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Nashville Predators 0, St. Louis Blues 4: Jake Allen Apparently Stops Everything

The Predators lost 4-0 to the Blues, getting their home-stand started off on the wrong foot. The Preds had about a million chances to score and yet Jake Allen and his metal posts stopped all of them.

Blues started things off with a neat power-play goal from Colton Parayko. The rookie defenseman’s 5th goal of the year was the result of some perfect passing by the Blues. From there, the Predators would out-shoot and out-chance the Blues for the rest of the game. It was absolutely insane. An avalanche of shots, chances, and attempts and none of them hit the back of the net. Nothing. Then Alex Pietrangelo put the Blues up 2-0 on the power-play, and Scottie Upshall and Alex Steen scored a few minutes later, and that was all she wrote.

You can’t say that the Preds weren’t in this one, because they were. They created more offensive chances, more quality shots, had more possession… but had 4 less goals. I thought they might actually throw some skates on a kitchen sink and send it out there. Jake Allen stopped everything.

Random Observations

  • The first power-play goal by the Blues was an absolute beauty. Absolute perfect passing led to a wide open net by Parayko, who is having a dynamite start to his rookie season. That’s the way you draw up a power-play opportunity.
  • More penalties. This game is starting the way the game against the Wild ended with the Preds finding themselves short-handed way too often. Can’t keep this up, mostly because we can’t get our 5-on-5 game working.
  • Preds are working the offensive zone well when they get set up. In their first power-play, Ribeiro’s passing was sensational, but no one could put one home. Then late in the 1st, the Preds started jumping into some counter attacks. Josi had a 2-on-1 and shot it right into Jake Allen’s chest plate. Though it’s 1-0 at the 1st intermission, it’s hard to see the score remaining that way for long.
  • The Blues defense is tough, but in a different way from the Wild defense we saw on Thursday. They have very active sticks and are quite skilled with the puck. They work quickly to get out of tight spaces and exit the zone. We will have to play more physical in the offensive zone if we want any chances, hoping to knock them off the puck and create turnovers.
  • Rinne’s save on Parayko on that 3-on-1 in the 2nd was potentially the save of the game, so far. Absolutely stole that goal from the Backes. Huge, momentum changing save there.
  • How the Predators have not scored is beyond me. Jake Allen has been absolutely unbreakable (we’ve also hit two posts) but you have to feel like there is a goal coming. Chances and shots are coming in hordes, led by Craig Smith and Filip Forsberg. Looking extremely hungry right now.
  • Not capitalizing on a 5-on-3 power-play is absolutely infuriating, especially with how many chances and shots were hurled at the net. I don’t really know what is happening right now. How is there not a small black dot in the net after all that. 31 shots through 2 periods, and at least 3 posts.
  • “You get the feeling he could stop an Aspirin tablet shot through a snowstorm” -Stu Grimson on Jake Allen. The story of the game, by far.
  • Oh good, the Blues got another goal. Pietrangelo scores on the power-play and the Blues have a 2-0 lead, which might as well be a 20-0 lead.
  • And after yet another goal, this one by Scottie Upshall. It may soon be a 20-0 lead. Preds are toast in this one.
  • I sort of lost track, but the Preds have hit at least 6 posts probably. And look at these shot counts: Smith-7, Neal-6, Forsberg-6, Ellis-5, Josi-4… unreal.

OTF’s Super Duper Stars of the Game

  • Craig Smith: looked fired up for most of the game. Just couldn’t get in the score column.
  • Filip Forsberg: much like the rest of the crew, he did everything right, just didn’t score.
  • That goalie for the Blues, John Allen or Blake Shelton or whatever./

Was the Smashville App Correct?

Not tonight. 2-12.

Tweets Of The Night

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