The Boston Bruins are a very good team. The Nashville Predators are not. It showed tonight. Nashville seems to think they now need to start all of their games down by three goals, but this one was nowhere near as fun to watch as the game against Montreal.
It didn’t take very long for Boston to get things started, as just a minute and a half into the contest as Jarome Iginla deflected a Zdeno Chara point shot past Carter Hutton. Four minutes later, Matt Fraser was all alone in front of the goaltender and potted a juicy rebound into the back of the net. For the second time in as many games, queue a goalie change. Marek Mazanec didn’t fare any better, and the Predators’ woes continued. Reilly Smith scored before the end of the period.
Craig Smith got one (make that two) back for the home team, but the Predators got themselves into some bad penalty trouble. A lengthy 5-on-3 yielded another Iginla goal and a tally from Carl Soderberg for good measure. Before the final horn sounded, Brad Marchand made it six goals for Boston, and the Bruins go into the holiday with two shiny points in their back pocket.
Every once in a while, Nashville is going to pull out a win against the top teams. More often than not, though, these games are going to end up looking like this. Until something changes, get used to it. I hope they get piles of coal for Christmas. Plastic coal. They aren’t even good enough for real coal.
Random Observations
- There isn’t really a whole lot to say about this game, other than what was published in the famous review of Spinal Tap’s “Shark Sandwhich” album.
- The silver lining, (if there is one) is that the Honey Badger now your team leader in goals, skipping ahead of Shea Weber. Not only does a forward lead the team, but Smith is also the first Predators to crack double-digits in goals. The New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers are the only other teams not to have a 10-goal scorer.
Christmas, Christmas time is here. Time for booze and time for beer. You’re going to need it after a game like this…
On am more serious note, Merry Christmas from all of us a On the Forecheck to you and yours. Spend some time with your family and loved ones, whether you are celebrating the holiday or not, and let your boiling rage calm to a cool simmer in the next few days.
Boxscore – Game Summary – Event Summary – Fancy Stats
Roll the video highlights…