So You're Saying There's a Chance?

by Chris Burton on May 6, 2011 9:00 AM EDT in Nashville Predators Analysis

I see you.

You have seen the Nashville Predators' 3-1 series deficit to the Vancouver Canucks, and you believe the Preds to be done. Sunk. Gonzo. I mean, after all - they're going up against the President's Trophy winners, that team from Canada that ices the freakin' Sedin twins. Mission impossible, right?

Wrong. For an average team, the ground may well be too much to make up. If we've learned anything this year, though, it's that the 2010-11 Nashville Predators are not an average team.

An average team would've folded like a cheap suit in the regular season with as many crucial injuries as the Preds have.

An average team doesn't ice the game's best goalie and defensive pairing.

An average team doesn't win their first ever playoff series in rather convincing fashion.

An average team doesn't go into the postseason and score with less than two minutes left in regulation to win the game in overtime. Twice.

The Nashville Predators must win three games in a row. Daunting? Yes. Impossible? Not by a long shot. Not only have the Preds beaten the Canucks three times already this year, but, over the course of 82 games, they won three or more games consecutively five times. One of those stretches involved beating the Ducks, Kings, and Sharks - all playoff teams - and in another, they defeated the Bruins, Red Wings, and Sabres, also all playoff teams.

I won't sit here and tell you that a comeback is likely, because it really isn't. But know this - it ain't over until they say it's over, and ruling out a team with as much heart as Nashville would be a fool's errand.

The portly woman is not yet singing. Go Preds.

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Comments

Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!

The twitters.
Currently Netflixing: Random episodes of lost.

See you in September Ovi, Green, and the man who claims to be Nick Backstrom.

by Ovechwin on May 6, 2011 9:02 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs

Germans?

Forget it, he’s rolling.

by WINB on May 6, 2011 9:20 AM EDT up reply actions

Was it over when I lost my legs?

Some Chinaman took them from me in Korea, but I went out and achieved anyway!

by MekootLobo on May 6, 2011 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Asian-American, please. :)

But congrats, your 10th highest scorer has 1 more point than our 10th highest scorer. -Beantown Canuck

by Tim P on May 6, 2011 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions

Dammit

I was waiting to use that line too.

by plasmo on May 6, 2011 9:37 AM EDT up reply actions

Stat of the Day

The last time Vancouver got their third win of the series, they lost three straight.

by Seth Dean on May 6, 2011 9:07 AM EDT reply actions

So who's our Dave Bolland?

Cal O’Reilly? J.P. Dumont?

by Swingnut on May 6, 2011 9:10 AM EDT up reply actions

Go find Bolland

and put him Kostitsyn jersey. You may have to look on a few golf courses to find him first.

Bieksa reminds me of Han Solo, except without the charm...or the Wookie at his side, unless you count Alberts.

by westy99 on May 6, 2011 10:47 AM EDT up reply actions

But who would’ve thought you’d pick Kostitsyn, not so long ago? I don’t understand the inconsistency of so may professional athletes…

by LuvthePreds on May 7, 2011 12:37 AM EDT up reply actions

No offense but ...

Stats/comments like that are a dime a dozen and mean squat. Sorta like saying the Preds have never won a second round series etc.

Explain how they transfer into the real world today?

Fact is, we’ve two damn fine teams battling it out, neither giving an inch, both prepared to leave everything on the ice. I admire the grit and focus the Preds bring shift after shift. Great things ahead for them.

Good luck in Game 5, even later. Getting to watch hockey like this for 5,6,7 games is a treat. So too is interating with you folks here.

by Nux4Ever on May 7, 2011 8:50 AM EDT up reply actions

Yep. Good games.

So, my tactic with conservation of apex predators is to get people excited and take them to where they live.
~Steve Irwin
There is no tenderness or humanity in fanaticism.
~Joe Strummer

by cisar on May 7, 2011 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m choosing to be optimistic and say they’ll still win the series. Just remember those lines from Return Of The Jedi that kind of mirrors the teams.

Luke: Your overconfidence is your weakness.
The Emperor: Your faith in your friends is yours.

by OddManRush on May 6, 2011 9:14 AM EDT reply actions

Got them on the ropes now...

They have to win a game before we can win three, two in their building. Right where we want them…

I entered ten puns in a contest, hoping one of them would win. Sadly, no pun in ten did.

by Smashvillain on May 6, 2011 9:24 AM EDT reply actions

Remember

All of these games have been DAMN close. To say the Preds can win three straight isn’t inconceivable or even out of the realm of possibility. This series is definitely going to a Game 7.

by plasmo on May 6, 2011 9:39 AM EDT reply actions

Tell Patric Hornqvist to hum Chelsea Dagger when he’s in the crease. That will definitely shake up Luongo

In Lou We Trust/Twitter/Cycle Like the Sedins
Then I guess the animals are on their own. Even the cute ones.

by Kevin Sellathamby on May 6, 2011 10:23 AM EDT reply actions

History can repeat itself..

Did this quickly, but I believe Vancouver has lost 3 straight 3x this year. Once in November to BUFF, PITT, CHI and PHX. Once in January to MN, COL, SJ and CGY. And most recently games 4, 5 and 6 to CHI in Round 1. This portly man is not singing either, nor should anyone else.

by Me Kimosabe on May 6, 2011 10:32 AM EDT reply actions

Portly Woman = ?

Can’t be Underwood? Jessica Simpson? She’s country now right? Is portly politically correct…..maybe full figured would be better.

Bieksa reminds me of Han Solo, except without the charm...or the Wookie at his side, unless you count Alberts.

by westy99 on May 6, 2011 10:50 AM EDT reply actions

Rubenesque?

But congrats, your 10th highest scorer has 1 more point than our 10th highest scorer. -Beantown Canuck

by Tim P on May 6, 2011 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions

Mmmmm…..Rueben’s.

So, my tactic with conservation of apex predators is to get people excited and take them to where they live.
~Steve Irwin
There is no tenderness or humanity in fanaticism.
~Joe Strummer

by cisar on May 6, 2011 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions

I love Rueben's

the most delicious sandwich in the world.

I live in the OC.
The one in OH.

by MattBen on May 6, 2011 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Ruebens are delicious but a great mufaletta or BLT are up higher in my book.
…getting hungry

But congrats, your 10th highest scorer has 1 more point than our 10th highest scorer. -Beantown Canuck

by Tim P on May 6, 2011 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions

BLT from Jimmy John’s. Mmmmm!

by LuvthePreds on May 7, 2011 12:39 AM EDT up reply actions

Welcome aboard the Never-Say-Die Express, Burton!
This might be your first post that I am 100% in agreement with. Keep up the optimism!
Let’s go Predators!!!
We have them right where we want them for our end-of-round-two History Will Be Made commercial!!

So, my tactic with conservation of apex predators is to get people excited and take them to where they live.
~Steve Irwin
There is no tenderness or humanity in fanaticism.
~Joe Strummer

by cisar on May 6, 2011 11:53 AM EDT reply actions

I Ain't Heard No Fat Lady

Forget the fat lady – you’re obsessed with the fat lady – just win this series!

by WINB on May 6, 2011 12:03 PM EDT reply actions

All the pressure is on the Canucks

The Preds need to come out and take some chances. Don’t take stupid chances and give up on defense, but they have to change things up and try to be more unpredictable in the offensive zone. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity, or so I’ve been told. It’s clear what they’ve been doing hasn’t worked so please try something different and changing line combos isn’t enough.

by ahall07 on May 6, 2011 12:12 PM EDT reply actions

Perhaps ...

there’s a little pressure on the Predators too? The pressure to ‘win now’ is on everyone. The difference is who has the will to make it happen.

I think the way players and staff on both teams approach each game is not influenced as much by the pressure we imagine (hope?) is weighing more, all, etc. on the opposition, but rather by the training regimen game in and out. What happens this present game, one has some control in. Win or lose, but let it go, get on with getting ready for the next game.

by Nux4Ever on May 7, 2011 9:03 AM EDT up reply actions

Win a game

We aren’t at winning 3 in a row. Simply win a game. Win a game and then we worry about game 6 in Nashville.

1 night. 1 game. 1 victory.

Forget the rest.

by knightsc on May 6, 2011 12:16 PM EDT reply actions

And truth be told, this is the chief reason I enjoy following this team. I’ve never been much for juggernauts, but always had a soft spot for the can-do teams with their hearts on their sleeves. It won’t be easy, but anything worth doing generally isn’t.

by predreb on May 6, 2011 12:23 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

First, Props on the Dumb & Dumber reference

Second, that is exactly who Sergei Kostitsyn and David Legwand were last night. Kostitsyn only had one solid scoring chance last night, from what I say, and I think that David Legwand was skating around in circles at center ice waving his willy to oncoming traffic. Legwand is only good for empty netters (and the occasional short hander i.e. game 3) and Kostitsyn is really showing his youth. We need to trade Legwand for a goal scorer, and send Kostitsyn back to Milwaukee for a little while to develop him a bit more.

Still, while the chances are 1 in 100 or 1 in 1,000,000, We still have a chance.
Dumb and dumber video to follow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCFB2akLh4s&feature=related

by Casey Hesson on May 6, 2011 2:06 PM EDT reply actions

It's over Johnny Cakes

Just like I said before this series began, Vancouver was the worst possible matchup. Vancouver was going to learn from the Chicago series and get better. So far, that appears to be true. After letting Chicago come back on them in the previous series I don’t think there’s a chance in hell they let the Preds pull the same thing. I’d wager we’ll see the best effort from the Canucks possible Saturday to make sure they get this thing done. Coupled with our offense going so cold I wouldn’t be shocked to see a 3-1, 4-1 Vancouver win.

And if they do? So what? There’s no shame it, there’s nothing to hang our head over. The goal was to finally win a series and that was accomplished. And in doing so the team got more media attention, both nationally and locally, than ever before. The fan base is going to grow from this. Revenue is going to grow from this. Guys like Weber and Suter are going to see that yes, this team CAN compete. The young players are learning valuable lessons. I think this run can easily be the catalyst that turns this team into a realistic contender to win the whole thing next season.

by lethargic on May 6, 2011 2:38 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed

The Preds got so many monkeys off their backs that now we can think about the next level. I was and am still hoping to at least take this series to 6 games just for the fact of the extra revenue. IMO, we had to win game 3 to have a chance to win this series. That said, We know our weaknesses and what HAS to be fixed and improved, who has to stay and who needs to go. This is still a very young team that will only get better and possibly a force to be reckoned with for a very long time. Who we sign as RFA’s and UFA’s will be key. But let’s not forget that who replaces Peterson when he retires after this season will be very key to address and fix those weaknesses. If we can get a special teams specialist like we have in our goalie coach….

by SFPredsFan on May 6, 2011 3:02 PM EDT up reply actions

Put O'Reilly in.

We will be so loaded at Center next year we need to see O’Reilly one last time before the off season. I think if he is ready pl;ay him. He has the most offensive upside on the roster and we could use the 2nd center on Defensive faceoffs.
With all the Centers on the payroll Lombardi, Fisher, Legwand, Spaling, Geoffrion, O’Reilly, Smithson and Wilson, something has to give next season. We got a whole lot of centers going on and some of them must go.

by DHack on May 6, 2011 9:04 PM EDT reply actions

question, has carrie underwood not yet been considered to sing the anthem for you guys? i personally think it would be pretty cool…

by kiyotok on May 7, 2011 12:50 AM EDT reply actions

Martina McBride is the best. They could also bring in Shania Twain to sing O, Canada.

So, my tactic with conservation of apex predators is to get people excited and take them to where they live.
~Steve Irwin
There is no tenderness or humanity in fanaticism.
~Joe Strummer

by cisar on May 7, 2011 3:16 PM EDT reply actions