the win with his 13th goal of the season into an empty net.

Mike Fisher gave the Predators a 2-0 lead at 12:30 of the first
period after receiving a pass from Kostitsyn from behind the net. Fisher
then toe-dragged around a defenseman at the top of the crease and
wristed his 15th of the season past Halak.
Earlier in the opening session, Erat scored his 12th of the season with a power-play blast from the point.
Rinne’s bid for a fifth shutout this season was spoiled at 4:01 of
the third period when Chris Porter picked the pocket of defenseman Roman
Josi and wristed a shot passed the surprised goalie. It w…

It’s time for your Preds and Blues LEFTGOVERS…

Nashville Predators 3, St. Louis Blues 1
Bridgestone Arena; Nashville, Tennessee
February 4, 2012
***
LEFTOVER THOUGHTS:
* Before we get to our notes on the game, you have to see THIS. Head Coach Barry Trotz was joined at his press conference by his son. What other NHL coach would do that? It was a tremendous moment. Thanks to Preds On The Glass for supplying the video.
* Jerred Smithson, Jack Hillen and rookie Gabriel Bourque were the scratches for the Preds on Saturday.
* Brian McGrattan was in the Nashville lineup for the first time since January 17.
* McGrattan would end up dropping the gloves against Ryan Reaves in the second period.
* Blues forward Kevin Shattenkirk had five shots in the first period alone.
* Halak turned aside all 17 shots he faced in the second period.
* Nashville is now 17-2-2 when leading after two periods.
* With 29 games remaining Pekka Rinne needs just four more wins to set a new career high.
* Rinne is now 4-0-0 against St. Louis this season.
* Rinne h…

One more thing: Intra-division dominance

One reason why the Nashville Predators find themselves just four points out of the division lead is because of their dominance against their divisional opponents. Following last night’s 3-1 win over the Blues, the Preds pushed their Central Division record to an astounding 12-2-2, the best intra-division record in the NHL.“The division is so hard and you have to take all the points you can right now,” forward Martin Erat said after last night’s game. “It’s going to be a battle until the end. In the end we always have to play against St. Louis, Detroit and Chicago.”Through Saturday’s action, the Preds are in second place in the division and trail Detroit by four points. St. Louis is one point behind the Preds, but has two games in hand. Chicago’s recent struggles have them sitting in fourth in the Central, six points back of Detroit.The Preds may have done well against the Columbus Blue Jackets this season (5-0-1), but they’ve also experienced success against a very good Blues t…

Predators’ Sixteenth Sellout Crowd Lifts Team to 3-1 Win over St. Louis

The Nashville Predators returned to their winning ways with a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night in front of another capacity crowd.The game was the sixteenth sellout of the season which ties last year’s regular season total and the Predators still have fourteen additional home dates remaining. They will easily surpass the franchise record of twenty capacity crowds that was set in the inaugural season of 1998-99.It was the Predators 13th win in their last 15 home contests and the crowd was one of the more appreciated of the year from the players standpoint after a tough loss in Philadelphia on Thursday.Brian McGrattan had high praise for the crowd’s intensity. “It was huge. On the bench, I said to Hally that that was one of the best crowds that I’ve ever played in front of.”"I’ve played in two Canadian cities and that crowd tonight blows them out of the water. It’s huge to have a loud crowd behind you when …

Erat continues offensive success in 3-1 win over Blues

Nashville Predators forward Martin Erat continued his stellar offensive play of late with three points in the team’s 3-1 win over St. Louis. Pekka Rinne also lent a helping hand with 42 saves in the victory, but Erat led the way offensively.Getting out to a quick start against the Blues was a main focus for the Preds, and Erat was able to lead off the scoring at the 6:59 mark of the first period. Temporarily occupying Ryan Suter’s vacant position on the blue-line, Erat picked up a pass from Patric Hornqvist and had a lot of room to shoot. He let go of a rare slap shot that found the back of the net, giving the Preds a 1-0 lead on the power play.“I saw (Hornqvist) coming to the net and I saw he tried to put his stick on it,” Erat said of his 12th goal of the season. “I thought it could be tipped, it went off (Jaroslav Halak’s) glove and went into the net.”Hornqvist, who had the primary assist on the goal, was a bit surprised to see Erat take the slap shot from the point.“He’s usu…

Rinne’s third period acrobatics key to Predators 3-1 win against Blues

On Saturday night the Nashville Predators beat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 in front of another sold out crowd at Bridgestone Arena. It was Pekka Rinne’s 11th straight win, and on Saturday night he earned it making 42 saves.

“It was a party,” Rinne said about the high volume of rubber thrown in his direction, adding, “It is always fun. It keeps you in the game and keeps the flow going. It gets easier. But at the same time, the next game I might get 15-20 shots and I need to be ready for that. I need to be ready every night.”
On Saturday night, Rinne was game ready. Nashville grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Martin Erat and Mike Fisher but the Blues cut the lead in to one goal when Chris Porter scored 4:01 into the third period when a turnover left the forward all alone in front of Rinne.
Then, five minutes later, Predators rookie Craig Smith took an untimely delay of game penalty when he shot the puck over the boards. With three saves ma…

McGrattan Unleashed: Predator Records Fight in Return to Lineup

On Saturday, Brian McGrattan returned to the Nashville lineup for the first time since January 17 – a stretch of 6 games. (Sarah Fuqua)
The last time Brian McGrattan dressed for the Nashville Predators, the team was shutout by Henrik Lundqvist in New York on January 17. He had not seen the Predators’ bench in 6 games.
On Saturday night, however, McGrattan made his return to the Nashville lineup in the Predators’ 3-1 win against the St. Louis Blues at Bridgestone Arena.
“It was great,” McGrattan said. “It felt good. It’s always good to get into the lineup. It’s good to get the win and it was great to just get back in and be a part of it.”
At 13:27 of the second period, with the Predators leading 2-0, McGrattan and St. Louis’ Ryan Reaves dropped the gloves. It was the Predators’ forward’s first bout in 12 games – his last was nearly two months ago, December 10, against Anaheim’s George Parros.
“(Reaves…

Rinne makes 42 saves en route to 11th straight win…

If this is a first round playoff series, we’re in for a real treat.
In one of the most exciting games held at Bridgestone Arena this season, the Nashville Predators won their sixth home game in a row, beating the St. Louis Blues 3-1 in front of yet another sold out crowd.
How exciting was it? Head Coach Barry Trotz put it perfectly.
“If you’re a fan and you didn’t know anything about hockey and this was your first game, you’ll be coming back.”
Amen Coach.
Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne made 42 saves, including 20 in the third period, to win his 11th straight game. He’s now 30-11-4 on the season and is 20-2-0 in his last 23.
It was all Preds in the first period. On the scoreboard anyway.
The Blues may have fired 16 shots at Rinne in the first but it was Martin Erat who struck first. The Trebic, Czech Republic native used the power play to fire a rocket from the blueline that went through traffic and into the back of the net.
“How many …

VIDEO: Pekka Rinne makes the save of the season…

Nashville Predators Head Coach Barry Trotz said it all in his post-game press conference when he said “There’s not too many goaltenders in this league who can make that save.”
“What save,” you ask?
This one.

Preds 3, Blues 1: Decibel levels chart

How loud did Smashville get tonight? Courtesy of our new decibel meter, you can find out right here…Decibels (dB)Moment108 dBPreds come onto the ice110Martin Erat 1st period goal103Jordin Tootoo hit on Chris Porter109Mike Fisher 1st period goal102Jaroslav Halak save on Fisher97Dierks Bentley vs. Shea Weber video103Brian McGrattan vs. Ryan Reaves fight99TV timeout ovation105Pekka Rinne save on Kris Russell109Sergei Kostitsyn 3rd period goal108Predators win, 3-1To give you an idea how loud it was, here are some comparisons:85dB Beginning of hearing damage range, earplugs should be worn100dB Normal average car or house stereo at maximum volume110dB Car stereo with two 6 x 9” speakers and 100 watts116dB Human body begins to perceive vibration from low frequencies120dB Front row at a rock concert

Rinne makes 41 saves as Predators top Blues 3-1

Pekka Rinne made 41 saves, and Martin Erat had a goal and two assists to lead the Nashville Predators to a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.

The Predators have won six of seven, while the Blues have dropped three of four.

Mike Fisher and Sergei Kostitsyn also scored for Nashville

Chris Porter had the lone goal for St. Louis.

It was the fourth meeting of the season between the Central Division rivals, with Nashville winning all four matchups so far. The Predators are 12-2-2 against the Central this season.

Erat scored the game’s first goal at 6:59 of the opening period. With the Predators on the power play, Erat moved away from the right point before firing a slap shot over the glove of St. Louis goaltender Jaroslav Halak.

Fisher doubled the Nashville lead with 7:30 to go in the first. Sergei Kostitsyn had the puck behind the St. Louis goal and found Fisher in the low slot. After a quick toe-drag, Fisher beat Halak with a wrist shot high to the stick side.

Fisher has six goals in his last five games.

One night after recording his fifth shutout of the season, Halak was again strong in goal for St. Louis in making 34 saves. He is now 12-2-3 in his last 17 starts.

Porter cut the deficit to 2-1 at 4:01 of the third period. Inside the Nashville zone, Porter picked the pocket of Predators rookie defenseman Roman Josi in the slot. After the takeaway from Josi, Porter fired a wrist shot by a surprised Rinne.

With intense St. Louis pressure in the late minutes, Rinne showed why he is the league’s reigning Third Star of the month.

Rinne twice denied defenseman Kris Russell late in the third, first with 8:42 remaining and then again 5 seconds later. On the second save, Rinne dove to his left after being knocked out of position making the first save on Russell.

Kostitsyn concluded the game’s scoring on an empty-netter with 22.1 remaining.

Notes: St. Louis C Jason Arnott missed the game with a shoulder injury. Arnott, who captained the Predators for three seasons, has missed just two games this season, both in Nashville. … Nashville RW Brian McGrattan played after being a healthy scratch for six consecutive games. … Predators RW Matt Halischuk played in his 100th career NHL game.

Predators 3, Blues 1

Pekka Rinne made 41 saves, and Martin Erat had a goal and two assists to lead the Nashville Predators to a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.

The Predators have won six of seven, while the Blues have dropped three of four.

Mike Fisher and Sergei Kostitsyn also scored for Nashville

Chris Porter had the lone goal for St. Louis.

It was the fourth meeting of the season between the Central Division rivals, with Nashville winning all four matchups so far. The Predators are 12-2-2 against the Central this season.

Fisher has six goals in his last five games.

One night after recording his fifth shutout of the season, Halak was again strong in goal for St. Louis in making 34 saves. He is now 12-2-3 in his last 17 starts.

With intense St. Louis pressure in the late minutes, Rinne showed why he is the league’s reigning Third Star of the month.

Kostitsyn concluded the game’s scoring on an empty-netter with 22.1 remaining.

Blues one goal not enough to defeat Predators

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Pekka Rinne made 41 saves, and Martin Erat had a goal and two assists to lead the Nashville Predators to a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.

The Predators have won six of seven, while the Blues have dropped three of four.

Mike Fisher and Sergei Kostitsyn also scored for Nashville

Chris Porter had the lone goal for St. Louis.

It was the fourth meeting of the season between the Central Division rivals, with Nashville winning all four matchups so far. The Predators are 12-2-2 against the Central this season.

Fisher has six goals in his last five games.

One night after recording his fifth shutout of the season, Halak was again strong in goal for St. Louis in making 34 saves. He is now 12-2-3 in his last 17 starts.

With intense St. Louis pressure in the late minutes, Rinne showed why he is the league’s reigning Third Star of the month.

Kostitsyn concluded the game’s scoring on an empty-netter with 22.1 remaining.

NOTES: St. Louis C Jason Arnott missed the game with a shoulder injury. Arnott, who captained the Predators for three seasons, has missed just two games this season, both in Nashville. … Nashville RW Brian McGrattan played after being a healthy scratch for six consecutive games. … Predators RW Matt Halischuk played in his 100th career NHL game.

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