Where have we heard this song before? An Edmonton Oilers team that still hasn’t hit double digits in wins, comes into Nashville and shuts out the Predators. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall scored 51 seconds apart in the second period to take the lead, and that was the game.
Worst of all, Shea Weber left in the middle of the game after taking a puck to the face. Getting shutout is bad enough, but losing one of the best players when two of the other best players are already out? That smarts.
Random Observations
- Insert obvious joke about food comas in the first period here. Neither team was doing much of anything through most of the first twenty minutes. Seth Jones and Ryan Ellis, though, both had some heart attack inducing defensive lapses. Three and four, no more.
- Marek Mazanec needs a break. You can’t really fault him for the goals tonight, but nine starts (including a back-to-back) is a little overkill. He’s going to be their work horse for now, as he should be, but the last thing this team needs is having him burn out. Regardless, it shows you where the coach’s confidence in Carter Hutton is at.
- On the other side of the ice, it was Ilya Bryzgalov’s first NHL start since being bought out of his contract with the Philadelphia Flyers over the summer. What a return. Even though he had some rusty moments, he was dynamite more often then not tonight, registering the shutout on 33 shots. I really liked Bryz when he was playing in Phoenix, and didn’t think he was to blame for all the problems in Philly. I’m glad he has another chance I and I hope he makes the most of it.
- Would someone please give Colin Wilson a mongoose or two to kill whatever snake is biting him?/
The Philadelphia Flyers stroll in to town on Saturday, along with a few familiar faces now wearing orange. Imagine if Weber isn’t able to suit up for that game. It’s as if hundreds of journalists with their prepared narratives suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. See you then!
Boxscore – Game Summary – Event Summary
Roll the video highlights…