Predators Power Ranking Roundup: Week 5

by Chris Burton on Nov 3, 2010 2:30 PM EDT in Nashville Predators News

This week's edition of the mainstream media's power rankings sees the Nashville Predators predictably fall from their lofty perches. The Predators have lost two straight games in regulation, by a combined score of 8-2. They're not getting it done, and their reputation is justifiably falling.

You can click on the outlets' logos for the full rankings, and follow after the jump for how things shake out.

Outlet	This Week	Last Week	What They're Saying

	14	2	Preds are really feeling the absence of newcomer Matthew Lombardi, who is supposed to be the No. 1 center but hasn't played since Game 2 because of a concussion.
	9	1	The Barry Trotz feel-good story hit a snag when the Preds lost to both the Blues and Red Wings in Central Division battles. Houston, the Predators are crashing back to earth.
	12	2	The Predators predictably came back down to Earth last week after becoming the last team to lose in regulation. We'll see how they respond after an ugly loss to Detroit on Saturday.
	9	2	Tough times for the Preds, who are 2-2-3 the past two weeks. In those seven games, they've scored 12 goals and are 1 for 26 on the power play.
	7	2	Tough week with back-to-back losses to St. Louis and Detroit. That 28th-ranked offense is glaring.
	7	1	After not losing a game in regulation in their first eight tries, the Predators picked up their first two of the season in Week 4. Nashville got outscored 8-2 in the two losses, including getting blanked 3-0 by St. Louis on Oct 28.
	-	-	Pending.
	11	2	Predators have lost two straight in regulation after earning points in each of first eight.
	4W	1W	The Preds offense is hurting, and the team isn't helped by injuries to Martin Erat,Marcel Goc and Matthew Lombardi.
	-	9	Pending.
	7	2	This could get ugly. Their solid start showed signs of ebbing with a pair of setbacks. A home shutout by the Blues was their first loss of the season in regulation time. Falling in Detroit was no way to begin a five-game road trip. "We played a good ten minutes," said goalie Pekka Rinne. "Then we lost our way.
	8	1	After 10 games the Predators do not have a single player averaging a point per game. That may help explain their two-game losing streak.
	15	3	Outscored 8-2 in a pair of division losses last week and the power play is firing blanks: 1-for-26 (3.8%) in the last seven games.
	7	2	Lack of support hurting Rinne.
	13	8	Seriously, how does this team do it every year? For one thing, that goalie combo of Pekka Rinne and first-year NHLer Anders Lindback ain't bad.

Many thanks to Japers' Rink for the format.

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The freefall will continue if they don’t start scoring some goals. The best way to do that is crash the net. Short, quick passes, shoot it and go get it. Hornqvist has been taking way too many slap shots, that’s not his game. And again I say, put Weber in front of the net on the pp. But passing the puck around the perimeter for an eternity won’t get it.

The schedule is brutal in November and again in January, only 7 home games combined. The Preds could find themselves out of the playoff race before the schedule swings to their favor beginning in February. Regardless of how good the goaltending is, it’s not going to shut out every opponent, and a regulation shutout wasn’t good enough against Calgary. The approach to the pp and offense in general has got to change.

by shoot the puck on Nov 3, 2010 3:34 PM EDT reply actions

I gotta agree, a puck in the net is a puck in the net, no difference if it’s one put in by crashing the net, or a slap shot from the blue line – and you’re dead on, passing the puck on a power play does not equate to lighting the lamp – it only gives the other team’s PK time to figure out what you’re gonna do. And everyone already knows what we’re gonna do on PP. PP does not mean, Pass the Puck …

by XVIII on Nov 3, 2010 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions