One of these days the Stars and the Predators are going to have a great rivalry. The seed is already there, and just needs time to grow. There is still some work to be done, as Dallas is a fringe playoff team (as was expected this year) and Nashville still has some work to do. Still, these games are anything but dull.
The Predators found themselves down by two goals in the first period, and were playing catchup all night. It seemed that every time they would start chipping away at the deficit, the Stars had an answer for them. Patric Hornqvist got Nashville on the board, but Colton Sceviour and Alex Chiasson extended the lead to 4-2. Less than two minutes after Michael Del Zotto got his team within a goal, Trevor Daley was given credit for a Roman Josi own-goal. It ended up being too much for the Preds, and the Stars were able to keep their playoff hopes alive for the time being.
Random Observations
- Pekka Rinne has been have a rough go as of late. Excluding his shutout against Chicago, he has not posted a save percentage above .900 since March 14, also against the Blackhawks. Pretty curious decision for Trotz to keep him in the entire game, but I suppose to lack of playoff implications had something to do with it. Nothing was going to be harmed except it pride. If you’re reading this, Pekka, click this and feel better.
- For most of the game, the Predators got owned in the shot department. However, Hornqvist was having none of that, as he had X of Nashville’s XX shots through the entire game. I’m not even mad. That’s amazing.
- In case you missed it or are interested, Rich Peverley held a press conference before the game. You can check it out here.
- Both Josi and Shea Weber put the puck into their own net tonight. If it’s possible for one own goal to hurt more than the other, Weber’s might have since Cody Eakin scored just nine seconds after that. Boom goes the dynamite.
- Say what you will about the signings in the offseason, Eric Nystrom has been a solid pickup. He tied his career high of 21 points by picking up a goal tonight, and could very well break that in the remaining games. Unfortunately, this team is full of Eric Nystroms, sooooo…..
And because you all probably need a pick me up on a Friday night, here’s some Judas Priest:
Boxscore – Game Summary – Event Summary
Roll the video highlights…