Nashville Predators 3, Dallas Stars 1: David Legwand Powers the Predators to Back-to-Back Wins

The Nashville Predators won mightily over the New York Rangers on Tuesday. With new division rival, the Dallas Stars, coming to town for the first time this season, the Preds mission was twofold. Build off the win at MSG, and let the Stars know the Preds aren’t going to remain in the Central cellar without a fight.

The power play was a huge part of the Predators game tonight. Erik Cole opened the scoring with a ridiculous backhand that Carter Hutton never saw. Then, something absolutely magical. With Shawn Horcoff already in the box, Brenden Dillon airmailed a puck about 180 feet to give the Preds a 5-on-3. David Legwand set up Patric Hornqvist on the first power play before notching a PPG himself 28 seconds later.

Random Observations

Hutton looked as good as he has all season. Sure, he’s still a marginal NHL backup, but who is going to argue if both goalies are playing well. My trust is still in Marek Mazanic, but you’ll hear no complaints from me if Hutts plays like this more often than not.
Jamie Benn is already an established NHL name. With Tyler Seguin already giving the proverbial finger to the Bruins organization, and young kids like Alex Chiasson and Valeri Nichushkin waiting to take on bigger roles, this team is going to be trouble in the near future.
David Legwand is doing his best to put pressure on the Nashville brass. With a goal and an assist tonight, the decision on whether to sign him or let him walk is going to be something to think about. Odds are, his production isn’t nearly going to be as good as it is this season. However, it would be emotional to have the Original Predator be a Pred for life. I have no problem bringing him back, assuming the price tag is reasonable, but I also think there are some good players that money could be spent on this summer. What say you?
Both Colin Wilson and Gabriel Bourque had primo scoring chance in the first period, and both managed to have the puck go right through their stick. No bueno, muchachos.

Two whole wins. In a row! That’s like, double than what we started with tonight. The Predators (15-14-3) are now tied with the Stars with 33 points. While the Stars are still ahead of the team because they’ve played less games, the Winnipeg Jets now own sole possession of last place in the Central. Everyone, say it with me:

Boxscore – Game Summary – Event Summary – Fancy Stats

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Random Observations

Talking Points