Pekka Rinne blanks Chicago in shootout, Preds win 4-3

by Dirk Hoag on Nov 14, 2010 10:01 AM EST in Nashville Predators Game Recaps

NASHVILLE TN - NOVEMBER 13: Cody Franson #4 and Shea Weber #6 of the Nashville Predators celebrate after a shootout win against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Bridgestone Arena on November 13 2010 in Nashville Tennessee. (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)

Traditionalists may deplore the fact that victory can be determined in the shootout, but the Nashville Predators will celebrate a big win over the Chicago Blackhawks by shootout, blowout, or whatever. A win's a win, and this is a good way to build momentum before heading for road games at Toronto, Montreal and Carolina this week.

Follow after the jump for the video highlights, reaction, and advanced stats...

The Preds head out on another long road trip before returning to Bridgestone Arena Wednesday, November 24 against the St. Louis Blues, so use the OtF discount to save money on Nashville Predators tickets for this, or any other home game. Remember, Preds tickets can make a great holiday gift, so look through the schedule, and pick out a game!

First, the video highlights...

Ryan Suter gave us all a scare when Jack Skille caught him along the boards and banged that knee which was injured against Calgary. After an early trip to the dressing room, he came back and ended up playing 8:46 in the 3rd period, leading the team, so that bodes well for his continued recovery.
Shane O'Brien's goal was a nice piece of teamwork - a heady pass by Marcel Goc to find him, but SOB was in great position to bang that home, which can't be overlooked.
The shootout is typically a coin-flipping exercise, but at least Pekka Rinne is building up a strong resume on his end. A typical save percentage in the shootout is .667, but two years ago he pitched .792, and last season was .756.
Some of the Preds had a rough night on the faceoff dot. Cal O'Reilly went 5-for-19, and Jerred Smithson 6-for-16.
The PK killed all 4 Chicago chances, and the power play went 1-for-3? I like it, I love it...
Yes, the sold-out crowd featured a lot of Blackhawks fans in the building. There will come a time when we'll want to shut opposing fans out of Bridgestone Arena, but the franchise isn't there yet. A sellout in mid-November is a great thing for this franchise, especially considering how things are going in some other NHL cities.
Sorry I didn't have this up earlier, I had a rec-league game to play late last night, a tough 4-2 loss in a rough & tumble affair.

And for your advanced even-strength stats...

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
Cal O'Reilly	C	17:33	3	0	0	0	8	8	0	18	12	+6
Steve Sullivan	L	16:49	1	0	2	0	8	10	-2	17	14	+3
Patric Hornqvist	R	16:04	2	1	1	1	9	6	+3	20	10	+10
David Legwand	C	15:12	3	1	0	0	7	5	+2	12	10	+2
Joel Ward	R	14:27	1	1	0	0	5	7	-2	9	12	-3
Marcel Goc	C	14:15	1	3	2	0	7	10	-3	17	15	+2
Martin Erat	R	12:48	1	1	0	0	8	8	0	18	13	+5
J-P Dumont	R	12:12	1	1	0	0	5	4	+1	12	6	+6
Colin Wilson	C	9:46	1	0	0	1	4	5	-1	11	10	+1
Jordin Tootoo	R	9:34	1	0	0	1	5	6	-1	11	7	+4
Jerred Smithson	R	7:25	0	0	1	0	4	3	+1	7	4	+3
Sergei Kostitsyn	L	6:59	0	0	1	0	2	3	-1	6	5	+1
Francis Bouillon	D	24:10	1	2	0	1	12	12	0	21	22	-1
Kevin Klein	D	21:23	0	1	1	2	8	13	-5	20	21	-1
Shea Weber	D	16:32	3	2	1	1	7	10	-3	16	14	+2
Ryan Suter	D	15:11	0	2	0	0	8	10	-2	17	13	+4
Shane O'Brien	D	14:33	2	3	0	0	7	5	+2	18	7	+11
Cody Franson	D	14:22	4	2	0	1	8	4	+4	16	7	+9

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Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

Shea Weber, goal, 8 shots

60 votes

Pekka Rinne, 29 saves, shootout shutout

56 votes

Cal O'Reilly, shootout winner

66 votes

182 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Blackhawks score two quick ones, “all hope is lost”
Shea beats the hell out of Chicago player leaving feet to hit Patric, “We got a chance”

Never seen an early regular season game like that, this is going to be a fun regular season with these two teams.

by ExcellenceThroughGuesswork on Nov 14, 2010 10:55 AM EST reply actions

SOB

Well, SOB silenced some critics last night, myself included. We missed Suter so much it is scary. Our defense was great and the Hawks literally scored all their goals on the few mistakes we did make. The Hawks were very opportunistic last night.

To be honest I think Hornqvist was the player of the game and has been for the majority of the games this year. He doesn’t care about his body at all. I don’t even know what to say sometimes. He must be some sort of masochist.

by 29thWard on Nov 14, 2010 11:30 AM EST reply actions