It’s bad enough that the Predators are coming off of back-to-back losses, but to make it worse, they were shutout in both of them.
It isn’t getting any easier tonight either as they visit one of the league’s top teams in the New York Rangers. It also doesn’t help that both of the Rangers’ goaltenders post a goals against average of below 2.00.
Let’s not waste any more time with this one.
The New York Rangers
Tonight’s Opponent
Tonight’s Opponent
As I mentioned earlier, the Rangers are one of the top teams in the NHL this year. That’s not to mention that they are 9-1-0 in their last ten games. They have been dominant on both ends of the ice, and have no signs of slowing that down. Let’s look at the numbers (via Sporting Charts).
The Rangers rank 5th in the league in goals per game average and are 1st in the league in goals against average. They are probably the most well rounded team the Preds’ have played all season.
A good sign for New York is that it isn’t all falling on Rick Nash’s shoulders. Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard are stepping up to the plate in a big way. They have been able to take some of the pressure off Nash and have added multiple scoring threats to this team.
It isn’t always about the offense though for the Rangers. Their defense and goaltending have been outstanding this year. Henrik Lundqvist is posting a a 1.85 GAA and Annti Raanta is at 1.25 Even if they weren’t scoring goals, they would still be in a lot of games because of these two guys. This could be another long night for Nashville.
The Nashville Predators
There isn’t really a lot that needs to be said here. The Predators need to start scoring, and they need to start fast. Two back to back shutouts are starting to make Preds’ fans feel a little uneasy.
There are plenty of guys that could step up and right the ship, but one guy in particular is Filip Forsberg. I can’t even remember the last time he scored a goal. I lied, it’s been 15 games since he scored. 15!!! That is a long streak for a guy who was such a breakout scorer last year.
It doesn’t all fall on him though. It starts with getting the right game plan together by the coaches. It also starts with getting back to playing solid defense to keep them in the game late. It needs to be an all around effort to make certain they don’t extend this streak of being shutout tonight.
Reasons To Watch
- Nashville has to score tonight, right? They have to! This is going to be my only reason to watch tonight. It has been 6 full days since they last scored. Now its just getting comical./
Drink Of Choice For Game Time
Is it too early for egg nog?? WIth the Holidays right around the corner, I don’t think so.
Sights And Sounds
FS-TN for TV and 102.5 for radio. We have a 6:00 pm CST start time tonight so don’t be late.