In a week without a win, the bright spot for the Nashville Predators is that the offense chipped in twice to overcome deficits, force overtime, and at least earn the team points in the standings. Nobody did more on that front than the guy with the cleanest face in Smashville, Patric Hornqvist.

Patric Hornqvist

#27 / Right Wing / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-0

Weight: 188

Born: Jan 01, 1987

In addition to leading the team in scoring, his discipline while taking abuse led directly to the power play on which Shea Weber scored yesterday, too.

After last week's work, Hornqvist now has five goals in his last nine games, a welcome bit of news for a guy who's enjoyed some hot and cold stretches this season. After a 7-goals-in-6-games outburst in late October/early November, Horn Dog scored just one in his next 19. We'll take the hot Hornqvist, please.

Perhaps my favorite goal this week was his marker yesterday at Boston. Why? Because while Sergei Kostitsyn led the rush down the left wing (and did a fine job staying with the play and fighting through the defense to make that centering pass), Hornqvist got to the top of the crease, and stayed there. Too often, you'll see guys get caught up in the moment and go whirring by the net in a flash, and unless that pass is perfectly placed and perfectly timed, the scoring chance is missed. Instead, Hornqvist got himself in good position to bury that sucker even if things weren't set up so nicely.

Here's to hoping that Hornqvist can keep those goals a-coming as the Predators meet the #4 & #5 scoring teams in the NHL this week.

Now that the distraction of football season is finally behind us, we can get back to the important stuff, the stretch drive for the Stanley Cup playoffs!

The upcoming schedule for the Nashville Predators doesn't get any easier, as they prepare to battle two division-leading teams, along with perhaps the biggest surprise team in the NHL. Can they make up ground on the Central Division-leading Detroit Red Wings, who lead the Preds by 4 points as of right now?

Follow after the jump for a look at the upcoming challenge...

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It's been quite a fortnight for Mike Fisher, as he becomes our first back-to-back honoree as the OTF Hero Of The Week. In the course of a 3-game week, he didn't just led the way with 3 goals scored, but he tallied both game-winners, including the final two scores in that insane, absurd, ridiculous comeback at Minnesota on Tuesday.

He followed that up with the second goal last night against St. Louis, a fine 2nd-effort type of play that stoked the Preds out to a strong lead they were able to hold on to for the rest of the game.

Mike Fisher

#12 / Center / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 208

Born: Jun 05, 1980

Not a bad week's work, eh?

2 years ago, Brendan Burke died, shortly after my nephew was born.

There's a bit of a connection there, as my wife had driven up to Indianapolis to be there for the birth, and help her sister through those first few days after delivery. With a massive snow & ice storm on the way, however, her mom advised her to drive back to Nashville before the roads got nasty, rather than stick around. She made it back in time, but the next day, we saw the news that Brendan Burke, son of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, died in a weather-related accident on one of central Indiana's many two-lane state roads, one which my wife & I had traveled many times while we lived there.

Brendan Burke was more than just the son of an NHL executive, or a typical student-manager of his college's hockey team, however. This, from a remembrance over at Maple Leafs Hot Stove:

On December 2nd, 2009, Brendan Burke showed the world just what it is to have courage, to have heart. In an article penned by John Buccigross of ESPN, Mr. Burke discussed his life as a closeted homosexual within the closed community of sport, the acceptance of his sexuality by his family and his team, and the hope he had for the breaking down of barriers within the machismo-dominated and homophobic culture of team athletics.

...

We all leave behind a legacy, something for which we are remembered long beyond our time. Brendan Burke will be remembered for opening a door which few had the courage to even acknowledge existed, and to not just hold it open but walk right through it and show us there was nothing to be afraid of on the other side, offering hope that we, too, can do the same. Brian Burke has continued to carry his legacy forward, using his celebrity and position of influence to bring greater attention to the flawed manner in which so many segments of society evaluate a human being's worth.

On this second anniversary of Burke's passing, the guys at Maple Leafs Hot Stove are coordinating donations to the Miami University Brendan Burke Memorial Scholarship Fund. You can find all the details right here.

Today we wish a Happy 33rd Birthday to the "Ultimate Predator", Jerred Smithson. a guy who has carved out a nice career for himself by doing the dirty work which allows his teammates to get the glory. He kills penalties, takes an obscene amount of defensive zone faceoffs, and blocks shots - whatever it takes to keep the puck out of Nashville's net.

Jerred Smithson

#25 / Left Wing / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-3

Weight: 209

Born: Feb 04, 1979

Fake Twitter Account: @AngrySmithson

Did ya know...

• Smithson is just 11 games shy of 500 played as a Nashville Predator. This season he'll pass Greg Johnson (502) for #5 on the team's all-time Games Played list.
• He has a pet English Bulldog, named Reggie.
• Before signing as a free agent with the Preds in 2004, spent two seasons as a Los Angeles King.
• He can make a grown man cry with a single glare.

Hmm... I wonder if we can come up with any video highlights for Smithers?

Today marks the 29th birthday for perhaps the most popular Nashville Predator of them all, Jordin Tootoo. The scrappers are always fan favorites, but Tootoo's long but steady rise to become an NHL regular, combined with his year-plus of sobriety make for the type of long-term career arch that earns him a permanent spot in the pantheon of Smashville heroes.

He's already set new highs for assists and total points in a season, which makes for perfect timing considering the fact that he's set for unrestricted free agency this summer. After making $1.35 million this year, how high should his sights be set for his next contract?

Jordin Tootoo

#22 / Right Wing / Nashville Predators

Height: 5-9

Weight: 199

Born: Feb 02, 1983

Did ya know...

• Tootoo won a silver medal at the 2003 World Junior Championships with Team Canada, playing on a team with Joffrey Lupul, Derek Roy, Scottie Upshall, Ian White, and Marc-Andre Fleury, among other future NHL players.
• In a Sports Illustrated poll this season, his peers voted Tootoo the 2nd-hardest hitter in the entire league.
• His favorite opponent might just be the Anaheim Ducks. In 22 career regular season games, he has 4 goals and 5 assists against them (his best points-per-game pace against any team), and of course he played a large role in Nashville playoff victory over the Ducks last spring.

What's encouraging to see is that scoring touch he showed in junior hockey coming to the forefront more often at the NHL level. Here he is scoring a nifty goal on former teammate Dan Ellis earlier this season:

What better way to end a 7-game scoreless streak than with a big game on his birthday?

This "Hero Of The Week" series puts the Nashville Predators season in an interesting perspective, as it seems to show how a different guy steps up at different times throughout the campaign. For a while, Jordin Tootoo was the hottest hand in the lineup. Pekka Rinne, of course has his periods of domination. Martin Erat has been an especially reliable performer of late, and Sergei Kostitsyn put together one of the hottest goal-scoring streaks we've seen in a while earlier this month.

This last week, it was Mike Fisher's turn to shine, as he led the Predators to a 2-0 record. First, he scored twice against Columbus in a 4-1 victory on home ice (including the 1st GooGoo Goal in franchise history), then added the game winner in a 3-1 triumph at Chicago to send Nashville into the All-Star break as the hottest team in the league.

Mike Fisher

#12 / Center / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 208

Born: Jun 05, 1980

My favorite of his three goals came in the Chicago game, off a nice kick-pass assist from Patric Hornqvist:

He's currently riding a four-game scoring streak with four goals and assist since January 19th, and has 5 goals with 7 assists in his last 10 games. Can Fisher keep things rolling, and make a run at his career-best numbers of 25 goals and 53 points in a season?

Here's everything you need to know about the Skills Competition... so follow along! It all starts at 6:00 p.m. Central on NBC Sports (formerly Versus).