Alexander Radulov, a different kind of coach-killer

I didn't catch the entire Flames/Predators game last night, but I did see enough to know that while some folks are wondering when Barry Trotz and his assistants will get a contract extension, his cardiologist might wonder whether coaching this team might be taking years off his life.

The pressure was incredibly high late in the game; tied at 1, on the road against another playoff contender, the Predators were battling to get the puck out of their zone with just over two minutes left to play in the third. Alexander Radulov lost his stick, and as the puck came to him along the boards, he did something I wouldn't even expect a beginning beer league player to do; he picked the puck up and threw it out of the zone, as clear a penalty as you'll ever see.

At that moment, I thought it would be neat to have biometric telemetry on Barry Trotz; so the home viewers could watch his heart rate and blood pressure soar as his super sophomore committed a potentially game-losing blunder at such a critical point.

But here's the interesting part; once Nashville killed off that penalty and forced overtime, Trotz showed confidence in the young Russian by putting him out there in the 4-on-4. Together with J.P. Dumont they delivered the winning goal, and ensured at least a 3-3 record on this critical six-game road trip that ends in Detroit Sunday.

For tonight, pull for the Stars to beat Colorado, and the Blues to top Vancouver...