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We've been talking quite a bit lately about the dearth of shots being generated by the Nashville Predators, and that perfectly characterized tonight's game. Brandon Yip gave Nashville a 1-0 lead in the first minute of the game, but after that the shots came few and far between for the Preds. They finished with just 14 SOG all night (one of the lowest such totals in franchise history), to the Kings' 24.
Despite taking 6 minor penalties, however, the Preds held the Kings down for most of the contest as well, as a combination of stout penalty killing and stellar goaltending from Pekka Rinne got them to overtime, and thence the shootout.
And what a shootout it was, going a full 8 rounds before Sergei Kostitsyn buried the winner (and no, that doesn't count as a Shot On Goal for him). I'll post the video highlights in the morning, but for now...
Random Observations
- Scott Hannan getting the start alongside Shea Weber? An interesting decision on the part of Barry Trotz, which smelled like a "get the experienced guy out there against top opponents" type of move. It fizzled, however, with all the penalties Hannan took, and it makes me appreciate all the more how Kevin Klein plays so much without heading to the box.
- Yip's goal was a nice play on the offensive-zone faceoff, with Gabriel Bourque softly teeing the puck up for Yip, who was waiting in shooting position at the top of the circle
- The fewest shots the Preds have ever had in a road game is 10, in a November 22, 1999 3-2 loss at St. Louis. This game also came close to setting a record for fewest shots by both teams combined in a Preds game (31 on March 4, 2003, a 2-1 loss at St. Louis).
Video Highlights:
And for your advanced stats...
Nashville Predators
| Player | Pos | ES TOI | Total Shots For | Total Shots Against | Corsi | Net Zone Starts | Adjusted Corsi |
| Mike Fisher | C | 17:52 | 13 | 17 | -4 | -6 | -2 |
| Martin Erat | R | 16:22 | 13 | 15 | -2 | -5 | 0 |
| David Legwand | C | 15:12 | 8 | 15 | -7 | -1 | -7 |
| Colin Wilson | C | 14:00 | 13 | 11 | +2 | -4 | +4 |
| Sergei Kostitsyn | L | 13:47 | 6 | 10 | -4 | +5 | -6 |
| Nick Spaling | C | 13:35 | 5 | 15 | -10 | +4 | -12 |
| Gabriel Bourque | L | 13:06 | 5 | 14 | -9 | -1 | -9 |
| Craig Smith | C | 12:18 | 6 | 10 | -4 | +2 | -5 |
| Brandon Yip | R | 11:55 | 3 | 15 | -12 | 0 | -12 |
| Paul Gaustad | C | 8:32 | 4 | 12 | -8 | -8 | -5 |
| Matt Halischuk | R | 6:44 | 3 | 9 | -6 | -3 | -5 |
| Rich Clune | L | 5:48 | 5 | 9 | -4 | -3 | -3 |
| Shea Weber | D | 23:31 | 15 | 18 | -3 | -1 | -3 |
| Scott Hannan | D | 22:25 | 12 | 20 | -8 | +1 | -8 |
| Roman Josi | D | 16:53 | 14 | 13 | +1 | -2 | +2 |
| Ryan Ellis | D | 16:24 | 4 | 22 | -18 | -3 | -17 |
| Kevin Klein | D | 14:51 | 13 | 15 | -2 | -3 | -1 |
| Hal Gill | D | 10:31 | 2 | 17 | -15 | -4 | -13 |
Not a good night for the depth guys possession-wise, as the Gill/Ellis pairing took the brunt of the damage.
Los Angeles Kings
| Player | Pos | ES TOI | Total Shots For | Total Shots Against | Corsi | Net Zone Starts | Adjusted Corsi |
| Anze Kopitar | C | 16:37 | 14 | 13 | +1 | +1 | +1 |
| Justin Williams | R | 15:13 | 11 | 14 | -3 | -1 | -3 |
| Dustin Brown | L | 14:13 | 10 | 14 | -4 | 0 | -4 |
| Jeff Carter | C | 14:02 | 25 | 3 | +22 | +3 | +21 |
| Simon Gagne | L | 13:35 | 14 | 4 | +10 | +1 | +10 |
| Jarret Stoll | C | 12:44 | 6 | 6 | 0 | -1 | +0 |
| Mike Richards | C | 12:38 | 22 | 3 | +19 | +2 | +18 |
| Colin Fraser | C | 11:14 | 11 | 5 | +6 | +5 | +4 |
| Kyle Clifford | L | 10:56 | 17 | 3 | +14 | +1 | +14 |
| Trevor Lewis | C | 9:47 | 5 | 4 | +1 | +1 | +1 |
| Jordan Nolan | C | 9:27 | 7 | 5 | +2 | +5 | 0 |
| Dwight King | L | 9:13 | 8 | 5 | +3 | +5 | +1 |
| Drew Doughty | D | 20:41 | 20 | 11 | +9 | +2 | +8 |
| Slava Voynov | D | 20:38 | 21 | 13 | +8 | +2 | +7 |
| Alec Martinez | D | 20:18 | 22 | 17 | +5 | +3 | +4 |
| Rob Scuderi | D | 20:03 | 19 | 6 | +13 | +2 | +12 |
| Jake Muzzin | D | 11:39 | 11 | 7 | +4 | +1 | +4 |
| Davis Drewiske | D | 10:49 | 11 | 6 | +5 | +2 | +4 |
Yeah, that Carter/Richards tandem is pretty dreamy.