Goal-starved Predators drop shootout to Rangers

It’s becoming a tired refrain, but an ineffective power play and overall dearth in scoring cost the Nashville Predators once again tonight as they dropped a 2-1 shootout decision to the New York Rangers. Colin Wilson put the Preds ahead in the first period with a nice hustle play to beat Henrik Lundqvist in the New York net, but Nashville couldn’t stretch the advantage despite multiple chances. When it got to the shootout, “King Henrik” ruled the show, stopping all three Preds shooters while Pekka Rinne stopped two of three Rangers.

It wasn’t all bad news as a sellout crowd of 17,113 did get a strong effort out of Rinne, and Jordin Tootoo entertained by pounding the stuffing out of Sean Avery. But sooner or later, this team needs to put a few wins together. Follow after the jump for the highlights, reaction, and advanced stats…

The Preds host the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday, and the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, so use the OtF discount to save money on Nashville Predators tickets for these, or any other home game. Remember, Preds tickets can make a great holiday gift, so look through the schedule, and pick out a game!

First, the video highlights and Rangers vs Predators boxscore…

A few thoughts from tonight’s game:

• As of this writing I don’t have an update on Cody Franson’s status, after he took a stick to the throat and left the ice in the 3rd period. As soon as I get something I’ll post it on the site. UPDATE: Josh Cooper reports: ‘Preds say Franson has been released from hospital and is “fine”‘
• The Rangers came into this one ready to battle, and they brought a strong physical effort right from the start. They put the body on at every chance, and tested the boundaries of how the refs would call the game.
• The power play, to nobody’s surprise, continues to be a debilitating weakness for the Preds. Pekka Rinne has no margin for error these days, which is no way to compete for playoff position.
• Speaking of Pekka, how about him taking two Delay of Game penalties for playing the puck outside the trapezoid in the second period? I believe that’s the first time a goalie has done that twice in a single game, but have yet to confirm.
• Hey, at the very least, watching Jordin Tootoo pummel Sean Avery had to be worth the price of admission alone.
• You want a terrifying stat? How about this from vols7381 on Twitter: “The last time the Preds won a game in regulation was against Montreal. It’s the only time this month they won in regulation.”
• I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – Martin Erat will never score 30 goals in a season. With about 5 minutes left in the 3rd, he led a 3-on-2 into the Rangers zone, and instead of driving the net, he pulled off to the side and let two more defenders pass by him and set up defensively, killing the chance. He’s a decent player, but just doesn’t show the hunger to score goals.
• Did the official scorer feel sorry for the Preds? It’s hard to believe that assists were awarded to Marcel Goc and Francis Bouillon on Colin Wilson’s goal.
• It’s good to see Shea Weber and Ryan Suter looking a bit more like themselves as a D-pair tonight, check the table below for some impressive totals.
• It was interesting to me that Wade Belak sat in on the post-game radio show. What was going on in the locker room such that nobody came out for that regular spot?
• Over the last five games, the Preds have scored five goals. Five./

Now for your advanced even-strength statistics…

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Who is your Predator of the Game?