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Nashville Predators 2, Edmonton Oilers 3: Bad Officiating Leads to Bad Results

Posted on by Shaun Smith

The Nashville Predators took on the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night in Edmonton. This was the third game of the four game road trip through Western Canada. The Predators had claimed 4 out of 4 points going into the game against the Oilers. It would be great if the team left Edmonton with 6 out of 6 points as that would mean the Predators head to Vancouver in a playoff spot. Also, it’s Rocco Grimaldi’s birthday! Will we see a birthday goal?

What Happened

  • Juuse Saros is in net. He’s been riding a hot streak. This is his third start in a row and he’s won 4 out of 5 since John Hynes took over.
  • Will there be any Mikael Granlund magic tonight? He’s put together an impressive body of work recently.
  • So much early net-front activity! (from both teams)
  • Yannick Weber is bleeding. That’s a 100% bleed rate.
  • Some confusion about the timing of a whistle. Fortunately, it blew before the puck went in. Otherwise, the Predators would be down early.
  • Saros with a great save on a Connor McDavid breakaway!
  • CRAIG SMITH PUTS THE PREDATORS ON THE BOARD!!! 1-0 Predators! (and that’s another assist for Norris candidate Captain Roman Josi)/

  • Connor McDavid is not happy that he got called for hooking. He may have used some adult language. Sorry kids, but that means a power play is coming up. Will they score?
  • …and it looks like 4-on-4 as Craig Smith heads to the box for high-sticking. (a little questionable…but some good acting made it happen)
  • Matt Duchene hit the post as Edmonton gets McDavid back for around 45 seconds of power play time.
  • Penalty has been killed.
  • Rocco Grimaldi is absolutely tenacious.
  • The Predators head to the locker room at the end of the first with a lead of 1-0 from a Roman Josi assisted Craig Smith goal. The Predators had 6 shots to the Oilers 7./

  • Matt Duchene drew a holding penalty on his way to the net. Predators are back on the power play.
  • This power play is an all out offensive explosion! I can’t believe none of those shots went in. Dante Fabbro shot a MONSTER off the crossbar!
  • Ready for a Dan Hamhuis goal.
  • I think everybody needs to take close look at the 4th line tonight. I believe this is the right kind of grit the team needs.
  • That looked like it could have been a delay of game penalty on Edmonton./

  • My main takeaway at this point is that the Predators chances have all been very good chances—not a lot of wasted shots and perimeter garbage. Not a lot of scoring, either, but they’re also preventing McDavid, Draisaitl, and the rest of the Oilboys from scoring by clogging up the slot and giving Saros the support the Nashville goaltenders have been missing.
  • Also, Saros is stopping everything coming his way.
  • OH MY GOD DAN HAMHUIS SCORED A GOAL!
  • Sorry, being told Bonino tipped it in.
  • Okay, so, Dan Hamhuis fired an absolute ROCKET toward the net and Nick Bonino redirected it through Mike Smith’s five-hole. Predators up 2-0.
  • Dante Fabbro called for holding. Oilers to the power play. /

  • The stop Saros just made on McDavid on that breakaway will probably get Fox Sports fined.
  • Just gotta finish this period off and head to locker room up 2-OH CRAP! Kyle Turris’s skate scores again…this time for the Oilers. Goal credited to Alex Chiasson. Predators up 2-1./

  • The teams head to the locker room. Unsure which locker room Turris’s skate will head to.
  • Predators got saved by the post on that one. Yikes.
  • HUGE flurry of action in front of the net. This rarely happened under Laviolette. (sorry, Peter)
  • Saros is on-point tonight. It really is a shame about the own-goal earlier.
  • Colin Blackwell may not be showing up on the score sheet, but he’s absolutely a force to be reckoned with on the forecheck.
  • And Leon Draisaitl makes it an even game. 2-2. I know Juuse’s disappointed, but Turris has to be kicking himself, too. But, that’s what Draisaitl does.
  • Sam Gagner high-sticked Roman Josi. It could have been considered follow through, but he goes to the box anyway. Predators to the power play.
  • Very anemic power play that go round. My concern is that Draisaitl’s goal (especially after that own-goal earlier) has put the Predators back in a bad head space. /

  • Connor McDavid, who is growing a questionable beard, just held Mikael Granlund. As a result, Granlund was called for embellishment. 4-on-4 time coming up.
  • Going to go ahead and say that the officiating has been questionable at best tonight.
  • Oh, now Jarred Tinordi goes to the box for interference on Draisaitl. Draisaitl went down far too easily to not be called for embellishment. It is now 4-on-3 hockey.
  • And as quickly as I typed that out, Leon Draisaitl, whose flop lead to the 4-on-3, scores, making it 2-3, Oilers. Classic.
  • After a few seconds, it’s back to 5 a side.
  • The Predators seem angry now.
  • I don’t get to watch a lot of Leon Draisaitl, but he seems really, really floppy./

  • The collective anger of Predators twitter is uncontainable right now.
  • Predators with an empty net.
  • Timeout with 40 seconds left. Empty net.
  • All for naught. The Predators lose 2-3./

Shaun’s Three Golden Heroes of the Evening

3rd – Leon Draisaitl – he went down easy and came up big all night for the Oilers.

2nd – The officials -they had an impact. I know it. You know it. We all know it.

1st – Juuse Saros put on an absolute show. One own goal against him and two goals from Leon Draisaitl…one in a 3-on-4. He was on point all night.

Game Highlights

I’m not posting the Turris own-goal. Just imagine a video in which a puck hits the front of Kyle Turris’s skate, he tries to collect it, but can’t and it goes into the goal. He looks sad even before it crosses the goal line. All of Smashville weeps.

Talking Points