On the Forecheck

Predators scoreboard watch: Go Buffalo, Go!

2010-03-13T23:12:43Z

Nashville Predators fans want to see Derek Roy and the rest of the Buffalo Sabres win in regulation tonight in Detroit.

There's only one big game that Nashville Predators fans need to keep an eye on this evening, as the Buffalo Sabres head into Joe Louis Arena to take on the Red Wings.

Detroit currently sits in 9th place in the West, 3 points back of Nashville but with tonight's game in hand on the Predators. Starting Monday, the Red Wings head out on a western Canada road trip that begins in Calgary.

Feel free to jump into the comments below to discuss tonight's action...

Weekend Linkage: Rinne 1st star, Cam Barker gets a second chance?

2010-03-13T14:28:13Z

As Predator Nation lets out a deep sigh of relief after last night's victory, its time to catch up on your morning news. A somewhat abbreviated version this morning, but interesting nonetheless. Is Chicago in deep cap trouble? Can the Blues make another push? Continue after the jump for this, more, and Pekka Rinne's 1st star selection.

Before you do, however, check out this great piece from Jessica Bliss of The Tennessean. It profiles Craig "Partner" Baugh, the Predators' equipment manager. Get this: Joe Thornton gave him a hug. If Jumbo Joe hugs you, you're cool.

h/t to SBN user howdy2u for the link

About Last Night...

Postgame thoughts from John Glennon. [Preds Insider]
Buddy's recap from last night. That one felt good, huh? [POTG]
See Puck City is pleased with his birthday present last night- a Predator victory. [SPC]
Mark was impressed with Nashville's ability to play the full 60 minutes last night. After the Sharks game, I was too. [The View From 111]
Pekka Rinne was named the NHL's 1st star of the night last night:
The Predators picked up all 8 of the points deemed necessary in their first seven game stretch. The sky isn't falling! Huzzah!

Around the NHL

Cam Barker disappointed as an elite prospect in Chicago. Will he flourish as a member of the Minnesota Wild? [The Sporting News]
Lest we forget, the St. Louis Blues were in the very same playoff situation last year, and went 9-1-1 to make the dance. They only need to win 10 out of 16 this year. [STL Today]
Hawerchuk looks at the biggest brawls of the past 23 years from a penalty minutes perspective, complete with video! [BTN]
James O'Brien (and myself) is expecting cap hell for the Blackhawks this summer. Might the Predators be interested in RFAs Patrick Sharp or Kris Versteeg? [Pro Hockey Talk]
Scott Cullen attempts to gauge players by their "intangibles", and not their typical statistics. [TSN]

Finally, checking in on the playoff race, the Stars dropped another one last night. Like Anaheim, they are all but out of it. [Defending Big D]

Pekka Rinne earns 4th shutout as Nashville gets critical 1-0 win at Anaheim

2010-03-13T06:04:36Z

More photos » Lori Shepler - AP

Anaheim penalties ultimately helped Nashville win tonight, as Aaron Ward (4) had boarded Martin Erat just before this picture was taken in the first period.

Browse more photos »

Pekka Rinne answered the hopes of Nashville Predators fans by earning his 4th shutout of the season tonight, stopping 31 Anaheim shots as the Preds took a 1-0 win on the road. The win pushed Nashville two points ahead of Calgary in 7th place heading into the weekend.

Follow after the jump for reaction, and advanced even-strength statistics. Video highlights are available via the widget in the sidebar to your right...

It's a cruel truth of hockey that over the course of an 82-game season a team will play some great games that they lose, and some poor games that they end up winning. Tonight the Predators certainly didn't play as well as they did last night in San Jose, for any number of reasons (physical and mental fatigue primarily). I'm sure Barry Trotz won't fail to take advantage of this opportunity to log the win, while at the same time point out to his players the mistakes they need to correct before playing at Los Angeles Sunday afternoon.

Rinne was generally sound in the Nashville net, although he did take some big risks with the puck at times (a backhanded pass up-ice as a forechecker came at him, dishing off a puck in his glove to the defense rather than freezing it, etc.), but he did get the job done to earn his first shutout since February 2nd against Phoenix, when the Coyotes' Ilya Bryzgalov matched his feat and did him one better by winning a shootout.

Special teams was a bright spot once again as the lone goal came in the first period from Shea Weber during a 5-on-3 advantage; his slap shot from 42 feet beat Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller cleanly, and that was all the scoring for the night. The penalty killers took care of both Anaheim chances, and in an odd twist, the teams played over seven minutes of four-on-four action due to coincidental and overlapping penalties on various occasions.

While the Predators were able to hold on during the third period as the Ducks get desperate, it seemed too often that Nashville was content to trade chances rather than lock things down and run out the clock. Neutral zone turnovers and forecheckers getting caught deep allowed Anaheim to build up speed across the line more than once in the final twenty minutes, and Rinne was kept busy until the very end.

All in all, however, it was a satisfying road win, and the Preds will gladly take it. So far they are 2-1 on this critical road trip, and have an opportunity to really make some noise against the Kings on Sunday. Tomorrow, the Detroit Red Wings (in 9th, 3 points back) host Buffalo, while Calgary doesn't play until Sunday evening at Vancouver.

After spending this week on the road, the Predators return home for three games next week, Tuesday vs. the Philadelphia Flyers, Thursday vs. the Minnesota Wild, and Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. For cheap tickets to these, or any other Nashville Predators home game, follow this link and use the special offer code "PREDS".

Once again, Colin Wilson sticks out like a green thumb with his positive performance tonight. His size and strength help him fit in very well on the wing where he can win his fair share of battles along the boards, and he very nearly scored in the third period off a crossing pass from David Legwand.

Jordin Tootoo also had a fine game; he helped drive the play towards the Anaheim net constantly, and almost scored as well. Give full marks to Hiller for a strong game on his end.

		Individual Totals					Team Totals While Player Is On Ice
Player	Pos	EV TOI	Shots	Shts Blkd	Missed Shts	Blocks	SOG For	SOG Ag	SOG +/-	Tot SF	Tot SA	Corsi
David Legwand	C	16:29	2	0	1	0	8	9	-1	11	15	-4
Joel Ward	R	15:58	3	0	0	0	5	12	-7	7	18	-11
Steve Sullivan	L	15:29	1	0	0	0	4	10	-6	6	12	-6
Jerred Smithson	R	15:23	0	0	0	0	6	9	-3	8	14	-6
Jason Arnott	C	14:42	3	0	2	0	9	6	3	14	9	5
Martin Erat	R	14:37	1	1	1	0	8	6	2	13	9	4
Patric Hornqvist	R	13:30	3	0	0	1	4	10	-6	5	11	-6
Dustin Boyd	C	12:36	2	1	0	0	6	8	-2	8	10	-2
Marcel Goc	C	11:21	2	0	1	0	3	7	-4	6	14	-8
Colin Wilson	C	11:00	0	1	1	0	8	3	5	12	6	6
Jordin Tootoo	R	9:49	3	0	1	0	7	0	7	10	6	4
J P Dumont	R	9:39	0	0	0	0	7	4	3	12	11	1
Francis Bouillon	D	21:48	0	0	0	0	9	11	-2	11	15	-4
Kevin Klein	D	20:54	1	1	0	2	8	10	-2	11	17	-6
Ryan Suter	D	20:35	2	0	0	1	10	11	-1	14	19	-5
Shea Weber	D	19:09	1	0	0	2	10	8	2	14	15	-1
Dan Hamhuis	D	18:31	1	0	0	1	8	14	-6	15	21	-6
Cody Franson	D	11:11	1	1	1	0	7	7	0	13	10	3

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

Pekka Rinne, 31 saves, shutout

66 votes

Shea Weber, PP goal

2 votes

68 votes | Poll has closed

Predators Game Thread #68 : Nashville @ Anaheim

2010-03-13T01:00:25Z

No pressure, eh? Read up on your Game Day Preview, and hope that "horrendous things" are in the Preds' rear-view mirror.

Nashville Predators reassign Alexander Sulzer to Milwaukee

2010-03-13T00:16:12Z

With yet another flick of the yo-yo, the Nashville Predators have reassigned defenseman Alexander Sulzer to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL. Shea Weber is just about 100%, and Cody Franson brings much more to the lineup, so out goes Alex.

From the Nashville Predators:

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced
today that the club has reassigned defenseman Alexander Sulzer to Milwaukee (AHL).

Sulzer, 25 (5/30/84), played Tuesday in Atlanta after being recalled under emergency conditions on March 8. The Kaufbeuren, Germany native has a pair of assists in 19 games for the Predators in 2009-10
and has posted 22 points (5g-17a) in 22 games at the American Hockey League level. The 6-1, 196-pound blueliner represented Germany for the second consecutive Olympics in Vancouver last month.

Nashville Predators ownership meets Metro Sports Authority request

2010-03-12T19:05:20Z

J.R. Lind at the Nashville Post reports that at this morning's meeting of the Metro Sports Authority, the Nashville Predators ownership group met the demands of the Sports Authority, and waived their right to exercise an early termination clause in their lease for the next two summers. They also agreed to provide guarantees to cover David Freeman's ownership stake in the event of a team bankruptcy.

[Team chairman Tom] Cigarran said the owners are happy to waive those early-termination rights, as they had no intention of moving the team anyway.

"We're determined to keep the team in the city," he said. "We all made our investment in the Predators for one reason: to keep the team in Nashville. To have the team in Nashville would say something about the city."

Lind also reports that average paid attendance now stands at 13,906, continuing the post-New Year's positive trend on that front (up from 13,793 as reported last month).

Perhaps now the Sports Authority can stop wasting everybody's time with this non-issue and get down to the importance business of stressing out over tonight's game at Anaheim?

Friday's notes: "The San Jose Horror" lingers

2010-03-12T14:54:01Z

Last night's loss in San Jose could simply be chalked up as one of the inevitable bumps along the long road of the NHL season, but given the tight race Nashville is in with Calgary and Detroit, and the fact that only 15 games remain on the schedule, that missed opportunity still stings.

The question, obviously, is how the Preds will respond tonight at Anaheim. As we've seen in the past, I expect the skaters to come out and play well, but they need to get into playoff mode NOW. With a third-period lead, they need to commit to keeping players on the right side of the puck and focus solid team defense (which has been sorely lacking this season). And it would help if a goaltender got hot, too.

After the jump, we have some surprisingly frank and heartfelt reaction to the loss by Barry Trotz and Dan Ellis, along with the rest of your hockey news...

Predators News

Predators suffer perhaps worst loss of the season - Nashville City Paper
Here's an eye-popping quote from the normally level-headed Barry Trotz: "Then in the third period they got the two goals to tie it up. Then the fifth and sixth goals were some of the most horrendous things that ever happened to me."

Twitter / Dan Ellis: Nightmare!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...
Give full credit to Dan for offering up an honest opinion of last night's game on Twitter.

What The Puck: 3/11/10 - Nashville at San Jose: L 5-8
Rachel celebrates the fact that #split28 finally occurred last night. I noted how well Klein & Bouillon played together in my recap, but I neglected to fully give Trotz credit for breaking up the disastrous Hamhuis/Klein pairing.

Preds fail to play 60 minutes once again, lose to Sharks… | Section 303
Well, at least Jeremy notes that J.P. Dumont had his 500th career point last night.

The View from 111: Preds Embarrassed When They Find Out the Game Lasts 60 Minutes, Not 40, Drop 8-5 Decision to Sharks
Mark hopes that the taste of this defeat sticks with the team, and that it motivates them to play a more complete game tonight at Anaheim.

See Puck City: Preds Forget That Games Are 60 Minutes - Allow 6 Goals In The 3rd: 8-5 Sharks
Perhaps SPC sums up the 3rd period best: "our boys dropped trou, gave San Jose a Sharpie and fell into a coma."

Swiftwick increases their branding commitment with the Predators - Nashville Predators Examiner
Jim Diamond brings news that the Preds have a new corporate sponsorship that graces one of their two Zambonis.

Around the NHL

McLellan a little sour after 8-5 win - Working the Corners
Well boo-hoo...

A play-in for the playoffs - The Globe and Mail
I'm sorry, I love Eric Duhatschek as a hockey writer, but adding any kind of "play-in" to the Stanley Cup Playoffs is dumb, Dumb, DUMB. If 82 games isn't enough to decide who gets in, why is 83? Or 84?

50 Percent On Draft Day - Hockey or Die
Kudos to a number of bloggers who are calling out Edmonton Oilers President Kevin Lowe for his recent statement that he'd like to get to a hit rate of 50% of draft picks becoming solid NHL players. Jonathan Willis points out that no team has done this more than twice in the last 25 years.

Lightning promotion seeks your lines of rhymes - Raw Charge
Now this is a fun promotion... "There once was a coach named Rick Tocchet..."

Free Falling Thrashers Playoff Chances Collapse - Bird Watchers Anonymous
The Falconer is about ready to throw in the towel on another disappointing season in Atlanta.

The Fantastic Freefall of Jonathan Cheechoo - View From My Seats
Matt Reitz chronicles the journey of Jonathan Cheechoo from NHL-leading goal scorer to the AHL in just 3.5 seasons.

How Long is the Olympic Hangover? - Behind The Net
Well, I'm guessing Jaromir Jagr's still pretty groggy after the big hit by Ovechkin...

Predators Game Day Preview: Nashville @ Anaheim

2010-03-12T14:03:22Z

The Nashville Predators take on the Anaheim Ducks tonight, and are tied for the final playoff spot in the West with 77 points after Calgary and Detroit won last night. The Ducks are out of sight in the playoff picture, but the Preds need to keep them on their mind and come up with an effort that mirrors last night's first two periods.

The Predators may have fallen, but who says they can't get up?

Nashville coming in

Lots of good. More bad. Read this. At this point, I have no idea if we make the playoffs. But know this: tonight's game will be the biggest barometer of how this team handles adversity. Last night's game was indeed rough, but for me, the blame is mostly on Dan Ellis. Sure, we could talk about how Toronto gave us the shaft, but the fact is Ellis should've had several of the goals he let in. The power play looked downright awesome at times against the Sharks, and throughout the game the Predators showed a better propensity for pulling the trigger on shots. They need to pepper Jonas Hiller tonight.

Anaheim coming in

Turning it over to Arthur at Anaheim Calling:

The Ducks may not have eliminated themselves from the playoffs mathematically, but they've certainly squandered any advantage granted them by the architects of this year's NHL schedule. What started as a seven game homestand, 8 of their first 9 at The Pond to open the month of March, is now a tough final 16 games. Seven of the remaining sixteen will be road games, ten against playoff teams and three played on the tail end of back to backs. The table suddenly looks impossible to run on this side of a four-game losing streak.

Who's hot

Heroic effort in last night's loss.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Colin Wilson	20	5	4	9	-4	0	1	0	2	0	32	15.6

Who's not

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Steve Sullivan	67	12	28	40	-7	29	4	0	3	0	122	9.8

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - David Legwand	67	10	24	34	-2	24	0	1	3	0	124	8.1

The Guys in Goal

Since we played last night, and Ellis started, we can safely assume Pekka Rinne will get the go.

Pekka Rinne

#35 / Goalie / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-5

Weight: 206

Born: Nov 03, 1982

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Pekka Rinne	44	2388	22	13		112	2.81	1125	1013	.900	3

For the Ducks, Swiss Olympian Jonas Hiller has given them great hope for the future.

Jonas Hiller

#1 / Goalie / Anaheim Ducks

Height: 6-2

Weight: 193

Born: Feb 12, 1982

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Jonas Hiller	50	2859	26	20		133	2.79	1586	1453	.916	2

Projected Lineups

Colin Wilson has been highly effective on the first line, with 3 points in two games, and Shea Weber returned last night.

Forwards

Wilson - Arnott - Erat

Ward - Legwand - Smithson

Sullivan - Goc - Hornqvist

Tootoo - Boyd - Wilson

Defense

Suter - Weber

Hamhuis - Franson

Klein- Bouillon

Since we last saw them, the Ducks have acquired Jason Blake and Lubomir Visnovsky.

Forwards

Ryan - Getzlaf - Perry

Blake- Koivu - Sexton

Beleskey - Marchant - Bodie

Brown - Chipchura - Parros

Defense

Neidermayer - Wisneiwski

Visnovsky - Ward

Brookbank- Eminger

Fearless Prediction

The Ducks are reeling, and all but mathematically eliminated from the playoff chase. Barry Trotz can't be pleased with the meltdown last night, and I expect Nashville to come out blazing (at least until fatigue kicks in from playing two nights in a row). The power play has been clicking, but so is the Ducks', so the penalty kill must dig deep tonight. Colin Wilson, Cody Franson, and Patric Hornqvist led the team to the 3rd period on Thursday. Jason Arnott, Shea Weber, and Steve Sullivan must pick up the slack. This is not a playoff team without their production.

Predators 3, Ducks 0. Rinne stakes a claim to the job for the rest of the year, and the power play strikes again.

Nashville Predators set franchise records in 3rd period collapse at San Jose

2010-03-12T06:58:50Z

More photos » Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

Center Colin Wilson had one of his best games yet with a goal and an assist, but it wasn't enough for the Preds.

Browse more photos »

Try as they might, the Nashville Predators just can't seem to find a hot goalie these days. After having looked good beating the Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday, Dan Ellis was rewarded with tonight's start and suffered an absolute meltdown in the third period, giving up four 3rd-period goals and getting pulled in favor of Pekka Rinne with just 5:20 left in the contest. Ultimately, the Preds lost to the Sharks 8-5 in a wild contest.

Nashville tied the franchise record for goals given up in a game (8), which has now been done five times (the last on April 10, 2009, last season's finale, at Minnesota). By giving up six goals in the 3rd, the Preds also blew away the old team record (4) for goals allowed in a single period. They also tied the record for most goals scored by both teams in a road game (13), which has been done twice before (last on November 6, 2008 at Calgary, a 7-6 loss). On the positive side, they did set a new team record for shots in a game on the road with 45, beating the previous record of 44. The eight total goals in the third also set a franchise record for both teams in a single period.

What's most frustrating about this game is that through the first two periods, the Preds dominated San Jose. At that point they led 4-2, and had a shots on goal advantage of 34-11. The young guns led the way, as Patric Hornqvist scored twice, with Colin Wilson and Cody Franson also notching two points each. J.P. Dumont also had his best game in some time, scoring twice in relatively limited action.

Follow after the jump for the recap, and advanced stats. As always, video highlights will be available on the right sidebar...

Those first two periods featured some fine hockey by Nashville; all four lines were getting pressure and the Preds seemed (barely) one step ahead of the conference-leading Sharks. Twice Nashville jumped out to one-goal leads on Hornqvist scores, but each time San Jose answered back quickly. When Dumont and Wilson scored in the latter part of the second period to give Nashville a 4-2 lead, however, it looked like the Preds were on their way to victory (associated coach Brent Peterson even gave an optimistic "20 minutes to victory!" to Pete & Terry before the start of the 3rd).

Things began to turn sour, however, when an apparent Nashville goal was waved off late in the second while they were still up 3-2. Dustin Boyd was heading to the net as the puck came through, and was tied up with San Jose defenseman Kent Huskins. Huskins swept his leg forward, which in the process moved Boyd's leg, and the puck was knocked into the net (by whose skate, it wasn't clear). Either way, it certainly wasn't a kick by Boyd, but that's what the referees ruled and the goal was waved off.

After Dany Heatley opened the scoring in the 3rd period to make it 4-3, it was Manny Malhotra's turn for a video review. He definitely kicked a puck towards the net, and when looking at the video, the only question was whether he tapped it with his stick on the way in (which would make it a valid goal). The review that came back, however, said that it wasn't a kick at all, so the goal stood. To have two critical calls like that go against you on the road against the best team in your conference is brutal way to play a hockey game, but even after that, the game was tied 4-4.

Six minutes later, a Joe Pavelski goal gave San Jose a 5-4 lead, and all looked lost. J.P. Dumont answered shortly thereafter, however, tipping home a shot by Kevin Klein. It was now 5-5, with 6:34 left. Crunch time.

That, unfortunately, is when the roof caved in. Pavelski came down the wing and threw a desperation shot on net after spinning around, a shot which beat Ellis cleanly from a bad angle. Barry Trotz made the call for Pekka Rinne to go in, but there was no "changing the luck" this time. Patrick Marleau extended the Sharks' lead to 7-5 with a wrister that beat Rinne over the shoulder, and San Jose added an empty-netter for the final 8-5 margin.

Is Dan Ellis finished in Nashville?

The last time the Predators were in San Jose, Ellis gave up a last-minute goal to Dan Boyle that cost Nashville the game, and set the stage for Pekka Rinne to get most of the goaltending work over the next several weeks. After tonight's effort, I wouldn't be surprised to see Rinne get the vast majority of starts down the stretch. For Barry Trotz to pull his goalie in the final minutes like that, it speaks to a high degree of frustration at seeing two crucial points in the standings drift away.

Detroit and Calgary both won tonight, drawing them closer to Nashville in the Western Conference standings. The Preds remained in 7th, but only by a tiebreaker over Calgary, and one point ahead of Detroit in 9th place.

After spending this week on the road, the Predators play their next home game Tuesday, March 16 against the Philadelphia Flyers. For cheap tickets to this, or any Nashville Predators home game, follow this link and use the special offer code "PREDS".

What jumps out in looking at the advanced even-strength stats is that firstly, Colin Wilson led the forwards in EV ice time; it was well-deserved, as he looked great out there. Marcel Goc was also outstanding (7 shots including special teams work), and the defensive duo of Kevin Klein with Francis Bouillon really seemed to work well. Shea Weber had a rough night in his return to the lineup, as he and Ryan Suter finished with the worst numbers on the club tonight (a very, very rare occurrence).

		Individual Totals					Team Totals While Player Is On Ice
Player	Pos	EV TOI	Shots	Shts Blkd	Missed Shts	Blocks	SOG For	SOG Ag	SOG +/-	Tot SF	Tot SA	Corsi
Colin Wilson	C	17:34	4	2	0	1	13	8	5	20	17	3
Jason Arnott	C	17:06	4	1	0	0	11	7	4	17	18	-1
Joel Ward	R	15:51	1	1	0	1	8	4	4	18	14	4
Martin Erat	R	15:32	1	0	0	2	9	8	1	16	16	0
Marcel Goc	C	14:18	6	1	1	0	9	5	4	14	10	4
Patric Hornqvist	R	13:49	2	1	0	0	10	5	5	16	11	5
Jerred Smithson	R	13:13	0	0	0	2	5	4	1	10	13	-3
Steve Sullivan	L	12:51	1	0	1	0	8	5	3	15	11	4
David Legwand	C	12:37	0	1	1	1	7	5	2	16	13	3
Dustin Boyd	C	7:26	0	1	1	1	6	2	4	10	9	1
J P Dumont	R	7:23	2	0	0	0	6	2	4	11	9	2
Jordin Tootoo	R	6:34	2	0	0	0	5	2	3	8	9	-1
Francis Bouillon	D	18:25	1	1	1	2	16	5	11	25	16	9
Kevin Klein	D	17:34	0	1	1	1	14	4	10	22	13	9
Cody Franson	D	17:16	0	1	2	1	13	5	8	21	17	4
Ryan Suter	D	16:46	2	1	0	3	5	10	-5	13	20	-7
Dan Hamhuis	D	16:30	5	0	0	3	14	6	8	22	17	5
Shea Weber	D	15:31	1	2	2	3	2	8	-6	9	17	-8

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

J.P. Dumont, 2 goals

12 votes

Patric Hornqvist, 2 goals

31 votes

Colin Wilson, goal & assist

19 votes

62 votes | Poll has closed

Predators Game Thread #67 : Nashville @ San Jose

2010-03-12T02:30:19Z

Tom Callahan reports that Shea Weber is likely to suit up tonight, so put that extra pot of coffee on and join us for the West Coast Late Late Show!

And keep an eye on that out of town scoreboard; Minnesota visits Detroit in an early game, and Calgary hosts Ottawa. Looking ahead in the standings rather than behind, the Colorado Avalanche are at home against Florida.

What do the Nashville Predators need more? A star player, or star owner?

2010-03-11T21:42:41Z

Andrew Sharp over at SB Nation threw out an interesting question for discussion relative to the NBA's New Jersey Nets, but it applies just as well for the Nashville Predators; given the choice between a superstar player and a deep-pocketed owner, which is better for a franchise?

Obviously, there are a lot of external factors in play. Is the owner going to shut up and sign checks, or will he be a Jerry Jones-type, prowling the sidelines and inserting himself into personnel decisions? And what about the draft pick? There are definitely some can't-miss players that you would make this question moot-Lebron James, for instance, makes everyone forget about a bad owner. But we're talking in hypotheticals here.

Without any knowledge of the owner's style or the top player in the draft class, which would you choose? The insanely rich guy, or the insanely talented guy?

Here in Nashville, Craig Leopold was obviously the pivotal force in the creation of the franchise, but I don't think anyone would say he was among the NHL's elite in terms of ability to bring resources to bear and pay what it takes to build a Stanley Cup contender consistently. The current ownership group, as heroic as their efforts have been to keep the Preds here, have to manage the team closely to budget and are constrained by the amount of debt they had to take on to buy the team.

On the ice, outside of a few years of Paul Kariya past his prime and a month or so of Peter Forsberg, the team has yet to field a true superstar talent that could generate interest outside the core hockey fan base.

So, Nashville Predators fans, which would you take?

Poll

Which would you rather have for the Nashville Predators?

A superstar player (i.e. Crosby, Ovechkin)

64 votes

A zillionairre, committed owner

112 votes

176 votes | Poll has closed

Thursday's news: Chris Chelios is so old...

2010-03-11T15:09:27Z

This morning there are any number of interesting hockey stories to keep a fan occupied. NHL general managers have finally proposed a penalty for head shots, Sidney Crosby's stick & glove from the Olympics have been found, and of course the Predators have a big game on tap tonight in San Jose.

But perhaps the most remarkable story is the return of 48-year-old Chris Chelios to the NHL, and the host of internet jokes that are welcoming him back...

Predators News

Preds On The Glass: Preds Ready for Test in San Jose and Thursday Thoughts
Buddy reminds us that by getting the start tonight, Dan Ellis has the chance to make up for a disappointing loss in San Jose last November.

California Dreamin... and an HBR PReview. - Paul McCann
Paul has an update on the road trip he's organizing to follow the Preds to St. Louis later this month, it sounds like a healthy horde of Nashville fans will be invading Blues territory!

Predators Are Best Served On The Road " Michelle Kenneth’s Weblog
Sully, Toots, and Dan Ellis have been tearing it up on Twitter lately, and Michelle Kenneth shares the goodness with those of you who have been missing out.

Predators' Wilson is getting well on the ice - Nashville City Paper
David Boclair writes that Colin Wilson is still experiencing the groin injury that slowed him earlier this season, but will wait for the summer to take corrective action for it. Until then, he's playing through it - pretty darn well, I might add.

Around the NHL

Slumping Thrashers recall 48-year-old Chelios | ajc.com
Look, I know he's a villain for Preds fans, but this is just amazing.

The Best of "Chris Chelios is so old . . . " - Cult of Hockey
David Staples sums up the best Chelios jokes from Twitter (including a nod to @cellblock303).

Sharks Gameday: Pick your Poison - Fear The Fin
Sharks fans, as they look ahead to tonight's game, aren't scared of meeting the Preds in the playoffs. Can you blame them?

Observations from a 5-3 loss - The Dallas Morning News
Is it time to start shoveling dirt on the Dallas Stars, after a loss in Buffalo last night?

Matt Cooke: Comparing Hits and Suspensions - From The Rink
Mike Chen breaks down the video to compare four different big hits this season, and the related mystery of how Colin Campbell decides whether or not to suspend the player in question.

How Long is the Olympic Hangover? - Behind The Net
Well, I'm guessing Jaromir Jagr's still pretty groggy after the big hit by Ovechkin...

The mystery of the missing stick: How Crosby's golden gear almost wound up in Russian hands - The Globe and Mail
Canada breathes a sigh of relief as Sidney Crosby's missing glove and stick from the Olympics have been found.

Pick your poison - Mile High Hockey
As Colorado fans look ahead to the playoffs, there are teams that they certainly don't want to see in the first round. Nashville is one of them.

U.S. Senate candidate on how campaign 'stole' Columbus logo - Puck Daddy
The campaign for a Libertarian senatorial candidate in Oregon (who happens to be gay) was called out for appropriating the Columbus NHL team's logo. It turns out that he is not a supporter of that team, however. I'll leave the myriad cheap joke possibilities as an exercise for the reader.

Predators Game Day Preview: Nashville @ San Jose

2010-03-11T07:00:18Z

More photos » George Nikitin - AP

This guy needs to get going.

Browse more photos »

The Nashville Predators kick off a California road trip tonight, taking on the San Jose Sharks at HP Pavilion. The Predators are 36-25-5, have 77 points, and cling to the 7th spot in the West by two points over the Calgary Flames. The Sharks are 42-14-9, with 93 points, and lead the Western Conference by a slight margin over the Chicago Blackhawks. This is Nashville's final game against San Jose this year, and being a preview of a possible first round matchup, will be a good measuring stick for the Predators.

As always, below are your game breakdown, lineups, and prediction...

Nashville coming in

The Predators got a much needed win against the Thrashers to kick off their road trip, getting a power play marker from Ryan Suter and the game winner from rookie Colin Wilson. Dan Ellis was excellent in net, so it'll be interesting to see who gets the call from Barry '400' Trotz tonight.

The Predators' special teams have improved quite a bit, particularly the power play. The Preds scored power play goals against Vancouver and Atlanta, both without PP catalyst Shea Weber, and is up to 20th league wide with a 17.4% conversion rate. The penalty kill still toils near the bottom, but as newcomer Dustin Boyd is acclimated, we may see that number start to creep up.

San Jose coming in

The Sharks have reeled off three comeback wins in a row since the Olympic break, and are hoping to catch the Capitals in the race for the President's Trophy. As usual, the big question in San Jose is how the team will perform in the playoffs, and lately if Evgeni Nabokov is ready for the postseason.

The Sharks have an absolutely lethal special teams, with the power play at 4th in the NHL (22.2%) and the penalty kill in 2nd (86.2%). Obviously, if the Predators special teams really have turned the corner, they'll need a huge effort tonight on both ends of the ice. Check out the San Jose perspective of tonight's game here.

Who's hot

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Colin Wilson	19	4	3	7	-4	0	1	0	2	0	28	14.3

Who's not

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - David Legwand	66	10	23	33	0	22	0	1	3	0	122	8.2

The Guys in Goal

For the Preds, John Glennon reports that Trotz will return to the hot hand:

Dan Ellis

#39 / Goalie / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-0

Weight: 188

Born: Jun 19, 1980

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Dan Ellis	29	1599	14	12		69	2.59	796	727	.913	1

Perennial Vezina candidate, Russian Olympian, this guy has seen it all:

Evgeni Nabokov

#20 / Goalie / San Jose Sharks

Height: 6-0

Weight: 200

Born: Jul 25, 1975

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Evgeni Nabokov	56	3343	36	10		126	2.26	1726	1600	.927	2

Injury Report

Nashville Predators Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Shea Weber	upper body, questionable	03/05/2010
Denis Grebeshkov	lower body, out	03/07/2010

San Jose Sharks Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Marc-Edouard Vlasic	knee	01/30/2010

Projected Lineups

John Glennon says that Shea Weber skated yesterday, so he may be a game-time decision. Yay!

Forwards

Wilson - Arnott - Erat

Ward - Legwand - Smithson

Sullivan - Goc - Hornqvist

Tootoo - Boyd - Dumont

Belak/O'Reilly

Defense

Suter - Hamhuis

Bouillon - Klein

Franson - Sulzer

Weber

Looks like Scott Nichol will return from injury tonight, but if not, Ryan Vesce will take his place:

Forwards

Heatley - Thornton - Setoguchi

Marleau - Malhotra -Pavelski

Clowe - Nichol - McGinn

Staubitz - Mitchell - Ortmeyer

Defense

Wallin - Boyle

Murray - Blake

Huskins - Leach

Did you know?

Nabokov is 6-1 with a 1.99 GAA in his last seven starts against the Preds.
All three games in the season series have been by a score of 4-3
The Sharks have one of the highest faceoff percentages in the league (55.9%), with centers Manny Malhotra, Joe Pavelski, and Joe Thornton all excelling in the circle.

Fearless Prediction

Though Nashville has played fairly well in the last four games, they are still without two key defensemen, and are running into an offensive juggernaut in the Sharks. San Jose is one of the more balanced teams in the league, and can kill you in just about every facet of the game. I fully expect the Predators to play hard- it just won't be enough. San Jose 4, Nashville 2.

The OtF Facebook Page: Now with Wallpapers!

2010-03-11T01:30:20Z

The OtF Facebook Page: Now with Wallpapers!

For those of you who have joined the OnTheForecheck.com Facebook Page, I've added a couple photo albums, one to hold all the wallpapers that Aditya has made, and another for other assorted images.

And if you haven't joined our Facebook page, why not? Get over there!

Predators scoreboard watch: home ice in the West is up for grabs

2010-03-10T22:00:25Z

More photos » Ross D. Franklin - AP

Former Nashville Predator Vern Fiddler has helped the Phoenix Coyotes contend not just for the playoffs, but home ice advantage in the 1st round.

Browse more photos »

Tonight's NHL action features three games with implications for the Western Conference playoff picture, so keep an eye on the following:

Dallas @ Buffalo, 6:00 p.m. Central: The Stars are in danger of falling out of the race, 5 points behind 8th place Calgary but with a game in hand. Tonight's matchup is against a Buffalo Sabres team that boasts a 20-8-6 record on home ice.

Los Angeles @ Chicago, 7:30 p.m. Central: The Kings are in a tight battle with Phoenix for the #4 seed in the West and home-ice advantage in the first round, but will have to beat the high-flying Blackhawks to keep up the pace.

Vancouver @ Phoenix, 9:00 p.m. Central: The Canucks are trying to pull away from Colorado with the Northwest Division lead, having opened up a 4-point gap. The pesky Coyotes are 3rd in the NHL in home wins (24), however, and they're focused on staying ahead of the Kings.

The teams immediately above and below Nashville aren't playing tonight, but it would be nice to have Dallas eliminated by the time they come to play the Preds later this month (March 23rd at Bridgestone Arena).

Also, while you're watching tonight's games, check out this segment from yesterday's Thom Abraham Show, in which Thom & Charlie discuss the recent injury to Denis Grebeshkov:

Thom Abraham Show 20100309

Poll

Which team would you rather see win the #4 seed in the West?

Los Angeles Kings

17 votes

Phoenix Coyotes

22 votes

39 votes | Poll has closed

Nashville Predators assign minor leaguer Petr Olvecky to Manitoba

2010-03-10T20:46:38Z

More photos » Mark Humphrey - AP

Browse more photos »

An unusual transaction has come across the wire from the Milwaukee Admirals:

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has reassigned forward Peter Olvecky from the Milwaukee Admirals to the Manitoba Moose and that forward Marty Murray has been loaned from the Moose to the Admirals.

So... it's kind of like an AHL-level trade, except Olvecky's rights are still retained by the Predators. Eric Kent at Admirals Short Shifts was pleasantly surprised by the move:

It's an interesting acquisition, since the Ads don't exactly have a lack of centers on the roster. Nick Spaling is already playing out of position at wing - and if Colin Wilson gets sent down, that will be yet another center to join Murray, Spaling, Mike Santorelli, Ben Guite, Wacey Rabbit, and Dave Scatchard.

We've been loud critics of Olvecky this season, but we're still a little surprised the trigger was actually pulled.

Peter Olvecky

#38 / Left Wing / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-2

Weight: 185

Born: Oct 11, 1985

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Peter Olvecky	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0

Olvecky was signed to a one-year contract by the Preds last summer.

Wednesday notes: Preds steal two points in Atlanta, head to California next

2010-03-10T16:00:45Z

More photos » John Bazemore - AP

Atlanta Thrashers goalie Johan Hedberg suffers from a painfully embarrassing drinking problem.

Browse more photos »

After earning a milestone victory last night against the Atlanta Thrashers (Barry Trotz's 400th as an NHL head coach), the Nashville Predators head to the California for a difficult stretch against San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles. Those three games will be played across just four nights, making it even more difficult - but that's the road that must be traveled to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

After the jump, we've got plenty of reaction to last night's game from both the Nashville and Atlanta sides, along with a look at some of the odd proposals being tossed around the General Managers meetings in Florida...

Predators News

What The Puck: 3/9/10 - Nashville at Atlanta: W 2-1
Yesterday it was BNL, now Rachel is channeling Charlie Daniels. It's all good.

See Puck City: Preds Squeeze By Thrashers 2-1
SPC's birthday is on the way, and a California sweep would make the perfect present.

The View from 111: It Wasn't Pretty, but the Predators Secure an Important 2-1 Victory
Mark will take the two points from last night, but cautions that the road gets tougher from here.

Preds On The Glass: Game Recap: Preds Beat Thrashers 2-1 in Much Needed Win
Buddy's certainly happy that David Poile didn't trade Dan Ellis, considering how he's played lately.

Six high school teams to compete for Predators Cup - Nashville Predators Examiner
Jim Diamond previews next week's battle for high school hockey supremacy in ~~Middle~~ the state of Tennessee. You can catch all the games at A-Game Sportsplex in Franklin, March 19-21.

Around the NHL

Which wacky ideas from GM meetings do you want in the NHL? - Puck Daddy
Sean Leahy looks at the some of the inane ideas brought forth in Boca Raton this week.

Thrashers Outplay Predators-Lose Game and Perhaps Playoffs - Bird Watchers Anonymous
The Trashers certainly put forth a good effort last night (at least in the last two periods), and that makes their loss to the Preds that much more frustrating for Atlanta fans.

Thrashing the Blues: Coach Anderson, one other thing...
Last night's game left one Thrashers fan berating the coach for some rather odd post-game comments.

The KB's Definitive Guide to Online Hockey Writing - Orland Kurtenblog
If you're reading this site, you're familiar with all the folks listed here, but it's worth your time anyway.

Offensive Dominance: Goal Scored Percentage - Behind The Net
Hawerchuk takes a look at which individuals dominated their team's offensive production over the last several decades.

On Frozen Blog › Puck Daddy, at the Olympics: It Was Like ‘A Roman Orgy’
Greg Wyshynski went to Vancouver to cover the Games for his Puck Daddy blog at Yahoo, and lived to tell the tale.

Rangers Analysis: Tortorella Eliminating the Avery Factor - Blueshirt Banter
Has the famously strict coach of the New York Rangers taken the edge off of Sean Avery's game, rendering him ineffective?

The NHL needs to evolve - The Globe and Mail
Roy MacGregor takes the NHL general managers to task for being so tentative about doing anything to prevent head shots. Rule changes are always coming down the line, but the game continues to survive.

Kesler goes from silver to video game cover - NHL.com
Vancouver's Ryan Kesler has been selected for the cover of NHL 2K11 next fall, a mystifying choice to follow bigger stars like Rick Nash and Alex Ovechkin. Was Sami Salo unavailable?

Barry Trotz wins 400th game as Nashville tops Atlanta, 2-1

2010-03-10T02:57:11Z

More photos » John Bazemore - AP

Nashville Predators' Colin Wilson beats Atlanta Thrashers goalie Johan Hedberg for a goal in the first period.

Browse more photos »

Colin Wilson scored the game-winner and Dan Ellis stopped 30 of 31 Thrashers shots as the Nashville Predators beat Atlanta 2-1 to launch their four-game road trip. For head coach Barry Trotz, it was his 400th career NHL victory, all of course with the Predators.

Kudos to Aditya for the awesomeness

Follow after the jump for commentary and advanced statistics, and check the video widget on the right sidebar for highlights as soon as they become available...

It looked early on like the Preds would command this one handily, as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. A power play goal (!) by Ryan Suter that featured plenty of traffic in front of Johan Hedberg in the Atlanta net got Nashville on the board. Then, late in the period, Colin Wilson jumped on a loose puck that Mark Popovic couldn't handle, and took it right in on Hedberg to score his 4th goal of the season (and ultimately his second game-winner).

In the second, however, the Thrashers came out much more determined, and almost immediately got back into it, scoring just 29 seconds into the period as Nik Antropov tipped home a back-door play behind Dan Ellis. From there, the Thrashers tried to maintain a high tempo, and at times the Thrashers and Preds traded chances back and forth. Ellis had a really fine night in the Nashville net, sometimes having to stray out of his crease to cut down the angles, but using his stick to recover when needed, as in one instance in the third when Antropov cruised through the zone waiting for the perfect opportunity to shoot.

In an encouraging sign for the Preds, special teams played a positive role in tonight's outcome. Suter's power play goal kept that unit humming, and the penalty killers did a generally good job fighting off two Atlanta chances. There was one sequence when the PK group (particularly Marcel Goc and Kevin Klein) got too eager to force offensive pressure, and nearly coughed up an odd-man rush.

All in all, it was a pretty good road win. The team only took two penalties (neither was egregious), and they played a pretty smart game. It will likely take a better effort, however, against San Jose on Thursday to pull out another win.

Thanks to Calgary beating Detroit in regulation tonight, the Preds remain in 7th place in the West, with a two-point advantage over the Flames.

Barry Trotz adjusted to the loss of two regular defensemen by loading up his four veterans with heavy minutes, and keeping the rookie tandem of Cody Franson and Alexander Sulzer paired together, banking on their experience playing with each other in Milwaukee.

Apparently J.P. Dumont is back in the dog house, as he logged the least ice time on the team tonight, nearly invisible on a line with Dustin Boyd and Jordin Tootoo.

		Individual Totals					Team Totals While Player Is On Ice
Player	Pos	EV TOI	Shots	Shts Blkd	Missed Shts	Blocks	SOG For	SOG Ag	SOG +/-	Tot SF	Tot SA	Corsi
Jason Arnott	C	16:26	2	1	1	0	9	9	0	16	16	0
Colin Wilson	C	15:52	1	1	2	1	9	7	2	15	15	0
Martin Erat	R	15:20	4	0	0	1	8	9	-1	13	16	-3
Steve Sullivan	L	15:14	2	0	1	0	8	10	-2	14	16	-2
Patric Hornqvist	R	14:50	4	0	0	0	8	9	-1	13	15	-2
Marcel Goc	C	14:48	2	0	1	2	9	9	0	13	15	-2
Joel Ward	R	14:42	0	2	1	0	9	7	2	17	10	7
David Legwand	C	14:30	4	0	0	0	8	8	0	16	14	2
Jerred Smithson	R	14:12	0	1	1	1	9	7	2	17	11	6
Dustin Boyd	C	8:28	1	0	0	0	4	2	2	4	7	-3
Jordin Tootoo	R	8:07	3	0	0	0	5	2	3	5	7	-2
J P Dumont	R	7:43	0	0	0	1	4	2	2	4	7	-3
Dan Hamhuis	D	21:56	0	1	1	1	12	13	-1	21	21	0
Ryan Suter	D	21:52	1	2	1	0	14	12	2	26	17	9
Francis Bouillon	D	20:43	3	0	0	2	14	12	2	18	25	-7
Kevin Klein	D	20:38	1	0	1	0	14	10	4	21	22	-1
Alexander Sulzer	D	11:36	1	1	0	1	2	4	-2	5	9	-4
Cody Franson	D	10:33	1	0	0	2	4	3	1	7	7	0

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

Dan Ellis, 30 saves

57 votes

Barry Trotz, 400th NHL win

52 votes

Colin Wilson, GW goal

12 votes

121 votes | Poll has closed

Predators Game Thread #66 : Nashville @ Atlanta

2010-03-09T23:00:21Z

The Predators need to get back on track against a Thrashers team that is fighting for its playoff life as well. Besides reading your Game Day Preview, we'll want to keep an eye on the out-of-town scoreboard - Calgary plays at Detroit (can't they both lose?), and Vancouver plays Colorado in a battle for Northwest Division supremacy. Let's hope for both of those games to get decided during regulation time, OK?

For your pre-game preparation, listen in as the NHL Network's Mike Johnson joined the Thom Abraham Show this afternoon to talk about the hot-button issue of the day, head shots:

Mike Johnson on Thom Abraham Show 20100309

Nashville Predators Testing Game Day Live Chat

You are also invited to try out a new feature over at NashvillePredators.com, a live in-game chat that's tied to your Facebook account. So be careful about calling Chris Thorburn a knuckle-dragging troglodyte... just in case you've got some aunt you're connected to who is a knuckle-dragging troglodyte, and might take offense.

Nashville's defensive depth tested as Grebeshkov will miss "several weeks"

2010-03-09T16:37:12Z

In what Nashville Predators fans hope isn't a return of the late-season injury bug that has plagued the team for several years now, newly acquired defenseman Denis Grebeshkov is expected to miss the next several weeks after taking a puck to the groin in Sunday's game against Vancouver. As Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal reported, he required surgery afterward.

Perhaps what's most amazing is that Grebeshkov suffered the injury early in the game, but continued playing throughout the second and third periods. It was only when he was examined after the game that he went to the hospital.

UPDATE: John Glennon's afternoon blog addresses the uncertainty of the recovery timetable, with input from Preds assistant GM Mike Santos.

Denis Grebeshkov

#37 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-0

Weight: 209

Born: Oct 11, 1983

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Denis Grebeshkov	51	7	14	21	-16	32	1	0	0	0	47	14.9

Shea Weber, of course, is already going to miss tonight's game at Atlanta, but the team is optimistic that he'll return to action later this week. In recent years, however, it has seemed like injuries have hamstrung the Predators in their efforts to qualify for, and succeed in the playoffs...

2007

Steve Sullivan began his two-year absence from the lineup with a back injury in February, and Martin Erat & Scott Hartnell were hobbled by lower body injuries late in the year. Erat missed two games of the playoff loss to San Jose, and Hartnell was clearly not up to speed.

2008

Foot injuries and the flu cost David Legwand more than a dozen games down the stretch, including three games during the Preds' playoff matchup with Detroit. Jason Arnott was concussed by Alexander Radulov in the "2 goals in 9 seconds" celebration, and missed two games as well.

2009

Jason Arnott missed 11 games in March and April due to a concussion, but returned earlier than expected and scored 6 goals in the final four games. David Legwand missed the final 9 games of the season after a deflected Weber shot broke several bones in his face, and another Weber blast broke Martin Erat's leg, causing him to miss the final games as well, as the Preds fell just short of the playoffs.

2010

We know that Grebeshkov is out until the very late stages of the regular season at least, and hopefully Shea Weber gets back in the lineup later this week. Can the Predators survive any more injuries like this, however???

Date:	March 12, 2010	Location:	Anaheim, CA
Time:	9:00 PM	Arena:	Honda Center
Local TV:	FS-TN (HD)	SBN Affiliate:	Anaheim Calling, Battle of California
Radio:	97.1 FM (listen)	Season Series	1-2-0

Date:	March 11, 2010	Location:	San Jose, CA
Time:	9:30 PM	Arena:	HP Pavillion
Local TV:	FS-TN (HD)	SBN Affiliate:	Fear The Fin
Radio:	104.5 FM	Season Series	1-2-0

Date:	March 9, 2010	Location:	Atlanta, GA
Time:	6:00 PM	Arena:	Philips Arena
Local TV:	FS-TN (HD)	SBN Affiliate:	Bird Watchers Anonymous
Radio:	104.5 FM	Season Series	1-0-0