Last night's third period performance by Pekka Rinne was one for the record books and should be copied to a DVD ans sent to each and every member of the PHWA that votes for the Hart Trophy.
While the award usually goes to a top forward, here is what the NHL says, "The Hart Memorial Trophy is an annual award given to the player judged to be the most valuable to his team."
Many folks from Montreal are pushing Carey Price for the Hart but the Habs have far more weapons in their arsenal and have scored and given up more goals while playing in a weaker conference.
The Predators getting a point last night was clearly Rinne's doings and it kept them within a point of the eighth slot in the standings as they play 12 of the next 14 at home before finishing up in St. Louis.
Hats off to Patric Marleau who has to head the list of Pred-Killers after scoring the game winning goal in overtime in back to back games between the Preds and Sharks. Marleau has always played well against the Predators with 16 goals and 24 assists in 45 career regular season games. His real claim to fame against the Preds has been his 10 goals and 3 assists in 10 playoff games where he led the Sharks to 4-1 series victories in 2006 and 2007.
There has been no further update on Kevin Klein's foot injury.
Finally, in summary, the Preds' final four game road trip that seemed to last forever and had more lows than highs (1-1-2) did produce enough points to keep the Preds in the playoff mix in the Western Conference.
I will steal a quote from Amanda DiPaolo who was at the game who spoke with Joel Ward who said, "It's ours for the taking." That totally sums it up for the team that I still believe will make the playoffs and go to the second round and maybe further.
Predators-Sharks Round-Up...
Here is our game story from late last night.
Josh Cooper had his game story, notes column, and postgame ponderings.
Special recognition ges to Amanda DiPaolo of Predlines who spent her own funds to go to San Jose to specifically cover the game. Check out her post.
From the blog world reports come from Dirk Hoag (with his advances stats), Jeremy Gover, Predatorial, and Hockey Night in Nashville.
Previews from California comes from The Mercury News, Inside Bay Area, SF Gate, Working the Corners, Fear the Fin, Battle of California, Blades of Teal, SharksPage, and Couch Tarts.
In Pred Nation...
Josh Cooper talked to Jon Blum yesterday about playing his first game in his home state and also had a post about Blum starting in roller hockey.
Dirk Hoag discusses the new children's book about Jordin Tootoo and also has the audio from his radio appearance on Monday.
John Cartwright is ready to Unleash the Fury as he takes a look at the Predators prospects for the playoffs.
The Milwaukee Admirals announced their clear day roster that included current Preds Jon Blum, Blake Geoffrion, and Matt Halischuk.
Chris Botta has the six Western Conference players to watch down the stretch. One is Pekka Rinne and another is ex-Pred Dan Ellis.
Section 303 has word that Wade Belak will continue to host the Wade Belak radio show for the time being as he has not yet reported to Milwaukee. Tonight's guest is Job Blum. Josh Cooper has an official statement on Belak staying in Nashville.
Eklund has Pekka Rinne in a group of goalies with potential for the Hart Trophy so it's not just local's recognizing Pekka's potential.
Around the NHL...
As if things couldn't get any worse for the Coyote's sale, the Teabaggers are now going to protest. With Gary Bettman and Bill Daly in town, it appears Matthew Hulsizer may put more money into the deal. If this had happened in Nashville during the Balsillie situation I would have cried.
Gary Bettman made several media appearances last night in conjunction with the Coyotes-Canucks game and repeatedly said that time was running out. On Coyotes TV during the first intermission he was clearly frustrated with the situation. Here is the video.
Here is the AZ Republic's take on Bettman bashing the Goldwater Institute.
David Shoalts is frothing at the mouth cheer-leading for Winnipeg to get a team.
Much of the talk this morning will revolve around Zdeno Chara's hit on Max Pacioretty during last night's game in Montreal that involved an awkward hit on the boards where the glass begins near the end of the bench. Some will say that it was a dirty hit while others will argue that it was the only place in the rink where it could happen.
RLD Hockey has the latest installment of The Stretch Run.
It's probably too late to matter but Jaroslav Halak is set to return for the Blues tonight.
Episode 94 of Kingscast is up as they cling to a playoff spot in LA.
There is nothing like vintage hockey calenders. Check out the Leaf's from 1965.
Odds and Ends...
The Space Shuttle Discovery is set for its final landing at Cape Canaveral at 11:57 local time.
These pictures of millions of dead fish in Redondo Beach, California are astounding.
So how is social media like high school?
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Showing posts with label nashville predators san jose sharks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nashville predators san jose sharks. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Marleau Sinks Predators Again in 3-2 OT Sharks WIn
For the second consecutive game between the Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks, Patrick Marleau scored the game winning goal in overtime to be the difference maker in the contest.
After putting on a highlight reel performance in the third period when the Sharks out shot the Preds 13-4, Pekka Rinne allowed Marleau's break away shot in to the net as the Preds fell 3-2. The play started when the Preds had three players deep and Marleau had a three on one rush and never considered a pass.
In spite of allowing the final goal, Rinne was clearly the Predators MVP once again as he kept the Preds tied in regulation which gave them a point to keep the team one point out of the last playoff position at the end of a tough road trip.
The Sharks's other goals came from Ryane Clowe and Justin Braun while the Predators' tallies came from Joel Ward and Shea Weber.
Antti Niemi was the winner in net but did not face near the barrage of shots that Rinne did. Niemi stopped 23 of 25 shots while Rinne allowed three goals on 33 Shark shots.
The Predators started the game with plenty of jump and pressure on the Sharks defense and were out shooting San Jose 7-1 at the first TV timeout at 6:32. However it was the Sharks that scored first at 8:17 in the first period when Dany Heatley fired a shot from the left board that Rinne stopped but Clowe put the rebound into the net for a 1-0 San Jose lead.
Ward answered for the Predators on the power play at 14:22 and made it 1-1 when he took the puck from the right of the Sharks net and made a wrap-around type move while the Sharks defender failed to make a move to stop him.
In the first period, the Preds out shot the Sharks 13-10 and led the Corsi 22-17. Ward may have played his best period of the year registering the goal and four shots.
The second period was a little less wide open. The Sharks retook the lead at 4:17 on a power play goal that was tipped and deflected by Jarred Smithson as he was trying to block it. Braun unleashed the shot that probably would have been handled if not for the tip.
The Predators re-tied the game, 2-2 at 6:08 when David Legwand gave Weber a feed for an open backdoor shot that was delivered to the net as Weber dived for the puck.
For the second period, the Sharks led in shots 7-6 while the Preds led the Corsi 22-18.
There was no scoring in the final period but almost all of the action took place in the Predators defensive zone. While the shots were lopsided at 13-4, the Corsi was worse with the Sharks leading 36-12 in the final period and overtime.
For the game, the Predators were dreadful in the faceoff circle, winning only 23 while losing 41 draws. The Sharks led in takeaways 17-3 further adding to the mismatch.
Kevin Klein was hit in the foot wit a puck in the last minute of regulation and did not return for overtime. No prognosis was given.
The Predators will return home and play another critical game on Thursday night at the Bridgestone Arena against the Minnesota Wild who are a point ahead of Nashville in ninth place.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
After putting on a highlight reel performance in the third period when the Sharks out shot the Preds 13-4, Pekka Rinne allowed Marleau's break away shot in to the net as the Preds fell 3-2. The play started when the Preds had three players deep and Marleau had a three on one rush and never considered a pass.
In spite of allowing the final goal, Rinne was clearly the Predators MVP once again as he kept the Preds tied in regulation which gave them a point to keep the team one point out of the last playoff position at the end of a tough road trip.
The Sharks's other goals came from Ryane Clowe and Justin Braun while the Predators' tallies came from Joel Ward and Shea Weber.
Antti Niemi was the winner in net but did not face near the barrage of shots that Rinne did. Niemi stopped 23 of 25 shots while Rinne allowed three goals on 33 Shark shots.
The Predators started the game with plenty of jump and pressure on the Sharks defense and were out shooting San Jose 7-1 at the first TV timeout at 6:32. However it was the Sharks that scored first at 8:17 in the first period when Dany Heatley fired a shot from the left board that Rinne stopped but Clowe put the rebound into the net for a 1-0 San Jose lead.
Ward answered for the Predators on the power play at 14:22 and made it 1-1 when he took the puck from the right of the Sharks net and made a wrap-around type move while the Sharks defender failed to make a move to stop him.
In the first period, the Preds out shot the Sharks 13-10 and led the Corsi 22-17. Ward may have played his best period of the year registering the goal and four shots.
The second period was a little less wide open. The Sharks retook the lead at 4:17 on a power play goal that was tipped and deflected by Jarred Smithson as he was trying to block it. Braun unleashed the shot that probably would have been handled if not for the tip.
The Predators re-tied the game, 2-2 at 6:08 when David Legwand gave Weber a feed for an open backdoor shot that was delivered to the net as Weber dived for the puck.
For the second period, the Sharks led in shots 7-6 while the Preds led the Corsi 22-18.
There was no scoring in the final period but almost all of the action took place in the Predators defensive zone. While the shots were lopsided at 13-4, the Corsi was worse with the Sharks leading 36-12 in the final period and overtime.
For the game, the Predators were dreadful in the faceoff circle, winning only 23 while losing 41 draws. The Sharks led in takeaways 17-3 further adding to the mismatch.
Kevin Klein was hit in the foot wit a puck in the last minute of regulation and did not return for overtime. No prognosis was given.
The Predators will return home and play another critical game on Thursday night at the Bridgestone Arena against the Minnesota Wild who are a point ahead of Nashville in ninth place.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Predators Desperate For Points in San Jose and Tuesday Tidbits
The Nashville Predators (33-24-9) finish their final multi-game road trip of the year tonight in San Jose where they will face the Sharks (38-22-6) at the HP Pavilion where they have a 8-11-(1)-3 record all time.
The Predators are desperate for at least a point and have a chance to finish the season with their best record ever against the Sharks as they are 2-0-1 this season taking five of a possible six points and have never gotten more than six in a season which they got 2005-06 and 2006-07.
On December 15 in Nashville, the Preds were down 2-1 late in the third and came back to score two goals in 44 seconds to clinch a 3-2 win. On January 8, in San Jose, the Preds won 2-1 and capped off the second ever sweep of the three California teams on a road swing. On February 15, Pred killer Patric Marleau scored in overtime to give the Sharks a 2-1 win.
The Predators have been less than average lately going 6-7-3 since the All-Star break. The Sharks have been one of the hottest teams in the Western Conference and have taken the lead in the Pacific Division going 13-3-0 since the mid season break.
Pekka Rinne (23-19-7, 2.10, .929) has played well in spite of the teams struggles and continues to be the team MVP. Antti Niemi (25-16-3, 2.38, .919) has taken control of the Shark's net and appears strong as he heads for a return to the playoffs after leading Chicago to the Stanly Cup last season.
Nashville has fallen to eleventh place but still remains only two points out of the eight playoff spot in the standings. After tonight's game, the Preds play 12 of the next 14 at the Bridgestone Arena. Only three single day road trips remain.
Other previews come from Amanda DiPaolo, HNIN, Predatorial, Chris Burton, The Tennessean, and Predators.com.
Previews from California comes from The Mercury News, Inside Bay Area, SF Gate, Working the Corners, Fear the Fin, Battle of California, Blades of Teal, SharksPage, and Couch Tarts.
In Preds Nation...
Jim Diamond has the news that Blake Geffrion and Jon Blum will still be considered rookies next season.
Josh Cooper has the story of J P Dumont's decreased role with the team.
David Boclair discusses the oddity of the Predators being near the top in fewest goals allowed but are still struggling for a playoff position.
Lyle Richardson looks at all the option available to Shea Weber in regards to a new contract.
If you go to Section 303 you will notice a new link to a Forum. Check it out.
Robby at HNIN takes a long look at the injury situation in relation to the Predators' recent slide.
Predatorial looks at why the Predators need J P Dumont.
Chris Burton looks at the top ten Predators prospects and compares them to NHL players.
Dirk Hoag is pimping Podcamp 2011 on March 26. We will definitely be there.
Here is a deal from Jersey Mike's to help the Predator's Foundation. Donate a dollar and get two for one subs with this coupon.
Around the NHL...
In a game that the Predators did not want to turn into a three point game, it did just that as the Stars beat the Kings 4-3 in overtime.
Pred-killer Jerone Iginla was this week's first star of the week with Andrej Sekera of Buffalo and Carey Price of Montreal also getting stars.
Can Adrian Dater's heaping praise on the New Jersey Devils cause them to slide? We should see as the head into a streak of five winnable games against Ottawa (H-A), Atlanta (H-A), and the Islanders (H).
No lawsuit was filed in the Coyotes's situation yesterday as had been announced but the Goldwater Institute did respond to the potential of litigation. Here is the Arizona Republic story with a link to the letter sent to the bond rating firms that has caused so much trouble.
The latest word from Bill Daly is that a suit in the Coyotes situation will not effect the end result of the sale. The league indicated that the lease or the financing may be restructured if needed.
Carey Price has carried his team almost as much as Pekka Rinne has carried the Preds. Here is a look at Price's season so far.
NHL.com looks at how a few deadline acquisitions are fitting in with their new teams.
Ryan Porth takes a look at the top candidates for GM of the year.
Gann Matsuda looks at the weight on the shoulders of the Kings' netminders.
Also from LA, Dean Lombardi met with 500 season ticket holders for an in-season state of the team address.
Here is What's Cooking with Kevin Weekes, as in food.
The final figures are in for the amount of money generated by the NHL All-Star game extravaganza for the Raleigh area.
Brian Burke spoke to the Harvard School of Law. He is a 1981 graduate of the law school.
Steve Lapore's Puck The Media column is nearing it's millionth visitor and running a contest to celebrate.
Mayors Manor adds more fuel to the fire of Penner-mania in Los Angeles.
Odds and Ends...
The Tennessean takes a look at the local "better burger" market and claims Five Guys is champs. I still place In-N-Out at the top of any burger list, "better" or otherwise.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOntheGlass
The Predators are desperate for at least a point and have a chance to finish the season with their best record ever against the Sharks as they are 2-0-1 this season taking five of a possible six points and have never gotten more than six in a season which they got 2005-06 and 2006-07.
On December 15 in Nashville, the Preds were down 2-1 late in the third and came back to score two goals in 44 seconds to clinch a 3-2 win. On January 8, in San Jose, the Preds won 2-1 and capped off the second ever sweep of the three California teams on a road swing. On February 15, Pred killer Patric Marleau scored in overtime to give the Sharks a 2-1 win.
The Predators have been less than average lately going 6-7-3 since the All-Star break. The Sharks have been one of the hottest teams in the Western Conference and have taken the lead in the Pacific Division going 13-3-0 since the mid season break.
Pekka Rinne (23-19-7, 2.10, .929) has played well in spite of the teams struggles and continues to be the team MVP. Antti Niemi (25-16-3, 2.38, .919) has taken control of the Shark's net and appears strong as he heads for a return to the playoffs after leading Chicago to the Stanly Cup last season.
Nashville has fallen to eleventh place but still remains only two points out of the eight playoff spot in the standings. After tonight's game, the Preds play 12 of the next 14 at the Bridgestone Arena. Only three single day road trips remain.
Other previews come from Amanda DiPaolo, HNIN, Predatorial, Chris Burton, The Tennessean, and Predators.com.
Previews from California comes from The Mercury News, Inside Bay Area, SF Gate, Working the Corners, Fear the Fin, Battle of California, Blades of Teal, SharksPage, and Couch Tarts.
In Preds Nation...
Jim Diamond has the news that Blake Geffrion and Jon Blum will still be considered rookies next season.
Josh Cooper has the story of J P Dumont's decreased role with the team.
David Boclair discusses the oddity of the Predators being near the top in fewest goals allowed but are still struggling for a playoff position.
Lyle Richardson looks at all the option available to Shea Weber in regards to a new contract.
If you go to Section 303 you will notice a new link to a Forum. Check it out.
Robby at HNIN takes a long look at the injury situation in relation to the Predators' recent slide.
Predatorial looks at why the Predators need J P Dumont.
Chris Burton looks at the top ten Predators prospects and compares them to NHL players.
Dirk Hoag is pimping Podcamp 2011 on March 26. We will definitely be there.
Here is a deal from Jersey Mike's to help the Predator's Foundation. Donate a dollar and get two for one subs with this coupon.
Around the NHL...
In a game that the Predators did not want to turn into a three point game, it did just that as the Stars beat the Kings 4-3 in overtime.
Pred-killer Jerone Iginla was this week's first star of the week with Andrej Sekera of Buffalo and Carey Price of Montreal also getting stars.
Can Adrian Dater's heaping praise on the New Jersey Devils cause them to slide? We should see as the head into a streak of five winnable games against Ottawa (H-A), Atlanta (H-A), and the Islanders (H).
No lawsuit was filed in the Coyotes's situation yesterday as had been announced but the Goldwater Institute did respond to the potential of litigation. Here is the Arizona Republic story with a link to the letter sent to the bond rating firms that has caused so much trouble.
The latest word from Bill Daly is that a suit in the Coyotes situation will not effect the end result of the sale. The league indicated that the lease or the financing may be restructured if needed.
Carey Price has carried his team almost as much as Pekka Rinne has carried the Preds. Here is a look at Price's season so far.
NHL.com looks at how a few deadline acquisitions are fitting in with their new teams.
Ryan Porth takes a look at the top candidates for GM of the year.
Gann Matsuda looks at the weight on the shoulders of the Kings' netminders.
Also from LA, Dean Lombardi met with 500 season ticket holders for an in-season state of the team address.
Here is What's Cooking with Kevin Weekes, as in food.
The final figures are in for the amount of money generated by the NHL All-Star game extravaganza for the Raleigh area.
Brian Burke spoke to the Harvard School of Law. He is a 1981 graduate of the law school.
Steve Lapore's Puck The Media column is nearing it's millionth visitor and running a contest to celebrate.
Mayors Manor adds more fuel to the fire of Penner-mania in Los Angeles.
Odds and Ends...
The Tennessean takes a look at the local "better burger" market and claims Five Guys is champs. I still place In-N-Out at the top of any burger list, "better" or otherwise.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOntheGlass
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Predators Get a Point to be in Four-Way Deadlock and Wednesday Happenings
The Nashville Predators would have preferred two points in last night's game against the San Jose Sharks but are pleased to have taken the game into overtime where they salvaged a single point.
Four teams had 68 points at the end os last night's action with Dallas in fourth, Anaheim in fifth, the Preds in sixth, and the Sharks in seventh due to tiebreakers. Calgary is in eighth with 66 points but have played a couple of extra games.
The Predators looked to be in control in the opening period and went ahead 1-0 early. They also built some momentum when they killed off a five on three Sharks power play.
Unfortunately, things deteriorated as the game went on as the Sharks poured 50 shots on Pekka Riine in the Predators' net. Rinne repeatedly made saves that bought the time for the Preds to go ahead but it never happened.
Hats off to Patrick Marleau who again rose to the occasion to stay on the first team of all time Pred killers. Devin Setoguchi also had a big night with a goal and nine shots on net.
The Predators will try to shake off the loss this morning as they head to the Centennial Sportsplex for preparation for tomorrow's game against Vancouver, the best team in the NHL.
Predators-Sharks Round-Up...
Here is our game story from last night with Barry Trotz's postgame video.
Josh Cooper had his game story, notes column, and postgame ponderings.
Jim Diamond explains how the Termites were the big winner last night.
David Boclair has his story at The City Paper and points out that Pekka Rinne had a career high in saves.
From the blog world reports come from Ryan Porth, Amanda DiPaolo, Mark Willoughby, Chris Burton (with his advances stats), Predatorial, Fang Finger Fever, and Hockey Night in Nashville.
For his effort Patrick Marleau took the night's second star at Puck Daddy.
Game stories from California come from The Mercury News, Inside Bay Area, SF Gate, Working the Corners, Fear the Fin, Battle of California, Blades of Teal, SharksPage, and Couch Tarts.
Audio clips from the Predators include Shea Weber, Mike Fisher, Cody Franson, and Pekka Rinne. From the Sharls we hear from Todd MacLellan, Devin Setoguchi, and Patrick Marleau.
Programming note...
I will again be a guest host on Ryan Porth's RLD Hockey Radio at Noon Central today. Ryan's guests will be E J Hradek of ESPN and NHL Live and top NHL Agent, Jay Grossman who's most famous client is Ilya Kovalchuk. Both E.J. and Jay are always a great guests so tune in.
In Pred Nation...
Dirk Hoag makes the case that J P Dumont may be more valuable to the Preds than it may appear.
Nick Cotsonika has a great piece on Shea Weber and his value to the Predators.
Eric Engels has the other side of the story of the Habs-Preds rumors.
Around the NHL...
Big news out of Phoenix is that the final hurdle in the process for the City of Glendale to sell bonds to finance the sale of the Coyotes was overcome at the city counsel meeting yesterday. This should clear the way for a closing on the complete deal within the next few weeks.
The Boston Bruins raided Ottawa and picked up Chris Kelly for a second rounder.
Dustin Byfuglien signed a new deal with the Thrashers that will pay him a reported $26 million over five years. It seems high to me and makes Shea Weber even more costly by comparison.
Mick Kern had an interesting guest on The War Room on XM yesterday that has a new site called Thuzz which uses algorithms to measure excitement in a game and sends out immediate alerts when something big happens in a game. Check it out, it is free.
Elliotte Friedman's 30 Thoughts sheds light on the classy move that he Ottawa Senators made in the Mike Fisher trade.
Ryan Porth continues his trade deadline series with a look at the 2009 movements. He also has the Top Five Buyers and Sellers.
Stu Hackel checks in on the issues with the Isles-Pens brawl and discipline.
Adrian Dater got some information from a Doctor that sounds similar to the condition Peter Forsberg could not overcome. Dater is looking for a way to bring him back again. He also gives the last rites to Forsberg at Versus.
Steve Lapore has the announcers for NBC's mega-schedule on Hockey Day in America.
View From My Seats has an interesting look at the AHL as a grooming spot for NHL prospects.
Speaking of the AHL, Mike Commodore is adjusting to life in the minors once again.
Here is a time lapse video of the rink construction at the Heritage Classic. One thing you would never know unless you stood beside it is how much "give" there is in the surface compared to a regular rink on concrete.
Brent Sopel's wife has a post at her blog about the upcoming trade deadline.
Mario Lemieux laments the days when he was playing and and complaining. Intent to Blow has the story.
Odds and Ends...
The line-up for Bonnaroo was released yesterday.
When I heard that yesterday was Youtube's sixth birthday, I couldn't believe that it wasn't older than that. It seems like it has been around forever. Here is the proof.
Here are five signs that you are a bad boss. I'm OK in these areas. I'm probably bad in others.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Four teams had 68 points at the end os last night's action with Dallas in fourth, Anaheim in fifth, the Preds in sixth, and the Sharks in seventh due to tiebreakers. Calgary is in eighth with 66 points but have played a couple of extra games.
The Predators looked to be in control in the opening period and went ahead 1-0 early. They also built some momentum when they killed off a five on three Sharks power play.
Unfortunately, things deteriorated as the game went on as the Sharks poured 50 shots on Pekka Riine in the Predators' net. Rinne repeatedly made saves that bought the time for the Preds to go ahead but it never happened.
Hats off to Patrick Marleau who again rose to the occasion to stay on the first team of all time Pred killers. Devin Setoguchi also had a big night with a goal and nine shots on net.
The Predators will try to shake off the loss this morning as they head to the Centennial Sportsplex for preparation for tomorrow's game against Vancouver, the best team in the NHL.
Predators-Sharks Round-Up...
Here is our game story from last night with Barry Trotz's postgame video.
Josh Cooper had his game story, notes column, and postgame ponderings.
Jim Diamond explains how the Termites were the big winner last night.
David Boclair has his story at The City Paper and points out that Pekka Rinne had a career high in saves.
From the blog world reports come from Ryan Porth, Amanda DiPaolo, Mark Willoughby, Chris Burton (with his advances stats), Predatorial, Fang Finger Fever, and Hockey Night in Nashville.
For his effort Patrick Marleau took the night's second star at Puck Daddy.
Game stories from California come from The Mercury News, Inside Bay Area, SF Gate, Working the Corners, Fear the Fin, Battle of California, Blades of Teal, SharksPage, and Couch Tarts.
Audio clips from the Predators include Shea Weber, Mike Fisher, Cody Franson, and Pekka Rinne. From the Sharls we hear from Todd MacLellan, Devin Setoguchi, and Patrick Marleau.
Programming note...
I will again be a guest host on Ryan Porth's RLD Hockey Radio at Noon Central today. Ryan's guests will be E J Hradek of ESPN and NHL Live and top NHL Agent, Jay Grossman who's most famous client is Ilya Kovalchuk. Both E.J. and Jay are always a great guests so tune in.
In Pred Nation...
Dirk Hoag makes the case that J P Dumont may be more valuable to the Preds than it may appear.
Nick Cotsonika has a great piece on Shea Weber and his value to the Predators.
Eric Engels has the other side of the story of the Habs-Preds rumors.
Around the NHL...
Big news out of Phoenix is that the final hurdle in the process for the City of Glendale to sell bonds to finance the sale of the Coyotes was overcome at the city counsel meeting yesterday. This should clear the way for a closing on the complete deal within the next few weeks.
The Boston Bruins raided Ottawa and picked up Chris Kelly for a second rounder.
Dustin Byfuglien signed a new deal with the Thrashers that will pay him a reported $26 million over five years. It seems high to me and makes Shea Weber even more costly by comparison.
Mick Kern had an interesting guest on The War Room on XM yesterday that has a new site called Thuzz which uses algorithms to measure excitement in a game and sends out immediate alerts when something big happens in a game. Check it out, it is free.
Elliotte Friedman's 30 Thoughts sheds light on the classy move that he Ottawa Senators made in the Mike Fisher trade.
Ryan Porth continues his trade deadline series with a look at the 2009 movements. He also has the Top Five Buyers and Sellers.
Stu Hackel checks in on the issues with the Isles-Pens brawl and discipline.
Adrian Dater got some information from a Doctor that sounds similar to the condition Peter Forsberg could not overcome. Dater is looking for a way to bring him back again. He also gives the last rites to Forsberg at Versus.
Steve Lapore has the announcers for NBC's mega-schedule on Hockey Day in America.
View From My Seats has an interesting look at the AHL as a grooming spot for NHL prospects.
Speaking of the AHL, Mike Commodore is adjusting to life in the minors once again.
Here is a time lapse video of the rink construction at the Heritage Classic. One thing you would never know unless you stood beside it is how much "give" there is in the surface compared to a regular rink on concrete.
Brent Sopel's wife has a post at her blog about the upcoming trade deadline.
Mario Lemieux laments the days when he was playing and and complaining. Intent to Blow has the story.
Odds and Ends...
The line-up for Bonnaroo was released yesterday.
When I heard that yesterday was Youtube's sixth birthday, I couldn't believe that it wasn't older than that. It seems like it has been around forever. Here is the proof.
Here are five signs that you are a bad boss. I'm OK in these areas. I'm probably bad in others.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Pred Killer Marleau Scores in OT as the Sharks Sink the Predators 2-1
Traditional Predator nemesis, Patrick Marleau picked up a loose puck 3:53 in to overtime and went one on one with Pekka Rinne and slipped the puck past the lanky netminder to give the San Jose Sharks a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators at the Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday night.
Marleau explained the shot, "I was able to get some speed and beat him five hole."
Marleau has always played well against the Predators with 15 goals and 24 assists in 44 career regular season games. His real claim to fame against the Preds has been his 10 goals and 3 assists in 10 playoff games where he led the Sharks to 4-1 series victories in 2006 and 2007.
Rinne was under siege for most of the game, especially in the final two periods as he stopped 48 of 50 Sharks shots in taking the loss. Antti Niemi stopped 30 of 31 shots to claim the win.
Preds' coach Barry Trotz, explained the shot differential, "We gave up too many shots and that came through because we didn't manage the puck through the neutral zone. They did a really good job and closed their gaps."
Cody Franson scored the Predators only goal. Devin Setoguchi scored on a tremendous shot for the the Shark's first shot. Trotz was impressed. "Sometimes the perfect puck placed in the right spot trumps everything. A perfect shot - it went in."
The highlight of the game for the Preds was their special team play. "Our kills been great," explained Franson. "They definitely helped us out there, put we didn't capitalize on our chances after the five on three." The Preds also had a power play goal.
The Predators were first on the board at 6:48 in the first period on the power play, when Steve Sullivan fired a cross ice, circle to circle pass to Franson who put it past Niemi from his right side to give the Predators an early 1-0 lead.
The Predators survived a couple of back to back penalties by Ryan Suter and Shane O'Brien midway through the first period that included 26 second of five on three advantage for the Sharks when they had five shots but no goals.
As the period closed, the Preds had a pair of shots that hit the posts including one by Marty Erat on the open side of the net. For the period, the Preds out shot the Sharks 14-12 and led the Corsi 21-18.
The Sharks pulled even at 9:13 in the second period when Setoguchi skated the puck down the right boards and fired a shot high in the net over Rinne from a hard angle to tie the game 1-1.
The Sharks dominated the second period, outshooting the Predators 16-10 and the Corsi 23-17. As the period ended, I'm sure the Preds were pleased to be tied.
The third period felt like a continuation of the second as the Sharks continued to pound the puck at the Predator net and ended with a 17-7 shot advantage.
In overtime, the Sharks had five shots including Marleau's game winner and the Preds had none.
The loss left both teams with 68 points with the Preds having an edge for sixth place by virtue of having played one less game. Anaheim and Dallas also are at 68 points but have the tiebreakers for the fourth and fifth spot.
The Predators remain at home for their next game on Thursday night against the leagues best team, the Vancouver Canucks. They will practice at the Centennial Sportsplex on Wednesday morning.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOntheGlass
The Circus is Over So It's Time to Get Serious in Nashville and Tuesday Tidbits
The rip-roaring, circus like atmosphere of Saturday's Fisher versus Foppa event has come and gone. Forsberg left hockey, leaving 17,113 Predator patrons with the honor of seeing his last game. The honeymoon with Mike Fisher needs to move quickly into a mature stage with a focus on normalcy, and winning.
With that being said, the battle for sixth place in the Western Conference between the Nashville Predators (30-19-7) and the San Jose Sharks (30-21-6) will kick off at 7 p.m. at the Bridgestone Arena.
The Predators and Sharks have played twice this season with the Preds winning both games. On December 15 in Nashville, the Preds were down 2-1 late in the third and I went to the restroom and they scored two goals in 44 seconds to clinch a 3-2 win.
On January 8, in San Jose, the Preds won 2-1 for their first win at the HP Pavillion since 2002 as it capped off the second ever sweep of the three California teams on a road swing.
Tonight's game is the last of seven on a road trip to the East for the Sharks. They won the first four game but have since lost to the Devils and Panthers. The Fish are 7-2-1 in their last ten and are a point behind the Preds in the standings.
The Predators have won two in a row for the first time since a three game winning streak that ended on January 23. They are 5-4-1 in their last ten games and are eight days away from one of their worst showings of the year against Edmonton last Monday.
Barry Trotz indicated that Marcel Goc will return to the lineup and that Marik Svatos is close to a return. Matt Halischuk was sent down to Milwaukee on Sunday morning. There is no indication that Cal O'Reilly, Francis Bouillon, or Matthew Lombardi will return any time soon.
It is expected that Pekka Rinne (20-14-5, 2.11, .928) will be in net for the Predators and that Antti Niemi (17-15-3, 2.56, .916) will start for the Sharks with Carter Hutton (0-0-0, 0.00, .000) as the back-up. Antero Niittymaki (12-6-3, 2.54, .901) is out with a lower body injury.
The Preds will stay home for the rest of the week with games against Vancouver on Thursday and Phoenix on Saturday.
Other game previews cone from Amanda DiPaolo, Chris Burton, Predatorial, The Tennessean, and Predators.com.
Previews from California comes from The Mercury News, Inside Bay Area, SF Gate, Working the Corners, Fear the Fin, Battle of California, Blades of Teal, SharksPage, and Couch Tarts.
In Pred Nation...
Amanda DiPaolo discusses the standing ovation during a TV timeout as a growing tradition at the Bridgestone Arena
David Boclair compares the Steve Sullivan trade to others that the Preds have made at the deadline over the years.
Bryan Mullen discusses the Predators wanting to break out of the pack in the Western Conference.
The Predatorial has his Pred colored glasses on in making his year end predictions. I admit I had the Preds making the West finals with the Kings in the preseason but second in the west may be pushing it.
Predator fans on Twitter and Facebook have a chance to win a suite in a new contest that started yesterday. Check here for more details and add the Preds on to be eligible for a prize.
Here is another promo where you can get $6.00 off a ticket for bringing a Shea Weber can of Mountain Dew page to the game. You can also register to win a suite too.
Wade Belak went to Heritage Middle School to stamp out bullying which is the number one cause of suicide among kids.
Dirk Hoag has a video explaining some new line combinations at yesterday's Preds practice.
Jas Faulkner has her weekly Preds round-up at The Hockey Writers.
Around the NHL...
Here is the video of Peter Forsberg's retirement presser yesterday.
It appears that the Avalanche folks were as surprised as everyone else by the announcement.
Adrian Dater puts a bow on a long day for the Avs' faithful and calls it the Darkest Day in Avalanche history. The 9-1 loss to Calgary was the finale. Dater also gives 21 memories of Peter Forsberg.
Philadelphia paid a high price in sending first and third round picks in this summer's Entry Draft to Toronto in exchange for Kris Versteeg. This make's David Poile's price for Mike Fisher look like something from the sale bin at Big Lots.
Thursday's Preds' opponent, Vancouver, lost 3-2 to St. Louis last night snapping Roberto Luongo's 21 game unbeaten streak (16-0-5) that Dated back to December 5.
Ryan Porth looks back at the moves at last year's trade deadline.
Scott Burnside calls out Mario Lemieux for his remarks about the league's action in the Pens-Isles debacle. Paul McCann agrees and calls on Mario to set an example.
The flip side of that argument is Steve Yzerman encouraging Mario to speak out more often.
Adam Gretz does the math on cap hits for potential free agents.
Aaron Woods has the audio and transcript of the NHL presser yesterday for the upcoming Heritage Classic at AZ Vibe Sports.
I suspected that the $100,000 fine against the Islanders would be tough to raise but I never expected it would come to a celebrity boxing fundraiser. Intent to Blow has the scoop.
Odds and Ends...
Remind me when I get my European Tour card not to spit on the course. This article has a couple of outrageous quotes and the video of the vile incident.
This is silly. Do you want to know how you would look if you were Andy the Android? This app lets you find out.
I'm sorry but a railroad is not a "dry canal."
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
With that being said, the battle for sixth place in the Western Conference between the Nashville Predators (30-19-7) and the San Jose Sharks (30-21-6) will kick off at 7 p.m. at the Bridgestone Arena.
The Predators and Sharks have played twice this season with the Preds winning both games. On December 15 in Nashville, the Preds were down 2-1 late in the third and I went to the restroom and they scored two goals in 44 seconds to clinch a 3-2 win.
On January 8, in San Jose, the Preds won 2-1 for their first win at the HP Pavillion since 2002 as it capped off the second ever sweep of the three California teams on a road swing.
Tonight's game is the last of seven on a road trip to the East for the Sharks. They won the first four game but have since lost to the Devils and Panthers. The Fish are 7-2-1 in their last ten and are a point behind the Preds in the standings.
The Predators have won two in a row for the first time since a three game winning streak that ended on January 23. They are 5-4-1 in their last ten games and are eight days away from one of their worst showings of the year against Edmonton last Monday.
Barry Trotz indicated that Marcel Goc will return to the lineup and that Marik Svatos is close to a return. Matt Halischuk was sent down to Milwaukee on Sunday morning. There is no indication that Cal O'Reilly, Francis Bouillon, or Matthew Lombardi will return any time soon.
It is expected that Pekka Rinne (20-14-5, 2.11, .928) will be in net for the Predators and that Antti Niemi (17-15-3, 2.56, .916) will start for the Sharks with Carter Hutton (0-0-0, 0.00, .000) as the back-up. Antero Niittymaki (12-6-3, 2.54, .901) is out with a lower body injury.
The Preds will stay home for the rest of the week with games against Vancouver on Thursday and Phoenix on Saturday.
Other game previews cone from Amanda DiPaolo, Chris Burton, Predatorial, The Tennessean, and Predators.com.
Previews from California comes from The Mercury News, Inside Bay Area, SF Gate, Working the Corners, Fear the Fin, Battle of California, Blades of Teal, SharksPage, and Couch Tarts.
In Pred Nation...
Amanda DiPaolo discusses the standing ovation during a TV timeout as a growing tradition at the Bridgestone Arena
David Boclair compares the Steve Sullivan trade to others that the Preds have made at the deadline over the years.
Bryan Mullen discusses the Predators wanting to break out of the pack in the Western Conference.
The Predatorial has his Pred colored glasses on in making his year end predictions. I admit I had the Preds making the West finals with the Kings in the preseason but second in the west may be pushing it.
Predator fans on Twitter and Facebook have a chance to win a suite in a new contest that started yesterday. Check here for more details and add the Preds on to be eligible for a prize.
Here is another promo where you can get $6.00 off a ticket for bringing a Shea Weber can of Mountain Dew page to the game. You can also register to win a suite too.
Wade Belak went to Heritage Middle School to stamp out bullying which is the number one cause of suicide among kids.
Dirk Hoag has a video explaining some new line combinations at yesterday's Preds practice.
Jas Faulkner has her weekly Preds round-up at The Hockey Writers.
Around the NHL...
Here is the video of Peter Forsberg's retirement presser yesterday.
It appears that the Avalanche folks were as surprised as everyone else by the announcement.
Adrian Dater puts a bow on a long day for the Avs' faithful and calls it the Darkest Day in Avalanche history. The 9-1 loss to Calgary was the finale. Dater also gives 21 memories of Peter Forsberg.
Philadelphia paid a high price in sending first and third round picks in this summer's Entry Draft to Toronto in exchange for Kris Versteeg. This make's David Poile's price for Mike Fisher look like something from the sale bin at Big Lots.
Thursday's Preds' opponent, Vancouver, lost 3-2 to St. Louis last night snapping Roberto Luongo's 21 game unbeaten streak (16-0-5) that Dated back to December 5.
Ryan Porth looks back at the moves at last year's trade deadline.
Scott Burnside calls out Mario Lemieux for his remarks about the league's action in the Pens-Isles debacle. Paul McCann agrees and calls on Mario to set an example.
The flip side of that argument is Steve Yzerman encouraging Mario to speak out more often.
Adam Gretz does the math on cap hits for potential free agents.
Aaron Woods has the audio and transcript of the NHL presser yesterday for the upcoming Heritage Classic at AZ Vibe Sports.
I suspected that the $100,000 fine against the Islanders would be tough to raise but I never expected it would come to a celebrity boxing fundraiser. Intent to Blow has the scoop.
Odds and Ends...
Remind me when I get my European Tour card not to spit on the course. This article has a couple of outrageous quotes and the video of the vile incident.
This is silly. Do you want to know how you would look if you were Andy the Android? This app lets you find out.
I'm sorry but a railroad is not a "dry canal."
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Monday, January 10, 2011
Thoughts On The Predators' First Half and Monday Musings
Note:POTG Radio is on hiatus so there will be no show tonight.
The Nashville Predators are at the mid point of the 82 game season and sit in fourth place in the Western Conference with 50 points which is exactly half of their total at year's end last season. While that is impressive, you have to also note that they are only four points ahead of the twelfth place St. Louis Blues.
This year's Preds have been one of the streakiest teams in franchise history with two five game losing streaks and a four gamer. In the last ten games they are 5-5, which includes a five game winning streak and a losing streak of the same number of games.
Injuries have run rampant amongst the best Pred players. Only six players have played every game, Colin Wilson, J P Dumont, Jerred Smithson, Shea Weber, Joel Ward and Shane O'Brien.
Currently, they are without top scorers Steve Sullivan, Cal O'Reilly, and Marty Erat, their best defensive forward Nick Spaling, and Matthew Lombardi has been gone so long folks have quit asking about a return date. New guy, Marek Svatos, went down Saturday and may be out for a while too.
Primary agitator, Jordin Tootoo, is also gone for a couple of months, giving Wade Belak a chance for a goal before season's end.
The Preds are 25th in the league in goals per game while they are 3rd in goals allowed. They are 25th on the power play but fifth in killing penalties. Basically, when you watch the Preds, you aren't likely to see many goals on either side, or many man advantage points either.
With all the absences, in true Predator fashion, others have carried the load. Colin Wilson is starting to show signs of being the player the Preds have wanted to see. Sergei Kostitsyn is making David Poile look like a genius, as has Anders Lindback. On any given night, an unexpected hero has popped up and carried the load.
So heading into the second half, you have to wonder if the Preds are at a high water mark and ready for another losing streak or if the team will start to heal and be even better.
The competition will get tougher down the stretch and teams will load up with trade deadline deals that will change the current landscape. There's no way of knowing at this point how active the Preds will be in the market place. With attendance up and finances looking better, you have to think they will be willing to make the right move if it is out there.
So here we go! The second half begins tomorrow at the Bridgestone Arena against the surprising Minnesota Wild. Tickets are still available, so plan on attending.
Preds-Sharks Round-Up...
Here is our game story from Saturday night.
Josh Cooper had his game story, notes, quotes, and postgame ponderings.
From the blog world reports come from Amanda DiPaolo, Mark Willoughby, Dirk Hoag (with his advances stats), and Hockey Night in Nashville.
The Bay Area wrap-ups come from The Mercury News, Inside Bay Area, SF Gate, Working the Corners, Fear the Fin, Battle of California, Blades of Teal, SharksPage, and Couch Tarts.
In Pred Nation...
Josh Cooper spoke with David Poile and the upside to all the injuries is players stepping up in new roles.
NHL.com's list of hot players includes Sergei Kostitsyn who may be up for Star of the Week honors later today. It also lists Jose Theodore who the Preds will face tomorrow night.
Dirk Hoag starts his mid year reviews with the goaltenders and also looks at the latest mysterious suspension from the NHL.
Hockey's Future highlights Ryan Ellis as a standout performer at the World Juniors.
From @NHLPredsInsider: Last night's win was the #Preds 250th since the start of 2005-06 – only Detroit (284), San Jose (268) and Vancouver (251) have more.
Section 303 has a new episode of the 303:30 with Ryan Porth and Patten Fuqua.
In a surprise move, Jamie Lundmark was given an unconditional release and appears headed for Europe. Here is a Twitter explanation from Lundmark's wife that Seth Lake found @EricaLundmark: I need to clarify for some. Nashville agreed to let us look over seas. We signed with Timra in the Swedish Elite League.
The Milwaukee Admirals are riding a four game winning streak including yesterday's 3-2 matinee win against Hamilton. See Admirals Roundtable for all three weekend wrap-ups.
Examiner.com looks at the Predators at the 40 game mark.
The Preds arrived in San Jose on Friday just in time for a 4.1 magnitude earthquake. I am jealous since that would be a good one to feel that wouldn't produce damage.
Former Predator Jason Arnott expects to be traded to a potential playoff team.
Around the NHL...
Cameron Walsh goes in to a lot of detail about Sidney Crosby's concussion and the injury in general at From the Point. This is a must read piece.
The first round of HBO's 24/7 was such a success, the NHL is not ruling out something similar during the playoffs. James O'Brien at PHT looks at some possibilities.
Seventeen players made The Hockey News' People of Power list. Gary Bettman was replaced at number one by Donald Fehr.
Ryan Porth has the top five first half disappointments. It's a solid list.
The Goalie Guild has their January update of all goalie prospects. This stuff is incredible.
Jason LaBarbara (5-5-2) of the Coyotes set an NHL record by having his first twelve starts of the year being on the road.
Ben Eager received a four game suspension from the NHL after punching Colby Armstrong.
Matt Reitz has his weekly Hockey Fan in California post with a bunch of good stuff.
Jamie Langenbrunner appears to be the big winner in his trade to the Stars. Here is a post discussing the low value of veterans on the trade market this season.
Mandi Schwartz has stopped her chemotherapy treatment and things do not look good.
The mysterious death of former San Jose prospect Tom Cavanagh raises more questions than was answered. Fans often forget that even though players are top athletes, they face daily pressures and demons just like everyone else.
Odds and Ends...
The Motorola Xoom won the best of show at CES in Las Vegas. I want one.
It is amazing that Opportunity, one of the twin Mars rovers, is still rolling along after seven years on the red planet. We saw the launch of the other rover, Spirit, when we were in Florida when my boys were just kids.
Here is a video from Ross Rylance, a guy I haven't seen in years. His wife is a stroke victim and this is an appeal to the Ellen Show to help with her treatment. Clicking on the link will help in getting chosen by Ellen.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Rinne Leads Preds Past Sharks 2-1
Pekka Rinne and the Predator defense were the stars of the game as the Nashville Predators beat the San Jose Sharks 2-1 and swept the three California teams on the road for only the second time in team history. It was the Preds fifth straight win.
Rinne faced 43 Shark shots and stopped all but one. Equally as impressive was the Predator defense blocking another 22 shots. Altogether, San Jose threw a remarkable 81 shots at the Nashville net.
David Legwand had an unassisted goal in the first period and Sergei Kostitsyn had the game winner in the third and that was all the offense the Preds needed. Logan Couture had the lone goal for the Sharks in the second stanza.
Antti Niemi was the hard luck loser for the Sharks. As usual, Niemi's inability to control rebounds was his downfall as both Predator goals were on misplaced rebounds.
The contest opened with sharp skating and plenty of shots by both teams. The Predators got on the board first at 13:10 in the first period when Legwand shot from the right faceoff circle, then crashed the net, corralled his own rebound, and then put it past Niemi for an unassisted goal to give the Preds a 1-0 lead.
The real star of the opening period was Rinne who stopped all 18 Shark shots, many of which were quality scoring chances. The Preds managed 12 shots and were more than doubled in the Corsi 32-15.
The Sharks came back and tied the game 1-1 at 4:35 in the second. The Preds got caught with too many men deep and the Sharks had a 2 on 1 on Franson. Couture kept the puck on the rush and got a shot on Rinne that beat him on the high glove side.
The Predators were fortunate to come out of the second period still tied as San Jose was out working the Preds. The Sharks had won 26 of 42 face offs over two periods and led in shots 11-6 and the Corsi 19-13 for the middle stanza.
In the third period, Kostitsyn extended his goal streak to five games at 6:23 to put the Preds up 2-1. Kostitsyn started the play from the right corner beside Marcel Goc who passed the puck to Patric Hornqvist who shot at the net. Kostitsyn rushed the net from the side, picked up the rebound, and lifted it over Niemi for the goal.
With 1:36 left, Niemi left the ice and San Jose intensified the pressure on the Preds net. Twelve seconds later, the Sharks called a time out to plot the final strategy. In one final flurry, Couture hit the crossbar with 10 seconds left but the puck was cleared and the Preds sealed the victory.
For the third period, the Sharks out shot the Preds once again, 14-8 and led the Corsi 30-16.
There were only two penalties called in the game, both on the Predators. The Sharks were not whistled for any infractions for the evening.
With 4:12 left in the game, Marek Svatos appears to have joined the list of fallen Predators when he slid into the boards with his legs spread and left the ice, appearing to have a groin pull.
Andreas Thuresson played his first game of the year for the Preds. taking Nick Spaling's place on a defensive line with Joel Ward and Jerred Smithson. He played 18 shifts with 14:05 minutes of play. He led bot teams in hits with six.
The game was the halfway point of the season for the Predators as the finished the evening with 50 points and in fourth place in the tightly bunched Western Conference.
The Predators returned to Nashville after the game and will have Sunday off before returning to the Bridgestone Arena to face the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Rinne faced 43 Shark shots and stopped all but one. Equally as impressive was the Predator defense blocking another 22 shots. Altogether, San Jose threw a remarkable 81 shots at the Nashville net.
David Legwand had an unassisted goal in the first period and Sergei Kostitsyn had the game winner in the third and that was all the offense the Preds needed. Logan Couture had the lone goal for the Sharks in the second stanza.
Antti Niemi was the hard luck loser for the Sharks. As usual, Niemi's inability to control rebounds was his downfall as both Predator goals were on misplaced rebounds.
The contest opened with sharp skating and plenty of shots by both teams. The Predators got on the board first at 13:10 in the first period when Legwand shot from the right faceoff circle, then crashed the net, corralled his own rebound, and then put it past Niemi for an unassisted goal to give the Preds a 1-0 lead.
The real star of the opening period was Rinne who stopped all 18 Shark shots, many of which were quality scoring chances. The Preds managed 12 shots and were more than doubled in the Corsi 32-15.
The Sharks came back and tied the game 1-1 at 4:35 in the second. The Preds got caught with too many men deep and the Sharks had a 2 on 1 on Franson. Couture kept the puck on the rush and got a shot on Rinne that beat him on the high glove side.
The Predators were fortunate to come out of the second period still tied as San Jose was out working the Preds. The Sharks had won 26 of 42 face offs over two periods and led in shots 11-6 and the Corsi 19-13 for the middle stanza.
In the third period, Kostitsyn extended his goal streak to five games at 6:23 to put the Preds up 2-1. Kostitsyn started the play from the right corner beside Marcel Goc who passed the puck to Patric Hornqvist who shot at the net. Kostitsyn rushed the net from the side, picked up the rebound, and lifted it over Niemi for the goal.
With 1:36 left, Niemi left the ice and San Jose intensified the pressure on the Preds net. Twelve seconds later, the Sharks called a time out to plot the final strategy. In one final flurry, Couture hit the crossbar with 10 seconds left but the puck was cleared and the Preds sealed the victory.
For the third period, the Sharks out shot the Preds once again, 14-8 and led the Corsi 30-16.
There were only two penalties called in the game, both on the Predators. The Sharks were not whistled for any infractions for the evening.
With 4:12 left in the game, Marek Svatos appears to have joined the list of fallen Predators when he slid into the boards with his legs spread and left the ice, appearing to have a groin pull.
Andreas Thuresson played his first game of the year for the Preds. taking Nick Spaling's place on a defensive line with Joel Ward and Jerred Smithson. He played 18 shifts with 14:05 minutes of play. He led bot teams in hits with six.
The game was the halfway point of the season for the Predators as the finished the evening with 50 points and in fourth place in the tightly bunched Western Conference.
The Predators returned to Nashville after the game and will have Sunday off before returning to the Bridgestone Arena to face the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Predators Face Sharks in The Tank and Saturday Round-Up
The Nashville Predators (21-13-6) hope to extend their four game win streak and hold on to fourth place in the Western Conference when they face San Jose (21-15-5) at the H P Pavilion (aka Shark Tank) at 7 p.m. Central.
Amazingly, the Preds have won four in a row while doing without Steve Sullivan, Marty Erat, Cal O'Reilly, Matthew Lombardi, and as of the last game penalty kill expert Nick Spaling. The Sharks will be without Joe Pavelski.
Pekka Rinne (11-10-4, 2.20, .923) will be in net for the Predators while the probable starter for the Sharks will be Antti Niemi (9-10-2, 2.97, .905) after a shaky game by Anrero Niittymaki (12-5-3, 2.47, .903) in a home loss to Buffalo on Thursday.
San Jose had a meeting with the Sharks brass that was scheduled before the loss to Buffalo but took on a different tone after a somewhat bitter loss. The Sharks were also stunned with hearing about the death of former prospect Tom Cavanagh who many of the current players had played with.
Sergei Kostitsyn and Patric Hornqvist are both riding career high four-game goal streaks after each scored against the Kings on Thursday. Kostitsyn is also on a hot streak having amassed 18 points (8G, 10A) in his last 17 games. Colin Wilson is also contributing and had his first three point game (1G, 2A) against the Kings.
The Preds will need to bring their whole arsenal tonight as the Sharks have won ten of the last 12 games in their rink. The home team has won six of the last seven meetings between the teams.
The two teams have faced each other one time this season in a Preds 3-2 comeback win in Nashville on December 15. Sergei Kostitsyn and Colin Wilson scored back to back goals late to send the Preds to victory.
Other game previews come from Amanda DiPaolo, Paul McCann, Chris Burton, The Tennessean, and Predators.com.
From the Bay Area previews come from The Mercury News, Inside Bay Area, SF Gate, Working the Corners, Fear the Fin, Battle of California, Blades of Teal, SharksPage, and Couch Tarts.
In Pred Nation...
Another new aggregator site for Preds fans has popped up. It is the work of Robby MacDonell of Seattle who describes himself as a "displaced Nashville Predators fan."
Jim Diamond questions Francis Bouillon's decision to enter into a fight with Wayne Simmonds in Thursday's game. Frankie is probably thinking the same thing.
Dirk Hoag has a post with insight from Sweden on Pred Prospect Patrick Cehlin. He also had weekend links and a discussion of the Preds' depth.
Predsblog looks at three breakout players that are carrying the load for the Predators.
Josh Cooper has a few leftover quotes from a happy Preds' locker room after the win in Los Angeles. He also speaks with Marcel Goc about his return to San Jose.
Tyler Davis joins the Predator blog community as the new correspondent for NHL Hot Stove. Here is his first piece on the Preds' injury situation.
Mark Willoughby has his first "My View" of the new year and had a new dog picture on the site. I think he need a picture of the dog that bit him.
Puck and Punk takes a look at the Guardian Project and ask the dame question most have asked, "What the Hell?"
The Fantasy Hockey Scouts declared that Patrick Celin raised his stock the most at the World Juniors.
Around the NHL...
The Red Wings suffered a setback last night when Brad Stuart had his jaw broken on a hit by Tom Kostopoulos in the Wings win over Calgary.
Jamie Langenbrunner discusses his return to Dallas after eight years in New Jersey.
Here is the wrap up from this week's View From My Seat's Puck Chat. It is a fun thing that brings in diverse opinions from all over.
Ryan Porth hands out mid-season grades to the Eastern Conference as well as the Western Conference.
Along the same vein, Adrian Dater looks at the five most disappointing teams of the first half of the season. Guess who is number one. Dater also looks at Crosby's concussion and why Pen's fans should worry.
Sports Illustrated hands out their mid-season NHL Awards.
The sale of the Coyotes to Matthew Hulsizer is set to close in mid-January according to the latest report.
Down Goes Brown has Gary Bettman's message to new fans acquired after the Winter Classic.
It appears that the Russian Junior team isn't the only team to have alcohol issues this week. Intent to Blow has details of a second incident in Philadelphia.
Odds and Ends...
Here is a story about a serious matter where a company called Righthaven LLC is seeking the maximum $150,000 fine and seizure of domain names for copyright infringement on behalf of it's clients. This could have serious impacts on share buttons and the like if their tactics hold up inn court.
A penguin (not the Crosby type) went into a lion's den in Germany and lived to tell about it.
A freak flood of the Virgin River in Utah and Nevada may stave off water rationing from Lake Mead a little longer.
More Later....
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Thursday, December 16, 2010
The Never Say Die Predators Win Again and Thursday Thoughts
The Nashville Predators 3-2 comeback victory against the San Jose Sharks last night was one of the more surprising wins of the season to this point. The fact that it was against a quality Western Conference opponent that appeared better on paper made the victory even more satisfying for players and fans.
The Predators had had the first goal in every game since the debacle in Minnesota on November 26, so when they fell behind twice they found themselves in unfamiliar territory.
Anders Lindback has now won five of six in Pekka Rinne's absence and has bridged the gap well until Pekka returns, probably next week. It was different for him to play without a lead but he was not rattled, even against the powerful Sharks forwards which Barry Trotz said had "the best line in the world."
The Preds have now won four in a row, have points in their last nine games, and are 11-3-3 since the five game losing streak that had fans concerned in early November. They currently are in fourth place in the Western Conference and are tied for the second most points in the West.
The Preds have a big challenge ahead of them tomorrow and Saturday going to New Jersey in another "trap" game and then flying back home to face another tough Western Conference opponent in the Los Angeles Kings.
As much as they have been tested over the last few weeks, this will be another huge test for the team that may be the best one that Nashville has seen in the thirteen year franchise history.
David Legwand and Patric Hornqvist will not play this weekend and a recall from Milwaukee should be announced today. My guess is probably Jamie Lundmark. The other question will be whether Trotz will play Lindback on back to back nights or if he gives Mark Dekanich a start before sending him back to Milwaukee.
It should be an interesting few days, so stay tuned.
Preds-Sharks Round Up...
Here is our game story from last night with postgame video.
The Predators produced post game audio clips from Anders Lindback, J. P. Dumont, Colin Wilson, and Jordin Tootoo. From San Jose comes clips from Coach Todd McLellan, Dany Heatley, and Joe Thornton.
Josh Cooper had his game story, notes column, and and postgame ponderings.
Jim Diamond touches on J P Dumont's game saving play at the Examiner.
David Boclair has his story at The City Paper with a focus on defense.
From the blog world reports come from Ryan Porth, Amanda DiPaolo, Mark Willoughby, Dirk Hoag (with his advances stats), Jeremy Gover, Fang Finger Fever, and AJ at PMFF.
The other side of the story comes from From California comes stories from The Mercury News, Inside Bay Area, SF Gate, Working the Corners, Fear the Fin, Battle of California, Blades of Teal, SharksPage, and Couch Tarts.
In Pred Nation...
Josh Cooper had the latest update on Pekka's return. So when is "soon"? He also has the update on David Legwand which sounds like no time soon.
Sean Leahy must have been inspired with the Preds puck talk he heard on hold for RLD Radio on Tuesday and writes about the Preds at Puck Daddy.
Ryan Dixon at The Hockey News takes a look at the rebirth of Sergei Kostitsyn in Nashville
Mark Dekanich is still getting respect in the AHL even without playing. Mark also gets some pub from his local hometown paper.
ESPN calls Cody Franson a "sleeper" that may be ripe for the picking in many fantasy leagues.
Chris Burton has the power rating round-up. The Preds appear to be about where they should be in most rankings.
David Singleton catches up on the latest Predator news at Hockey Independent.
Hands of Cement is back and is not happy with the new Smashville song.
Around the NHL...
Last night was a huge night for hat tricks with first time hatties for Nicklas Lidstrom, Ryan Kesler, and Drew Stafford. Sidney Crosby also extended his points streak to twenty games in the Pens loss to the Rangers. The Caps also dropped their seventh in a row.
The 24/7 series debuted on HBO and got good reaction. I'd like to see it if anyone has a copy.
Here are some videos from Aaron Wood of AZ Vibe Sports from Glendale City Counsel meeting. Included are the final vote, Gary Bettman, Matthew Hulsizer, and Mayor Scruggs. The mayor is a real charmer. Her even keel has been the highlight of all the meetings that I have seen. They also have the audio of Bettman's speech to the counsel as well as Matt Hulsizer's.
Ryan Porth looks at Sidney Crosby's 19 game point streak and puts it in perspective with other post lockout streaks.
Chris Drury is finally making his return after playing only nine minutes on opening night on October 15.
Chris Wassel gives credit to Heather McWhorter, Travis Hair, and all the Phoenix faithful that pushed from the fan side to get the Phoenix deal done.
Jon Jordan takes a close look at the potential marriage between Evgeni Nabokov and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Adrian Dater stumbled into the Gary Bettman entourage when he was in Florida last week. Here are a few Q's and A's.
Mayors Manor has 10 things LA fans need to know about Marco Sturm.
Bobby Ryan has the second installment of his USA Today Blog. I've never heard of a drawing contest to kill time.
Odds and Ends...
I'm sure the movie The Social Network was a driving force in Time Magazine naming Mark Zuckerberg the Person of the Year.
Google TV announced a major upgrade that makes internet TV very appealing. Maybe it will come to my Roku box. Here's a look at the phone app that goes with it.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes fro PredsOntheGlass
The Predators had had the first goal in every game since the debacle in Minnesota on November 26, so when they fell behind twice they found themselves in unfamiliar territory.
Anders Lindback has now won five of six in Pekka Rinne's absence and has bridged the gap well until Pekka returns, probably next week. It was different for him to play without a lead but he was not rattled, even against the powerful Sharks forwards which Barry Trotz said had "the best line in the world."
The Preds have now won four in a row, have points in their last nine games, and are 11-3-3 since the five game losing streak that had fans concerned in early November. They currently are in fourth place in the Western Conference and are tied for the second most points in the West.
The Preds have a big challenge ahead of them tomorrow and Saturday going to New Jersey in another "trap" game and then flying back home to face another tough Western Conference opponent in the Los Angeles Kings.
As much as they have been tested over the last few weeks, this will be another huge test for the team that may be the best one that Nashville has seen in the thirteen year franchise history.
David Legwand and Patric Hornqvist will not play this weekend and a recall from Milwaukee should be announced today. My guess is probably Jamie Lundmark. The other question will be whether Trotz will play Lindback on back to back nights or if he gives Mark Dekanich a start before sending him back to Milwaukee.
It should be an interesting few days, so stay tuned.
Preds-Sharks Round Up...
Here is our game story from last night with postgame video.
The Predators produced post game audio clips from Anders Lindback, J. P. Dumont, Colin Wilson, and Jordin Tootoo. From San Jose comes clips from Coach Todd McLellan, Dany Heatley, and Joe Thornton.
Josh Cooper had his game story, notes column, and and postgame ponderings.
Jim Diamond touches on J P Dumont's game saving play at the Examiner.
David Boclair has his story at The City Paper with a focus on defense.
From the blog world reports come from Ryan Porth, Amanda DiPaolo, Mark Willoughby, Dirk Hoag (with his advances stats), Jeremy Gover, Fang Finger Fever, and AJ at PMFF.
The other side of the story comes from From California comes stories from The Mercury News, Inside Bay Area, SF Gate, Working the Corners, Fear the Fin, Battle of California, Blades of Teal, SharksPage, and Couch Tarts.
In Pred Nation...
Josh Cooper had the latest update on Pekka's return. So when is "soon"? He also has the update on David Legwand which sounds like no time soon.
Sean Leahy must have been inspired with the Preds puck talk he heard on hold for RLD Radio on Tuesday and writes about the Preds at Puck Daddy.
Ryan Dixon at The Hockey News takes a look at the rebirth of Sergei Kostitsyn in Nashville
Mark Dekanich is still getting respect in the AHL even without playing. Mark also gets some pub from his local hometown paper.
ESPN calls Cody Franson a "sleeper" that may be ripe for the picking in many fantasy leagues.
Chris Burton has the power rating round-up. The Preds appear to be about where they should be in most rankings.
David Singleton catches up on the latest Predator news at Hockey Independent.
Hands of Cement is back and is not happy with the new Smashville song.
Around the NHL...
Last night was a huge night for hat tricks with first time hatties for Nicklas Lidstrom, Ryan Kesler, and Drew Stafford. Sidney Crosby also extended his points streak to twenty games in the Pens loss to the Rangers. The Caps also dropped their seventh in a row.
The 24/7 series debuted on HBO and got good reaction. I'd like to see it if anyone has a copy.
Here are some videos from Aaron Wood of AZ Vibe Sports from Glendale City Counsel meeting. Included are the final vote, Gary Bettman, Matthew Hulsizer, and Mayor Scruggs. The mayor is a real charmer. Her even keel has been the highlight of all the meetings that I have seen. They also have the audio of Bettman's speech to the counsel as well as Matt Hulsizer's.
Ryan Porth looks at Sidney Crosby's 19 game point streak and puts it in perspective with other post lockout streaks.
Chris Drury is finally making his return after playing only nine minutes on opening night on October 15.
Chris Wassel gives credit to Heather McWhorter, Travis Hair, and all the Phoenix faithful that pushed from the fan side to get the Phoenix deal done.
Jon Jordan takes a close look at the potential marriage between Evgeni Nabokov and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Adrian Dater stumbled into the Gary Bettman entourage when he was in Florida last week. Here are a few Q's and A's.
Mayors Manor has 10 things LA fans need to know about Marco Sturm.
Bobby Ryan has the second installment of his USA Today Blog. I've never heard of a drawing contest to kill time.
Odds and Ends...
I'm sure the movie The Social Network was a driving force in Time Magazine naming Mark Zuckerberg the Person of the Year.
Google TV announced a major upgrade that makes internet TV very appealing. Maybe it will come to my Roku box. Here's a look at the phone app that goes with it.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes fro PredsOntheGlass
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Predators Bite Sharks with 3-2 Comeback Win
If someone ever asks for a definition of "Predators' hockey," you would have to look no further than a video of the last five minutes of the Nashville's 3-2 comeback win over the San Jose Sharks to explain what to them what it means.
The Predators appeared to be headed for a loss late in the third period but they never stopped giving 110% effort playing at both ends of the ice. Their persistence paid off with back to back goals, 44 seconds apart, first by Sergei Kostitsyn and then the game winner by Colin Wilson to give the Predators the win.
Another aspect of Predator hockey is that they never do it the easy way as was the case tonight. After they took the lead, Jordin Tootoo was called for delay of game so the Preds had to kill a Sharks power play for the last 1:52 of the game. Anders Lindback was spectacular in the closing minute fending off one of "the best lines on the planet" as Barry Trotz stated.
Lindback was coming off of back to back shutouts and his streak was broken in the first period. "I knew it was going to come sooner or later," Lindback said. "I just do what I always do, just try not to think about it and to just go on with the next puck."
Trotz was pleased with Lindback's play one again, "You get good goaltending and you can be in it. He gave us some big saves, timely saves and we're in it. We get a timely goal then another one and we're sitting here with a victory."
The Sharks were first to get on the scoreboard at 7:25 in the pening period when Wallin took a cross ice pass from Benn Ferriero behind the right circle and put it past Lindback to gain an early 1-0 lead.
The Predators finished the period on the power play when ex-Pred Scott Nichol was called for hooking at 19:09. The Predators out shot the Sharks 13-9 and led the Corsi 23-18 but it seemed that the Preds spent a good part of the opening period in their own defensive zone.
"To be honest, I didn't even know it went in until my line mates started cheering. We were just fortunate we got a lucky bounce and the bottom line is that we got two points and that's what we came here tonight to do."
The Predators started the second period on the carry-over power play and had nothing to show for it. The Predators and Sharks then traded penalties with Sergei Kostitsyn picking up a high sticking call and Dany Heatley getting a double minor for cross checking and unsportsmanlike conduct. The Predators did not garner a good scoring chance in the two and a half minutes of man advantage that came on the back end of the flurry of penalties.
The Predators tied the game 1-1 at 12:14 on a freak play when Tootoo was was being held on the boards behind the net and flipped the puck toward the net and ex-Pred Nichol deflected the puck past Niemi into the Sharks net.
The Sharks grabbed the lead again at 17:26 in the second period on the power play after Shane O'Brien had been called for tripping. It was a slick play where Heatley passed the puck to Joe Thornton beside the net who then he sent it back to Heatley who easily put it past Lindback to make it 2-1.
As the second period ended, J. P. Dumont made the defensive play of the game when he stopped Logan Couture's short-handed breakaway drive by knocking the puck free as he drove to the net. "That was a big play at that point because we were down 2-1. If He walks in and scores, I would probably say at that point it was game, set, match," explained Trotz.
The Sharks out shot the Preds 10-7 in the second period and appeared to be in control of the game heading into the third period.
The Predators kept pushing the play in the third period and out shot the Sharks 15-8. Their drive and persistence paid off as the period wound down.
At 16:44, Shea Weber skated the puck down the left boards and fired a shot at the net that was tipped by Kostitsyn and found the back of the net past Niemi to tie the game 2-2.
"That was great pass from Shea to me. I just tipped it and it went in," Kostitsyn explained.
The team got a huge momentum shift and struck again at 17:28 when the Predators had a three on one breakaway and Steve Sullivan sent a perfect pass from right to left to a wide open Wilson who scored the game winner.
The Predators finished the evening with 38 points which is the second highest total in the Western Conference. Only the Central division leading Detroit has more with 43.
Patrick Hornqvist was unable to play in the game which caused some odd line combinations with several folks taking fourth line duty since Wade Belak only skated two shifts as Hornqvist's replacement. Trotz indicated that Hornqvist was doubtful for the next two games and a recall from Milwaukee was probable.
After the hard fought game, the coaching staff gave the team a day off from practice on Thursday before they leave for New Jersey to face the Devils on Friday night. They play again at the Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night when they face the Los Angeles Kings.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Predators Need a New Gear for Sharks and Wednesday Wrap-Up
The San Jose Sharks (15-10-5) head into the Bridgestone Arena tonight to face the high flying Nashville Predators (15-8-6) as the forecast calls for an ice storm to grip the area.
The Predators have cruised to shut out wins over the Panthers and the Islanders, two of the weaker teams in the Eastern Conference. Barry Trotz was worried about the "trap game" nature of the last two games.
Trotz has a completely different issue with the Sharks, finding a higher gear for the team's play. "We're going to have to have another gear. This is a real tough week for us. We have five games in eight nights from Saturday to Saturday. We've got travel and we've got a back to back."
"We've got to be mentally tough this week and if we get through the week really we'll get some time off on Sunday or Monday."
The Sharks are a formidable opponent and boasts two of the most dangerous offensive lines in hockey that led the team to the Western Conference finals last year. The team has had an inconsistent season so far but that does not diminish their strength on a given night.
The Sharks lost to Dallas 3-2 in a shootout on Monday at home in San Jose. San Jose is 4-2-1 in the month of December and all but two games have been played on the road.
Anders Lindback (7-1-2, 2.18, .931) will start for the Predators. It is unclear whether Antti Niemi (6-7-2, 3.16, .896) or Antero Niittymaki (9-3-3, 2.43, .908) will be in net for the Sharks.
On paper, the offensive statistics look like a mis-match. The Sharks boast seven players with 20 points or more, led by Dany Heatley and Ryan Clowe with 29. The Preds leading scorer is Cal O'Reilly with 18.
San Jose is sixth (22.1) in the league on the power play while the Preds are in 28th place (13.1). On the flip side, the Preds have moved to fourth (86.1) in the league on the penalty kill while the Sharks are in 15th place (82.7).
In summary, the game appears to be a match-up between the offensive firepower of the Sharks facing the stingy goaltending of rookie Anders Lindback with the improving Predator defense in front of him. It will be a stern test for the Preds as they seem to be hitting their stride as they have moved into the middle of the Western Conference playoff race.
Other game previews come from Amanda DiPaolo, Chris Burton, The Tennessean and Predators.com.
From California comes stories from The Mercury News, Inside Bay Area, SF Gate, Working the Corners, Fear the Fin, Battle of California, Blades of Teal, SharksPage, and Couch Tarts.
Programming Note...
I was a co-host on Ryan Porth's RLD Hockey Talk yesterday. On as guests were Preds Radio guy, Tom Callagan, Sean Leahy from Puck Daddy, and DC CSN writer, Cory Masisak. It was a fast moving hour that is worth a listen. There was plenty of Preds, Caps, and Penguins talk along with a discussion about "disrespect" in the NHL.
In Pred Nation...
David Boclair has a post about the Preds' recent first period success.
Dirk Hoag was up early with his Breakfast Links with a complete roundup of the hockey world. Dirk also has audio of the Shane O'Brien interview on 104.5 The Zone yesterday afternoon.
Ryan Porth has a post on the Predators gaining steam.
Josh Cooper has a few leftovers from the locker room on Monday.
Robby at Hockey Night in Nashville hands out his end of the fall semester report cards to the individual Predator players.
Brian Mullen has news of a new "Smashville" tune. Dirk Hoag comes up with the actual song. I'm afraid I agree with Chris Chelios on his "hillbillyish" comment if the new opening video and the "Smashville" song is the new branding of the Preds.
3D Link has an excellent analysis of the new song at Puck and Punk.
AJ at PMFF takes on the bad music intro new video and begs to have "Run This Town" back. Go AJ!
Jim Diamond takes a look at the differences in the Eastern and Western Conferences.
Predators.com has the weekly Admirals Update. It's good that they got five of six points with Dekanich in Nashville.
Preds bloggers Ryan Porth, Amanda DiPaolo and Jeremy Gover appeared on Paul McCann's SlapShot Radio last night in a round table discussion.
Around the NHL...
I'm still bleary-eyed from staying up late last night to watch the City of Glendale pass the lease agreement between Matt Hulsizer and the city for Jobbing.com Arena which was the last piece that had to be in place for the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to be completed before year end. There was a packed house that included NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
With the Phoenix ownership issue mostly resolved, the Globe and Mail reports today that Atlanta may be the new team in the cross hairs of the Winnipeg group headed by Mark Chipman.
The Pittsburgh Penguins 12 game winning streak came to an end last night in a 3-2 loss in Philadelphia. Sidney Crosby's point streak did continue onward to 19 games.
A really cool thing happens in the Alexander Ovechkin NHL Film video when he is filming the crowd at the 2010 NHL Awards red carpet at the Palms. Our friend Launy "The" Schwartz and wife Dahlia Kurtz made the video with Ovechkin filming Launy filming him. Ryan Porth made the video snag here.
TSN has the final Team Canada that will compete at the World Juniors in Buffalo starting on Boxing Day. Ryan Ellis made the cut with no problem.
Kevin Allen explains the Devil's decision to place Brian Ralston on waivers actually means.
From @helenenothelen: Kings' acquisition of Marco Sturm is official and he's on his way to St. Louis to practice with the team on Wednesday.
The 24/7 Winter Classic series begins tonight on HBO. Puck Daddy spoke with a producer and has a preview. Craig Custance also has some ideas of seeing a different Sidney Crosby.
Chris Botta rants about the Islanders and then gets down to a solid look at their top 24 prospects for the future.
Jeremy Roenick, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin will guest on The Price is Right next Monday.
Odds and Ends...
The Derby News Network has the Nashville Rollergirls nominated in the Most Improved category for the annual post season awards.
What about a shared "Family Plan" for data on smart phones and tablets? It could happen so says a Verizon executive.
It looks like the big new item for the Super Bowl this year my be the Motorola Android based Everest Tablet.
The Space X test flight last week was a real game changer for the private space business. There are big plans in store for the Dragon spacecraft in the near future. It is amazing how much quicker private business is than the government.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
The Predators have cruised to shut out wins over the Panthers and the Islanders, two of the weaker teams in the Eastern Conference. Barry Trotz was worried about the "trap game" nature of the last two games.
Trotz has a completely different issue with the Sharks, finding a higher gear for the team's play. "We're going to have to have another gear. This is a real tough week for us. We have five games in eight nights from Saturday to Saturday. We've got travel and we've got a back to back."
"We've got to be mentally tough this week and if we get through the week really we'll get some time off on Sunday or Monday."
The Sharks are a formidable opponent and boasts two of the most dangerous offensive lines in hockey that led the team to the Western Conference finals last year. The team has had an inconsistent season so far but that does not diminish their strength on a given night.
The Sharks lost to Dallas 3-2 in a shootout on Monday at home in San Jose. San Jose is 4-2-1 in the month of December and all but two games have been played on the road.
Anders Lindback (7-1-2, 2.18, .931) will start for the Predators. It is unclear whether Antti Niemi (6-7-2, 3.16, .896) or Antero Niittymaki (9-3-3, 2.43, .908) will be in net for the Sharks.
On paper, the offensive statistics look like a mis-match. The Sharks boast seven players with 20 points or more, led by Dany Heatley and Ryan Clowe with 29. The Preds leading scorer is Cal O'Reilly with 18.
San Jose is sixth (22.1) in the league on the power play while the Preds are in 28th place (13.1). On the flip side, the Preds have moved to fourth (86.1) in the league on the penalty kill while the Sharks are in 15th place (82.7).
In summary, the game appears to be a match-up between the offensive firepower of the Sharks facing the stingy goaltending of rookie Anders Lindback with the improving Predator defense in front of him. It will be a stern test for the Preds as they seem to be hitting their stride as they have moved into the middle of the Western Conference playoff race.
Other game previews come from Amanda DiPaolo, Chris Burton, The Tennessean and Predators.com.
From California comes stories from The Mercury News, Inside Bay Area, SF Gate, Working the Corners, Fear the Fin, Battle of California, Blades of Teal, SharksPage, and Couch Tarts.
Programming Note...
I was a co-host on Ryan Porth's RLD Hockey Talk yesterday. On as guests were Preds Radio guy, Tom Callagan, Sean Leahy from Puck Daddy, and DC CSN writer, Cory Masisak. It was a fast moving hour that is worth a listen. There was plenty of Preds, Caps, and Penguins talk along with a discussion about "disrespect" in the NHL.
Listen to internet radio with Ryan Porth on Blog Talk Radio
In Pred Nation...
David Boclair has a post about the Preds' recent first period success.
Dirk Hoag was up early with his Breakfast Links with a complete roundup of the hockey world. Dirk also has audio of the Shane O'Brien interview on 104.5 The Zone yesterday afternoon.
Ryan Porth has a post on the Predators gaining steam.
Josh Cooper has a few leftovers from the locker room on Monday.
Robby at Hockey Night in Nashville hands out his end of the fall semester report cards to the individual Predator players.
Brian Mullen has news of a new "Smashville" tune. Dirk Hoag comes up with the actual song. I'm afraid I agree with Chris Chelios on his "hillbillyish" comment if the new opening video and the "Smashville" song is the new branding of the Preds.
3D Link has an excellent analysis of the new song at Puck and Punk.
AJ at PMFF takes on the bad music intro new video and begs to have "Run This Town" back. Go AJ!
Jim Diamond takes a look at the differences in the Eastern and Western Conferences.
Predators.com has the weekly Admirals Update. It's good that they got five of six points with Dekanich in Nashville.
Preds bloggers Ryan Porth, Amanda DiPaolo and Jeremy Gover appeared on Paul McCann's SlapShot Radio last night in a round table discussion.
Around the NHL...
I'm still bleary-eyed from staying up late last night to watch the City of Glendale pass the lease agreement between Matt Hulsizer and the city for Jobbing.com Arena which was the last piece that had to be in place for the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to be completed before year end. There was a packed house that included NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
With the Phoenix ownership issue mostly resolved, the Globe and Mail reports today that Atlanta may be the new team in the cross hairs of the Winnipeg group headed by Mark Chipman.
The Pittsburgh Penguins 12 game winning streak came to an end last night in a 3-2 loss in Philadelphia. Sidney Crosby's point streak did continue onward to 19 games.
A really cool thing happens in the Alexander Ovechkin NHL Film video when he is filming the crowd at the 2010 NHL Awards red carpet at the Palms. Our friend Launy "The" Schwartz and wife Dahlia Kurtz made the video with Ovechkin filming Launy filming him. Ryan Porth made the video snag here.
TSN has the final Team Canada that will compete at the World Juniors in Buffalo starting on Boxing Day. Ryan Ellis made the cut with no problem.
Kevin Allen explains the Devil's decision to place Brian Ralston on waivers actually means.
From @helenenothelen: Kings' acquisition of Marco Sturm is official and he's on his way to St. Louis to practice with the team on Wednesday.
The 24/7 Winter Classic series begins tonight on HBO. Puck Daddy spoke with a producer and has a preview. Craig Custance also has some ideas of seeing a different Sidney Crosby.
Chris Botta rants about the Islanders and then gets down to a solid look at their top 24 prospects for the future.
Jeremy Roenick, Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin will guest on The Price is Right next Monday.
Odds and Ends...
The Derby News Network has the Nashville Rollergirls nominated in the Most Improved category for the annual post season awards.
What about a shared "Family Plan" for data on smart phones and tablets? It could happen so says a Verizon executive.
It looks like the big new item for the Super Bowl this year my be the Motorola Android based Everest Tablet.
The Space X test flight last week was a real game changer for the private space business. There are big plans in store for the Dragon spacecraft in the near future. It is amazing how much quicker private business is than the government.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
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