Another season of Predator hockey has come to an end and we are left to wonder "what if" several things had happened differently along the way. That will be a story for another day.
At this point I would like to thank several folks that have been instrumental in growing POTG during the past season. Thanks to Kevin Wilson and Tim Darling and the Predators for taking a chance and giving us full credentials so that we can bring you, the readers, a look at the Preds from the inner sanctum of the Bridgestone Arena.
We would also like to than the Predator's coaches and players for giving 100% and being "resilient" and overachieving throughout the year. You kept it interesting every day.
Most of all, we would like to thank our readers and listeners for making it all worthwhile to do what we do. We do it for the love of the game and we appreciate all the encouraging words, Tweets, and fellowship at the games. If it wasn't for y'all it would be like a tree falling in a people-less forest.
I'm sure there are others I should have thanked so please forgive me in my sleep deprived state if I have a glaring omission.
Stay with us during the off season and we will report in daily with the latest Predator news, Playoff coverage, and other stuff from the world of hockey. Our POTG Radio show will return to our regular schedule with interesting hockey related guests from all across North America. In June, we will attend the NHL Awards and Entry Draft and will have first hand reports for your enjoyment and edification.
Programming Note...
I will return to Montreal's Team 990 tonight at 9:25 CDT for a segment to put the wraps on the Pred's postseason. Thanks to Connor McKenna for another opportunity to rep the "non-traditional market" to the Montreal hockey Mecca.
Preds-Hawks Game Six Round-Up...
Here is our game story from last night with postgame interviews.
John Glennon has the game story, notes column and postgame ponderings at the Tennessean. Bryan Mullen also has a story. Joe Biddle made a rare appearance in the Pred's dressing room and filed this account.
Jim Diamond reports for the Examiner.
David Boclair checks in with his game story at The City Paper.
In the blog world posts come from Brandon Felder, The View From 111, Forechecker, See Puck City, What the Puck, and Fanhouse.
Btandon Worley reviews the freak play that will be remembered as the poster child for game six.
The Chicago view of the game can be found at the Chicago Sun Times, Daily Herald, and the Chicago Tribune.
Other Monday Games...
The Buffalo Sabres season also came to an abrupt end at the hands of the Boston Bruins in a 4-3 loss. This was expected to be a long series, but most folks felt that Ryan Miller would lead his team to the second round. In the end, they lost the battle of special teams and will now head to the golf course.
The Montreal Canadians extended their Series with Washington to a game seven match on Wednesday with a convincing 4-1 victory. Of all the Eastern Conference match-ups, this one appeared to be the one destined for a quick resolution. Steve Stirling at Intent to Blow appears to have a scoop on why the Caps always have to go to game seven.
Tonight's Match...
In a series that has been everything that it was expected to be, the Detroit Red Wings will try to make one last stand in the desert when they play the Coyotes in the only game on the schedule tonight at 8 p.m. CDT. on Versus. It is the first game seven of this year's postseason. Chris Wassel adds perspective to the game seven match.
In Pred Nation...
The Milwaukee Admirals fell just short in their game seven bid to move to the second round in a 2-1 loss to Chicago last night. Short Shifts has the story.
Ryan at the RLD called out Jason Arnott before last night's game. It must have worked as Arnie scored a pair.
Dan Hamhuis was still bitter at Monday's morning skate over the Hossa hit. Barry Trotz also had a plan for last night's power play. It worked to an extent since they finally got a power play goal.
XM Home Ice recounts their Pred-Hawks predictions. Thanks to Boomer for believing.
A little late since the game was last night, but Jeremy at Section 303 had everything you needed for the game including an update to the chant list. Several folks from out of town have asked me about this in the past so here it is. It was great to see all the "We Believe" signs around the arena during warm-ups and throughout the game. Thanks to Jeremy and Codey for doing that (and to Mark Willoughby for 250 copies that he handed out before the game).
Around the NHL...
Jacques Lemaire retired as the Devils coach but will remain in the organization. It is hard to say who might be the replacement at this point. Adrian Dater points the finger at Lou Lamoriello at Versus. Michelle Kenneth adds perspective.
The Masterdon Finalists were announced on Monday. Kurtis Foster, Jed Ortmeyer and Jose Theodore were the top three. I'm happy for ex-Pred Jed but I would think Jose is a lock on this one.
With four coaching vacancies, Mirtle makes a list of 14 possible candidates that includes Brent Peterson.
Intent to Blow has inside news about Hossa'a hit in game five extending Chicago's cup curse.
Carlos poses the question "Is it ever OK to root against your favorite team" at VFMS. He also looks at what to offer Kovalchuk at Speak of the Devils. Matt Reitz also has a fresh post this morning paying homage to the real hockey guys in the writing business.
From @stevelepore: NBC's coverage of Predators-Blackhawks drew a 1.3 this Saturday, even with last week. Coyotes-Red Wings also drew a 1.3, down from last wk. You wonder how much higher it could have been if it had not been pre-empted for weather by WSMV.
Media Week also has good news on NHL ratings for the year.
Odds and Ends...
I have to ask... Since Toronto is having trouble with attendance at baseball games, should we do something really snotty and say that Canada doesn't deserve a baseball team? I can't do that because that would be as crappy as what is said about Nashville not deserving a hockey team.
If you want your head to hurt from all the information that is actually embedded in a 140 character Tweet then read this article.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Game Recap: Predators Season Ends in 5-3 Loss to Chicago
Barry Trotz Comments - Part 1
Barry Trotz Comments - Part 2
Jason Arnott, Pekka Rinne and Shea Weber speak after the game
Coach Joel Quenneville speaks after the game
The Nashville Predators fought hard and never gave up but still lost to the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 in game six of their Western Conference quarterfinal series.
Chicago will move on to play the Vancouver Canucks in round two while the Predators will have the summer to recover from painful back to back losses. The Predators have now lost five consecutive first round series dating back to the 2004 season.
Jonathan Toews power play goal with 31 seconds left in the first period ended up being the game winner for the Hawks. The goal capped off a very bizarre first period where seven goals were scored in rapid fire fashion.
Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane, Patric Sharp, and John Madden also scored goals for the Blackhawks while Jason Arnott had two goals and Shea Weber had one for the Predators.
Antti Niemi stopped 25 predators shots in the win while Pekka Rinne was the hard luck loser, stopping 27 shots from the Hawks.
Storylines From The Game
Wild First Period Action...
A total of seven goals were scored in the first period but the strangest one of all occurred at 9:54 when Brent Seabrook attempted to dump the puck into the Pred's zone after a face off win. The puck hit Patrick Kane's skate and ricocheted into the Preds net.
Rinne had made the move to go behind the net to stop the puck for the defenseman to set up a breakout. Unfortunately for the Preds, the puck shot straight into the net as Rinne dived to try to stop it.
"It was the biggest game of my life and I was prepared to play," stated Rinne. "The type of things that happened in the first period was not what I expected."
Somber Predator's Dressing Room...
The Predators dressing room was uncharacteristically quiet and subdued after the season ender. After a disastrous end to game five in Chicago on Saturday, the team brought themselves back to being positive prior to Monday night's game.
Jason Arnott was the first to speak, "I am at a loss for words right now. We work all season, had a great opportunity, and let it slip away. It's tough to handle."
"It was pretty bad timing to have that kind of period in the most important game of the year," added Pekka Rinne.
Barry Trotz put a bow on the effort, "It was a game of missed opportunities. We had plenty of chances on the power play and even right down to the final minute. We didn't execute and they did, that was the difference."
The Best Predator Team Ever...
Barry Trotz waxed over this year's team after the game. You could sense that this was a team of over-achievers that he was very proud to lead.
"Someone asked me about all the teams that we have had and have been in the playoffs with different growth patterns and different talent and character. The room itself this year was a real special room. I would play with this team against any other team that we've had so far. It had more character. It had more will. It had a lot of the elements that you want that were going to take us to the next level."
Trotz continued, "It's been a real painful process since we've been through a lot of adversity. This group was special because I don't think anybody thought we would do much this year. This group got 100 points, were resilient, and found ways to win and get points."
"Unfortunately, we had Chicago the other night and we found a way to be there at the end and we let it slip away. We came into the series not feeling like underdogs. We won a road playoff game and should have had two wins. I felt very confident had we won tonight, we would go to Chicago and win the series."
Finally...
This year's version of the Predators was one where the players really liked each other and banded together as a team to be better than the sum of the individuals on the ice. They won far more games than they should have and the fans really appreciated their effort and results.
After a slow start, the team improved and really hit their stride after the Olympic break. It was unfortunate that the season ended as abruptly as it did. It will be a long summer for the players that thought they had more hockey in them and for the fans who will have to wait until September for a new sheet of ice and to see what the 2010-2011 version of the Predators will bring forth.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Monday, April 26, 2010
A Challenge to Predator Fans and Weekend Round-Up
Programing Note: There will not be a POTG Radio this week due to the Preds-Hawks game six.
Tonight's game between the Predators and Blackhawks is truly the most important game in the franchise's history. That mantle has been placed on every game lately but the reality is that this game and every other Pred's game that is played this year (if there are more) have taken on an increased level of importance.
Many fans were upset, disgusted and emotionally drained after Saturday's loss. I can assure you that the player's feelings were much deeper and more difficult to work through.
This team has a history of short memories and putting things behind them. Evey one of them understands that any thought or emotion placed on the past game is a distraction for the task at hand.
Barry Trotz reminded the team to forget about it on the team charter on Saturday. The fans need to do the same thing. Focusing on the past will do nothing to help tonight's effort.
The Predators have repeatedly come back against all odds to do things that no one expects. In the preseason, the team was picked near the bottom of the Western Conference and no one gave them a chance to make the playoffs. Without any star players, they fought their way to the seventh seed.
When the season started, the Preds got off to a horrible start going 2-5-1, including a six game losing streak. Folks were speculating on Barry Trotz's longevity but he never wavered and the team played well for the remainder of the season..
In game five on Saturday, the Preds were completely stifled by the Blackhawk defense for two periods. They never quit believing in themselves and giving a full effort. If not for a couple of poor decisions in the last 30 seconds of play, they would have won.
There's no reason to expect that the Predators will not give 110% to try to rise from the ashes tonight. Dan Ellis tweeted "Damn, talk about slipping through your fingers. Oh well, Preds have always done it the hard way...now we are in our comfort zone!" after Saturday's game.
Ellis hit the nail on the head. The Preds are at their best when no one expects them to be able to rise to the occasion. As fans, you have to expect the improbable and keep Wednesday night open on your calendar.
Thursday night Barry Trotz commented on the Predators history of things never being easy, "for the last 12 years, so we are well versed in the hardness of the game and finding ways to win and getting the job done so I think we've got a good foundation for that."
As a fan, if you don't have tickets, you need to find some. If you do have tickets, get your head right, and be "all in" for tonight's game. What the team doesn't need is a quiet crowd in a less than full house.
There's no point in worrying about the Pred's past playoff records, holding a grudge against Marty Erat for his pass, or thinking we got the short end of the stick on Marion Hossa's hit. All of that is in the past.
The only thing that matters today, is game six at the Bridgestone Arena. If you are a true fan of the Predators, give it your all and don't get discouraged if the Preds fall behind early. They will be in their comfort zone and ready to strike.
Sunday's Results...
The Phoenix Coyotes continued their miracle season with an against all odds convincing 5-2 win against Detroit on the road to force game seven at Jobbing.com Arena on Tuesday night.
In the nightcap, the Los Angeles Kings put up a gallant effort but lost to Vancouver 4-2 to send the Canucks to the second round.
Tonight's Games...
Buffalo at Boston 6:00 CDT (Bruins lead 3-2) NHL Center Ice
Washington at Montreal 6:00 CDT (Caps lead 3-2) Versus
Chicago at Nashville 8:00 CDT (Hawks lead 3-2) FS TN
Preds-Hawks Game 5 Roundup...
Here is our game story from Saturday.
John Glennon has the game story, notes column and postgame ponderings at the Tennessean. Bryan Mullen hit the Hawks dressing room for their side of the story.
David Boclair checks in with his game story at The City Paper.
In the blog world posts come from Ryan Porth, Brandon Felder, The View From 111, Forechecker, Section 303, and See Puck City,
The Chicago view of the game can be found at the Chicago Sun Times, Daily Herald, and the Chicago Tribune.
Marion Hossa Hit on Hamhuis...
The league reviewed the hit that Marion Hossa laid on Dan Hamhuis late in Saturdays game and also conducted a "hearing" with Hossa on Sunday. The result was no further action.
David Poile disagreed with Colin Campbell's decision. Several Preds also commented on the legality of the hit.
Jim Neveau of PaintItBlackhawks gives and opposing view at The Hockey Writers.
In Pred Nation...
Jim Diamond looks at tonight's game as well as the history of how the Preds have fared in elimination games.
Bryan Mullen writes of the Predator's confidence going into tonight's game. They also have the Game at a Glance.
David Climer has some harsh, but realistic, words for the Preds.
David Boclair chronicles the 0 for the playoffs efforts of the Predator's power play at The City Paper.
Mark Willoughby challenges the 7th Man to be at their best at tonight's game. Mark also has his weekly view with some stunning news from the state of New Jersey.
The Milwaukee Admirals forced a game seven tonight against the Chicago Wolves after coming back from a three goal deficit on Saturday night.
Jennifer returns with her thoughts about tonight's game at Addicted.
Hockey's Future highlights Blake Geoffrion in their monthly On The Rush feature.
AJ has part two of the Tale of Two Cities at PMFF.
Around the NHL...
The Norris Nominees were released on Friday. Who is your pick from Drew Doughty, Mike Green and Duncan Keith? I wonder if Mike Green will try to be the most obvious NHLer in the lobby at the Palms again this year? Last year I wondered if he had lost his room key.
Sports Illustrated has the 15 most talented NHL teams without a cup. Nashville is not included.
Kingscast writes for VFMS and wonders if the Kings have become the 2010 version of "Raider Nation."
The Goal Crease reports that Ilya Kovalchuk is thankful for the opportunity to play with the Devils. At least he got to play one game longer than when he was with the Thrashers.
Larry Brooks puts a lid on the once great New Jersey Devils.
Brian Metzer has a look at the new arena in Pittsburgh at Hockey Independent.
The Sun-Times has a post indicating that Jerry Reinsdorf is expected to complete the purchase of the Coyotes prior to the start of next season.
Brandon Worley has a new story on every visiting team's favorite green men. I didn't realize that they had a web page, a Facebook fan page, and a Twitter account @thegreenmen.
Hockey is responsible for deaths! Maybe it should be banned.
Odds and Ends...
For fans of The Office, here is a fan site called The Money Beets with every episode on their site.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Tonight's game between the Predators and Blackhawks is truly the most important game in the franchise's history. That mantle has been placed on every game lately but the reality is that this game and every other Pred's game that is played this year (if there are more) have taken on an increased level of importance.
Many fans were upset, disgusted and emotionally drained after Saturday's loss. I can assure you that the player's feelings were much deeper and more difficult to work through.
This team has a history of short memories and putting things behind them. Evey one of them understands that any thought or emotion placed on the past game is a distraction for the task at hand.
Barry Trotz reminded the team to forget about it on the team charter on Saturday. The fans need to do the same thing. Focusing on the past will do nothing to help tonight's effort.
The Predators have repeatedly come back against all odds to do things that no one expects. In the preseason, the team was picked near the bottom of the Western Conference and no one gave them a chance to make the playoffs. Without any star players, they fought their way to the seventh seed.
When the season started, the Preds got off to a horrible start going 2-5-1, including a six game losing streak. Folks were speculating on Barry Trotz's longevity but he never wavered and the team played well for the remainder of the season..
In game five on Saturday, the Preds were completely stifled by the Blackhawk defense for two periods. They never quit believing in themselves and giving a full effort. If not for a couple of poor decisions in the last 30 seconds of play, they would have won.
There's no reason to expect that the Predators will not give 110% to try to rise from the ashes tonight. Dan Ellis tweeted "Damn, talk about slipping through your fingers. Oh well, Preds have always done it the hard way...now we are in our comfort zone!" after Saturday's game.
Ellis hit the nail on the head. The Preds are at their best when no one expects them to be able to rise to the occasion. As fans, you have to expect the improbable and keep Wednesday night open on your calendar.
Thursday night Barry Trotz commented on the Predators history of things never being easy, "for the last 12 years, so we are well versed in the hardness of the game and finding ways to win and getting the job done so I think we've got a good foundation for that."
As a fan, if you don't have tickets, you need to find some. If you do have tickets, get your head right, and be "all in" for tonight's game. What the team doesn't need is a quiet crowd in a less than full house.
There's no point in worrying about the Pred's past playoff records, holding a grudge against Marty Erat for his pass, or thinking we got the short end of the stick on Marion Hossa's hit. All of that is in the past.
The only thing that matters today, is game six at the Bridgestone Arena. If you are a true fan of the Predators, give it your all and don't get discouraged if the Preds fall behind early. They will be in their comfort zone and ready to strike.
Sunday's Results...
The Phoenix Coyotes continued their miracle season with an against all odds convincing 5-2 win against Detroit on the road to force game seven at Jobbing.com Arena on Tuesday night.
In the nightcap, the Los Angeles Kings put up a gallant effort but lost to Vancouver 4-2 to send the Canucks to the second round.
Tonight's Games...
Buffalo at Boston 6:00 CDT (Bruins lead 3-2) NHL Center Ice
Washington at Montreal 6:00 CDT (Caps lead 3-2) Versus
Chicago at Nashville 8:00 CDT (Hawks lead 3-2) FS TN
Preds-Hawks Game 5 Roundup...
Here is our game story from Saturday.
John Glennon has the game story, notes column and postgame ponderings at the Tennessean. Bryan Mullen hit the Hawks dressing room for their side of the story.
David Boclair checks in with his game story at The City Paper.
In the blog world posts come from Ryan Porth, Brandon Felder, The View From 111, Forechecker, Section 303, and See Puck City,
The Chicago view of the game can be found at the Chicago Sun Times, Daily Herald, and the Chicago Tribune.
Marion Hossa Hit on Hamhuis...
The league reviewed the hit that Marion Hossa laid on Dan Hamhuis late in Saturdays game and also conducted a "hearing" with Hossa on Sunday. The result was no further action.
David Poile disagreed with Colin Campbell's decision. Several Preds also commented on the legality of the hit.
Jim Neveau of PaintItBlackhawks gives and opposing view at The Hockey Writers.
In Pred Nation...
Jim Diamond looks at tonight's game as well as the history of how the Preds have fared in elimination games.
Bryan Mullen writes of the Predator's confidence going into tonight's game. They also have the Game at a Glance.
David Climer has some harsh, but realistic, words for the Preds.
David Boclair chronicles the 0 for the playoffs efforts of the Predator's power play at The City Paper.
Mark Willoughby challenges the 7th Man to be at their best at tonight's game. Mark also has his weekly view with some stunning news from the state of New Jersey.
The Milwaukee Admirals forced a game seven tonight against the Chicago Wolves after coming back from a three goal deficit on Saturday night.
Jennifer returns with her thoughts about tonight's game at Addicted.
Hockey's Future highlights Blake Geoffrion in their monthly On The Rush feature.
AJ has part two of the Tale of Two Cities at PMFF.
Around the NHL...
The Norris Nominees were released on Friday. Who is your pick from Drew Doughty, Mike Green and Duncan Keith? I wonder if Mike Green will try to be the most obvious NHLer in the lobby at the Palms again this year? Last year I wondered if he had lost his room key.
Sports Illustrated has the 15 most talented NHL teams without a cup. Nashville is not included.
Kingscast writes for VFMS and wonders if the Kings have become the 2010 version of "Raider Nation."
The Goal Crease reports that Ilya Kovalchuk is thankful for the opportunity to play with the Devils. At least he got to play one game longer than when he was with the Thrashers.
Larry Brooks puts a lid on the once great New Jersey Devils.
Brian Metzer has a look at the new arena in Pittsburgh at Hockey Independent.
The Sun-Times has a post indicating that Jerry Reinsdorf is expected to complete the purchase of the Coyotes prior to the start of next season.
Brandon Worley has a new story on every visiting team's favorite green men. I didn't realize that they had a web page, a Facebook fan page, and a Twitter account @thegreenmen.
Hockey is responsible for deaths! Maybe it should be banned.
Odds and Ends...
For fans of The Office, here is a fan site called The Money Beets with every episode on their site.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Game Recap: Preds Stunned Twice by Hawk's Comebacks
The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Nashville Predators 5-4 in overtime at the United Center in a game that will test the Pred's character when they play game six on Monday night in Nashville.
Marion Hossa scored the game winner 4:06 in to overtime, nine seconds after leaving the penalty box after serving five minutes for an infraction that many felt deserved an ejection.
The Predators appeared to have won the game in regulation, but Patrick Kane tied the game with 14 seconds left on a short-handed goal after the Preds had come back from a 3-1 deficit to take a 4-3 lead.
Chicago's other goals came from Andrew Ladd, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Tomas Kopecky. Marty Erat scored twice for the Preds,while Joel Ward and David Legwand also added goals.
Antti Niemi was the winner in net, faceing only 16 shots in regulation. Pekka Rinne took the loss giving up five goals on 32 Hawk's shots. Neither goal was particularly outstanding in the effort.
Scoring Recap...
The game started with fast and furious Western Conference style back and forth action. The Hawks were keeping the play in the Predator zone early and winning most of the battles for the puck.
Out of the blue, at 6:23 David Legwand wristed a shot from the left face-off circle into the upper corner of the net past Niemi to give the Preds a 1-0 lead. Steve Sullivan and Joel Ward received the helpers. Ward also appears to have had Niemi completely screened.
The Blackhawks tied the game 1-1 at 9:57 when Andrew Ladd picked up a loose puck on a rebound from a Brent Seabrook shot that Rinne was unable to corral.
At 14:43, after a defensive breakdown by the Predators, the Blackhawks went ahead 2-1 when the Preds turned it over to Niklas Hjalmarsson as they tried to take the puck out of the Hawks zone. Rinne was screened by a couple of players from each team and had little chance to stop the shot.
A real oddity occurred at 16:27, when play was delayed for a few minutes when the puck could not be found in Niemi's gear after a shot by Colin Wilson.
The period ended with the Hawks leading in shots 10-4 and 17-11 on the Corsi. The Preds out hit the Hawks 16-10 in a very physical period but were no match for the Hawk's offensive play.
The second period started with the first penalty of the game when Dave Bolland tripped J P Dumont 26 seconds into the period. The Preds were unable to get a shot on the man advantage.
The Hawks went on the power play for the first time at 5:37 when David Legwand was called for interference. The PP was cut short for the Hawks when Patrick Kane was called for interference at 6:37 to set up four on four play for 60 seconds.
Things deteriorated for the Preds on a bad call at 7:19 when Dan Hamhuis slid under Jonathan Toews and was called for tripping. A make up call came at 8:11 when Brent Seabrook was called for interference. Neither team was able to take advantage of the flurry of penalties.
The Hawks were called for two many men on the ice at 14:14 to give the Preds a chance on the man advantage in a game where they only had five shots up until that point in the contest. The Preds managed a shot but no goals. That brought their power play success down to 0-21 for the series.
Disaster struck for the Preds at 16:34 when Tomas Kopecky jumped out of the penalty box and took a pass from Marion Hossa and completely faked out Pekka Rinne on a breakaway to put Chicago up 3-1. It was one of Rinne's worst one on one efforts of the season.
Jerred Smithson was called for hooking at 17:00 in the second when he interfered with Kane. 31 seconds into the penalty, Joel Ward took a pass from David Legwand on a breakaway and put it past Niemi bring the score to 3-2 and to give the Preds a fighting chance on a short-handed goal.
As the second period ended, it was amazing that it was still a one goal game. The Preds were out shot 14-4 in the period and were bested 23-8 on the Corsi side.
Amazingly, the Predators tied game 3-3 at 1:34 in the third when the Preds had the Hawks goal surrounded with heavy traffic and J P Dumont passed the puck to Marty Erat who got the puck past Niemi.
Chicago had another power play chance at 5:50 when Legwand was called for tripping Hossa. The Hawks were unable to convert.
In true "Predator hockey" fashion, the Preds came out of the ashes to go ahead 4-3 at 11:39 when Denis Grebeshkov made a perfect pass to Mary Erat who played the puck off both skates and then lifted the puck past Niemi.
Play was fast and furious after the Preds got the lead with pressure at both ends of the ice. Chicago pulled Niemi after a time out with 1:31 left in the game.
Chicago committed a major error at 18:57 when Marion Hossa shoved Dan Hamhuis into the boards on a play that may receive an additional look by the league for supplemental discipline. Hamhuis was unable to return to the game from the injury.
The Predators went on a 5:00 man advantage as a result of the infraction just needing to keep the Hawks out of the goal for the final 1:03 minutes of play. After several poor decisions by the Predators, Patrick Kane scored a short-handed goal with 14 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
The first mistake was Marty Erat making a horrible pass from behind the Hawks net that resulted in the Hawks getting the puck into the Preds zone. Sloppy defense and a rebound given up by Rinne that ended up being put in the net by Joel Ward and/or Kane completed the nightmare finish for the Preds.
For the third period, the Preds out shot the Hawks 8-6 with the Hawks leading the Corsi 16-14 for the period as they played desperately down the stretch.
The Predators started the overtime with 3:57 of power play carryover. The Preds outshot the Hawks 5-1 as they failed to convert on the man advantage.
As the power play wound down, the Hawks took the puck into the Predator zone and Marion Hossa sprinted from the penalty box to the net and scored on a pass from Brent Sopel nine seconds after he left the box to make the final score 5-devastating loss for the Predators.
Storylines From The Game
Preds Blew Chance to Steal the Game...
On paper, at the end of two periods, no one could imagine that it was a one goal game as the Preds had been out shot 24-8 and were down in the Corsi numbers 40-19. The Hawks had dominated play and the Preds were non-competitive on offense.
It was even more unbelievable that the Preds came to life in the third period and out played the Hawks down the stretch. Bad decisions by the Predators led to the game tying and game winning goals.
Barry Trotz explained it best in his post game comments when he said that Chicago dominated the first two periods and the Preds had a chance to steal the game but failed to play good defense and take care of the puck when it mattered.
Power Failure on Special Teams...
The Predator's anemic power play continued and is now o-22 for the post-season. In 3:57 of power play time in overtime, they played as well on the man advantage as they had in a while but still could not take advantage of the extra attacker to put the game away.
The Preds did get a goal from Joel Ward in a short handed situation, but that was countered by Patrick Kane's short-hander that sent the game into overtime.
Controversy Reigns...
When Marion Hossa shoved Dan Hamhuis into the boards that put Hamhuis out of the game. Hossa received a five minute minor but was not removed from the game.
The play was similar to others hat had resulted in game misconducts and suspensions including the one where Alexander Ovechkin sidelined the Hawks Brian Campbell for an extended period.
Adding to the controversial nature of the hit was the clincher in that Hossa left the box and was there at the blue ice circle to score the game winner. It will be interesting to see what, if anything else, comes from the situation.
Will the Preds Rebound for Game Six...
The Predators showed great character in coming back to tie and subsequently lead a game in which they had clearly been outplayed for two periods.
An even greater test of character will be how the team reacts being on the short end of two dramatic finishes that saw them give up a lead that they had fought for so diligently and then to lose so abruptly in overtime.
We will see if Barry Trotz can convince the team to come back one more time and give 110% with their backs against the wall in game six on Monday night.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Marion Hossa scored the game winner 4:06 in to overtime, nine seconds after leaving the penalty box after serving five minutes for an infraction that many felt deserved an ejection.
The Predators appeared to have won the game in regulation, but Patrick Kane tied the game with 14 seconds left on a short-handed goal after the Preds had come back from a 3-1 deficit to take a 4-3 lead.
Chicago's other goals came from Andrew Ladd, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Tomas Kopecky. Marty Erat scored twice for the Preds,while Joel Ward and David Legwand also added goals.
Antti Niemi was the winner in net, faceing only 16 shots in regulation. Pekka Rinne took the loss giving up five goals on 32 Hawk's shots. Neither goal was particularly outstanding in the effort.
Scoring Recap...
The game started with fast and furious Western Conference style back and forth action. The Hawks were keeping the play in the Predator zone early and winning most of the battles for the puck.
Out of the blue, at 6:23 David Legwand wristed a shot from the left face-off circle into the upper corner of the net past Niemi to give the Preds a 1-0 lead. Steve Sullivan and Joel Ward received the helpers. Ward also appears to have had Niemi completely screened.
The Blackhawks tied the game 1-1 at 9:57 when Andrew Ladd picked up a loose puck on a rebound from a Brent Seabrook shot that Rinne was unable to corral.
At 14:43, after a defensive breakdown by the Predators, the Blackhawks went ahead 2-1 when the Preds turned it over to Niklas Hjalmarsson as they tried to take the puck out of the Hawks zone. Rinne was screened by a couple of players from each team and had little chance to stop the shot.
A real oddity occurred at 16:27, when play was delayed for a few minutes when the puck could not be found in Niemi's gear after a shot by Colin Wilson.
The period ended with the Hawks leading in shots 10-4 and 17-11 on the Corsi. The Preds out hit the Hawks 16-10 in a very physical period but were no match for the Hawk's offensive play.
The second period started with the first penalty of the game when Dave Bolland tripped J P Dumont 26 seconds into the period. The Preds were unable to get a shot on the man advantage.
The Hawks went on the power play for the first time at 5:37 when David Legwand was called for interference. The PP was cut short for the Hawks when Patrick Kane was called for interference at 6:37 to set up four on four play for 60 seconds.
Things deteriorated for the Preds on a bad call at 7:19 when Dan Hamhuis slid under Jonathan Toews and was called for tripping. A make up call came at 8:11 when Brent Seabrook was called for interference. Neither team was able to take advantage of the flurry of penalties.
The Hawks were called for two many men on the ice at 14:14 to give the Preds a chance on the man advantage in a game where they only had five shots up until that point in the contest. The Preds managed a shot but no goals. That brought their power play success down to 0-21 for the series.
Disaster struck for the Preds at 16:34 when Tomas Kopecky jumped out of the penalty box and took a pass from Marion Hossa and completely faked out Pekka Rinne on a breakaway to put Chicago up 3-1. It was one of Rinne's worst one on one efforts of the season.
Jerred Smithson was called for hooking at 17:00 in the second when he interfered with Kane. 31 seconds into the penalty, Joel Ward took a pass from David Legwand on a breakaway and put it past Niemi bring the score to 3-2 and to give the Preds a fighting chance on a short-handed goal.
As the second period ended, it was amazing that it was still a one goal game. The Preds were out shot 14-4 in the period and were bested 23-8 on the Corsi side.
Amazingly, the Predators tied game 3-3 at 1:34 in the third when the Preds had the Hawks goal surrounded with heavy traffic and J P Dumont passed the puck to Marty Erat who got the puck past Niemi.
Chicago had another power play chance at 5:50 when Legwand was called for tripping Hossa. The Hawks were unable to convert.
In true "Predator hockey" fashion, the Preds came out of the ashes to go ahead 4-3 at 11:39 when Denis Grebeshkov made a perfect pass to Mary Erat who played the puck off both skates and then lifted the puck past Niemi.
Play was fast and furious after the Preds got the lead with pressure at both ends of the ice. Chicago pulled Niemi after a time out with 1:31 left in the game.
Chicago committed a major error at 18:57 when Marion Hossa shoved Dan Hamhuis into the boards on a play that may receive an additional look by the league for supplemental discipline. Hamhuis was unable to return to the game from the injury.
The Predators went on a 5:00 man advantage as a result of the infraction just needing to keep the Hawks out of the goal for the final 1:03 minutes of play. After several poor decisions by the Predators, Patrick Kane scored a short-handed goal with 14 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
The first mistake was Marty Erat making a horrible pass from behind the Hawks net that resulted in the Hawks getting the puck into the Preds zone. Sloppy defense and a rebound given up by Rinne that ended up being put in the net by Joel Ward and/or Kane completed the nightmare finish for the Preds.
For the third period, the Preds out shot the Hawks 8-6 with the Hawks leading the Corsi 16-14 for the period as they played desperately down the stretch.
The Predators started the overtime with 3:57 of power play carryover. The Preds outshot the Hawks 5-1 as they failed to convert on the man advantage.
As the power play wound down, the Hawks took the puck into the Predator zone and Marion Hossa sprinted from the penalty box to the net and scored on a pass from Brent Sopel nine seconds after he left the box to make the final score 5-devastating loss for the Predators.
Storylines From The Game
Preds Blew Chance to Steal the Game...
On paper, at the end of two periods, no one could imagine that it was a one goal game as the Preds had been out shot 24-8 and were down in the Corsi numbers 40-19. The Hawks had dominated play and the Preds were non-competitive on offense.
It was even more unbelievable that the Preds came to life in the third period and out played the Hawks down the stretch. Bad decisions by the Predators led to the game tying and game winning goals.
Barry Trotz explained it best in his post game comments when he said that Chicago dominated the first two periods and the Preds had a chance to steal the game but failed to play good defense and take care of the puck when it mattered.
Power Failure on Special Teams...
The Predator's anemic power play continued and is now o-22 for the post-season. In 3:57 of power play time in overtime, they played as well on the man advantage as they had in a while but still could not take advantage of the extra attacker to put the game away.
The Preds did get a goal from Joel Ward in a short handed situation, but that was countered by Patrick Kane's short-hander that sent the game into overtime.
Controversy Reigns...
When Marion Hossa shoved Dan Hamhuis into the boards that put Hamhuis out of the game. Hossa received a five minute minor but was not removed from the game.
The play was similar to others hat had resulted in game misconducts and suspensions including the one where Alexander Ovechkin sidelined the Hawks Brian Campbell for an extended period.
Adding to the controversial nature of the hit was the clincher in that Hossa left the box and was there at the blue ice circle to score the game winner. It will be interesting to see what, if anything else, comes from the situation.
Will the Preds Rebound for Game Six...
The Predators showed great character in coming back to tie and subsequently lead a game in which they had clearly been outplayed for two periods.
An even greater test of character will be how the team reacts being on the short end of two dramatic finishes that saw them give up a lead that they had fought for so diligently and then to lose so abruptly in overtime.
We will see if Barry Trotz can convince the team to come back one more time and give 110% with their backs against the wall in game six on Monday night.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Friday, April 23, 2010
Preds-Hawks Game Six Set for 8 p.m. CST on Monday
The mystery about the game six starting time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs series between Nashville and Chicago was cleared up in this release from the Predators...
START TIME FOR GAME SIX OF THE PREDATORS WCQ SERIES VS. CHICAGO SET FOR 8 P.M. MONDAY
Nashville, Tenn. (April 23, 2010) – The start time for Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals series between the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks has been set for 8 p.m. on Monday night.
Ticket prices start as low as $29 and may be purchased online at nashvillepredators.com and ticketmaster.com, at the Bridgestone Arena box office, all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling (615) 770-PUCK. The Bridgestone Arena box office and Predators ticket sales office (615-770-PUCK) will host extended hours this weekend, opening on Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. (box office) and 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. (770-PUCK) and on Sunday, April, 25 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. in addition to normal business hours on Friday and next Monday.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
START TIME FOR GAME SIX OF THE PREDATORS WCQ SERIES VS. CHICAGO SET FOR 8 P.M. MONDAY
Nashville, Tenn. (April 23, 2010) – The start time for Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals series between the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks has been set for 8 p.m. on Monday night.
Ticket prices start as low as $29 and may be purchased online at nashvillepredators.com and ticketmaster.com, at the Bridgestone Arena box office, all Ticketmaster outlets or by calling (615) 770-PUCK. The Bridgestone Arena box office and Predators ticket sales office (615-770-PUCK) will host extended hours this weekend, opening on Saturday, April 24 from 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. (box office) and 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. (770-PUCK) and on Sunday, April, 25 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. in addition to normal business hours on Friday and next Monday.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
A Couple of Frustrations and Friday Round-Up
Last night's Preds-Hawks game was frustrating on many levels. The Preds had a chance to take a 3-1 lead and maintain home ice advantage but the Hawks had been shamed into playing one of their best games of the year and did a good job of keeping the Preds in check.
After the game I asked Barry Trotz about nothing coming easy for this team and got a chuckle out of him on an otherwise bland post-game presser.
He agreed and said that basically that has been the history of the franchise and that that "for the last 12 years so we are well versed in the hardness of the game and finding ways to win and getting the job done so I think we've got a good foundation for that."
There's little reason not to think that if the Preds do win the series that it will be in triple overtime on the road in game seven.
A couple of other things that have really frustrated me in this series is all the talk about Patric Hornqvist being ready to play and all the discussion about selling tickets.
In regards to Hornqvist, it was obvious to anyone who has watched him play that he was not capable of playing his style of hockey in game one of the series. His value to the team is playing rough and tumble hockey in the dirty areas in front of the net. If he can't do that, the Preds are better off with a healthy body in the lineup.
The team would love to have him at full strength and in the lineup but when he doesn't play, none of the twenty who do dress are thinking about Horny. They are focused on their own game and winning with who is available. I would suggest that the fans do the same. If he makes it back at some point it will be great, but only if he is is capable of doing what he does best.
The other frustration is all the local chatter on Twitter and elsewhere in the media about the unsold tickets for game three. While fans need to encourage others to attend so that there will be a full house for every game, we don't need to add fuel to the fire for all the "traditional" market media types to keep heaping gas on the firestorm about how Nashville doesn't "deserve" a team.
My suggestion for fans is to stay positive and have faith in the team that David built and give Barry a chance to pull another rabbit out of his hat on Saturday on the national NBC stage.
As a side note, be prepared for Monday when Steve Lapore reports that NBC's numbers for the game are a low for this year's playoffs. It's the nature of the beast so don't worry about it.
Finally, I will reiterate my pre-series prediction. Circle Monday, April 26 on the calendar, when the Preds will beat Chicago in six games at the Bridgestone Arena and move on to the second round for the first time in franchise history. I still believe.
Preds-Hawks Game 4 Round-Up...
Here is our game story from last night with postgame interviews.
John Glennon has the game story, notes column and postgame ponderings at the Tennessean. Bryan Mullen hit the Hawks dressing room for their side of the story.
Jim Diamond reports for the Examiner.
Mark Wheeler checks in with his game story at The City Paper.
In the blog world posts come from Brandon Felder, The View From 111, Chris Burton, See Puck City, Paul McCann, AJ at PMFF, and What the Puck.
The Chicago view of the game can be found at the Chicago Sun Times, Daily Herald, and the Chicago Tribune.
Other Series...
The thriller of Thursday night was the Senators 3 OT victory over the Pens. Matt Carkner's goal 7:06 into the third overtime was the difference maker. The Pens lead the series 3-2 as it now returns to Ottawa for game six on Saturday night.
The first series came to an end in a way that no one predicted with the Devils losing 3-0 in game five to the Flyers in a series that ended 4-1. Brian Boucher has been the difference maker in net and is profiled in this NHL.com piece.
The late game was a real yawner with San Jose shutting out Colorado 5-0. With a 3-2 lead the Sharks can clinch on Saturday in Colorado.
Tonight's Games...
Two other teams can clinch tonight with Boston and Washington each holding 3-1 leads in their series while the other two are tied 2-2.
Boston at Buffalo 6:00 CDT Center Ice
Montreal at Washington 6:00 CDT Versus
Detroit at Phoenix 9:00 CDT Versus
Los Angeles at Vancouver 9:00 CDT Center Ice
In Preds Nation...
Wade Belak is profiled in an NHL.com article about the role of the enforcer.
Jim Diamond has news of Blake Geoffrion joining a prominent list as winner of the Spike Carlson Award.
Milwaukee has forced a game six against Chicago that will be tonight at the Bradley Center.
Mark Willoughby's call to action yesterday was a classic.
Was last night's game the biggest in Pred's history. Jeremy at Section 303 had the pre-game evaluation.
AJ starts a new mini series with Part one of a Tale of Two Cities.
Preds101 has a good explanation of penalty shots and what causes one to be awarded.
Around the NHL...
The finalists for the Calder Trophy were released on Thursday with the race being between Tyler Meyers, Matt Duchene and Jimmy Howard.
View from my seats has a primer on NHL conspiracy theories.
Intent to Blow caught up with Pittsburgh "expert" reporter Ray Fittipaldo for his thoughts on his incident with Andy Sutton. They also have the story on the Devil's defensive turnaround.
Odds and Ends...
The web page is up for SocialMediaCamp Long Island. For those in the NYC area, you don't want to miss this.
The Air Force was scheduled to launch a "mini space shuttle" last night on its first test flight. It is a small unmanned craft that they hope to use for future projects. Without people on board they expect to have quicker turnarounds and I would imagine far less safty features.
Here is an interesting video that encourages seat belt use.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
After the game I asked Barry Trotz about nothing coming easy for this team and got a chuckle out of him on an otherwise bland post-game presser.
He agreed and said that basically that has been the history of the franchise and that that "for the last 12 years so we are well versed in the hardness of the game and finding ways to win and getting the job done so I think we've got a good foundation for that."
There's little reason not to think that if the Preds do win the series that it will be in triple overtime on the road in game seven.
A couple of other things that have really frustrated me in this series is all the talk about Patric Hornqvist being ready to play and all the discussion about selling tickets.
In regards to Hornqvist, it was obvious to anyone who has watched him play that he was not capable of playing his style of hockey in game one of the series. His value to the team is playing rough and tumble hockey in the dirty areas in front of the net. If he can't do that, the Preds are better off with a healthy body in the lineup.
The team would love to have him at full strength and in the lineup but when he doesn't play, none of the twenty who do dress are thinking about Horny. They are focused on their own game and winning with who is available. I would suggest that the fans do the same. If he makes it back at some point it will be great, but only if he is is capable of doing what he does best.
The other frustration is all the local chatter on Twitter and elsewhere in the media about the unsold tickets for game three. While fans need to encourage others to attend so that there will be a full house for every game, we don't need to add fuel to the fire for all the "traditional" market media types to keep heaping gas on the firestorm about how Nashville doesn't "deserve" a team.
My suggestion for fans is to stay positive and have faith in the team that David built and give Barry a chance to pull another rabbit out of his hat on Saturday on the national NBC stage.
As a side note, be prepared for Monday when Steve Lapore reports that NBC's numbers for the game are a low for this year's playoffs. It's the nature of the beast so don't worry about it.
Finally, I will reiterate my pre-series prediction. Circle Monday, April 26 on the calendar, when the Preds will beat Chicago in six games at the Bridgestone Arena and move on to the second round for the first time in franchise history. I still believe.
Preds-Hawks Game 4 Round-Up...
Here is our game story from last night with postgame interviews.
John Glennon has the game story, notes column and postgame ponderings at the Tennessean. Bryan Mullen hit the Hawks dressing room for their side of the story.
Jim Diamond reports for the Examiner.
Mark Wheeler checks in with his game story at The City Paper.
In the blog world posts come from Brandon Felder, The View From 111, Chris Burton, See Puck City, Paul McCann, AJ at PMFF, and What the Puck.
The Chicago view of the game can be found at the Chicago Sun Times, Daily Herald, and the Chicago Tribune.
Other Series...
The thriller of Thursday night was the Senators 3 OT victory over the Pens. Matt Carkner's goal 7:06 into the third overtime was the difference maker. The Pens lead the series 3-2 as it now returns to Ottawa for game six on Saturday night.
The first series came to an end in a way that no one predicted with the Devils losing 3-0 in game five to the Flyers in a series that ended 4-1. Brian Boucher has been the difference maker in net and is profiled in this NHL.com piece.
The late game was a real yawner with San Jose shutting out Colorado 5-0. With a 3-2 lead the Sharks can clinch on Saturday in Colorado.
Tonight's Games...
Two other teams can clinch tonight with Boston and Washington each holding 3-1 leads in their series while the other two are tied 2-2.
Boston at Buffalo 6:00 CDT Center Ice
Montreal at Washington 6:00 CDT Versus
Detroit at Phoenix 9:00 CDT Versus
Los Angeles at Vancouver 9:00 CDT Center Ice
In Preds Nation...
Wade Belak is profiled in an NHL.com article about the role of the enforcer.
Jim Diamond has news of Blake Geoffrion joining a prominent list as winner of the Spike Carlson Award.
Milwaukee has forced a game six against Chicago that will be tonight at the Bradley Center.
Mark Willoughby's call to action yesterday was a classic.
Was last night's game the biggest in Pred's history. Jeremy at Section 303 had the pre-game evaluation.
AJ starts a new mini series with Part one of a Tale of Two Cities.
Preds101 has a good explanation of penalty shots and what causes one to be awarded.
Around the NHL...
The finalists for the Calder Trophy were released on Thursday with the race being between Tyler Meyers, Matt Duchene and Jimmy Howard.
View from my seats has a primer on NHL conspiracy theories.
Intent to Blow caught up with Pittsburgh "expert" reporter Ray Fittipaldo for his thoughts on his incident with Andy Sutton. They also have the story on the Devil's defensive turnaround.
Odds and Ends...
The web page is up for SocialMediaCamp Long Island. For those in the NYC area, you don't want to miss this.
The Air Force was scheduled to launch a "mini space shuttle" last night on its first test flight. It is a small unmanned craft that they hope to use for future projects. Without people on board they expect to have quicker turnarounds and I would imagine far less safty features.
Here is an interesting video that encourages seat belt use.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Game Recap: Hawks Tie Series with 3-0 Win over Preds
Barry Trotz Postgame comments
Jason Arnott, J P Dumont, Pekka Rinne and Dan Hamhuis speak after the game
Coach Joel Quenneville and Brian Campbell speak after the game
The Chicago Blackhawks came back from Tuesday's stunner with a much better effort in game four, beating the Nashville Predators 3-0 to tie the quarterfinal series 2-2.
Chicago got a power play goal from Patrick Sharp at 10:57 in the first period and that was all they needed to cement the win behind Antti Niemi's 33 save shutout performance.
They gained a cushion and then put the game out of reach from the Predators with second period goals from Jonathan Toews and Sharp's second goal of the game.
Pekka Rinne took the loss while stopping 27 of 30 Chicago shots.
Storylines From The Game
The Sleeping Giant Awakens...
Coming into the series Chicago was a heavy favorite to beat the Predators and many pundits had them headed to the Stanley Cup Finals. Tuesday's big win by the Predators appears to have awakened the team that everyone expected to see play in the first three games.
The Blackhawks played a very well executed game and disrupted the Predators efforts for the entire 60 minutes. Jason Arnott explained, " We got away from the little things that we were doing right. It seemed like we wanted to make that extra play to get their guys to move so we could get a shot off.
"We threw 66 pucks at their net We had chances," said Barry Trotz. "In the second period, we had a good push and every time we had a couple of good chances, they (Chicago) came back and scored."
Failure of the Predators Special Teams...
The Predators special teams had plenty of opportunity to make a different in the game. The Predators were 0-5 on the power play including an early five on three opportunity that was cut short when David Legwand plowed over Niemi and was called for interference. The Preds also struggled on the penalty kill giving up one goal in three attempts.
Barry Trotz discussed the disappointment of their five on three man advantage. "We got a five on three power play that we practiced a lot during the break. We shot a lot of pucks but they didn't get through or we missed the net. Just as a good power play can give you momentum, a good penalty kill will also, and I'm sure they fed of off that."
Jason Arnott discussed the power play effort, "They were giving us shots and my shot hit Wardo and Webs got through a few times and just didn't bang it in. The guys batted and worked hard tonight but special teams have to do better."
Preds Never Do Things The Easy Way...
"At lot of things haven't gone well for the last 12 years so we are well versed in the hardness of the game and finding ways to win and getting the job done so I think we've got a good foundation for that," said Trotz. "We're going to go into a very hostile environment in Chicago and we are going to have to play a great game, plain and simple."
Jason Arnott summed up the situation, "It's 2-2 now and we knew this wasn't going to be easy because it is a great hockey team that we are playing. We've got to put this behind us and get ready for Saturday."
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Thursday, April 22, 2010
TV Coverage Clarified for Predators-Hawks Game
There appears to hve been some confusion on Tuesday as to where to fing the Predators-Blackhawks game. The Predators have sent out the following advisory to clarify the situation for tonight's games...
TV CHANNELS FOR TONIGHT’S PREDS GAME
-Game Four Begins Tonight at 7:30 P.M. CT-
Nashville, Tenn. (April 22, 2010) – Tonight’s 2010 Western Conference Quarterfinal Playoff game between the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks at 7:30 p.m. CT at Bridgestone Arena will be broadcast on FOX Sports Tennessee on the following television channels:
Dish NETWORK: Standard Definition on Channel 450 and High Definition on Channel 9519
DIRECTV: Standard Definition on Channel 644 and High Definition on Channel 644-1
Comcast: Standard Definition on Channel 28 and High Definition on Channel 183
“We understand that on Tuesday some of our fans did not know what channel to tune into for the Predators game,” Predators President of Business Operations Ed Lang said. “Although we do not have any control over where our games will air on these providers, going forward we will work harder with FOX Sports Tennessee, DIRECTV, Dish NETWORK and Comcast to make sure changes in channels are better communicated by all parties so that our fans can easily find our games.”
Game Five between the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks is scheduled for Saturday, April 24 at 2:00 p.m. CT and will be televised nationally on NBC. The Predators will play a Game Six on Monday, April 26 and Game Seven on Wednesday, April 28 if necessary. No times or channel locations have been decided for those games yet but both will be carried on FOX Sports Tennessee if necessary. For the latest info on times and channels for Predators games, please visit nashvillepredators.com.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
TV CHANNELS FOR TONIGHT’S PREDS GAME
-Game Four Begins Tonight at 7:30 P.M. CT-
Nashville, Tenn. (April 22, 2010) – Tonight’s 2010 Western Conference Quarterfinal Playoff game between the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks at 7:30 p.m. CT at Bridgestone Arena will be broadcast on FOX Sports Tennessee on the following television channels:
Dish NETWORK: Standard Definition on Channel 450 and High Definition on Channel 9519
DIRECTV: Standard Definition on Channel 644 and High Definition on Channel 644-1
Comcast: Standard Definition on Channel 28 and High Definition on Channel 183
“We understand that on Tuesday some of our fans did not know what channel to tune into for the Predators game,” Predators President of Business Operations Ed Lang said. “Although we do not have any control over where our games will air on these providers, going forward we will work harder with FOX Sports Tennessee, DIRECTV, Dish NETWORK and Comcast to make sure changes in channels are better communicated by all parties so that our fans can easily find our games.”
Game Five between the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks is scheduled for Saturday, April 24 at 2:00 p.m. CT and will be televised nationally on NBC. The Predators will play a Game Six on Monday, April 26 and Game Seven on Wednesday, April 28 if necessary. No times or channel locations have been decided for those games yet but both will be carried on FOX Sports Tennessee if necessary. For the latest info on times and channels for Predators games, please visit nashvillepredators.com.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Preds Win Playoff Home Opener 4-1 To Take the Series Lead 2-1
After being shut out on Sunday, the Preds wasted no time taking back the series lead in Nashville in front of an ecstatic crowd.
Scoring Recap...Scoring, which has been scarce in both the previous games, for both teams, was not a problem for the Preds tonight as they scored four goals on 35 shots. Joel Ward, David Legwand, Shea Weber, and Martin Erat all got into the goals column for the Preds.
Ward struck first 13 minutes into the game off a nice rebound from a Steve Sullivan shot. Niemi just couldn’t get over in time.
At 17:20 mark in the first, Francis Bouillon took a Roughing penalty after face washing Patrick Kane along the boards.
Fifteen seconds into the power play, Tomas Kopecky took advantage of a nice tic-tac play, set up by Marian Hossa and Kris Versteeg, to tie the game at one a piece.
Four minutes into the second period, coming off a huge penalty kill, David Legwand helped the Preds find twine once again, scoring the game winning goal on a two-on-one chance with Steve Sullivan.
Almost six minutes later at 9:52 into the second, Shea Weber, doing his thing, blasted a bouncing puck from the point, which got tipped on the way in by Marian Hossa and trickled through the crease and into the net to make it 3-1 Preds.
With only 5:35 remaining in the game, in a weird turn of events, Martin Erat got hooked on a breakaway which led to one of the most exciting plays in hockey, a penalty shot.
No stranger to these one-on-one situations, Erat was able to put it past Niemi to give the Preds a very a comfortable lead.
In the last five minutes of the game, Chicago really turned it up, but Nashville’s defensive style of play shut down most of their opportunities and didn't allow many second chances for the Hawks offense.
Other thoughts...
Pekka Rinne was, again, a huge factor for the Preds tonight, stopping 26 of the 27 shots thrown his way.
The Pred's defense, though shaky at some points, played a very solid game in front of Pekka, not allowing many second chances for the Hawks to convert on.
The Pred's forechecking tonight was crazy good, breaking up a lot of the passes or plays in the neutral zone.
The fans were outstanding tonight, cheering non-stop all the way through the game. It was definitely the loudest that arena has been since the ’08 playoff series against Detroit.
My three stars...
Third Star - Steve Sullivan, 2 assists
Second Star - Pekka Rinne, 0.963 Save percentage
First Star - David Legwand, 1 Goal, 2 Assists
In closing...
Attendance tonight was 16,075. For a playoff game, that's incredibly disappointing, especially since they split the first two games in Chicago. I figured getting that road win would motivate some people to buy tickets. Apparently not.
I hope to see more people get pumped up and come out to Game Four this Thursday.
Jackson Oakes for Preds On the Glass
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
More Proof That Twitter People Exist in Real Life
It was incredibly disappointing to have to miss the Predator's first home playoff game and huge 4-1 win due to an unavoidable business trip to New Jersey, but the loss was made much more palatable by getting to meet three Twitter friends that I have never seen face-to-face.
Originally, the trip was set for last week when I could have attended the 100th NHLtweetup. When the date changed, Dani Muccio (aka @dani3boyz), the Islanders Social Media Director rounded up a couple of other friends and traveled all the way to Newark for dinner, conversation and a little hockey watching.
Dani and Me
It was a real pleasure to meet Dani, Chris Wassel (@TheProgramBTR) of The Program, and Carlos Figueiredo (@speakoftheDevs) of SpeakingOfTheDevils. Thanks to all three for going way out of their way to make a memorable evening.
Here's the proof that we all do really exist in real life, not just the Twitterverse.
Me, @dani3boyz, @speakofthedevs, and @TheProgramBTR
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Originally, the trip was set for last week when I could have attended the 100th NHLtweetup. When the date changed, Dani Muccio (aka @dani3boyz), the Islanders Social Media Director rounded up a couple of other friends and traveled all the way to Newark for dinner, conversation and a little hockey watching.
Dani and MeIt was a real pleasure to meet Dani, Chris Wassel (@TheProgramBTR) of The Program, and Carlos Figueiredo (@speakoftheDevs) of SpeakingOfTheDevils. Thanks to all three for going way out of their way to make a memorable evening.
Here's the proof that we all do really exist in real life, not just the Twitterverse.
Me, @dani3boyz, @speakofthedevs, and @TheProgramBTRMore Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Predators Ready to Host the Blackhawks and Tuesday Tidbits
In one of the worst scheduling debacles of all time, I will be in New Jersey tonight when the Predators take the ice in game three of the series with the Blackhawks ay 8 p.m. CDT at the Bridgestone Arena.
Regardless of my attendance (or lack of it), the Predators and their fans will be ready for the match with the Hawks. For the first time in franchise history, the Preds actually hold home ice advantage this late in the post season.
Regardless of whether Patric Hornqvist is ready to play or not, the Predators will suit up 20 players that will be ready to compete. Even in the loss on Sunday in game two, the Predators hung tough and if a few shots had connected it could have been a different game.
As we have seen in the other seven first round series, the battle for the cup has been wide open with no team dominating any opening series.
The Predators need to play a full sixty minutes, be more disciplined, and improve their net presence and bury a few of the many rebounds coming off Antti Niemi and they will have a good chance of going ahead in the series.
Pekka Rinne needs to continue his stellar goalkeeping and the defense needs to avoid hanging him out to dry as they have repeatedly in the first two games.
I'm hoping by the time I get back into Smashville on Wednesday night that the Preds will have a 2-1 series lead and be ready to hit the ice again on Thursday night.
Tonight's Other Games...
Phoenix at Detroit 5:30 CDT (Phx leads 2-1)
Pittsburgh at Ottawa 6:00 CDT (Pitt leads 2-1)
New Jersey at Philadelphia 6:30 CDT (Phil leads 2-1)
San Jose at Colorado 9:00 CDT (Col leads 2-1)
Monday's Results...
Washington looked like the first team of the 16 in the playoff that looked like they wanted to establish themselves as a favorite in a series as the Caps won 5-1 in Montreal.
Boston continued to surprise the Sabres as they scored midway through the third period to make it a 2-1 game and held on to win to take a 2-1 series lead.
In the nightcap, Los Angeles played their best game of the series to beat Vancouver 5-3 and take a 2-1 lead in the series. Roberto Luongo left the game early after what may have been a hand injury to his glove hand.
In Pred Nation...
John Glennon has a story about the Pred's feeding off the fans, his notes and the game at a glance.
David Boclair has an update on Patric Hornqvist's injury. In my opinion, if he is n better than he was in game one, he needs to continue to sit out. He also has a story about Pekka'a post season mindset.
John Glennon reported that there were 2000 tickets available for tonight's game. Dirk Hoag tries to determine the cause with a poll.
With all the attendance discussion going on, Mark Willoughby breaks down the numbers.
Jeremy at Section 303 has the formula for the Preds to avoid losing.
Dirk the Forechecker also has sage advice for the Preds to take control of the series.
Paul McCann gets his thought together on the situation at Hockey Buzz.
Short Shifts reports a serious looking injury to Blake Geoffrion early in the Ads playoff game with the Chicago Wolves. Jim Diamond also has a later story with more detail. The Ads also lost the game and are down 3-1 and facing elimination.
After watching this video of Blake Geoffrion's two goals on Saturday before his injury, you wonder how long it will be before # 5 is on the ice for the Preds. My bet is during the season next year at some point.
Around the NHL...
The first nominees for the NHL Awards were released on Monday with the final three for the Vezina Trophy. Vezina Trophy Finalists were announced on @nhllive Marty Brodeur, Ilya Bryzgalov, and Ryan Miller. They will have daily announcements through next Thursday at noon EDT.
Here is the answer to our question yesterday from @NHL: All 8 first-round series were or are tied 1-1, for 1st time since best-of-7 format adopted in the #StanleyCup opening round in 1987.
Steve Lapore has the TV numbers from NBC from the weekend broadcasts. He also has the final ratings for the season. For some reason, the Predators are not included.
Intent to Blow has the story of the search for Joe Thornton being called off after he was hit by an Avalanche.
Down goes Brown looks at what happens to players who don't make the playoffs.
Our little friend Josh Sacco has some competition from another 5 year old hockey phenom, Aidan in Buffalo. Here is the video.
Eric Gage has a different report on the Andy Sutton - reporter confrontation over the weekend.
Odds and Ends...
Fees for carry on luggage on airlines won't happen now. It's amazing that Southwest makes money without charging for bags.
The lightning, ash and volcano pictures in this slide show look like end of the world stuff. Here's some pictures and a story of what ash does to airplanes.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Regardless of my attendance (or lack of it), the Predators and their fans will be ready for the match with the Hawks. For the first time in franchise history, the Preds actually hold home ice advantage this late in the post season.
Regardless of whether Patric Hornqvist is ready to play or not, the Predators will suit up 20 players that will be ready to compete. Even in the loss on Sunday in game two, the Predators hung tough and if a few shots had connected it could have been a different game.
As we have seen in the other seven first round series, the battle for the cup has been wide open with no team dominating any opening series.
The Predators need to play a full sixty minutes, be more disciplined, and improve their net presence and bury a few of the many rebounds coming off Antti Niemi and they will have a good chance of going ahead in the series.
Pekka Rinne needs to continue his stellar goalkeeping and the defense needs to avoid hanging him out to dry as they have repeatedly in the first two games.
I'm hoping by the time I get back into Smashville on Wednesday night that the Preds will have a 2-1 series lead and be ready to hit the ice again on Thursday night.
Tonight's Other Games...
Phoenix at Detroit 5:30 CDT (Phx leads 2-1)
Pittsburgh at Ottawa 6:00 CDT (Pitt leads 2-1)
New Jersey at Philadelphia 6:30 CDT (Phil leads 2-1)
San Jose at Colorado 9:00 CDT (Col leads 2-1)
Monday's Results...
Washington looked like the first team of the 16 in the playoff that looked like they wanted to establish themselves as a favorite in a series as the Caps won 5-1 in Montreal.
Boston continued to surprise the Sabres as they scored midway through the third period to make it a 2-1 game and held on to win to take a 2-1 series lead.
In the nightcap, Los Angeles played their best game of the series to beat Vancouver 5-3 and take a 2-1 lead in the series. Roberto Luongo left the game early after what may have been a hand injury to his glove hand.
In Pred Nation...
John Glennon has a story about the Pred's feeding off the fans, his notes and the game at a glance.
David Boclair has an update on Patric Hornqvist's injury. In my opinion, if he is n better than he was in game one, he needs to continue to sit out. He also has a story about Pekka'a post season mindset.
John Glennon reported that there were 2000 tickets available for tonight's game. Dirk Hoag tries to determine the cause with a poll.
With all the attendance discussion going on, Mark Willoughby breaks down the numbers.
Jeremy at Section 303 has the formula for the Preds to avoid losing.
Dirk the Forechecker also has sage advice for the Preds to take control of the series.
Paul McCann gets his thought together on the situation at Hockey Buzz.
Short Shifts reports a serious looking injury to Blake Geoffrion early in the Ads playoff game with the Chicago Wolves. Jim Diamond also has a later story with more detail. The Ads also lost the game and are down 3-1 and facing elimination.
After watching this video of Blake Geoffrion's two goals on Saturday before his injury, you wonder how long it will be before # 5 is on the ice for the Preds. My bet is during the season next year at some point.
Around the NHL...
The first nominees for the NHL Awards were released on Monday with the final three for the Vezina Trophy. Vezina Trophy Finalists were announced on @nhllive Marty Brodeur, Ilya Bryzgalov, and Ryan Miller. They will have daily announcements through next Thursday at noon EDT.
Here is the answer to our question yesterday from @NHL: All 8 first-round series were or are tied 1-1, for 1st time since best-of-7 format adopted in the #StanleyCup opening round in 1987.
Steve Lapore has the TV numbers from NBC from the weekend broadcasts. He also has the final ratings for the season. For some reason, the Predators are not included.
Intent to Blow has the story of the search for Joe Thornton being called off after he was hit by an Avalanche.
Down goes Brown looks at what happens to players who don't make the playoffs.
Our little friend Josh Sacco has some competition from another 5 year old hockey phenom, Aidan in Buffalo. Here is the video.
Eric Gage has a different report on the Andy Sutton - reporter confrontation over the weekend.
Odds and Ends...
Fees for carry on luggage on airlines won't happen now. It's amazing that Southwest makes money without charging for bags.
The lightning, ash and volcano pictures in this slide show look like end of the world stuff. Here's some pictures and a story of what ash does to airplanes.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Monday, April 19, 2010
Predators Return Home With Series Tied and Weekend Wrap-Up
Programming Note: Due to circumstances beyond our control, there will be no POTG Radio this week. If the Predators do not have a game six next Monday, we will return to our regular schedule.
No one would have ever predicted that every first round series would be tied 1-1 at the end of two games. I have not seen any statistics as to whether that has happened preciously.
The Predators should be pleased with their first road playoff win on Friday and coming to the Bridgestone Arena with home-ice advantage for the final five games. If the Preds win their home games they will be moving on to round two.
Most folks predicted that it would be a tough, physical series and that the Preds had to remain disciplined and not give Chicago power play opportunities. The seven penalties that the Preds took last night were their undoing as they gave up a goal and expended much energy in killing off the other six. Not scoring any goals also made it a moot point.
Before Tuesday's game, the Preds need to figure out a way to have more net presence and bury a few of Antti Niemi's rebounds that he was being generous with on Sunday. A healthy Patric Hornqvist would help in that regard, but even when he played in game one, he was not playing his usual game in the dirty areas so I'm not expecting much. It is time for others to step up and fill the void.
Preds-Hawks Round-Up...
Here is our game story from last night.
John Glennon has the game story, notes column and postgame ponderings at the Tennessean.
David Boclair checks in with his game story at The City Paper.
In the blog world posts come from The View From 111, Forechecker, See Puck City, and Brandon Felder.
The Chicago view of the game can be found at the Chicago Sun Times, Daily Herald, and the Chicago Tribune.
In Pred Nation...
Preds101 returns with an explanation of what Chicago is doing to slow the Preds down in the neutral zone. He also has a look at Marion Hossa's hitting on Patric Hornqvist in game one.
Short Shifts has the story of the Admirals 6-0 win over Chicago on Saturday that included two goals from Blake Geoffrion.
Pete Weber and Terry Crisp are now on the wall at the Palm Restaurant.
The statutes in the Demonbreun roundabout received a Pred's Stanley Cup treatment on Friday.
Pierre Lebrun had an update on the Preds on Friday with a video preview by E J Hradek and Barry Melrose. He also had a defense rules post.
Sean Leahy does the Preview of the Preds-Hawks for Puck Daddy.
Playoffs be damned! The Pred's owners signed a new agreement with the city of Nashville to cover David Freeman's assets if needed. No matter what happens on the ice, there's always a business story out there lurking in the bushes.
Tonight's games...
While everyone is waiting for the Pred's game three on Tuesday night, there are three excellent games on tap tonight.
Washington at Montreal 6:00 CDT
Buffalo at Boston 6:00 CDT
Vancouver at LA 9:00 CDT
All three series are tied 1-1 and each are going to be played at a different site than the first two game. Most folks thought that the higher seeds would have been 2-0 at this point so it will be important to watch and see if they can recapture the home ice advantage in enemy territory.
Around the NHL...
Chris Wassel is migrating his web site over to the Bloguin platform but still can be found at the same address. It is still under construction but has a nice look to it.
Steve Lapore has an example of epic fail in a promo being run by NBC. Obviously Ryan Miller and Jonas Hiller are two different people. Here is the video.
Ratings were up for the first night of games on Versus.
Intent to Blow has a story on a dispute over who is the real Cinderella story.
Mirtle talks playoff fantasy picks and ones who are the most popular.
Odds and Ends...
The History Channel is hooking up with Foursquare to encourage folks to check in at historic sites where they will get historical tidbits. I wonder if they are interested in the fact that I am the mayor of Helen Keller's birthplace.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
No one would have ever predicted that every first round series would be tied 1-1 at the end of two games. I have not seen any statistics as to whether that has happened preciously.
The Predators should be pleased with their first road playoff win on Friday and coming to the Bridgestone Arena with home-ice advantage for the final five games. If the Preds win their home games they will be moving on to round two.
Most folks predicted that it would be a tough, physical series and that the Preds had to remain disciplined and not give Chicago power play opportunities. The seven penalties that the Preds took last night were their undoing as they gave up a goal and expended much energy in killing off the other six. Not scoring any goals also made it a moot point.
Before Tuesday's game, the Preds need to figure out a way to have more net presence and bury a few of Antti Niemi's rebounds that he was being generous with on Sunday. A healthy Patric Hornqvist would help in that regard, but even when he played in game one, he was not playing his usual game in the dirty areas so I'm not expecting much. It is time for others to step up and fill the void.
Preds-Hawks Round-Up...
Here is our game story from last night.
John Glennon has the game story, notes column and postgame ponderings at the Tennessean.
David Boclair checks in with his game story at The City Paper.
In the blog world posts come from The View From 111, Forechecker, See Puck City, and Brandon Felder.
The Chicago view of the game can be found at the Chicago Sun Times, Daily Herald, and the Chicago Tribune.
In Pred Nation...
Preds101 returns with an explanation of what Chicago is doing to slow the Preds down in the neutral zone. He also has a look at Marion Hossa's hitting on Patric Hornqvist in game one.
Short Shifts has the story of the Admirals 6-0 win over Chicago on Saturday that included two goals from Blake Geoffrion.
Pete Weber and Terry Crisp are now on the wall at the Palm Restaurant.
The statutes in the Demonbreun roundabout received a Pred's Stanley Cup treatment on Friday.
Pierre Lebrun had an update on the Preds on Friday with a video preview by E J Hradek and Barry Melrose. He also had a defense rules post.
Sean Leahy does the Preview of the Preds-Hawks for Puck Daddy.
Playoffs be damned! The Pred's owners signed a new agreement with the city of Nashville to cover David Freeman's assets if needed. No matter what happens on the ice, there's always a business story out there lurking in the bushes.
Tonight's games...
While everyone is waiting for the Pred's game three on Tuesday night, there are three excellent games on tap tonight.
Washington at Montreal 6:00 CDT
Buffalo at Boston 6:00 CDT
Vancouver at LA 9:00 CDT
All three series are tied 1-1 and each are going to be played at a different site than the first two game. Most folks thought that the higher seeds would have been 2-0 at this point so it will be important to watch and see if they can recapture the home ice advantage in enemy territory.
Around the NHL...
Chris Wassel is migrating his web site over to the Bloguin platform but still can be found at the same address. It is still under construction but has a nice look to it.
Steve Lapore has an example of epic fail in a promo being run by NBC. Obviously Ryan Miller and Jonas Hiller are two different people. Here is the video.
Ratings were up for the first night of games on Versus.
Intent to Blow has a story on a dispute over who is the real Cinderella story.
Mirtle talks playoff fantasy picks and ones who are the most popular.
Odds and Ends...
The History Channel is hooking up with Foursquare to encourage folks to check in at historic sites where they will get historical tidbits. I wonder if they are interested in the fact that I am the mayor of Helen Keller's birthplace.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Game Recap: Hawks Stymie Preds in 2-0 Win to Even Series
The Chicago Blackhawks completely tied up the Nashville Predator's offense and beat them 2-0 to even the series at one game each as the teams move on to Nashville for game three on Tuesday night.
Goals by Dave Bolland and Patrick Kane were all the offense that the Blackhawks needed. The Predators had scoring chances but never were able to get a puck past Antti Niemi.
Niemi got the shutout win as he stopped all 23 Predator shots. Pekka Rinne stopped 31 of 33 Hawk's shots in the loss.
Each team took seven penalties leading to more odd man situations as it was a rough and tumble game at bot ends of the rink.
Scoring Recap...
The game started with the Predators looking completely out of sync. A minute into the game, Kevin Klien had a horrible turnover that Pekka Rinne had to corral. The Blackhawks were putting intense pressure on the Predators that intensified at 5:05 when the Preds were called for too many men on the ice. The Hawks got two shots on their power play but no goals.
The Predators went on the power play at 7:54 when Andrew Ladd was called for interference. The Preds had three shots to the Hawks one on their man advantage.
The red light went off indicating a Chicago goal around the eleven minute mark but the video indicated that the puck actually hit the crossbar. Less than a minute later, Kevin Klein turned the puck over and the Preds were saved by an early whistle on a puck that Rinne did not control and that ended up in the net.
The Preds went on the power play again at 13:29 when Marion Hossa was called on a senseless hooking violation in the neutral zone. The Preds managed a shot but still looked uncomfortable.
As dominant as the Predators looked in game one's third period, the Blackhawks looked equally dominant in the first period of game two. It was only by the favor of the hockey gods and a blown call by an official did the game remained scoreless at the end of the first period.
The Hawks out shot the Preds 13-5 and led in the Corsi numbers 20-10. The Preds only managed one shot at even strength and four on their two power plays. Chicago out hit Nashville 16-6 as they clogged up the neutral zone keeping the Preds on their heels for the entire period.
The first intermission did little to cool off the Hawks. The Hawks and Preds traded penalties but a tripping call against Jordin Tootoo at 8:02 quickly led to the Hawks first goal at 8:44 by Dave Bolland to give them a 1-0 lead.
At 10:19, Jerred Smithson was also called for tripping, setting up a key penalty kill situation for the Preds. At 7:53, Rinne made the save of the night on Marion Hossa that had to go to video review. Amazingly, the Hawks did not score on four shots.
The Preds entered the category of serial penalty producers for the third penalty in five minutes when Marty Erat was called for holding at 13:22. Amazingly, the Preds held the Hawks to a single shot and had a scoring chance of their own on a breakaway by Steve Sullivan.
At the end of two periods, the Predators were fortunate to be down by only a single goal just as it was in game one. The Hawks out shot the Preds 13-7 and led the Corsi by a much closer 22-20.
The Predators headed to the ice at the start of the third looking for a rerun of Friday night's game when they turned a 1-0 deficit into a victory. It was not in the cards as the Blackhawks took advantage of a two on one breakaway against Kevin Klein when Patrick Kane chose not to pass and blew the puck past Rinne to make it a 2-0 game at 4:18 in the period.
With the Preds showing no offensive ability, it felt as if it was "game, set, match" with most of the third period remaining.
The Predators went on the man advantage at 10:19 when Colin Wilson drew a tripping penalty from Duncan Keith as he was forechecking through the neutral zone. The Predators were unable to get off a shot.
At 13:45, Steve Sullivan and Kris Versteeg were sent to the penalty box for holding and unsportsmanlike penalties respectively to produce four on four hockey. Twenty-one seconds later, Shea Weber cross-checked Patrick Kane making it a four on three advantage for the Hawks. Nothing of substance resulted from the odd man situations.
As the game wound down, a game long chippyness on both sides deteriorated even more. At 17:32 a skirmish ensued with Francis Bouillon, Patrick Kane and Patric Sharp all in the box giving the Preds a four on three advantage. Rinne left the ice immediately after the face off to give the Preds an extra skater but they could not convert.
The Predators out shot the Hawks 11-7 in the third as they desperately tried to put shots on net.
The Preds also led the Corsi 16-12 in the final stanza.
Storylines From the Game
Predator's Offense Stymied by the Hawk's Defense...
The Blackhawks clearly were not happy with their performance in game one that allowed the Predators to totally dominate the final period. The Hawks changed line combinations and defensive parings and came out and played with fire and intensity that never allowed the Predators to participate offensively.
The Hawks used a combination of making it difficult to traverse the neutral zone and then collapsing down around the net leaving no space for the Predators to work. The Predators defensemen were left open at times but had no lanes to shoot through due to the traffic in the slot.
Excellent Goaltending at Both Ends of the Ice...
Antti Niemi got the shutout victory but Pekka Rinne may have played a better game in spite of giving up two goals in the loss. The Predator's porous defense left Rinne alone repeatedly to fend off numerous shots.
Niemi was not controlling his rebounds particularly well, but the Hawks were excellent at clearing anything that bounced off Niemi and the Preds had few second chances.
Playing with House Money...
As much as the Predators would have liked to have won game two, they were clearly playing with house money with an unexpected win in game one. The pressure was clearly on Chicago and they responded well as a team of their character and firepower should have.
Before the series started, players coaches and fans would have been thrilled to know that he Preds would return home with the series tied 1-1. The Preds will have a short memory of this game and will be prepared for game three in front of a lively home crowd on Tuesday night.
Notes... Patrick Hornqvist's "equipment problem" from game one evolved into a return of his "upper body injury" and he did not play. There is no word on when he may return... Dustin Boyd started in Hornqvist's place and played well, having several scoring chances... Ryan Suter fired ten times and was credited with six shots. The Hawks were not pressuring him much, giving him several opportunities... Actor Vince Vaughan was in attendance and appeared to be enjoying the game. Vaughan was in one of the great hockey scenes ever in the movie "Swingers" in the mid nineties.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Goals by Dave Bolland and Patrick Kane were all the offense that the Blackhawks needed. The Predators had scoring chances but never were able to get a puck past Antti Niemi.
Niemi got the shutout win as he stopped all 23 Predator shots. Pekka Rinne stopped 31 of 33 Hawk's shots in the loss.
Each team took seven penalties leading to more odd man situations as it was a rough and tumble game at bot ends of the rink.
Scoring Recap...
The game started with the Predators looking completely out of sync. A minute into the game, Kevin Klien had a horrible turnover that Pekka Rinne had to corral. The Blackhawks were putting intense pressure on the Predators that intensified at 5:05 when the Preds were called for too many men on the ice. The Hawks got two shots on their power play but no goals.
The Predators went on the power play at 7:54 when Andrew Ladd was called for interference. The Preds had three shots to the Hawks one on their man advantage.
The red light went off indicating a Chicago goal around the eleven minute mark but the video indicated that the puck actually hit the crossbar. Less than a minute later, Kevin Klein turned the puck over and the Preds were saved by an early whistle on a puck that Rinne did not control and that ended up in the net.
The Preds went on the power play again at 13:29 when Marion Hossa was called on a senseless hooking violation in the neutral zone. The Preds managed a shot but still looked uncomfortable.
As dominant as the Predators looked in game one's third period, the Blackhawks looked equally dominant in the first period of game two. It was only by the favor of the hockey gods and a blown call by an official did the game remained scoreless at the end of the first period.
The Hawks out shot the Preds 13-5 and led in the Corsi numbers 20-10. The Preds only managed one shot at even strength and four on their two power plays. Chicago out hit Nashville 16-6 as they clogged up the neutral zone keeping the Preds on their heels for the entire period.
The first intermission did little to cool off the Hawks. The Hawks and Preds traded penalties but a tripping call against Jordin Tootoo at 8:02 quickly led to the Hawks first goal at 8:44 by Dave Bolland to give them a 1-0 lead.
At 10:19, Jerred Smithson was also called for tripping, setting up a key penalty kill situation for the Preds. At 7:53, Rinne made the save of the night on Marion Hossa that had to go to video review. Amazingly, the Hawks did not score on four shots.
The Preds entered the category of serial penalty producers for the third penalty in five minutes when Marty Erat was called for holding at 13:22. Amazingly, the Preds held the Hawks to a single shot and had a scoring chance of their own on a breakaway by Steve Sullivan.
At the end of two periods, the Predators were fortunate to be down by only a single goal just as it was in game one. The Hawks out shot the Preds 13-7 and led the Corsi by a much closer 22-20.
The Predators headed to the ice at the start of the third looking for a rerun of Friday night's game when they turned a 1-0 deficit into a victory. It was not in the cards as the Blackhawks took advantage of a two on one breakaway against Kevin Klein when Patrick Kane chose not to pass and blew the puck past Rinne to make it a 2-0 game at 4:18 in the period.
With the Preds showing no offensive ability, it felt as if it was "game, set, match" with most of the third period remaining.
The Predators went on the man advantage at 10:19 when Colin Wilson drew a tripping penalty from Duncan Keith as he was forechecking through the neutral zone. The Predators were unable to get off a shot.
At 13:45, Steve Sullivan and Kris Versteeg were sent to the penalty box for holding and unsportsmanlike penalties respectively to produce four on four hockey. Twenty-one seconds later, Shea Weber cross-checked Patrick Kane making it a four on three advantage for the Hawks. Nothing of substance resulted from the odd man situations.
As the game wound down, a game long chippyness on both sides deteriorated even more. At 17:32 a skirmish ensued with Francis Bouillon, Patrick Kane and Patric Sharp all in the box giving the Preds a four on three advantage. Rinne left the ice immediately after the face off to give the Preds an extra skater but they could not convert.
The Predators out shot the Hawks 11-7 in the third as they desperately tried to put shots on net.
The Preds also led the Corsi 16-12 in the final stanza.
Storylines From the Game
Predator's Offense Stymied by the Hawk's Defense...
The Blackhawks clearly were not happy with their performance in game one that allowed the Predators to totally dominate the final period. The Hawks changed line combinations and defensive parings and came out and played with fire and intensity that never allowed the Predators to participate offensively.
The Hawks used a combination of making it difficult to traverse the neutral zone and then collapsing down around the net leaving no space for the Predators to work. The Predators defensemen were left open at times but had no lanes to shoot through due to the traffic in the slot.
Excellent Goaltending at Both Ends of the Ice...
Antti Niemi got the shutout victory but Pekka Rinne may have played a better game in spite of giving up two goals in the loss. The Predator's porous defense left Rinne alone repeatedly to fend off numerous shots.
Niemi was not controlling his rebounds particularly well, but the Hawks were excellent at clearing anything that bounced off Niemi and the Preds had few second chances.
Playing with House Money...
As much as the Predators would have liked to have won game two, they were clearly playing with house money with an unexpected win in game one. The pressure was clearly on Chicago and they responded well as a team of their character and firepower should have.
Before the series started, players coaches and fans would have been thrilled to know that he Preds would return home with the series tied 1-1. The Preds will have a short memory of this game and will be prepared for game three in front of a lively home crowd on Tuesday night.
Notes... Patrick Hornqvist's "equipment problem" from game one evolved into a return of his "upper body injury" and he did not play. There is no word on when he may return... Dustin Boyd started in Hornqvist's place and played well, having several scoring chances... Ryan Suter fired ten times and was credited with six shots. The Hawks were not pressuring him much, giving him several opportunities... Actor Vince Vaughan was in attendance and appeared to be enjoying the game. Vaughan was in one of the great hockey scenes ever in the movie "Swingers" in the mid nineties.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Friday, April 16, 2010
Game Recap: Predators Stun Blackhawks 4-1 in Series Opener
The Nashville Predators played toe to toe with the Chicago Blackhawks for two periods and then scored four unanswered goals in the third period as they charged to a 4-1 win at the United Center on Friday night.
J.P. Dumont scored the first two goals for the Predators before Jerred Smithson and and Mart Erat added empty netters in the last minute of play. Patrick Kane scored the Hawks lone goal halfway through the second stanza.
Pekka Rinne stood tall in the Preds net in gaining his first playoff win as he stopped 25 of 26 Blackhawk shots. Antti Niemi stopped 22 of 24 shots while taking the loss.
Scoring Summary...
Both the Preds and Hawks came out at the start of the game with plenty of energy. Kevin Klein was called for hooking 52 seconds into the contest and the collective heart of Pred's fans sank with the thought of a quick Blackhawk power play goal. Fortunately, the Predator penalty kill unit held firm.
For the remainder of the period, both teams skated well and pushed the puck at both ends of the ice. The stars of the period were Pekka Rinne and Antti Niemi who repelled everything that went toward the net. Pekka was outstanding on a breakaway by Patrick Sharp.
The Hawks out shot the Preds 10-7 and led in the Corsi numbers 23-16. The Hawks out hit the Preds 15-11 and took 12 of 20 face offs.
The Predators had their first man advantage at 5:17 in the second period when Troy Brouwer up-ended Pekka Rinne. The Hawks out-shot the Preds 2-1 while the Preds were on the PP.
The Pred's power play was cut short at 7:07 on a phantom slashing call against Cody Franson. The Predators penalty kill held firm as the Hawks only had one shot on net during their man advantage.
After a turnover in the neutral zone, Patrick Kane scored the games first goal at 9:43 when Rinne stopped Kane's initial shot on the rush and then dropped the puck in to the blue ice where Kane swept it into the net.
As the period wore down, the pace of play seemed to slow down a bit and neither team could score despite several chances. Chicago out shot the Preds 12-6 for the period and led the Corsi 28-16.
As the third period started, the Predators were in need of a quick goal to change the complexion of the game. After Steve Sullivan hit the cross bar at 1:00, J. P. Dumont flipped an odd knuckler at the Hawks net and Niemi was baffled as it took an odd bounce into the net to tie the game 1-1.
At the end of one of the Pred's best few minutes of play in recent memory, J. P. Dumont took a pass from David Legwand and put it past Niemi at 10:37 to put the Preds ahead 2-1.
After furious play at both ends as time wound down, the Hawks pulled Niemi and could not keep the Preds out of the Hawks zone and Jerred Smithson responded with an empty netter at 19:12. After the face off and another goalie pull, Marty Erat scored the Pred's second empty netter at 19:46 to give the Preds a 4-1 victory.
In the third period, the Preds out shot the Hawks 13-4 and dominated possession as indicated by the 25-12 Corsi advantage. For the game, shots were tied at 26.
Storylines From The Game
Predators Out Play Hawks When It Counted...
For about five minutes leading up to J.P. Dumont's second goal and then for the remainder of the game, the Predators played as if they were were possessed, dominating play at both ends of the ice.
Playing a type of modified trap, the Preds clogged up the neutral zone and swarmed in the defensive end as they completely shut down the Chicago offense in a way that was not anticipated.
Pekka Rinne Starred in His First Playoff Game...
After many had questioned how Pekka Rinne and Antti Niemi would perform in their first post-season game, both goalies played well enough to win. Niemi was hand-cuffed by an odd bounce on the Preds first goal. If not for that, the game could still be ongoing.
Pekka Rinne continued his stellar play that we saw after the Olympic break. His only miscue was when a puck that he stopped between his pad and glove fell free for an easy Patrick Kane goal. That was a mere blip on the radar compared to the many outstanding saves Rinne made as the last line of defense.
Playoff Demons Were Exorcised...
The past demon of never winning a road game during the Stanley Cup Playoffs was finally exorcised with the Pred's win in Chicago on Friday night. The burden being lifted should lead to many more wins in the near future.
Also, for the first time in five playoff series, Barry Trotz stuck to the same type game plan that the team practiced for 82 games. There were no new line combinations or odd parings to match up with the other team.
The team played Predator hockey and took it directly to the Hawks. They weren't rattled when they fell behind and stuck to their game plan until it finally paid off.
Notes from the Game...
Word at the end of the game was that Patric Hornqvist left the game with 10:31 left in the game and was unable to return. I did not observe what happened so it is difficult to access the injury. He played 13:01 on 21 shifts and never looked comfortable on the ice as he did not log a shot.
David Legwand and Steve Sullivan played one of the best games each have played recently. Legwand had two assists and had a team high five shots and was a leader in the defensive effort. Sullivan's deft puck handling in the third period was a key in the Pred's puck possession game.
Up Next...
Game two will be Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. CDT at the United Center.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
J.P. Dumont scored the first two goals for the Predators before Jerred Smithson and and Mart Erat added empty netters in the last minute of play. Patrick Kane scored the Hawks lone goal halfway through the second stanza.
Pekka Rinne stood tall in the Preds net in gaining his first playoff win as he stopped 25 of 26 Blackhawk shots. Antti Niemi stopped 22 of 24 shots while taking the loss.
Scoring Summary...
Both the Preds and Hawks came out at the start of the game with plenty of energy. Kevin Klein was called for hooking 52 seconds into the contest and the collective heart of Pred's fans sank with the thought of a quick Blackhawk power play goal. Fortunately, the Predator penalty kill unit held firm.
For the remainder of the period, both teams skated well and pushed the puck at both ends of the ice. The stars of the period were Pekka Rinne and Antti Niemi who repelled everything that went toward the net. Pekka was outstanding on a breakaway by Patrick Sharp.
The Hawks out shot the Preds 10-7 and led in the Corsi numbers 23-16. The Hawks out hit the Preds 15-11 and took 12 of 20 face offs.
The Predators had their first man advantage at 5:17 in the second period when Troy Brouwer up-ended Pekka Rinne. The Hawks out-shot the Preds 2-1 while the Preds were on the PP.
The Pred's power play was cut short at 7:07 on a phantom slashing call against Cody Franson. The Predators penalty kill held firm as the Hawks only had one shot on net during their man advantage.
After a turnover in the neutral zone, Patrick Kane scored the games first goal at 9:43 when Rinne stopped Kane's initial shot on the rush and then dropped the puck in to the blue ice where Kane swept it into the net.
As the period wore down, the pace of play seemed to slow down a bit and neither team could score despite several chances. Chicago out shot the Preds 12-6 for the period and led the Corsi 28-16.
As the third period started, the Predators were in need of a quick goal to change the complexion of the game. After Steve Sullivan hit the cross bar at 1:00, J. P. Dumont flipped an odd knuckler at the Hawks net and Niemi was baffled as it took an odd bounce into the net to tie the game 1-1.
At the end of one of the Pred's best few minutes of play in recent memory, J. P. Dumont took a pass from David Legwand and put it past Niemi at 10:37 to put the Preds ahead 2-1.
After furious play at both ends as time wound down, the Hawks pulled Niemi and could not keep the Preds out of the Hawks zone and Jerred Smithson responded with an empty netter at 19:12. After the face off and another goalie pull, Marty Erat scored the Pred's second empty netter at 19:46 to give the Preds a 4-1 victory.
In the third period, the Preds out shot the Hawks 13-4 and dominated possession as indicated by the 25-12 Corsi advantage. For the game, shots were tied at 26.
Storylines From The Game
Predators Out Play Hawks When It Counted...
For about five minutes leading up to J.P. Dumont's second goal and then for the remainder of the game, the Predators played as if they were were possessed, dominating play at both ends of the ice.
Playing a type of modified trap, the Preds clogged up the neutral zone and swarmed in the defensive end as they completely shut down the Chicago offense in a way that was not anticipated.
Pekka Rinne Starred in His First Playoff Game...
After many had questioned how Pekka Rinne and Antti Niemi would perform in their first post-season game, both goalies played well enough to win. Niemi was hand-cuffed by an odd bounce on the Preds first goal. If not for that, the game could still be ongoing.
Pekka Rinne continued his stellar play that we saw after the Olympic break. His only miscue was when a puck that he stopped between his pad and glove fell free for an easy Patrick Kane goal. That was a mere blip on the radar compared to the many outstanding saves Rinne made as the last line of defense.
Playoff Demons Were Exorcised...
The past demon of never winning a road game during the Stanley Cup Playoffs was finally exorcised with the Pred's win in Chicago on Friday night. The burden being lifted should lead to many more wins in the near future.
Also, for the first time in five playoff series, Barry Trotz stuck to the same type game plan that the team practiced for 82 games. There were no new line combinations or odd parings to match up with the other team.
The team played Predator hockey and took it directly to the Hawks. They weren't rattled when they fell behind and stuck to their game plan until it finally paid off.
Notes from the Game...
Word at the end of the game was that Patric Hornqvist left the game with 10:31 left in the game and was unable to return. I did not observe what happened so it is difficult to access the injury. He played 13:01 on 21 shifts and never looked comfortable on the ice as he did not log a shot.
David Legwand and Steve Sullivan played one of the best games each have played recently. Legwand had two assists and had a team high five shots and was a leader in the defensive effort. Sullivan's deft puck handling in the third period was a key in the Pred's puck possession game.
Up Next...
Game two will be Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. CDT at the United Center.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
Hobey Baker Winner Blake Geoffrion Signs with the Nashville Predators
Madison, Wisconsin television station WKOW reports that that the Nashville Predators have signed Hobey Baker winner Blake Geoffrion to an ATO contract. Geoffrion will immediately report to Milwaukee where he will make his pro debut with the Admirals in their playoff series against Chicago. (Thanks to Admiral's Short Shifts for the tip)It is somewhat surprising that this was not done earlier in the week as the Preds have signed several other prospects in the last few days.
When Geoffrion officially pulls on the Preds sweater for an regular season game, he will become the first player from Tennessee to play in an NHL game. While Geoffrion's family roots are steeped in Montreal Canadian team history with his father, grandfather and great- grandfather playing there, he grew up in Brentwood, Tennessee and played youth hockey in the Nashville area.
Here is the text of the story from WKOW...
Geoffrion makes pro debut Friday for Milwaukee Admirals
Madison, WI — Friday night, former UW Badger and the 2010 Hobey Baker recipient, Blake Geoffrion, will debut with the Milwaukee Admirals as they take on the Chicago Wolves at Allstate Arena in Chicago. Geoffrion, a second-round pick of the Nashville Predators in 2006, will debut with their farm team, the Milwaukee Admirals who enter the 2010 AHL post-season as the No. 4 seed in the West Division. Geoffrion signed with the Nashville Predators late Thursday afternoon and left for Chicago first thing this morning.
Blake Geoffrion, who is the first Wisconsin player to win the Hobey Baker, also captured the the InsideCollegeHockey.com's National Player of the Year laurel, First-Team All-America and WCHA honors and was named NCAA West Regional Most Valuable Player in his senior season alone.
The Ads will host games three and four on Saturday, April 17 at 7:00pm and Monday, April 19 at 7:00 pm respectively. Fans can buy tickets for games three and four by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are available for $12 and $10 and groups of ten or more people receive a minimum of $2 off of each ticket. For more information or to order group tickets call the Admirals office at (414) 227-0550.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the official release from the Milwaukee Admirals...
Admirals Sign Geoffrion to ATO
Apr 16, 2010
Milwaukee, WI—The Milwaukee Admirals announced today that the team has signed 2010 Hobey Baker Memorial Award Winner Blake Geoffrion to an Amateur Try-Out Contract (ATO). The former University of Wisconsin star will look to make his Admirals debut tonight when the Ads travel to Chicago for game two of the West Division Semifinals at 7:30 pm at the All-State Arena.
Geoffrion won the award given to college hockey’s most outstanding player after tying for second in the nation in goals (28) and finishing first in Division I hockey in power-play tallies (15). A tri-captain for the Badgers in 2009-10, Geoffrion posted 50 points (28g-22a) in 40 games, helping the school reach the NCAA National Championship Game. The 6-1, 196-pound right wing was both a First Team West All America, and First Team WCHA selection in his senior season, and was named Most Valuable Player of the West Regional after leading UW to victories over Vermont and St. Cloud State with five points (2g-3a) in the two games.
During his four-season collegiate career, the Predators first pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft amassed 114 points (55g-59a) and 243 penalty minutes in 146 games. His grandfather, Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion and great grandfather, Howie Morenz, are both Hockey Hall-of-Famers who won a combined nine Stanley Cups as members of the Montreal Canadiens. His father, Danny, was drafted eighth overall by the Canadiens in the 1978 Draft, and played for both Montreal and Winnipeg during his career.
Geoffrion will become the second Hobey Baker winner to play for Milwaukee. Admiral’s legend Tony Hrkac, who won the award with North Dakota in 1987, was the first.
The Ads will host games three and four of the series on Saturday, April 17 at 7:00 and Monday, April 19 at 7:00 pm respectively. Fans can buy tickets for these games by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets are available for $12 and $10 and groups of ten or more people receive a minimum of $2 off of each ticket. For more information or to order group tickets call the Admirals office at (414) 227-0550.
Playoff packages are still available and guarantee the same seat for all potential post-season games. For more information on playoff packages go to www.milwaukeeadmirals.com.
We will add the Predators official release once it comes to us directly from the Preds.
More Later...
Buddy Oakes for PredsOnTheGlass
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