Nashville Predators get back to .500 with 4-2 win over Dallas
Despite falling behind 1-0 and 2-1, the Nashville Predators opened up with three goals in the third period to defeat the Dallas Stars and get back to .500, with a 6-6-1 record for the month of October.
Dan Hamhuis and J.P. Dumont had two-assist nights, while four different Predators scored goals; Shea Weber on the power play, Steve Sullivan, Patric Hornqvist with the game-winner, and Kevin Klein with an insurance goal. Pekka Rinne had another strong game in net, stopping 27 of 29 Dallas shots.
After the jump, the video highlights and statistical breakdown...
While the Shots On Goal favored Nashville by a narrow 33-29 margin, the Total Shots were more impressive at 60-49; the Predators were able to respond to a talented group of Dallas forwards by generating a good combination of aggressive battles at the front of the net, along with plays designed to set defensemen up for one-timers (which led to the Weber & Klein goals).
As for how the even-strength play broke down, check out the table below:
| Even Strength | Individual Totals | Team Totals While Player Is On Ice | ||||||||||
| Player | Pos | EV TOI | Shots | Shts Blkd | Missed Shts | Blocks | SOG For | SOG Ag | SOG +/- | Tot SF | Tot SA | Corsi |
| David Legwand | C | 15:53 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 10 | +3 | 22 | 15 | +7 |
| Steve Sullivan | L | 15:28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 12 | -3 | 19 | 17 | +2 |
| Jean-Pierre Dumont | R | 15:00 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 19 | 14 | +5 |
| Jerred Smithson | R | 11:56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 8 | 5 | +3 |
| Patric Hornqvist | R | 12:01 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 18 | 4 | +14 |
| Colin Wilson | C | 9:45 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 4 | +8 |
| Dave Scatchard | C | 12:58 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 5 | +7 |
| Marcel Goc | C | 10:00 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 5 | 2 | +3 |
| Andreas Thuresson | R | 8:28 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 4 | 3 | +1 |
| Michael Santorelli | C | 14:10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | +3 | 13 | 7 | +6 |
| Joel Ward | R | 13:27 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 4 | +8 | 18 | 6 | +12 |
| Peter Olvecky | L | 7:53 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 4 | 2 | +2 |
| Shea Weber | D | 11:45 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 8 | +2 |
| Ryan Suter | D | 18:43 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -2 | 15 | 12 | +3 |
| Dan Hamhuis | D | 18:28 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 7 | +7 | 30 | 10 | +20 |
| Kevin Klein | D | 20:24 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 19 | 9 | +10 |
| Cody Franson | D | 11:28 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 19 | 8 | +11 |
| Francis Bouillon | D | 18:34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 11 | 9 | +2 |
Take a look at the column on the far right - every player in the Nashville lineup came out tonight with a positive Corsi rating, meaning that when they were on the ice at even strength, the Preds fired more shots than Dallas did. Normally you hope that your top two lines end up positive, and your depth guys come close to breaking even, but this was an outstanding effort by the entire team tonight.
Besides the solid play at even strength, we saw the Nashville power play strike again, once in 3 chances, while the penalty killers fought off 4 of 5 Dallas PP's, including a dangerous 5-on-3 situation in the second period, when Dallas threatened to extend its lead.
All in all, that 6-6-1 record is not a bad showing for a team that has had several key players injured at various points, and played 8 out of 13 games on the road to open the season. Prior to the opener, I thought 12 points in 13 games would be a decent result for the month, and here they stand with 13. Granted, some of the losses along the way were truly horrifying, but the team's play has improved considerably in almost all areas, and they can now take a three-game winning streak into a road trip that begins on Thursday in Anaheim.
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Solid Effort
Solid effort all the way around I thought. Wish we could bury a break away once in a while.
by howdy2u on Nov 1, 2009 1:11 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Team toughness on display last night...
There is a quote painted on the wall in the Predators dressing room, “TEAM: Together Everyone Accomplishes More” that really sums up the Predators biggest asset last night – teamwork.
Team toughness was really on display last night in the first period when Smithson went after Fistric after he went head-hunting on Ward and then again in the third period when Hamhuis made a beeline for Morrow after he viciously cross-checked Hornqvist from behind after Patric put the Predators ahead 3-2.
Both times there was no hesitation. Smithson and Hamhuis saw a teammate get abused and weren’t gonna let that go unnoticed. They did what needed to be done without an enforcer in the lineup and gave their team a spark.
Pretty much regardless of the penalties handed out as a result (and remember, neither Smithson or Hamhuis were gonna do anything stupid), the team as a whole was going to and did step up and kill those penalties. Those are the types of occasions that really bond a team and forge camaraderie.
I hope that this type of team toughness will continue throughout the season and allow us to play without an enforcer in our lineup in games that don’t require one. Limiting one of those 18 roster spots to a one-dimensional player simply isn’t a wise choice for our team…
Predators Hockey: Live it, Love it...
by SLake on Nov 1, 2009 2:49 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
That’s a great point, two good examples of teammates jumping to each other’s defense. The way this team will rely on contributions from depth players, you’re right, they can’t afford to dress an enforcer too often.
More fun than a stick to the face!
On the Forecheck is SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators.
by Dirk Hoag on Nov 1, 2009 8:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

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