Wednesday's notes: Fine-tuned, but ready for Detroit?
by Dirk Hoag on Dec 14, 2011 10:08 AM EST
in Nashville Predators News
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PrintThree straight victories, with two convincing games in a row on home ice, make for a fine way for the Nashville Predators to prepare for the Detroit Red Wings' first visit to Bridgestone Arena tomorrow night. One could argue that the Preds are playing perhaps their best hockey of the season right now... so what do you think? Are they ready for the 19-9-1 Red Wings? Are you?
Chime in on that question after reading your morning hockey notes...
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And lastly... a little holiday video from the San Jose Sharks that's been making the rounds:
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I absolutely despise the Red Wings
But in a twisted, perverted envious sort of way. How can you not respect and admire what that organization has accomplished in its history? Remarkable…hats off to them. Glad they are staying in our division. Love watching these games.
by predsbelonginblue on Dec 14, 2011 10:33 AM EST reply actions
I totally understand
I feel the same way—except for the part about staying in our division, because when I look at this year’s standings I get very frightened about trying to survive in that division next year.
by Melissa Vanderpool Wallace on Dec 14, 2011 11:07 AM EST up reply actions
And Winnipeg is surging up the standings these days. Can’t call them Loseipeg anymore. :D
Defense keeps you in games........offense wins them!
by Grizzledbear on Dec 14, 2011 11:33 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
As a great president once said...
“BRING IT ON”
LIncoln? Washington? Ahhhh….. Millard Fillmore!
World Wide Weber.
There is no tenderness or humanity in fanaticism.
~Joe Strummer
LOL!
Defense keeps you in games........offense wins them!
by Grizzledbear on Dec 14, 2011 11:27 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
not to be nitpicky...
… but how was the Calgary game a “convincing victory”?
not to be nitpicky . . .
but it says convincing games, not convincing victory. And it was a convincing game. They played well for 60 minutes; they shot the puck; defense didn’t make any major mistakes; Pekka looked like he’s got his ju-ju back. Not perfect, but no game ever is. All in all a good performance.
by Melissa Vanderpool Wallace on Dec 14, 2011 11:10 AM EST up reply actions
Three straight victories, with two convincing games in a row on home ice
I dunno. Seems to say that two of the three victories happened at home to me.
Alas, I am not a writer, but I am a pretty darn good critic!
I thought the Preds played really well overall, in what could have easily been a 4-1 or 5-1 type of game.
Managing Editor of On the Forecheck, SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators, and a guy who can help you save money on all things hockey-related at Hockey Gear HQ.
by Dirk Hoag on Dec 14, 2011 11:19 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
And therein lies the problem.......
We did indeed outplay the Ducks and Flames for big stretches of those two game, but had to hold on by our fingernails to secure a one goal victory in each of them. Not really a mystery as to why that is (hint, we need another scorer).
Defense keeps you in games........offense wins them!
by Grizzledbear on Dec 14, 2011 11:31 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Nope, couldn’t have been the two wiped out goals or the play of Kippersoff. Nope, it’s all on our offense.
Maybe they were wiped out for a reason?
I don’t think anyone would question that we often have a way of making the other teams goalie look good.
Defense keeps you in games........offense wins them!
by Grizzledbear on Dec 14, 2011 11:39 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
You're kinda asking the Predators coaching staff to rethink their entire phiosophy on the sport.
The Preds are a defense first team. A scorer who didn’t also play D, who didn’t hustle, who didn’t make that pass would wind up in Trotz’s doghouse in no time. Holding on to one goal leads is the way the Preds play and the team would be better off to focus on finding (and/or keeping) the players that fit the system than trying to alter the system.
I would prefer to hear that Suter, Weber, Tootoo, & Wilson are resigned than to hear that picked up somebody that’s only good for goals.
by Melissa Vanderpool Wallace on Dec 14, 2011 11:49 AM EST up reply actions
Only good for goals?
So players who have offensive ability are incapable of playing defense as well? Shall I list the names of all the players who do well at both ends of the rink (a guy named Parise comes to mind). You’re making a choice between two false options here.
Defense keeps you in games........offense wins them!
by Grizzledbear on Dec 14, 2011 1:11 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I think that maybe not you—but a lot of people—expect Poile to just magically make someone like Parise appear. And it’s much harder in reality. What are the Predators going to have to give up to get someone like that? What good is Parise if we lose Weber & Suter?
Guys who are better than our top guys at what our top guys are asked to do are few and far between and come at a high price.
by Melissa Vanderpool Wallace on Dec 14, 2011 1:41 PM EST up reply actions
Interesting
It’s all on the Preds offense? Or could it be that Kipper has lost a ton of 1 and 2 goal games this year because his team couldn’t score. Kipper has been playing pretty much out of his mind this year, but he has almost NO offensive support… aside from Iginla. Jokinen is off chasing waffles.
Kipper has been very good this season and as Dirk noted in the post-game review, his team didn’t seem to be blocking as many of those shots as one might expect. (On a side note, shot blocking is up league wide this season). Kiprusoff undoubtedly kept his team in the game, and I was rather proud of the Preds for not sitting back as much as I had thought they would once they had the lead late in the 3rd. They continued to shoot. (Put that on the list of sentences I didn’t expect to say this week.)
That said, there’s a balance that this team ought to be able to strike between offense and defense. I don’t feel like they’ve found it yet. A good scoring forward with some defensive abilities would be able to help by keeping the play in the offensive zone. If that guy could be found without sacrificing the defense altogether, it would only be a boon to the team.
I just don’t think there are any trade partners out there right now with the player the Preds need and the needs the Preds can fill.
R.I.P. Belak, Rypien, Boogaard, Lokomotiv.
Shot blocking...
…. is not a stat NHL officials seem to keep. Some teams have wildly varying numbers on this.
(I remember last year, Atlanta was #1 or #2 in shots blocked at home, while dead last on the road. Did they really play that different home vs away?)
They do too keep it. http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20112012/ES020445.HTM (Check out the columns “A/B=Attempts Blocked” and “BS=Blocked Shots”) And everything varies from rink to rink—shots, missed shots, blocked shots, scoring chances, giveaways, takeaways, hits. Everything except probably faceoffs. Nashville has a reputation for inflated shot totals for both the home and visiting teams. But a week ago
with around 25% of the season completed, there have been 10,759 shots league-wide, a rate which would lead to about 43,000 for the season. In 2010-11, there were approximately 35,000 BkS league-wide. Since the lockout, the average has been around 32,600.
R.I.P. Belak, Rypien, Boogaard, Lokomotiv.
I know it is an official stat...
… but it a judgemental statistic that typically receives a bias from the hometown scorer (who works for the NHL in name, yes, but is still a hometown scorer)
Same with hits (which I hate being used as a fantasy statistic as well!)
No one said that Kipper didn't play well.
It isn’t just last nights game I’m referring to. To use a comparison, the Wings would win a game in which they dominated like our past couple of games by 4-1 or 5-1 scores. We just squeek by despite outplaying the opponent.
Defense keeps you in games........offense wins them!
by Grizzledbear on Dec 14, 2011 6:20 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
exactly
the offense is still not there.
glad to see the defense not letting up a lot of shots in the first period… then it disappeared at the very start of the 2nd period.
To say the Predators played a complete game on Tuesday means someone didn’t watch any of that 2nd period or final 5 minutes of the game.
As for GMDP “magically” acquiring a good forward, I’m not sure it’s magic as much as a will to actually make such a move. A Parise is certainly almost out of the question, but it’s not like we didn’t have all summer long to make some kind of move (which is when you have to make such moves without giving up the farm).
But whether a player we need is available or not, the need we have for that player still remains.
Defense keeps you in games........offense wins them!
by Grizzledbear on Dec 14, 2011 6:28 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
Duh... my bad!
Managing Editor of On the Forecheck, SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators, and a guy who can help you save money on all things hockey-related at Hockey Gear HQ.
Hate to admit anything that the Sharks put out is a good thing.. but that was a pretty funny video. Though it is funny to see how stiff they are in front of the camera. A few of them looked pretty nervous.
A) Joe Thornton is the most awkward looking dude I’ve ever seen in my life. I don’t think he knows what to do with himself on camera.
B) I had forgotten how nasty looking Brent Burns is. That HAIR, my god…
C) I had forgotten that Logan Couture is even nastier looking than Brent Burns. That ’STACHE, my god…
Hands go uuppp..... AND THEY STAY THERE!
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