Shanahan Kills Predators in Return

The New Jersey Devils defeated the Nashville Predators by a score of 3-1 in the return of Brendan Shanahan to his original NHL Team.

With the way the Predators played last night, there seems to be no end in sight for the scoring slump. No one is producing like they should be. If we don't pick anyone up before the trade deadline, I think it's safe to say we will not make the playoffs.

The Devils struck first on a 5-on-3 advantage early in the second period, with Brendan Shanahan scoring his first goal as a Devil. A couple of minutes later, a shot from the point and a tip from David Clarkson converted to a goal. The Preds finally got a goal late in the third from Radek Bonk. To seal the deal, Zack Parise scores on the empty net for his 27th of the season.

The dominating factor in the game was fore checking. New Jersey tied up any offensive chance we ever got.

Despite the two goals scored against him, Pekka Rinne had a fantastic game. This game could've easily been a blowout.

Brendan Shanahan had a spectacular debut, scoring a goal and posting six shots on goal.

Wade Belak and Mike Rupp dropped the gloves last night. This was the first decent fight that I've seen Belak in. His style of fighting isn't as showy as Darcy Hordichuk's or Jordin Tootoo's, but it gets the job done.

The next game is after the all-star break in Vancouver.

After the game, they had a segment in the Fox Sports Zone with Terry Crisp and a couple of fans. One of the questions a fan asked Terry was if he thought Trotz was the right coach for this team. Terry said “Yes.” Nashville has always been a very loyal team. There have never been any big changes. I think Trotz is going to keep his job.

Jackson Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass