It's been an eventful week for the Nashville Predators...
- Looking at the final 10 games for each of the playoff contenders, it appeared that the Preds had, by far, the most difficult road to the postseason.
- The SEC filed an injunction against Boots Del Biaggio's accomplice, who, it appears, likes to take advantage of kids and the elderly besides defrauding investors in his spare time.
- The Anaheim Ducks beat the Preds in a shootout, pushing Nashville, for the moment, out of a playoff spot.
- When John Glennon followed up with the Predators and the NHL about the elbows that Brad Staubitz used to break Jordin Tootoo's nose, NHL VP Colin Campbell predictably declined to do anything about it.
- Wednesday in practice, David Legwand took a puck to the face which has him out of action, at the very least, for three games. Depending on a medical evaluation Monday, it could keep him out for the rest of the regular season. Cal O'Reilly was called up from Milwaukee to help out at center.
- After falling behind 2-0 in the 2nd period, the Preds pulled out a 3-2 victory over San Jose with 3 quick goals, including the winner by Greg Zanon.
- In a Saturday afternoon tussle, Nashville topped Los Angeles 4-3 in overtime, after giving up a tying goal late in regulation.
- Less than 24 hours later, the boys had to hit the ice up in Detroit, and they pulled off another big win, 4-3 over the Red Wings to push their record on the week to 3-0-1, finishing in 7th place in the West. Unfortunately, they may have lost winger Martin Erat for the next month, due to a broken leg suffered when he was hit by a Shea Weber slapshot.
So who are the Three Stars of the Week?
#3: Pekka Rinne, with a 3-0-1 record and .920 save percentage.
#2: Martin Erat, who tallied 1 goal and 6 assists, with a +4 rating and 0 PIM's on the week.
#1: Steve Sullivan, with 2 goals and 4 assists, including the OT game-winning goal against Los Angeles.
And lastly, in case you missed it earlier, there's a youth hockey player from Indiana who suffered a debilitating neck injury a couple months. It's a story worth sharing, and I'd encourage all readers to stop by his site to share some good wishes or donate to help cover medical expenses.