Ottawa Senators 2, Nashville Predators 1: Another shootout loss
The Nashville Predators' shootout woes cost them again tonight, as they dropped a 2-1 decision to the Ottawa Senators. The Sens took the lead on a first period goal by Kyle Turris, but Mike Fisher tied things up by scoring against his former teammates in the second. Marek Mazanec made 20 saves on 21 shots, as his record moves to 8-9-4.
In the shootout, both Mike Zabanejad and Jason Spezza scored for Ottawa, while both Craig Smith and David Legwand failed to connect for Nashville. The Preds have now scored only 1 of 19 shootout attempts, the second-worst success rate in the league, ahead of only New Jersey. The loss drops Nashville to 0-5 in shootout games this season.
There's no rest for the 19-20-7 Predators as they welcome in the Minnesota Wild for another 6 p.m. start tomorrow night at Bridgestone Arena. The Loser Point from tonight draws Nashville to within two points of Dallas for 5th place in the Central Division, although the Stars hold two games in hand.
Random Observations
- That Ekholm giveaway leading to the opening goal by Turris was pretty bad, as it was sent into the boards at too direct an angle, so the puck popped right into the slot for Turris while Klein expected it to carom around the boards. I can't help but think Klein shouldn't have played that so deeply below the goal line, however. With forechecking pressure on, somebody has to protect the front of the net.
- On the other end, Fisher's goal shows the benefits of hanging out in the prime scoring areas. Sometimes the puck comes your way unexpectedly, which can lead to the juiciest scoring chances of all.
- In a chat with our old pal Sam Page, the notion came up that after Shea Weber, Ryan Ellis might be the most physical Preds defenseman. Kyle Turris may well agree with that after that hit early in the overtime.
Boxscore - Game Summary - Event Summary - Fancy Stats
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