Predators Game Day Preview: St. Louis @ Nashville

by Chris Burton on Oct 14, 2010 6:30 AM EDT in Nashville Predators Game Previews

[Tennessean] - [Preds Insider] - [SB Nation] - [St. Louis Game Time]

Coming off a roller coaster 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks last night, the Nashville Predators have little time to rest as the St. Louis Blues roll into Music City for a 7:00 tilt. The Blues and Predators are both 2-0, so something will have to give. We don't yet have injury reports on Pekka Rinne and Martin Erat, but stay with OtF for that news as it becomes available.

UPDATE (11:13 AM CST): Bryan Mullen reports via Twitter that Anders Lindback will start again tonight in goal, while Pekka Rinne and Martin Erat are still out. Rinne appears likely for Saturday against the Capitals.

Follow after the jump for more analysis.

With the game last night, I didn't have time to put together a detailed preview. Bullet points will have to do. Some thoughts on tonight's matchup:

Jaroslav Halak has started the season strongly in goal for St. Louis, which has to be an encouraging sign for a fan base who has anointed him the franchise's savior. I'd wait on that, though, as there's nothing that proves he's any better than Pekka Rinne or even Jimmy Howard.
With two power play goals (both game winners) in two games, Barry Trotz seems to be inching towards a suitable solution for the man advantage. The biggest key will be consistency, though - if the team can put together a slightly above average power play, the sky is the limit.
Shea Weber was held without a shot attempt through 2 periods last night, and the team suffered. When Weber was able to pull the trigger in the final frame, the Predators immediately looked more dangerous. While the "pass it to Shea and get outta the way" tactic may be easy to defend against, there remains a need for it.
Jay McClement is one of the NHL's premiere defensive forwards, albeit extremely unheralded. It'll be interesting to see if Davis Payne matches him up against Cal O`Reilly or Matthew Lombardi, because neither player (Lombardi in particular) has been very effective through two games.
The Blues have a solid defense 1-6, but no pairing is particularly dominant. Watch for Barry Trotz to try and get the Hornqvist/O'Reilly/Sullivan line out against whatever pair contains rookie Alex Pietrangelo.
There's a lot of hullabaloo over whether or not the Blues can take that proverbial next step and finish ahead of Nashville in the standings, with most "experts" falling on St. Louis' side. Me? I have no idea where this is coming from. The Predators have been one of the NHL's most consistent teams since the lockout and it seems unlikely that a Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya-less Blues team will make such a huge jump.
In a back-to-back situation, I'd love to see what Sergei Kostitsyn has to offer (if healthy, which is a possibility) alongside Legwand and Ward. Despite 11 and 29's sterling play to open the season, Smithson still seems to drag the line down. Along with needing to gel with his teammates, Kostitsyn provides good defense and an elite offensive skillset.
Between not knowing who's in net and it being the 2nd game in as many nights, I won't try to duplicate last night's dead-on prediction. Who do you like tonight, folks? Preds or Blues?

Tweet Comment 12 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Hard to say...

I’ll go with 1-0 Preds with Rinne in net. If it’s the Giant, I’ll go with a 2-1 OTL.

by DonBorvio on Oct 14, 2010 7:43 AM EDT reply actions

Prediction

I am going with an 3-1 Preds win, with goals from Shea, Sully, and JP.

by predsfansince97 on Oct 14, 2010 8:49 AM EDT reply actions

Frosty's Again

Gimme 4-2 preds with the Giant in net. I’ll take Wilson, Wardo, Leggy, and Lombardi in the G column

by Stu0624 on Oct 14, 2010 10:23 AM EDT reply actions

Division game...

Going with Predators, 3-2. These are always hard fought games.

EASports' NHL 11 doesn't suck; in fact, it's really damn good! Wait, what!?
Go Predators!!!

by Poiju on Oct 14, 2010 12:10 PM EDT reply actions

I have to admit that “pass it to Shea and get out of the way” has a better ring to it than our power-play strategy previous to this year:
“Have Rick Nash bring the puck into the zone so he can pass it to Rick Nash, who will then pass it to Rick Nash at the point, who will send it to Rick Nash down by the faceoff circles so Rick Nash can take the shot, and have Rick Nash ready down low to collect the rebound from Rick Nash.”

Nowadays, of course, it’s a lot better – Filatov’s occasionally on the point. ;)

In any case, I’m thinking it’s about time the Blues picked up a loss. Go get ’em.

by Viqsi on Oct 14, 2010 1:01 PM EDT reply actions

Blues fan here....

I’m expecting a very hard fought, evenly matched game tonight. I’m expecting a 2-2 game at the end of regulation and will go to a shootout with the Blues winning it in the shootout. But really, game could go either way.

by nintendofan24 on Oct 14, 2010 1:21 PM EDT reply actions

I certainly like STL’s chances if it does go to a shootout; Rinne’s one of the league’s best in the SO whereas Lindback seems like he would struggle since he has glove side problems.

by Chris Burton on Oct 14, 2010 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions

Disagree (politely)

Even though I won’t try to predict a shootout because it’s an exercise in futility, I will say that the giant’s puck tracking skills and sheer size might make him formidable in the shootout, especially since he wouldn’t actually have to settle any shots down.

EASports' NHL 11 doesn't suck; in fact, it's really damn good! Wait, what!?
Go Predators!!!

by Poiju on Oct 14, 2010 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions