Friday's notes: See, he's not an SOB after all

Get ready for your busy hockey weekend (Preds play both Saturday and Sunday) by digging through your morning news & notes. Today we've got a review of the positive attendance trend in Nashville, two big hits which could invoke the NHL's new head-shot rule, and a Los Angeles King who will hit a major career milestone in Saturday's game with the Predators.

But first, we start off with a look at how Shane O'Brien has put a bitter experience in Vancouver behind him and is playing like a new man in Nashville...

The Preds return to Bridgestone Arena Saturday, November 13 vs. the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, so plan ahead and use the OtF discount to save money on Nashville Predators tickets for this, or any other home game. 

Nashville Predators News

Nashville Predator makes most of fresh start - The Tennessean
Bryan Mullen brings us a profile piece on Shane O'Brien and his escape from a nasty situation in Vancouver. The thing that most impresses me about SOB? Only one minor penalty in 11 games, after leading the league in Elbowing and Interference last season.

With Attendance Up, Is Nashville Slowly Becoming A Hockey Market? - Predlines
Amanda highlights the strong attendance figures so far this year. What we don't know yet is how much discounts & giveaways are playing into these numbers, but the public does seem to be responding regardless, which is a good thing. Hey, speaking of discounts... make sure you take the OtF discount and buy some Preds tickets as Christmas presents!

Predators salaries and points lost due to injuries - Nashville Predators Examiner
Jim Diamond assesses the magnitude of the injury losses the Preds have suffered already this season. One minor quibble, though - player salary is determined by days prorated to the length of the regular season (186 this year), not games (82).

Preds On the Road To Find Out ‘What It Be Like’ " Pull My (Fang)Finger
AJ takes a 70's-inspired perspective on the recent state of affairs with the Preds.

Preds On The Glass: What Kind of Start Is More Frustrating For Fans and Friday Findings
Is up & down better or worse than down & up?

Paul McCann - Random Notes...
Paul chips in on a number of issues, including speculation that might land Barry Trotz atop the longest-serving head coach list.

Working on my game, life on the road - Predators Insider
Blake Geoffrion contributes a piece on life in the AHL. It sounds like if the hockey thing doesn't work out, he could land a job with Greyhound.

Predators count on Klein to create manpower advantages on attack | Nashville City Paper
Kevin Klein apparently wants to get more involved in the ruse. These days, the Preds need about everybody jumping in to help create a few goals.

To keep up with all of our coverage of the Nashville Predators, you can follow us on Twitter (@Forechecker, @predatweeter, @SLakePreds & @AdsRoundtable) and if you have any questions, feel free to email me at the.forechecker@gmail.com.

Around the NHL

KHL teams with Playboy magazine for fan swimsuit contest - Puck Daddy
Ah, no wonder Alexander Radulov's not coming back...

Bruins-Sabres Game the Latest Evidence That NHL Needs Statistical Revolution - NESN.com
Boston play-by-play man Jack Edwards pillories the NHL for the lack of rigorous standards for the recording of statistics. A number of bloggers have shown over the years how things like Hits, Giveaways, and Takeaways are utterly bogus, and the shot location in some arenas is recorded much differently than in others.

Bourne Blog: Reinventing defense for the 2-on-1 break - Puck Daddy

An interesting discussion here, in which I do agree that too often defenders take the "defend the pass" notion too far and allow a puck carrier to walk in easily.

Spector's Hockey - Contraction or Relocation?

Lyle Richardson points out exactly why the NHL fights so hard to maintain franchise stability, in a piece blissfully devoid of any Nashville reference.

Down Goes Brown: An NHL fan's guide to booing
The picture alone here is hilarious!

Lowetide: Red Wings at Oilers, G11 '10-'11
Another post which is worth checking out, even just for the photo.

Kings' Ryan Smyth carves out a career in combat zone - latimes.com
Captain Canada is still crashing the crease with abandon, as he approaches his 1,000 NHL game tomorrow vs. the Preds.

Nicklas Lidstrom Would Probably Beat Rocky Marciano - The Copper & Blue
Derek Zona highlights the amazing performance that Lidstrom continues to deliver in Detroit.

Objective NHL: Adjusted Corsi w/ Score Close - Updated
Another way of showing that the Preds really miss Ryan Suter, Matthew Lombardi, et al. The total shots for & against situation doesn't look good so far.

Joe Thornton ejected for blindside hit on David Perron - From The Rink
Expect the new head-shot rule to get a workout this morning.

Debating Dan Carcillo's hit on Fedotenko, ref's ‘'don't duck' advice - Puck Daddy
Philly's big hitter might also hear from the league office, although this hit might be a little harder to judge.

Colton Orr's blown goal call demands that NHL get replay right - SI.com
Jim Kelley calls on the NHL to improve its use of instant replay, which still manages to let some major injustices slip through.

Icon of Penguins Blogging In Jeopardy? | Hockey Independent
Is a major Pittsburgh hockey blog heading towards extinction?