Still feeling ambiguous about last night's loss to Chicago? Sure, the Predators did drop their 4th in a row, but at least they weren't blown out. For a wealth of reaction check out Brandon Felder, See Puck City, Section 303, What the Puck, and Preds On The Glass.

Personally, I think the best play of the night for Nashville was when the theme to Taxi was played as Patrick Kane headed to the penalty box...

Take heart, though, Preds fans; sure, the guys head off to Washington on Saturday, and Alex Ovechkin has indeed scored as many goals (7) as the entire Predators team has so far, but pucks are bound to start finding their way in, right?  Right?

Let's get on, then, to the morning news and notes...

Predators News

Predators' power plays top list of problems - The Tennessean
Breaking news from Bryan Mullen.

Laviolette to lead U.S. in Germany - USA Hockey
Ex-Carolina Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette has been named head coach of the US Men's hockey team that will play in the Deutschland Cup next month in Germany. Why is this filed under "Predators News", then? Because Predators assistant GM Paul Fenton will be one of his assistant coaches. The playing roster should be announced next week.

Knock the Predators all you want, except in one area—their goalies - Nashville Scene
David Boclair writes (prior to the game in Dallas) about how solid goaltending has been a hallmark of recent Predators teams.

Jersey Fouls: The Ovechkin conundrum; Fouls on Broadway - Puck Daddy
The latest installment of the Jersey Fouls series includes two Nashville entries...

Around the NHL

Rangers Analysis: Getting to the point about the power play - Blueshirt Banter
The Rangers are enjoying an improved power play so far this season; is the key to their success found at the point?

The NHL In The Social Media World: Puck Podcast - Hockey From the Cheap Seats
The social media series concludes with the guys behind PuckPodcast.com, an essential part of any hockey fan's listening list.

It was 20 years ago yesterday ... - The Copper & Blue
Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the date that Wayne Gretzky becomes the all-time leading scorer in NHL history.

Pat Quinn, hockey guru - Cult of Hockey
Up in Edmonton, they're digging their new (old) hockey coach.

Around the Rink – October 16 Edition
Congratulations go out to Detroit defenseman Nick Lidstrom, for earning his 1000th career point last night against the Los Angeles Kings. He's certainly the best blueliner I've ever seen... (note: never got to see Bobby Orr play)

Varlamov: There was no margin for error - Washington Capitals Examiner
Dmitri Chesnokov, whose work appears occasionally on Puck Daddy, conducts an intereview with Washington goalie Semyon Varlamov, who the Preds might face on Saturday.

The Blue Line Shuffle - Puck-rakers
Due to injury and personal concerns, the Blue Jackets are short 3 defensemen right now.