The Week Ahead For The Nashville Predators
by Dirk Hoag on Dec 5, 2011 10:42 AM EST
in Nashville Predators Analysis
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This week represents a major test for the Nashville Predators, as they've dropped just outside the playoff spots in the Western Conference, but face three teams who are also in the bottom half of the standings as of this morning. With two of three games taking place at Bridgestone Arena, can the Preds defend their turf ice and get back into the mix?
Let's take a quick look at these upcoming matchups...
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Phoenix Coyotes - Tuesday
The Coyotes make their swing through Nashville as part of a 3-game road trip which begins tonight in Chicago, so once again the Preds are going to catch a tired opponent. The last two teams to come into town, Buffalo and Edmonton, had also played the night before and yet beat the Predators, so Nashville can't take for granted that they'll face anything less than a tough battle.
The Preds are 1-1 against Phoenix so far this season, with each team winning on the other's ice.
Phoenix is paced by Radim Vrbata and Ray Whitney up front, but the big story there is how despite letting Ilya Bryzgalov walk away to Philadelphia to sign a huge free agent contract, they're getting a stellar performance from Mike Smith, the castoff from Tampa Bay.
Columbus Blue Jackets - Thursday
Losers of 3 out of their last 4, the Blue Jackets host the Preds Thursday night, and Nashville will look to re-establish their dominance over the Central Division's basement dwellers. Back on November 19, Columbus earned their first road win against the Preds in ages.
In Columbus, things perked up a bit over the last two weeks, but the return of Steve Mason from injury presents the team with a troubling quandry - do they dare put their supposed #1 goalie back in the game, at the expense of journeyman Curtis Sanford, who has stood on his head so far for them?
Anaheim Ducks - Saturday
Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena we'll get our first look at Bruce Boudreau as head coach of the Ducks, and while the first two games have gone Anaheim's way, I look at this as a potentially great fit, as Boudreau's background and early success in Washington appear to mesh well with the current makeup of the Ducks, who are a far different team than the one which won the Stanley Cup back in 2007.
As a result of the coaching change there, the Bobby Ryan trade speculation has subsided, but we'll have to see how well he flourishes under the new regime.
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These guys are chumps.
Only team I fear is Phoenix as we seem to always lose to them (and Calgary).
Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is where the Stanley Cup can be found.
by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Dec 5, 2011 11:43 AM EST reply actions
It’ll be interesting to see how the Ducks play with their new coach. Carlyle was a punk and so was his team.
by Melissa Vanderpool Wallace on Dec 5, 2011 11:45 AM EST reply actions
Any word on the ruling by Sheriff Shanahan on Jordin Tootoo and the collision with Ryan Miller? I assume it will happen some time today.
He has a hearing later today
Expect word this afternoon.
Managing Editor of On the Forecheck, SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators, and founder of Hockey Gear HQ, a site devoted to helping you save on hockey equipment, accessories, and NHL apparel.
Ryan Porth tweeted that he’s practicing today, stay tuned to see what Trotz says after practice.
Managing Editor of On the Forecheck, SB Nation's blog covering the Nashville Predators, and founder of Hockey Gear HQ, a site devoted to helping you save on hockey equipment, accessories, and NHL apparel.
Is the answer Kevin Wilson or McGrattan or Mueller? I don’t see any of those as the answer. SK should open up and score some soon.
When did we get Kevin Wilson?
World Wide Weber.
There is no tenderness or humanity in fanaticism.
~Joe Strummer
by cisar on Dec 5, 2011 2:46 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
16 SOG in 20 games played… not what I want in a top 6 forward.
Craig Smith has 17 in his last 7 games.
David Legwand has 16 in his last 7 games.
Mike Fisher has 16 in his last 9 games.
Colin Wilson has 16 in his last 10 games. and even
Marty Erat has 17 in his last 11 games.
Hornqvist has 19 in the last 10 games.
Among a forward corps that doesn’t shoot the puck often enough, SK74 still shoots an average of less than half of what his peers shoot.
Even Spaling has 16 in the last 14, Halischuck has 16 in the last 12, and our forward winner for SOG is Tootoo with 16 in the last 6 games. I think it’s way past time to demote Sergei. Even Jerred Smithson has more SOG than SK74 (granted, Smitty has played 6 more games this season, but really!) This wouldn’t be as big of a deal to me if SK74 was winning battles along the board and contributing to O-zone time, but I don’t see him doing much of that either. Demote him to the 3rd or 4th line and let him learn how to grind the boards again, maybe he’ll get his hunger for offensive play back.
by Only Fan In J.C. ? on Dec 5, 2011 5:14 PM EST up reply actions
Goals aren’t everything when it comes to scoring. Can’t a guy be a top 6 forward if he’s creating goals through assists?
note the part about his O-zone contribution
It is lacking. Look for example, at the last time SK had a point. It was a game in which he got 3 points, 3 assists against Toronto.
The first assist he got was somewhat legit, he was cruising through the crease (he actually does that occasionally!) and took a pass from Fisher and make a weak SOG, but Erat grabbed the rebound and put it in. SK’s contribution on that play was important, but pretty weak really, nothing 22, 24, or 13 couldn’t have easily done, that one was all Marty Party.
The 2nd assist was (a primary that should have been secondary) where he cut east to west at the far edge of the circles and made a drop pass to Weber. Weber took it from there, shooting, collecting his rebound, and passing it to Suter – who put the point shot in the net. SK looked pretty shaky while doing it, for all the drop passes that he fails at, one was eventually bound to work.
The 3rd assist was even weaker. Fisher carried the puck out of the Pred’s D-zone and way down deep before passing to Marty for a slick shot. SK doesn’t even touch the puck in the video replay. Nothing Klein, Smithson, Lindback, or McGratton couldn’t have done.
I haven’t reviewed the games before this one, but my point is that SK is creating very few goals, he is playing a weak, shaky, clumsy game and accidentally picking up some assists from the good players he’s playing with. You want to see “creating goals through assists”, see SK74’s goal against the TBL from Craig Smith. The HB totally created that one. That game also has a good example of SK making a very nice pass to Fisher at the side of the net for a goal, but I don’t believe that one nice play is enough to make a top 6 of SK. We have other guys who are just as skilled and harder working who would do a better job on that top line. I say if SK74 wants to be a top 6 forward, he needs to work for it.
by Only Fan In J.C. ? on Dec 6, 2011 3:13 PM EST up reply actions
I just want to know, can we just let Josi and Blum work things out without shifting everyone around for a few games? The defensive combos are getting downright silly.
It’s the one issue I have with trotz…….way too many line combos. Splitting up the dynamic duo will not cover for the inefficiencies of a dman not progressing.
Blum needs to live in the weight room.
Hillen is ok on a 3rd pair but needs a bigger body to team with him.
My hockey team is better than your hockey team
Last post-game...
Suter said he needed to “talk” to Trotz about the defensive lines, because (A) they were getting ridiculous (just generally ridiculous), and (B) it’s becoming a problem for the younger guys because they don’t know who they’re playing with, it’s hard for them to mentally adjust their play for their next partner, and they don’t know when to be ready to go out next.
Atta boy Ryan.
Hands go uuppp..... AND THEY STAY THERE!
-nashvillepredators-
Saturday the 10th vs. Anaheim
Is also NYHL (Nashville Youth Hockey League) Night – so if you see a bunch of kids in youth hockey sweaters – that’s the reason. Not positive, but very probably it’ll be either Termites or Mites on ice for an intermission activity.
Oh, I agree. It’s much more fun to watch, and it’s much more fun for them. Waaaay waaaaaaay waaay back in the day, I was actually on one of the teams that got to come out and play during the intermission! I must have been maybe…. 8-ish? 9? I just remember it being awesome. Oh, and I’m pretty sure I fell flat on my a** on my way off the ice, haha.
Hands go uuppp..... AND THEY STAY THERE!
-nashvillepredators-
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Dirk Hoag is the Forechecker, churner of NHL stats & analysis, and managing editor of On the Forecheck.
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