The Predators were riding high after their successful 12 day road trip, in which they amassed a 4-2 record. Even though they were finally able to skate on their own ice, it was going to be a short homestand as the team heads back to St. Louis on Thursday.
Usually, Preds fans get a little nervous anytime Nashville squares up with the Oilers, but something about this year just seems different. The Preds are firing on all cylinders, the team looks good, the top players are the top players, and they are getting timely scoring.
All of that happened tonight. A three-goal first period propelled the Preds to a win against their Canadian adversaries, and kept them sitting pretty on top of the Central division. They’ve now won three games in a row, which is their longest win streak of the season.
Random Observations
- There may be a day when Nashville gets some significant production from their bottom three lines, but it is not this day. Sure, the second line put up a tally (more on that in a second) but the Predators have been carried by the play of Mike Ribeiro, James Neal and Filip Forsberg for most of the year. That was no different tonight as those three had five points between them.
- I think Matt Cullen spent the first part of the season on a quest for the fountain of youth. His goal in the first period was something out of a movie, and could be a candidate for goal of the year. While the second line may not be as dominant as we’ve seen it at times this season, there’s no denying Cullen’s presence has given them a boost.
- So much America on the scoresheet for that Cullen goal.
- Have you heard about this kid, Filip Forsberg? 17 points in 15 games, including a goal that fused through Viktor Fasth. He even has some of his extracurricular skill on display. Eventually, his shooting percentage will regress a little bit and he’ll go through a bit of a cold spell, but that’s ok. We’ve already seen how great he is, and all talented players go through one. Until that happens, just enjoy the heck out of the ride.
- Nashville let Edmonton come back into the game toward the end, but the game was already way out of hand. Not only did the Preds pot three on Fasth (which caused Ben Scrivens to come in the game) but they decimated in shot attempts. The team put up 50 even strength shot attempts to the Oilers 28.
OTF’s Super Duper Stars of the Game
- These two Edmonton fans.
- Filip Forsberg – We may just have to chisel his name into one of these spots.
- Gnash – Welcome back, old friend. Did you see that freaking get up?/
Boxscore – Game Summary – Event Summary – War-on-Ice – HockeyStats – Natural Stat Trick
Roll the video highlights…