In case you somehow didn’t already know, the puck dropped for the first time in the 2017-2018 Nashville Predators season tonight. The Preds lost to the Boston Bruins, and the Adidas jerseys were not the only thing new about this season.
The NHL introduced its new rules, and this game saw the slashing rule enforced early and often. The Bruins got a first period 5-on-3 power play that was partially due to the new rule, as Matt Irwin used his stick in a manner that would’ve been perfectly fine last season. The other penalty call there was a cross-checking call on new captain Roman Josi. The Bruins tallied on the two-man advantage, as David Pastrnak gave Boston a 1-0 lead 8:37 into the game. The score stayed that way until #33, Colin Wi—Viktor Arvidsson, scored for the first time in his new number to tie the game a 1-1 in the final minute of the first period.
The second period took a turn for the worst. The Predators looked like they might have had something going, and then Sissons got himself sent to the box by tripping Charlie McAvoy. The Predators held off the Bruins for two minutes, but the Bruins sped down the ice right after the power play ended and Jake DeBrusk found the back of the net for the first time in his career. Ten minutes later, Charlie McAvoy did the same to put the Bruins up 3-1.
The third period began with teams trading shots for the first 17 minutes, neither side successfully finding the net until Brad Marchand found the net, scoring a shorthanded empty netter to go up 4-1. New Predator Scott Hartnell took a nice pass from Ryan Johansen with just more than 90 seconds remaining to bring the Predators within 2, and Filip Forsberg brought the Preds within 1 with only 35.7 seconds left, which is where the score stayed.
If one thing is the same with this team, it’s that the Nashville Predators are off to yet another slow start.
(NEW Count: 6)
Random Observations
- First powerplay of the season = more of the same. Lack of movement leading to a total of 0 SOG during those 2 minutes.
- Slashing is going to be called a lot this year. Players are going to have to adjust, and sooner rather than later if this team is going to be successful.
- Cody McLeod is already in midseason form, and someone really should’ve warned Adam McQuaid about him. If you mess with one of his teammates, or worse—try to trip McLeod himself, then you will end up with his fist flying toward your face.
- Arvidsson with a heads-up play to stay with the puck and find the back of the net
- There are definitely going to be some adjustments that will need to be made on the Predators PP/PK. If we know that this many penalties are going to be called, we can’t play like this on either side of the man advantage.
- Please get up Smitty.
- The new guys are transitioning well, that’s about it. None of them have played poorly but none of them have helped push this team to victory.
- Aaaaaaaand McAvoy scores. Great. Now we have to score twice.
- Subban has let the puck leave the offensive zone on the power play way to many times tonight.
- Smith back on the ice. Whew.
- Pekka is back to normal. Sort of.
- For a game with so many whistles, so few of them have been icing like that one was.
- WHAT A MOVE by Fiala! Too bad no one could finish.
- Well we’re finally playing like the Predators that won the Western Conference, but it would’ve been nice if this had happened a few periods earlier.
- Time to go 0/6 on the power play.
- Well that didn’t work. Weird. I totally thought it would.
- WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON
- That was a rollercoaster of emotions…
- Filip Forsberg was trying to score off Rask’s back all night and then finally did it with less than a minute left. /
OTF Super Duper Stars of the Game
- Viktor Arvidsson: Scored the Predators first goal of the season (He’s on pace for 82 goals this year). When he wasn’t scoring, boy was he hustling.
- Pekka Rinne: Yes, he gave up 3 goals. He also made a number of great saves to keep it at that.
- Scott Hartnell: Scores his first goal in his first game back to give the Preds a sliver of hope.
Tweets of the Night
IT’S TIME!!! Wrigley is ready!!! @PredsNHL @Gnash00 @NHLonNBCSports #wrigley #preds #HockeyIsBack #yay #GoPreds pic.twitter.com/mj2apzT4Oa
— reagan (@reaganmandile) October 5, 2017
james neal would have stopped that
— J.R. Lind (@jrlind) October 5, 2017
Boston knows this is like, regular season hockey, right? They are weirdly quiet. Or is this a P.K. thing? #Preds #NSHvsBOS
— R.H. Thompson (@rh_thompson) October 6, 2017
The second period took 44 minutes to complete.
— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) October 6, 2017
If you wondered if the Preds’ shot rates look as listless and apathetic on paper as they do on the ice, oh boy do they ever.
— Kate 🖇 (@statswithkate) October 6, 2017
SCORESBERG IS BACK
— Lets Go Predators (@LetsGoPreds1) October 6, 2017