Here is the press release from the Predators:

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed forward Niclas Bergfors to a one-year contract worth $575,000.Bergfors, 24 (3/7/87), split the 2010-11 season between Atlanta and Florida, posting 36 points (12g-24a) in 72 games. During his first full NHL campaign with New Jersey and Atlanta in 2009-10, the Södertälje, Sweden native posted 21 goals and 44 points in 81 games, landing him a spot on the NHL’s All-Rookie Team. In 162 career NHL games since 2008, Bergfors has 81 points (34g-47a).

Drafted 23rd overall (first round) by the Devils in the 2005 Entry Draft, Bergfors was the youngest player in the American Hockey League in 2005-06 with the Albany River Rats after a decorated junior career in his homeland. The 5-10, 194-pound winger was the 2005 Swedish Junior Player of the Year, following the likes of Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Henrik Lunqvist, Peter Forsberg and Mats Sundin. He has also represented the Tre Kroner in five international tournaments, earning a bronze medal and being named to the tournament all-star team at the 2005 Under-18 World Championships.

The Bergfors signing is similar to the signing last season of Sergei Kostitsyn: a young forward that has offensive upside, but needs some coaching to make him a solid, two way player. Bergfors has the capability of adding some offense to the Predators, and should be more productive than the recently departed J.P. Dumont. Bergfors is, I believe, going to look to prove that he can be that type of player, and Barry Trotz and his staff should mold him into a solid contributor.

The Predators have freed up significant salary space, and this should allow the team to have plenty of room to sign Shea Weber as well as pursue more scoring help up front. In a conversation with one of the coaches after development camp, I was told this is exactly what the team is attempting to do.

There has been some concern about the departure of Franson, Lombardi, Dumont, Marcel Goc, Steve Sullivan, and Joel Ward. Here is some perspective: last season, when the Predators started their run to the playoffs, Goc, Lombardi, and Sullivan were out of the line up. Dumont was most often a healthy scratch. Only Ward was playing significant minutes, and his offensive production in the regular season was down 33% from the prior season (15 goals in 2010; 10 goals in 2011). Franson is a young player that has some upside and was solid on the power play, but the fact remains that he averaged just over 15 minutes a game and was on the third D pairing.

Yes, the Predators have lost some players, but it is important to keep in mind that the Predators were winning WITHOUT these players. Could some of them have been contributors in this upcoming season? There is no doubt. Yet this team has proven that they can win without these players.

And they will again this season.

Look for the Predators to continue to be active, with a priority of signing Weber but also with an eye toward adding offense.

That is a good perspective to keep in mind if you are a Predator fan.

The coaching staff is now likely set assuming the team picks up the option on Peter Horachek.  With the re-signing of Mitch Korn and promotion of Lane Lambert, Poile and Trotz can now turn the majority of their attention to filling out their roster for next season.  (Jeremy Gover has kindly provided a list of the key dates as it pertains to the (re-)signing of players.)

Setting the Stage…

According to CapGeek, Nashville has $40,837,500 in cap dollars committed to 17 players (10 forwards, 5 defensemen, and 2 goaltenders).  While they have $21,562,500 of cap money to spend, Nashville traditionally stays below the midpoint.  Since that’s done for the purpose of obtaining the maximum amount of revenue sharing possible, it’s the real dollars that matter and not the cap hits as they budget toward that midpoint.

Turning again to CapGeek, Nashville will be spending $41,550,000 in real money for those 17 players (which includes Matt Lombardi and Francis Boullion whether they end up playing or not).  If the cap moves to $62.4 million as expected, that will produce a midpoint of $54.4 million giving David Poile $12,850,000 available to him in order to stay under the midpoint.  Actually, he’ll have a little less in order to have room for call-ups and moves around the trade deadline.  Let’s give him an even $11 million for the offseason then.

The Roster…

Here are those 17 players that are under contract for next season:

Forwards: Martin Erat, David Legwand, Mike Fisher, J.P. Dumont, Matthew Lombardi, Patric Hornqvist, Colin Wilson, Jordin Tootoo, Blake Geoffrion, Jerred Smithson

Defensemen: Ryan Suter, Francis Bouillon, Kevin Klein, Jonathon Blum, Cody Franson

Goaltenders: Pekka Rinne, Anders Lindback

The Decisions…

On the surface, $11 million for 4 – 5 players doesn’t seem so bad.  However, the salary for Norris trophy-finalist Shea Weber has to come out of that.  There’s also decisions to be made on several key contributors from last season: Joel Ward, Sergei Kostitsyn, Nick Spaling, Shane O’Brien, Marcel Goc, Cal O’Reilly, Matt Halischuk and Steve Sullivan.  Finally, of course, there’s also that never-ending quest to boost the offense even further.

Re-signing Shea Weber will be at the top of David Poile’s offseason to-do list.  At the end of the day, I think we see something like a 5-year contract breaking out at $5, $6, $7, $7, and $7 million for a $6.4 million cap hit.  That lower initial salary gives Poile room to absorb the boost to Erat’s salary this season as well as the potential having to weather the injuries to Lombardi and Bouillon further.  It’s not the contract I’d like to see, but it’s what I expect.

That contract would leave David Poile with roughly $6 million for another bottom-pairing defenseman (free agent or Milwaukee promotion), a top six forward, and a couple forwards for the bottom six.

Unfortunately for Shane O’Brien, Blum’s play pushed him down to the bottom pairing at the end of the season and David Poile isn’t going to pay what O’Brien will command in that slot.  Barring an unexpected trade of one of the top four, I expect Shane O’Brien to test the market and Poile to either promote from within or bring in a veteran making right at $1 million.  That leaves $5 million for three, maybe four, forwards.  Which forwards though?

Focusing strictly on their own free agents at the moment, I don’t think you could put Steve Sullivan ahead of any other forward on that list at the moment.  I also don’t think you risk embarrassing or angering Sullivan with some type of low-ball offer.  Hopefully there’s a spot in the organization for Sullivan off the ice and he would be agreeable to that move.  I just don’t see a scenario where Steve Sullivan is on the ice for the Nashville Predators next season outside of a significant movement of personnel.

I also don’t think that Matt Halischuk has done enough at this point to guarantee a full-time NHL roster spot.  Dropping him from the list, that leaves $5 million for a maximum of four roster spots but a better chance of only three spots.  If more than a couple of Goc, O’Reilly or Ward walk, Halischuk could come back into the Predator’s NHL picture.

Joel Ward, Sergei Kostitsyn, Nick Spaling and Marcel Goc likely did the most to justify a decent raise.  O’Reilly has youth and offensive potential on his side.  Ward made $1.5 million last year, while the none of the others topped $775,000.

Would Kostitsyn and Ward both come back for $2 million and either Goc or Spaling for $1 million?  If Weber demands more than $5 million for that first year, it’ll get even more interesting.

The Future…

In Nashville, you can’t just look at the upcoming offseason.  You have to look at the next several to make sure things “fit” the budget structure.  The future for Nashville primarily revolves around Pekka Rinne and Ryan Suter as both are entering the last year of their contracts.  Keeping our focus on the real dollars and not cap hit, Suter will definitely command a significant raise if he’s re-signed.  Rinne, however, will be making $4 million for the upcoming season.  There are not too many teams that look to put $5 – $6 million in one goalie any longer.  While I expect Nashville to be one of few that do, jumping from $4 to $5 million will not be quite the leap that Suter’s new contract would bring.

Additionally, next season will see Nashville recoup $2 million in real money as the actual salary paid to Erat, Legwand and Mike Fisher will drop by that much.  They’ll recoup an additional $4 million with the expiration of J.P. Dumont’s contract as well.

The Rumored Available (Potential Trades)…

Right now, there are significant forwards that are rumored to be available if Poile decides to look in that direction.  Names like Zach Parise and Jeff Carter have been bandied about all over the place (although not necessarily in the same breath as Nashville).

While a line featuring Jeff Carter and Patric Hornqvist whets the appetite, those type of players would require real assets in return- like some combination of Colin Wilson, Cody Franson, or maybe even both of Pierre Lebrun’s twins (congrats Pierre!).  That’s a high cost and a significant departure from Nashville’s management team to this point.  And, while Wilson and Franson might be a good starting point in obtaining a player like a Jeff Carter for the Predator’s trade partner, the two don’t move much salary out of Nashville to make room for a contract like Carter’s to fit properly.

I also don’t think you’ll see Suter as part of the discussion unless he just doesn’t want to come back to Nashville or wants more than Weber.  Nashville will build from the goal out for the foreseeable future.  You don’t jeopardize that recipe by altering the fundamental ingredients like that.

If the ownership group ever subscribes to the theory of teams having a “window” to win a Cup, Nashville could really maximize that window if they so desire.  With the roster in its current form, and what’s yet to come with Suter and Rinne, it would require the ownership group to exceed the midpoint for that type of endeavor, or find a way to move a contract or two like Martin Erat or J.P. Dumont.

Right now, there’s no indication the time is right for that.  It’ll be interesting if that ever happens.

David Singleton

You are invited to follow me on Twitter (@SingletonPreds).  For game recaps of all Predators games as well as great insights on the Predators and the NHL, check out my HockeyIndependent colleague, Mark Willoughby (@TheViewFrom111).

Mission accomplished.

The Predators defeated the Ducks 4-2 to capture their first round series by a similar margin of 4-2 and in the process the Predators captured their first ever Stanley Cup playoff series.

The understatement of the year would be to say that this was a huge step for this franchise.

More times than I care to recount, the denizens of Smashville have watched their heroes skate off the ice after a game 6 clinching victory for the opposition. The disappointment and frustration were palpable.

Not tonight.

Everyone knew that the Ducks were going to come out with a sense of desperation as they were attempting to stave off elimination. It was going to be imperative that the Predators match their intensity and control the play, especially early on in the contest.

The Predators did a great job of thwarting the pressure of the Ducks in the first period as they limited the Ducks to just 4 shots. However, one of those shot was an amazing goal by Teemu Selanne as he found the tiniest of openings between Rinne and the post to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead at 10:22 of the first period.

I want to say that Selanne is just flat out unbelievable. His play was outstanding throughout the series and he did not engage in the cheap shots and extra-curricular activity that so many of the Ducks chose to do. His play almost single handedly carried the Ducks to victory in the series as he tallied 6 goals.

The Selanne goal was an “uh-oh” moment for the Predators. No team in this series had won two consecutive games, and his goal put the Smashville faithful in a state of high anxiety.

That tension was relieved at 19:32 f the first period as Nick Spaling tied the game as he buried the puck off a rebound of a Jordin Tootoo shot past Ray Emery. All along, the Predators knew they were going to have to get scoring from their bottom six forwards to have a chance in this series, and time and again, they came up big time.

Thank you, Mr. Spaling.

The Predators would take a 2-1 lead at 3:29 of the second period as Steve Sullivan absolutely undressed Emery with a nice forehand to backhand move. Sullivan was playing on the fourth line with Blake Geoffrion and J.P. Dumont, but that did not mean this line wasn’t a threat. Sullivan used his speed to create the opportnity and his wiles to fake out Emery. A veteran move and a big time goal for the Predators.

The Ducks weren’t going to go away quietly, however. Jason Blake tallied a power play marker at 18:23 of the second to tie the game heading into the third period.

Once again, the potent Ducks power play had torched the Predators. In this series, it was apparent that the Ducks could not beat the Predators 5 on 5, and it was going to be incumbent on the Predators to stay out of the box to have a chance to close out this series. A transgression by J.P. Dumont for tripping had allowed the Ducks to get back in the contest, and it set up a tense third period.

A period where heart and character would shine through. A period where the team with the biggest heart and strongest character would emerge victorious.

That team would be the Predators.

The Predators appeared to have taken a 3-2 lead as Patric Hornqvist tipped the puck past Emery early in the third period. However, the goal was waved off as it was deemed that Hornqvist had played the puck with a high stick.

Deflating? Yes. Defeating? No.

Nick Spaling would strike again at 4:23 of the third period off an assist from Pekka Rinne and Jordin Tootoo. Tootoo took a pass from Rinne and put the puck on net. Spaling was right where he should have been, crashing the net. Spaling gathered in the rebound from Rinne and potted his second marker of the game to give the Predators a 3-2 lead.

Once again, the play was created by the hustle and the shot of Tootoo. He was very solid in this series and played the best hockey that he has played since donning a Predators sweater. One could argue that he was the difference maker in this series.

The Predators did a good job in the bulk of the period keeping the Ducks to the outside and not allowing prime scoring chances. Rinne made several good saves to hold the Ducks off the board, and the offense continued to press the Ducks.

As the period wore on, one could see the frustration, desperation, and fatigue hit the Ducks. You knew that the overtime loss in Anaheim on Friday had to weigh mentally on the Ducks, and it showed in their play.

With the 7th Man in full throat, exhorting their team on to victory, the Predators caught a break as Saku Koivu was called for interference at 19:22. With the net empty for an extra attacker, David Legwand buried an empty netter at 19:50 to give the Predators a 4-2 victory.

The demons for this franchise had been exorcised! The 8000 pound gorilla of never winning a first round series was gone! The Predators were now advancing to the second round and this franchise had made a huge- HUGE- step forward.

The Predators survived the cheap shots that the Ducks threw at them all throughout the series. The dirty play of the Ducks was uncalled for and off the chart. Yet this team persevered and fought through the adversity of losing one of their top scorers to a blatant head shot. They were able to win this series without a “star” but with a team concept that would not be daunted and refused to yield in the face of the talent and thuggery of the Ducks.

Congratulations to head Coach Barry Trotz. Trotzy has nursed this franchise through its infancy and growth pains to this point. This team is a reflection of his steady hand and determination.

The Predators await their second round opponent, which will be determined by the outcome of the Chicago/Vancouver series, which is going to a 7th game. Now is the time to heal and get ready for another war.

Savor the win, boys. Congratulations! You deserve the kudos and the adulation of Smashville.

This is the first step. A big step. A monumental achievement for this franchise.

You can’t rest on your laurels, however.

There are new steps to take.

My three stars:

1. Nick Spaling

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Teemu Selanne

Some thoughts from tonight’s game…

I thought the first goal and the third goal for the Kings were soft. Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne opened the five hole and Anze Kopitar took advantage for the Kings first tally on only their second shot of the game. This is a goal that Rinne cannot give up. On the third goal, Rinne left the short side post and Wayne Simmonds took advantage. Both goals were atypical for Rinne and created a hole out of which the Predators could not climb.

The Kings second goal by Alec Martinez was a classic case of a defenseman on a 2 on 1 getting caught in no man’s land. Jonathan Blum did not take the shooter or close off the passing lane. Martinez took a nice pass from Dustin Brown and buried the shot to give the Kings a 2-1 lead. Blum has to commit to stopping that pass, and he was betwixt and between and did not. Rinne had no chance on the shot from Martinez.

Although the Predators outshot the Kings 32-18, many of the shots were from the perimeter and Kings netminder Jonathan Bernier had a lot of clear looks at the puck. Bernier is a good goalie, but the Predators make him look very good.

The Predators puck support in the offensive zone was awful. Most of the night, the puck carrier was outnumbered and had no one supporting. This oftentimes thwarted any offensive effort by the Predators.

The Kings size absolutely ground up the Predators. I spoke with Head Coach Barry Trotz earlier this season, and the smallish size of the Predators forwards was a concerned for him. Tonight, we saw what happens when a team with size and skill takes on the Predators. The Kings controlled the puck for stretches at ta time in the offensive zone and the choked off the Predators in the neutral zone and trying to enter the offensive zone. The Predators did not match up well against the size of the Kings and could not generate any offensive flow throughout the night.

This is the most important week of the Predators season. They MUST get points in their next three contests or they will find themselves in an unenviable position of being too far back to climb back into the playoff race. This means that the young players on the roster are going to have to grow up fast. Unfortunately for the Predators, they have some passengers right now. Colin Wilson, Sergei Kostitsyn, and Mike Fisher are going to have to start producing. Wilson has been invisible, as has Fisher. Kostitsyn has gone cold. These guys are going to have to produce if this team is going to make the playoffs.

Good to see J.P. Dumont back in the lineup and get a goal tonight. The negative aspect is that Joel Ward was scratched after the pre-skate with an undisclosed lower body injury. We will need Wardo back quickly.

The best forwards on the ice were Marty Erat and Patric Hornqvist. Hornqvist brings it every night, and his compete level is tops on the team. We need more players competing like Hornqvist.

This is a big test for the leadership of Shea Weber. A great leader will take the team and light them up and get them motivated to compete. This is especially important for a team that has a roster full of young players. Shea has to embrace his leadership role and bring this team up to another level for them to be successful.

This team has to regroup and get ready to bring it Thursday night against the Bruins. It goes without saying that the points are critical. This team has to play with desperation and intensity on every shift. Fail to do so and you can make a mid-April tee time. This is the time for everyone on the team to lay it all on the line. This is the playoffs for the Predators.

It’s time to find out what you are made of; it’s time to find out how badly you want it.

My three stars:

1. Jonathan Bernier

2. Anze Kopitar

3. Jonathan Blum

Examining Further Nashville Trade Rumors

Last night was the second game of the scheduled three games in which Montreal plans to scout the Nashville Predators.  The rumors have seemed to surround J.P. Dumont and/or Steve Sullivan for Nashville with Sergei Kostitsyn’s brother Andrei being the player rumored to be coming back.

While injuries to Marcel Goc and Steve Sullivan last night might have put a damper on those trade attempts, did they make sense in the first place?

J.P. Dumont’s ice time has certainly decreased to the point that a change of scenery might do him some good.  While Dirk has pointed out that he still plays a significant role on the power play, the fact that Nashville’s power play just isn’t that good seems to indicate that a change there might not be a bad idea too.

Steve Sullivan certainly gets the ice time when he’s healthy.  He also is still contributing points, even if he appears to be snake-bitten in regards to his ability to finish off a breakaway.  While Sullivan brings more positives to the ice lately than Dumont, he also is becoming less of a fit for how Nashville is heading.  When you look at Nashville’s forwards, every one of them plays a gritty two-way game with speed that allows for a puck possession strategy with the occasional rush- except for Steve Sullivan and Cal O’Reilly (who’s injured).  Sullivan’s propensity to be easily knocked off the puck and to turn the puck over has made him a less than ideal fit for Nashville’s current style.

So, from a personnel standpoint, both Dumont and Sullivan might make sense moving either.  However, there are complicating factors.  Both have no trade/movement clauses in their contracts.  Both appear to love the area (as do their families) and intend to make Nashville their home after retiring (which might be after their current contracts).  On top of that, Dumont still has another year at $4 million.

Given all that, it would appear unlikely either are traded.  Maybe Sullivan might consider a trade to another contending team where he might fit even better since it would only be for a few months.  I doubt either will be moved though.

Around the NHL

Penguins vs. Islanders Aftermath- Should Fighting Exist in Hockey?

(Edit: Mark presents his excellent take on the issue as well.)

A lot of discussion has taken place in the hockey world among the media and the fans (here, here, and here) regarding fighting in the aftermath of the Penguins and Islanders “tilt” that resulted in multiple suspensions and one team being fined $100,000.  Much of that discussion has attempted to focus on the question of whether fighting should exist in the game at all.  Those that favor a ban on fighting have also brought a new weapon to the table- the “concussion prevention/headshot” angle.

There have even been rumblings from the League at times to come up with ways of eliminating “staged” fights and the ever-increasing number of fights after legitimately clean hits.  While rarely called, the League does have the instigator penalty.  Fights occurring in the last five minutes of a game also generate an “automatic review” by the League office and could result in a suspension for the instigator and a hefty fine for the coach.  Clearly, the League sees fighting as part of the sport but do have measures in place in an attempt to control their frequency and circumstances.  And, while fighting is definitely a part of hockey, when the games mean something (like the playoffs or international tournaments) fighting goes way down.

Many people think (if the linked threads above are any indication) that fighting makes hockey unique among the major team sports.  In some ways it does, but now in how most think.  Hockey is not unique in that fighting occurs.  All of the major sports have fighting incidents.  This past year saw a fight during the Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans NFL game between the Titans’ Cortland Finnegan (think Jordin Tootoo) and the Texans’ Andre Johnson.  The NFL sees a lot of pushing and shoving.  MLB and NBA fights are not unheard of, nor are the occasional driver fights in NASCAR.  Where hockey is unique is that the vast majority of fights have no bearing on the outcome of the game and fall within that area in which the League has shown a desire (at times, albeit half-heartedly) to eliminate.

If the League were to show a better desire to rid the game of these incidents, what could be done to assist in that.

First and foremost, Stu Hackel summed it up very well in that much stiffer punishments should be handed down by the League.

Secondly, I’d modify the rulebook to be more stringent against fights without fully removing them from the game.

• Modify Rule 47.14 to change the standard type of penalty for fighting from a Major to a Misconduct. This would effectively remove the participants from the ice for 10 minutes as opposed to just the five minutes today.  In and of itself, it also removes any short-handed time.
• Add Rule 47.23 – Delay of Game Minor – Both participants will be assessed a Coincidental Delay of Game Minor penalty in addition to the standard Game Misconduct.  If an Instigator penalty has been assessed as well, it will be served after the Delay of Game has been served.  In that event, the Instigating team will appoint a player to serve the Delay of Game penalty along with the actual offending player. This penalty, in addition to Rule 47.11 (Instigator) ensures that all fights will result in one or both teams being further penalized with minors.  This should result in 4-4 or 4-3 play.  The problem with the way it is today is that there’s really no punishment when there’s coincidental majors beyond two (likely) “goons” off the ice for 5 minutes.  Their shifts are so far apart anyway so as to make the 5 minutes moot.  With this minor, specials teams play now plays a role- guaranteed.
• Highlight and Increase Enforcement of Rule 47.2 – Aggressor – Not much to add here.
• Modify Rule 47.17 – Fines and Suspensions – Aggressor – The rule in its current state is pretty useless.  I’d modify the rule to hand out the following fines and suspensions automatically that would not be included in the deliberations of additional supplemental discipline:
  • First offense: $10,000 fine and 1-game suspension
  • Second Offense: $25,000 fine and 5-game suspension
  • Third Offense: $75,000 fine and 25-game suspension to player, $50,000 fine to the head coach, and $250,000 fine to team
  • Fourth Offense: $150,000 fine and 82-game (or year-long) suspension to player, $100,000 fine and 10-game suspension to the head coach, and $500,000 fine to the team
  • Highlight and Increase Enforcement of Rule 47.11 – Instigator – Not much to add here.  It’s not called nearly as often as it should be.  I’m specifically referring to the those fights that happen following a hit deemed to be “clean”.

What’s the total overall impact to fighting with those changes?  The best way to answer that is to examine several scenarios and their impacts.

The famous Vinny Lecavalier and Jarome Iginla tilt in the Stanley Cup finals would have resulted in both players being in the penalty box for 10 minutes instead of 5.  Instead of both teams continuing play at 5-5, the coincidental Delay of Game penalties would have resulted in 4-4 play.  The downside of course is losing two players of that caliber for 10 minutes, but that should be the cost of the crackdown.  The coincidental minors might have benefitted one team over the other if they are  more suited to 4-4 play.

Your standard goon-on-goon fight should definitely be minimized.  Losing the goons for 10 minutes minimizes their ice time even more than it likely already is.  Hard to argue against that.  Additionally, if you’re a goon on a team that’s not built to take advantage of the more open and skilled play that takes place in a 4-4 situation, your coach likely keeps you on a shorter leash.  Sounds like a win-win for me.

These rule changes should also help prevent a majority of those fights caused by retaliation to completely clean hits.  So you’re a Shane O’Brien (meaning tough player willing to drop the gloves, but you play a regular role on the team) and Martin Erat comes out of one of his patented curls only to be firmly planted on the ice by a great shoulder to the chest bomb.  Do you risk the 10 minute misconduct, automatic delay of game penalty (and your team isn’t very good at 4-4), and likely instigator penalty for “revenge” of a hit the officials deemed clean?  If you do, you likely will only make that mistake once.

As for the Penguins – Islanders game, the major impact would have been seeing the goons on the ice less overall (again, a very good thing).  Michael Haley, for example, would still be serving his penalty from the first period instead of scoring early in the second.  There would also have been some stiff fines to players.

The truth is that the pitiful fines and small suspensions issued by the League are just not deterrents to the type play they have expressed the desire to eliminate from the game.  It goes well beyond the melee on Long Island or even headshots.  If the League is serious in their stated desires to rid the game of reckless behavior, this is the way to do it.

It would also help if there was more consistent officiating within a game and from game to game.  The effort last night against Vancouver was just about as piss-poor as I’ve ever seen it (and that’s saying something).  If Vancouver had been able to capitalize on all the weak penalty calls (and non-calls in their favor), frustrations might have built to a point where it boiled over (it had already reached that point with the myself and the other fans).

The Week That Was

Through three games of the four game home stand, Nashville has compiled 5 of a possible 6 points in going 2-0-1.

As of this morning, Nashville stands tied for 4th in the West with San Jose with one game in hand.  However, they are only two points ahead of 9th place Calgary.

The Week Ahead for Nashville

Nashville concludes their four game home stand tomorrow night against Phoenix, then have home games every other game.  Only the Phoenix game will not be televised.  Note the early time for the Dallas game on Saturday.

• Saturday, 2/19 – vs. Phoenix @ 7pm CST (no TV)
• Tuesday, 2/22 – at Columbus @ 6pm CST (FSN)
• Thursday, 2/24 – vs. Chicago @ 7pm CST (FSN)
• Saturday, 2/26 – at Dallas @ 1pm CST (FSN)

2011 NHL Trade Deadline: Monday, February 28th

You are invited to follow me on Twitter (@SingletonPreds).  For game recaps of all Predators games, check out my HockeyIndependent colleague, Mark Willoughby (@TheViewFrom111).

With that in mind, I’m going to start collecting all of those thoughts and publishing them every Friday morning by 7:30 am (CST).  So sharpen your knives, ready your pens, and crack your knuckles (for keyboard use of course) in preparation of lots of opportunities to rip away.  :-)

What does the future contain for Cal O’Reilly and Marcel Goc in Nashville?

Matthew Lombardi is signed for two more seasons.  Jerred Smithson just re-signed for two additional years.  David Legwand is signed through 2013-2014.  After starting the season on the same line, injuries at the center position have forced Smithson and Legwand to be moved to separate lines with both playing center.  If you are Barry Trotz, you have to love what you’ve seen from both Smithson and Legwand in their new roles.

Smithson has combined with Nick Spaling and Joel Ward to create great shutdown line that forechecks incredibly hard.  David Legwand has been moved from a shutdown role back into the two-way role he really last had when Paul Kariya and Martin Erat were his wings.  The production from David Legwand and his line mates (Patric Hornqvist, Colin Wilson, Marek Svatos, and Erat briefly) have all improved in that time span with little to no downturn in the team’s ability to play quality defense (which has always prevented Trotz from moving Legwand from that security-blanket shutdown role).

If Trotz would like to continue with the three scoring/two-way lines and the energy/shutdown line with Smithson and Spaling, it would seem that there is only room for one of Cal O’Reilly or Marcel Goc after this season.

In my opinion, bringing both back means shifting Legwand down to the Smithson/Spaling line and moving Jordin Tootoo back into the top nine- which is not something I’d really like to see.  My feelings would be to move Tootoo into Joel Ward’s spot on the Smithson/Spaling line after this season as I don’t expect Joel Ward to be re-signed.

So, if only one of O’Reilly or Goc is re-signed who would it be?  That’s a really tough call.  O’Reilly will have more upside offensively and will be cheaper.  Goc will be more expensive but plays more of a two-way game.  If the Predators were to somehow acquire an elite scorer prior to the decision, then I might lean towards O’Reilly and his playmaking skills.

Revisiting the Pursuit of Jarome Iginla

Speaking of acquiring an elite scorer, I got a lot of feedback from my suggestion that Nashville should pursue Jarome Iginla of the Calgary Flames- and it was all over the board.

For the most part, everyone agreed that Iginla would fit the culture and style of the Nashville Predators amazingly well.

Most of the criticism revolved around the risks of Iginla’s production declining due to his age, his large salary, and/or what I was proposing to give up in order to obtain Iginla.  Those are certainly concerns to consider.  However, my personal opinion has not changed in that each of those concerns are really very small risks compared to the potential reward.

I want to be clear here too- I consider this a move to at least reach the Conference Finals and contend for the Stanley Cup.  I believe that the additional leadership, experience, and high-level goal scoring that Iginla would bring to Nashville would enable the Predators to contend for a Stanley Cup as soon as this year.

Let’s examine those concerns again, starting with his age.  Iginla is currently 33 and will be 35 when his contract expires.  I believe that the style of game that Iginla plays (physical and instinctive) is less conducive to taking huge hits in production in that time frame than someone that relies on speed and elusiveness.  He’s also shown no real decline in numbers over the years beyond what one might expect from playing on a team as dysfunctional and poorly skilled as Calgary.

His $7 million salary certainly makes one catch their breath.  It admittedly makes it tougher to fit Iginla in this season.  The other two seasons are really not an issue however.  With the combination of the salary cap increase(s), Steve Sullivan’s salary coming off the books next season (likely) and J.P. Dumont’s salary coming off the season thereafter (again, likely), Iginla’s salary should not pose any issue to staying under the midpoint of the cap for either of the upcoming seasons even with signing Weber and Suter to hefty raises.  I was able to work the math in the original article as did a few others over at HFBoards (thanks to CapGeek’s wonderful site).

The final major concern was that I was parting ways with too much of Nashville’s future (two prospects and two good picks).  This just comes down to one’s personal opinion of weighing the risk vs. the reward.  To me, I believe that Nashville becomes a legitimate Cup contender without losing too much- especially considering that Nashville is such a young team.  The team is already starting to lose prospects for practically nothing (Rich Peverly and Mike Santorelli, potentially Cal O’Reilly) due to not having enough spots for them in Nashville.  Colin Wilson, Patric Hornqvist, Sergei Kostitsyn, Nick Spaling, Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, (I could go on) as well as having the top set of prospects organizationally makes this an easy decision for me.

Will David Poile make that move?  Before he can do that, Jim Feaster and Jarome Iginla have to agree that it’s even possible.  Beyond that, it would require Poile to come to a similar decision that inspired the move to acquire Peter Forsberg without the edict the he likely had in Leipold’s last year to make hay.  What if Poile feels that the team would become a Cup contender, and Iginla becomes available, and it doesn’t break the existing budget- would he then do it?  I don’t know, but I think it would definitely be discussed.  If O’Reilly does not return prior to season’s end, Poile may have to address the center issue though.

The Week That Was

Starting with the home-and-home with Chicago, Nashville made it through the week at 3-1.  Outside of a horrible third period collapse in the game at Chicago that allowed Chicago to come back from 3-2 to win 6-3, Nashville has really looked pretty good.

• J.P. Dumont scored two goals in the game at Chicago and followed it up with a hat trick on the road to Phoenix.  His scoring production rose like the mythical bird itself – from the ashes.  Chris Mueller and Matt Halischuk have really matched up well with Dumont.
• Pekka Rinne continues to do it.  After a shaky second period at home against Chicago, he clamped down for the rest of the game and then continued that run into Phoenix and Colorado.  Right now, if Nashville scores three goals it’s almost a guaranteed win.
• The line of Colin Wilson, David Legwand and Patric Hornqvist have looked very solid offensively and defensively as have the line of Kostitsyn, Goc and Erat.
• The Smithson, Spaling and Ward line is really making life hard on Nashville’s opponents.  Not only are they very effectively forechecking, they are taking those turnovers and putting them in the net.  You can’t ask for better play from them.
• All was not good this week.  Francis Bouillon went down with an upper body injury (shoulder).  Svatos still has not returned from a nagging lower body injury either.  I’ve never seen a Nashville season with so many man-games lost due to injury.  On the other hand, I’ve also never seen them respond so well to those injuries as well.
• Since the Dallas game on 12/28 when Trotz installed Hornqvist, Wilson, Kostitsyn, Suter, and Weber as the first unit, and iced a stable second unit as well, Nashville’s power play has converted in 36% of the games played in that span and at a rate of 17.6% of their opportunities (several of which were “reward” shifts for non-regular power play units, particularly in the Colorado game).  If that can be maintained throughout the rest of the season, good things will happen for this team.
• After the Colorado game, Nashville is ever so slightly getting a better hold on the fourth seed in the Western Conference and have Detroit within their sights being only six points back.

Facing Off

The Great Debate- Robby (Hockey Night in Smashville)

I’ve got to disagree with Robby over at Hockey Night in Smashville.  Legwand is much better defensively than “occasionally make a play or two on defensive side”.  Robby points to Legwand’s negative +/- statistic in downplaying Legwand’s defensive ability.  You can’t look at such a dubious statistic without understanding the context of the value.  Not only was Legwand facing the top offensively skilled opponents during that time frame, he did so on a line that was not expected to score very much (and didn’t) in order to offset the few times a goal was allowed.  In fact, Legwand’s -12 is truly amazing when one considers those two facts.

Legwand is also showing that once again, if given offensively-skilled wingers, he’ll produce offensively (not a PPG rate mind you, but as well has any other current Predator).  While it’s a small set of games to examine, it’s the only set of games in the recent past in which he’s been put into that position.

Weber or Suter- Greg Duley (The Checking Line)

I have one problem with Greg’s article and that is its premise without any explanation.

Now you may be wondering why I would start asking this question now when Suter isn’t gone for another year, well there is a simple answer to that and it is that I don’t believe the Predators can afford to keep both of them together unless one or both take a pay cut to stay on the team

It’s fine to have that opinion, but it would have been nice to understand why Greg believes Nashville could not afford both.  If you want to see why I believe that Nashville could easily afford them both, re-examine my original blog recommending the pursuit of Iginla in which I show how the team could re-sign both and absorb Iginla’s $7 million salary.

Around the NHL – Headshots Continue to Dominate

Finally, we are starting to hear the call to ban all shots to an opponent’s head from some major members of the media.  Pierre Lebrun has started to advocate banning head shots over at ESPN.  Puck Daddy has started to discuss the idea.  Stu Hackel over at SI wrote a great column on the subject.  Elliote Friedman published a great article Thursday on the subject.  More importantly though, the push is coming from player agents who have a large degree of sway in the NHLPA.

It’s unfortunate that it took an injury to one of the best players in the game to hopefully get some momentum behind the idea, but not unexpected.  With the primary push being from the player agents, I hope that the NHLPA works very hard during the next CBA discussions to make it happen.  If I were the NHLPA, that would be non-negotiable.

There still exists the naysayers out there saying it will taking hitting out the game.  Of course there was also the horseshit spewed forth by Mike Milbury too.  The truth is that hitting has not been removed from the OHL or from the Olympics even though hits to the head are banned (also addressed very well by Puck Daddy).  As for Milbury, it’s easy to say that it’s the “continued toning down of the league” when he’s not the one having to skate against and absorb the hits from the players and equipment of today’s age.  Now, if he wants to suit back up and take a few in the head, I’d have more respect for his opinion on the matter- provided he could remember who he was afterwards.

The real bright side is that Milbury said it’s going to get to the point where he’ll have to retire.  Sounds like a bonus to me.

The Week Ahead for Nashville

There are three games left on the schedule prior to the All-Star Break beginning on 1/27- the western Canadian road trip.  All are on FSN.

• Sunday, 1/23 – At Edmonton (FSN)
• Monday, 1/24 – At Calgary (FSN)
• Wednesday, 1/26- At Vancouver (FSN)
• Thursday 1/27 – Tuesday, 2/1 – All-Star Break (No Games)

You are invited to follow me on Twitter (@SingletonPreds).  For game recaps of all Predators games, check out my HockeyIndependent colleague, Mark Willoughby (@TheViewFrom111).

The game opened with the Coyotes flying and pushing the Predators back on their heels and deep into their defensive zone. The tenor of this game at the outset did not look good for the Predators, as early on the Coyotes looked dominant.

A funny thing happened on the way to the apparent dominance of the Coyotes. The Predators scored two goals in just 12 seconds to rock the Coyotes.

J.P. Dumont opened the scoring for the Predators at 8:16 of the first period as he banged home a shot off a pass from Chris Mueller, who worked hard in the corner to dig the puck out. The line of Mueller, Dumont, and Matt Halischuk has shown amazing chemistry and energy in the short time that they have been on the ice together.

On the ensuing face off the puck went deep into the Coyotes zone. Patric Hornqvist pursued the puck deep and centered a pass to the front of the net. The puck caromed off a Coyote defenders skate and back to Hornqvist, who was driving to the front of the net. With Bryzgalov out of position, Hornqvist gathered in the puck and flipped a backhand shot into an open net.

Two goals in 12 seconds and all the momentum was with the Predators.

Momentum, fickle as she often is, quickly switched back to the Coyotes.

The first Coyote goal can only be charitably characterized as a fluke. With the puck deep in the Predators zone and the puck loose at the side of the net, defenseman Shane O’Brien tried to slide the puck back to Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne. Unfortunately, he slid the puck between Rinne and the post. Radim Vrbata  got credit for the goal as he was the last Coyote player to touch the puck. Rinne was visibly upset after the goal, which was strange indeed.

Phoenix would tie the game at 14:01 of the first on a goal by Lee Stempniak. Stempniak was cruising in front of the net and deflected a pass from Adrian Aucoin past Rinne.

Phoenix outshot the Predators 16-7 in the wild first period. Great saves by Rinne on several plays kept the Coyotes from taking the lead. As strange as this game had been in the first period, one could only imagine what the remaining 40 minutes would hold for these teams.

What it would hold for the Predators in the second period was an offensive outburst from J.P. Dumont. The Dumont, Halischuk, Mueller line would wreak havoc on the Coyotes in the second period. Dumont would add his second goal of the contest at 11:25 of the second as he banged home a rebound from close in off a shot by Joel Ward.

Dumont’s line was strong throughout the second period, and he would strike for his third goal of the contest at 17:35 as he was on the off side and knocked home a rebound of a Matt Halishcuk shot. Halischuk drove hard to the net on the right wing and put a shot on Bryzgalov, who kicked out a rebound to the right side. Dumont beat the defender to the net and had had an easy put back for his hat trick.

Dumont now has five goals in two games, and it is a very good sign for the Predators that he is finding his offensive touch.

The period ended with the Predators and the Coyotes each putting 11 shot on goal, but Dumont was able to tally twice to give the Predators the two goal advantage.

In the third period, the Predators controlled play in the neutral zone and slowed the speedy Coyotes attack. Although the Coyotes outshot the Predators 7-2, most of the shots were from the outside and were fairly routine saves for Rinne.

The Predators did not record their first shot on goal until 14:29 of the period, but they made it count. Patric Hornqvist broke in on net, and with Colin Wilson screening in front, roofed a wrister over the shoulder of Bryzgalov. Hornqvist’s second goal of the night was the knife in the heart of the Coyotes.

Phoenix never seriously challenged after that goal and the Predators choked off their offensive attack for the remainder of the period. 5-2 final, and a huge road win for the Predators.

With this win, the Predators record stands at 25-15-6, good for 56 points and 4th place in the Western Conference.

Every game counts, and every game is a character game right now in the Western Conference. There are teams trying to separate from the pack, and the Predators can ill afford a losing streak. After the loss in Chicago, this is a very good bounce back win against a team that was ahead of them in the standings.

My three stars:

1. J.P. Dumont

2. Patric Hornqvist

3. Matt Halischuk

The Predators were victimized by a third period that was a horror show. Tied at 2 at the end of two periods, the Predators took a 3-2 lead on the second goal of the night from J.P. Dumont. From that point on, the wheels absolutely came off for the Predators.

Before we get to the debacle that was the third period for the Predators, let’s see how we got there.

The Predators opened the game with good jump and were out-skating the Hawks in the first period. Their effort paid off with four power play opportunities in the first period, and they were able to cash in on two of them.

The first tally of the game came from Marty Erat with Jonathan Toews in the box for holding.Erat buried a rebound past Hawks goalie Marty Turco to give the Predators a 1-0 lead at 2:04 of the period.

Chicago would tie the game on a Dave Bolland score at 6:38, as he beat Nashville netminder Anders Lindback.

The Predators would respond with their second power play marker of the period as J.P. Dumont corralled a rebound of a Shea Weber shot that was initially blocked by Brian Campbell. He beat Turco with a quick wrist shot to give the Predators a 2-1 advantage.

Chicago would tie the game with the only goal of the second period as David Legwand made a lazy croos ice pass at the Predators blueline that Bolland intercepted. Bolland put a spectacular move on Ryan Suter, the only Predator player that was back to stop the rush, and beat Lindback five hole.

To this point, the contest had been fairly even, Nashville had outshot the hawks at the end of two period by an 18-16 margin and had skated evenly with the Hawks through forty minutes.

As I said last night, it is a 60 minute game, but tonight the Predators unfortunately checked out after 40 minutes.

Oh, the third started well. J.P. Dumont potted his second goal of the night off a clean face off win by rookie Chris Mueller. Dumont gathered in the puck and beat Turco cleanly with a quick wrister that went high glove side.

3-2 Predators and we have a game that the good guys can win.

Not so fast.

A game that the Predators had played evenly with the Blackhawks suddenly spiraled out of control. Quickly.

With Ryan Suter in the box for holding, the Blackhawks struck on a power play opportunity of their own.Troy Brouwer was left all alone in front of the net and gathered in a rebound of a pad save by Lindback and knocked the puck into an open net as Lindback was out of position. Brouwer’s goal came at 9:19 of the third.

Tied at 3, the Hawks turned up the pressure and the Predators did not respond. Brouwer circled out the corner, split Marcel Goc and Shea Weber, and found himself alone in the low slot. His wrist shot beat Lindback to the glove side at 9:59 of the third.

Two goals in 40 seconds and the Hawks were flying and the Predators were back on their heels. And the assault was just beginning.

Brian Bickell scored at 14:08 and Jonathan Toews added the finisher at 16:58.

From up 3-2 with 11 minutes to go in the contest to down 6-3 at the end. Indicative of how bad the third period was for the Predators, they were outshot 18-5.

Absolutely putrid.

Compounding the sting of this loss was the fact that the Predators lost Francis Buillon in the first period as he was boarded by Brouwer. The Predators spent the rest of the contest with just five defensemen.No excuses, but you have to believe that fatigue was a factor late in the game for the D corp. Ryan Suter logged 32:43 of ice time; Shea Weber had 29:40; and Kevin Klein had 21:43.

With this loss, the Predators are now tied with the Blackhawks with 54 points, but have 2 games in hand.  The Predators lead the season series with the Blackhawks 3-2.

This is another example of how this team has to play a full 60 minutes to win a game. This was a game the Predators could have won, but their 11 minute lapse in the third period bite them hard.

There will be no rest for the weary, as the Predators are now headed to Phoenix to play the red hot Coyotes.

The importance of that upcoming game? The Coyotes sit in fourth place in the West, one point ahead of the Predators.

All the games in this tightly bunched Western Conference race are important. They are yours for the taking, boys. However, ya gotta play a full 60 minutes.

And avoid those pesky meltdowns.

My three stars:

1. Dave Bolland

2. Troy Brouwer

3. J.P. Dumont

The Nashville offense was listless at best, and rarely generated many quality scoring opportunities. The Chicago defense dominated the forwards of the Predators, rarely letting them enter the offensive zone with speed and winning nearly every puck battle. This is the second straight game that the Predators offense has disappeared, and that is both disappointing and unacceptable.

When the offense is not clicking, it is imperative that the defense and goaltending be very good. Neither were tonight. Anders Lindback got the start in net and was involved in a strange play that led to the Hawks first goal. Kevin Klein passed the puck back to Lindback, who in turn tried to pass the puck back to Klein. The pass missed Klein badly and came to Dave Bolland, who walked in alone and deposited the puck top shelf over Lindback’s glove at 12:29 of the first period.

With Shane O’Brien in the box for interference, Jack Skille tallied on the power play at 9:28 of the second period. Skille blistered a shot over the glove side of Lindback, and the way the Predators offense was playing, the game was essentially over at that point.

Skille wasn’t done, however, as he got a shot through a a screen from the high slot to beat Lindback at 9:14 of the third period.

Sergei Kostitsyn tipped a Marty Erat shot past Hawks netminder Corey Crawford at 11:13 of the third with the Predators on a power play. Any hopes of a comeback were snuffed out by Bryan Bickell as he beat Lindback glove side at 17:28 of the third.

What do the names J.P. Dumont, Steve Sullivan, Colin Wilson, Jerred Smithson, and Nick Spaling have in common? Five forwards for the Predators that did not have a shot on goal (yes, I know J.P. rang one off the post, but it is not officially a shot on goal). Quite frankly, this is a weak effort and cannot continue if the Predators are going to have success.

Success is a simple formula for the Predators: skate hard and bring the maximum effort to the rink every night. This is what this team did during their win streak. In the last two miserable losses, this team has not come close to giving the kind of effort that brings the opportunity for a victory.

The Predators can ill afford to win five games and then go on a five game losing streak. It is obvious that the effort has not been there the last two games, and we see the result on the ice and on the scoreboard.

It is time to stop the lackluster effort. It is time to stop the losing streak. Bring your best effort, and this skid will end.

Keep playing the way you have the last two games, and it will get ugly.

My three stars:

1.Jack Skille

2. Corey Crawford

3. Dave Bolland

The conventional wisdom was wrong, as the Predators played solid, tough hockey and defeated the Red Wings 3-2.

The difference in this game was simply that the Predators did not back off when they held the lead. They played tough defense and their forecheck was aggressive in all three periods, creating havoc in the the Detroit zone and doing a great job of forcing the Wings to play defense and not set up clean breakouts.

This is the formula for the Predators to secure a victory, and tonight, they mastered that formula with an good effort in all three zones.

Oh yeah, the Predators got a stellar effort in net tonight from Anders Lindback. Lindy is going to carry the load while Pekka Rinne is out with a knee injury, and against the best team in the NHL, he demonstrated that he is more than equal to the task.

The Wings outshot the Predators 37-24 for the game. They outshot the Predators in every period, including a 16-4 advantage in the third period. This is typical of a Detroit team as they put pressure on the net. Lindback was poised in net and moved well all night. He did not give up many second chance rebounds and did a good job of tracking the puck. During the course of the game, he was called upon to make some quality saves, and he came up big when he had to do so.

The Predators opened the scoring at 19:27 of the first period as Colin Wilson took a beautiful centering pass from Cal O’Reilly, who drove the net and drew the defense and Wings netminder Jimmy Howard to him. O’Reilly slid a nice pass to Wilson, who was parked alone at the top of the crease and had an open net yawning before him. Wilson’s sixth goal of the season made it 1-0 for the Predators.

Nashville extended the lead to 2-0 just 49 seconds into the second period. Sergei Kostitsyn sent a low, hard shot toward the net. Howard got a pad on it but gave up a rebound that Marty Erat was able tip tip back toward the net. The puck hit Marcel Goc and a Detroit defender and caromed into the net to give the Predators a two goal advantage.

The Predators had a glorious chance to extend the lead as Tomas Holmstrom was called for a double minor for high sticking Marty Erat. Instead, the Predators managed to give up a short handed goal to Pavel Datsyuk two minutes into the power play. Detroit managed to kill off the rest of the power play as the Predators were unable to generate any quality scoring chances.

Momentum to the Wings. And a huge “uh-oh” for the Predator nation.

In the third period, the Predators faced a hard charging Detroit squad. You knew that the Wings would be coming and coming hard. Lindback made some great saves to keep the Wings off the board. The Predators did not go back on their heels, however. The defense did a good job- for the most- in keeping the Wings to the perimeter and not allowing many chances from in close. The Predators foreheck forced the Wings to use up valuable time in their zone and slowed them in the neutral zone.

Unfortunately, the Predators offensive effort was virtually invisible in the third period. Again, there was that nagging sensation that the Wings would somehow manage to tie the game due to their offensive prowess.

That feeling would change at 14:37 of the third period, as J.P. Dumont skated the puck through the neutral zone with speed and rifled a shot from the faceoff circle that would beat Howard high glove side.

That goal gave the Predators some breathing room and amped up the sense of desperation for the Red Wings. Their effort would be rewarded at 18:27 of the third with the Detroit net empty and the extra attacker on the ice. Johan Franzen launched a shot from the point which found its way through traffic and past Lindback to cut the margin to 3-2.

With time running down and the Wings net once again empty, Detroit was in the Nashville zone and applying great pressure. Nick Spaling attacked the puck at the point and was able to clear a hand pass all the way down the ice to melt the final seconds on the clock and the Predators had secured just their 10th win in their history in the Joe.

In this win, they Predators did the things that they haven’t done in previous games that they have given away: a continued strong forecheck; refusing to sit back on their heels in their zone; and sound defensive coverage. Kudos to Marty Erat, Joel Ward, and Nick Spaling who were superb on the penalty kill and on the forecheck in the Wings zone.

The win is tempered somewhat by the fact that David Legwand, who was playing for the first time in 9 games due to an injury, left the game in the second period and did not return. It is assumed that he aggravated the same lower body injury that had previously sidelined him.

The Predators have shown an annoying propensity to blow leads and not play with mental toughness. Tonight, that was not the case.

You have seen what it takes to beat the best.

It’s time to bring that effort to the ice every night, boys.

My three stars:

1. Anders Lindback

2. J.P. Dumont

The Predators jumped all over the Maple Leafs in the first period, going up 3-0 on goals by J.P. Dumont, Jordin Tootoo, and Marty Erat. The Predators dominated the majority of the period, forcing turnovers and making the Leafs pay. Dumont’s goal came from great puck movement as he had an open net to shoot the puck into. Tootoo got on board with a great hustle goal by driving to the net. Marty Erat was the beneficiary of a turnover that he buried. Toronto netminder J. S. Giguere was under siege for most of the period and the Predators looked as if they were going to dominate the night.

The Predators continued their annoying habit of giving up a goal late in a period as Luke Schenn cut the lead to 3-1 with a goal at 19:30 of the first.

The Predators would take the first of SIX penalties in the second period as Francis Buillon was in the box for holding. The Predators PK would make Toronto pay as Marcel Goc poked the puck away at the blue line and beat Giguere on the break away to make it 4-1 Predators.

It was at this point that the Predators would completely fall apart and begin a parade to the penalty box with a  slew of penalties, the result of undisciplined play.

Toronto would score on four of the next five power plays, and what should have been a commanding lead for the Predators disintegrated into a 5-4 deficit. Without a doubt, this was a disgusting and disappointing display of hockey by a team that usually plays with much better discipline.

Giguere was injured in the third period, and Jonas Gustavsson would come into the game to finish it out for the Leafs. The Predators generated several chances, but could not solve The Monster. When the final horn sounded, the Predators limped off the ice with an utterly embarrassing loss on the books.

These are the types of games that this team cannot afford to give away. The Maple Leafs are a sorry team, having lost nine games in a row. The Predators made them look like a playoff team with their play tonight. These are the kinds of losses that are haunting.

This game points to the lack of mental toughness of the Predators. I can’t argue with any of the penalty calls. We were undisciplined. The penalty kill, always a prime indicator of the toughness of any team, looked inept and lost. Any time you have a team down 3-0 and 4-1, you should put your skate on their throat and not let them up. The Predators were, unfortunately, soft, letting the Leafs claw back into this game.

This is unacceptable and embarrassing.

An 82 game season is a physical grind. It is also a mental grind. It requires a team to be mentally strong and tough. I have my doubts about the Predators mental toughness.

It is time for this team to get tough mentally. The mental aspect is as important as the physical aspect of the game. Mental toughness often decides the outcome of a contest.

Coach Trotz talks about the resiliency of this team. That is a good characteristic to have, and this resiliency is now going to be tested. Coming back from a loss like this is difficult. It will be interesting to see how mentally tough this team will be, to see if they can put their game back together.

Here is a thought: play tough for sixty minutes and put teams away. Don’t let them back into the game. Don’t get embarrassed like you did tonight against a lesser opponent.

Then you won’t have to test that resiliency so much.

My three stars of the night:

1. Kris Versteeg

2. Clarke McArthur

3. Marcel Goc

This game was more like the style of hockey that wins games for the Predators. They went strong to the net all night, had an aggressive forecheck, and got great goaltending from Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne.

The Predators played much more fundamentally sound defensive hockey than they did in their five game skid. After being outshot 9-4 in the first period, the Predators limited the Blues to just 11 shots over the final two periods. St. Louis outshot the Predators 3-0 in the overtime period as the Predators spent the last 1:19 killing off a tripping penalty by Alexander Sulzer.

The Blues opened the scoring at 18:22 of the first period as the Predators failed to clear a puck in their zone as the Blues were swarming the Nashville net.David Backes ran over Steve Sullivan as he was trying to control the puck and the puck squirted through the slot. The puck came back to Backes and he buried the shot to give the Blues the advantage.

The Predators would even the game at 1 when Cal O’Reilly tapped home a shot from Francis Buillon. O’Reilly was camped at the top of the crease, and when Blues goaltender Jaroslav Halak could not control the rebound, O’Reilly cashed in for the tying score at 13:44 of the second period.

The Blues took the lead once again at 5:44 of the third as Kevin Klein took a bad angle on a stretch pass to Matt D’Agostini. This allowed D’Agostini to get in alone on a breakaway against Rinne, and he buried the shot low glove side.

The Predators answered at 13:08 of the third period when David Legwand fired a puck into the Blues zone and off the end board. The rebound came out to the side of the net and J.P. Dumont was driving hard to the net. He got his stick on the puck and lifted a quick backhand over a surprised Halak for the equalizer.

Pekka Rinne made some quality saves in the remainder of the period to preserve the tie. He stopped Vladomir Sobotka from in close and made a nice save on Patrick Bergland with traffic in front. As the game went on, Rinne looked more solid and comfortable in net, and that is a great sign for the Predators. They need the old Rinne back, one who is tracking and playing the puck well.

In the overtime period, David Legwand and Jerred Smithson won some key face offs in the predators zone that allowed the Preds to clear the puck on the penalty kill. These are the little aspects of the game that the Predators had not done very well during their five game losing streak. It’s great to see them doing the little things well again as the little details often lead to big results.

In the shootout, the Blues opted to go first, and Matt D’Agostini beat Rinne blocker side to give the Blues a 1-0 lead. Cal O’Reilly smoothly beat Halak high stick side to tie it at 1.

Brad Boyes and Steve Sullivan were both stoned by the goaltenders, as were Andy McDonald and David Legwand.

Going to round 4, Rinne stopped Patrick Bergland. Marcel Goc was the fourth shooter for the Predators, and he mad a nice move to open Halak up and beat him with a shot that went between his skate and the post.

Game over. Losing streak done.

It feels good for the Predators to get the 800 pound gorilla of a five game losing streak off their backs. In this victory, they went back to basics and they did them well. The forecheck ramped up in the second period and kept the Blues out of their offensive flow for most of the rest of the game. The defense was much more sound than it had been in the five losses. When the Blues got scoring chances, Rinne was solid.

A special stick tap to Marcel Goc. He played a tremendous game, generating chances and was strong on the puck all game. He even made a save in the first period when the puck slid through Rinne and was laying on the goal line. Goc swept the puck to the corner to save the goal and keep the scoreless.

Now that the losing streak is over, the predators have to build on this win. They have to stay focused on what brought them victory tonight- sound defense, solid goaltending, aggressive forecheck, and opportunistic offense. This is Predator hockey. This is what the team has to do to win games.

The losing streak is over. It’s time to start a new streak. One that puts wins on the board by playing Predator hockey.

My three stars of the game:

1. Marcel Goc

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Cal O’Reilly

Nashville fielded a mix and match lineup as Ryan Suter, Matthew Lombardi, and Marcel Goc were out due to injury. Nevertheless, the Predators took the attack to the Penguins early on in the contest.

David Legwand put the Predators on the board just 53 seconds into the contest as he took a nice pass from Jordin Tootoo and beat Pittsburgh netminder Marc-Andre Fleury glove side to stake the Predators to a 1-0 lead. This goal was due to the effort by Tootoo, as his aggressive forecheck forced the Penguins defense to turn the puck over. Legwand was the beneficiary of Tootoo’s effort as Fleury had no chance to stop Legwand, who was parked at the side of the net and buried his shot.

The Predators took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, but not without a bit of luck. Pittsburgh slipped the puck into the net with a five hole shot against Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne. Fortunately, the clock had run out and after a brief review, it was ruled no goal.

The Pens would get the tying tally at 19:06 of the second period as Evgeni Malkin would score off assists from Mike Comrie and Kris Letang.

Nashville would once again take the lead 2-1 on the power play as Cody Franson rifled a shot from the blue line that went top corner past a screened Fleury.

That lead would last approximately five minutes before Sidney Crosby scored a goal that Pekka Rinne would like to have back. With Crosby driving the net from the right faceoff circle, Rinne inexplicably pulled off the post and gave Crosby the tiniest of openings. Crosby exploited Rinne’s mistake and scored a goal scorer’s goal inside the near post to tie the game.

The Predators would once again regain the lead at 5:03 of the third period as Patric Hornqvist took a nice pass from Colin Wilson and beat Rinne top corner to the glove side.

That lead would stand until 12:56 of the third, when Sidney Crosby scored his second goal into a virtually open net. Malkin drove the net and fired a shot that Rinne stopped with his pads. The rebound kicked out to Crosby, who was alone at the side of the net and he buried the shot.

The game would remain scoreless for the remainder of the third period, thanks to the play of Rinne, who stopped a number of quality scoring chances. The Predators were on their heels for much of the third period and were outshot 17-5 in that period.

The Predators nearly won the game in overtime as a shot from J.P. Dumont hit the crossbar and then the back of Fleury. It fell tantalizingly close to the goal line, but would not go slide over.

The Letang game winner dropped the Predators to 3-0-3 on the season. The positives that can be taken from this is that the Predators have played some very good teams with a depleted lineup and have come away with points.

The negative aspect of these losses is simply this: the Predators have been outplayed late in these contests. For the Predators to have success, they are going to have to tighten up their game in the late stages. They have to maintain their offensive aggressiveness and capitalize on scoring chances. Sitting back on their heels is not they way this team has to play to have an opportunity to win games.

A brief word about the officiating. I feel that calls usually even themselves out during the course of the game. Tonight, the officials were cowardly in not calling Malkin for leaving his feet and boarding Jordin Tootoo. This was a dangerous play that was somehow, in the view of referees Gord Dwyer and Mike Leggo, was not a penalty. If the League is serious about protecting players, those are the calls that have to be made. This call did not decide the game, but was an egregious example of the inconsistency of the officiating in games this season.

It is imperative that the Predators continue to improve their play. This is a long season and it will be a war. Getting dominated late in the game like the Predators did tonight will come back to haunt this team. I am grateful for the points and playing some of the best teams to overtime without some key players.

This team will, however, have to develop a killer instinct. Protecting the late game leads is a matter of will and desire. It is a matter of maintaining aggressiveness. It is doing the things that got you a lead when you have that lead.

No doubt there are positives from this stretch. There are things that should be learned. The future of this team will be decided by learning these lessons and applying them in the contests to come.

My three stars of the game:

1. Sidney Crosby

2. Kris Letang

3. Jordin Tootoo

The Predators opened the first period with lots of energy and outshot the Caps 18-7. Their effort was rewarded at 17:07 of the period as J.P. Dumont beat Caps goalie Michal Neuvirth high to the stick side with a shot from just inside the face off circle.

The Predators were able to roll four lines in the first and put great forechecking pressure on the Caps throughout the period. That pressure limited the Caps offensive opportunities and gave the Predators good offensive presence.

That pace continued into the second period when the Predators would stretch the lead to 2-0 on a great rush by Jordin Tootoo and Joel Ward. Tootoo drove the wing and Ward drove to the net. Tootoo fired a rocket at the net that deflected off Caps defenseman Brian Fahey’s skate and through the five hole of Neuvirth. Ward’s strong drive to the net occupied Fahey, who never saw the shot from Tootoo. Neuvirth did not have a chance on the carom off Fahey’s skate, and the Predators had the momentum and control of the game.

That momentum would begin to dissipate late in the second period when Nicklas Backstrom would brutally board Marcel Goc. Goc was injured on the play and would not return to the game. Although there is no official word on the injury, it did not look good as Goc appeared to injure his shoulder. In my opinion, Backstrom should have been given a major on the play and a game misconduct. As it was, he only got two minutes.

This forced the Predators to juggle lines and effectively go to three forward lines rather than four. The effect of this was seen late in the third period and into the overtime as fatigue appeared to become a factor for the Predators. Their forechecking game, some effective in the first half of the game, became less of a factor as the game went on. This would have a major impact in the outcome of the contest.

The Predators would take a 2-0 lead into the third period, but were unable to hold that lead in the face of the unrelenting pressure from the Capitals.Alexander Semin scored a power play goal at the the 4:33 mark with Cody Franson in the box for holding the stick. Tomas Fleischman would tie the game with an even strength goal at 12:14. Neither team could score in the remaining time and the contest was heading to overtime.

In the overtime period, Ryan Suter was hit with what can only be charitably called a weak call for tripping Alexander Ovechkin. Replays indicated that Suter had tipped the puck away from Ovechkin first, but when Ovie flopped to the ice, the refs arm went up. Brooks Laich scored on the power play as he tipped a shot from Ovechkin past Anders Lindback for the game winner. Nicklas Backstrom, who, in my view, should not have been in the game also assisted on the game winner.

Four games in, the Predators are 3-0-1 and have garnered 7 out of a possible 8 points. That is the good news. The bad news is that the injuries are starting to mount. Injuries are a fact of life in hockey, so the Predators are going to have to muster up the drive and the strength to overcome them.

I spoke to Pekka Rinne before the game. He said he was fine and will be back in net on Tuesday against Calgary. Marty Erat is close to returning. It is unknown the extent of the injury to Goc, who has been playing very well, and how long he will be out of the lineup. He will be evaluated tomorrow.

The Predators have to be pleased with the play of Anders Lindback, who has filled in capably while  Rinne has been out of the lineup.

The Predators showed that they can play with one of the best teams in hockey, and realistically should have won this game in regulation. There are nights you have to overcome your opponent and the officiating. So be it.

Time to bounce back and start a new streak. It starts on Tuesday.

My three stars:

1. Brooks Laich

2. Jordin Tootoo

3. J.P. Dumont

Certainly doesn’t sound like a formula for success, does it?

Even without starting netminder Pekka Rinne, who stayed back in Nashville nursing an injury, the Predators prevailed over the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 behind rookie Anders Lindback first start in net.

Joel Ward got the game winner with 26.7 seconds left in the contest with the Predators on the power play. Ward took a nice feed from J.P. Dumont and had an open net in which to shoot the puck. Ward made no mistake in burying the shot and subsequently the Blackhawks.

Imagine how Lindback must have felt.

“Kid, you’re getting your first start. Oh yeah. It’s against the Blackhawks. On the road.”

Chicago fired 10 shots on Lindback in the first period, scoring on their second shot 4:48 in as Patrick Kane lasered a shot over the glove side shoulder of Lindback while the Hawks were on the power play.

Steve Sullivan tied the game at 6:37 of the period, beating Corey Crawford off assists from Cal O’Reilly and Ryan Suter.

Jonathan Toews gave Chicago the lead once again at 16:58 of the first with a goal off a nice assist from Marian Hossa.

The second period was scoreless, but certainly not for lack of effort by both teams. Chicago shelled Lindback early in the period and outshot the Predators 8-1 the first six minutes into the period. Lindback was steady and got good help from his defense clearing the front of the net.

Nashville turned the tables and tilted the ice in the second half of the period, outshooting the Hawks 6-1. For the period, the Hawks outshot the Predators 11-7.

Lindback and the Predators held the Hawks off the board in the third period. Corey Crawford was also strong in net, making some good stops on the Predators. The Predators offensive intensity in the third period was excellent as they controlled play and kept the puck in the Hawks end for much of the period. They put ten shots on Crawford in the third.

The Predators would tie the game at 2 when Colin Wilson took a feed from Marcel Goc and fired a shot that was tipped by a Chicago defenseman and deflected over the shoulder of Crawford.

As good as the offensive effort was in the third period, the defensive effort was even better. The Predators limited the explosive Hawks offense to just four shots in the period. The Hawks had very few scoring chances and were stymied by the Predators defense in the offensive zone. They were unable to get a transition game going as the Predators controlled the neutral zone in the period and refused to let the Hawks establish an offensive flow.

For the game, the Predators outshot the Hawks 27-25.

The game turned on a delay of game penalty on Nick Boynton as he shot the puck over the glass at 17:47 of the period.

With the Predators on the power play, David Legwand slid the puck to J.P. Dumont at the side of the net. Dumont drew the defense to him and found a wide open Joel Ward who had an empty net to pot the game winner.

The Predators displayed perseverance and character in this win tonight. It would have been easy to say that they would not be in this game without their starting goaltender.

They did not.

This team did not back down. They took the best shot the Hawks had and were still fighting, still in the game.

And at the end, they were the best team.

My three stars of the game:

1. Anders Lindback

2. Joel Ward

3. Steve Sullivan

For the Predators, these questions are especially pertinent as some new names have been added to the roster. These questions also apply to some of the familiar names to Predator fans, as some players are going to be expected to elevate their game to the next level to stay ahead of the spirited competition in training camp. 

Let’s take a look a five players that bear watching in this upcoming season.  

David Legwand 

The Predators number one draft pick has been a source of frustration for many fans. Legwand possesses above average speed and great size for a forward, and he is in his prime as a hockey player. Yet last season saw Legwand disappear from the score sheet for agonizingly long periods of time. Legwand tallied 11 goals last year, woefully low for one of the highest paid players on the roster. Legwand has developed into a stellar defensive forward and often draws a shutdown assignment against the opponent’s top offensive threats, which sometimes limits his offensive opportunities. Nevertheless, more is expected out of Legwand in terms of offensive production. For this team to succeed in the regular season and have playoff success, Legwand has to contribute more offensively. It is unacceptable for a player with the talent that Legwand has to notch only 11 goals over the span of an 82 game season. Legwand was strong in the playoffs against Chicago, playing his best hockey of the season. It remains to be seen whether Head Coach Barry Trotz can motivate Legwand to play this way in the regular season.  This season represents an inflection point for Legwand: will he elevate his game or will he float offensively? I believe that last season frustrated Legwand, and I look for better offensive production out of this talented but under performing forward. 

Sergei Kostitsyn 

This signing in the off season led some to wonder what happened to David Poile, the Predators normally conservative General Manager.  Bringing in a player that has had a checkered past- to be generous- seems out of character for the Predators. I think this may turn out to be one of the more astute moves that Poile has made. Kostitsyn has had some well publicized disciplinary problems since being drafted by the Canadiens in 2005- leaving the team when he refused re-assignment to their AHL affiliate resulting in several suspensions and a mid season return home to his native Belarus; and consorting with suspected mob characters in Montreal, to name a few. Doesn’t sound like a typical Predator player does it? Here are the reasons why I think that Kostitsyn could be the surprise player for the Predators. He is now 23 and (hopefully) a bit more mature than when he was drafted and brought to North America at 18. Moving him away from his older brother will be, in my opinion, a positive for him. He will have a chance to grow as an individual and not be Andrei Kostitsyn’s younger brother. Playing in Nashville will also remove him from the harsh glare of the media in one of the most fervent hockey markets in the NHL. He can be a regular guy off the ice. There is no doubt that he is an offensive talent- he has played 122 games since coming to North America and has tallied 209 points. The question is can he translate that potential to consistent production in the NHL? I think he can. He recognizes this is an opportunity to turn around his game and his reputation. Look for Kostitsyn to be a very pleasant surprise for the Predators. 

Colin Wilson 

Wilson spent part of last season with the Predators after battling groin injuries that slowed him at the outset of his rookie campaign. Wilson has said that this was the first major injury with which he has contended, and it was as tough on him psychologically as it was physically. That is understandable. Contending with the groin injury affected his play, but nevertheless, he showed flashes of being a number one draft choice. Last season was a learning experience for Wilson; learning what it took to compete effectively at the NHL level and what it takes to be a solid performer every night. Much like Patric Hornqvist elevated his game in his second stint with the big club, I expect Wilson to bring his game to a higher level. Wilson possesses the physical tools, and last season equipped him with the mental tools to be a consistent performer. The game should slow down for Wilson and in turn, I expect more offensive production from him. He has also had a year to mature physically, which will obviously better equip him for the rigors of the 82 season grind. 

Matthew Lombardi 

The acquisition of Lombardi was ostensibly to replace Jason Arnott, the number one center traded to the New Jersey Devils. The Predators got a player seven years younger than Arnott and one who definitely brings more speed to the ice. The question for the Predators is whether Lombardi can be as productive as was Arnott. Arnott averaged just over 26 goals per season in his 4 years with the Predators.Lombardi had his most productive season with the Calgary Flames in the 2006-7 season with 20 goals, and has averaged 12 goals per season as an NHL player. The Predators can ill afford a loss of 14 goals with this player swap, so it will be imperative for Lombardi to step up his scoring. He brings attributes that the Predators desire in their players: speed, a great work ethic, and defensive responsibility. For the Predators to consider this trade a success, Lombardi is going to have to mesh quickly with his new line mates and begin to put the puck in the net consistently. His speed should create opportunities for both he and his wingers, and he is going to have to distribute the puck and take advantage of scoring opportunities. 

J.P. Dumont  

J.P. is a talented but enigmatic player that has seen his production drop over the last two seasons (2006-7 21G-45A; 2007-8 29G-43A; 2008-9 16G-49A; 2009-10 17G-28A). J.P. has been overly prone to making a pass rather than take a shot on goal, much to the chagrin of the fans and coaches. As the season wore on, J.P. was demoted to third and sometimes fourth line duty and he saw his ice time diminish significantly. He never complained and continued to compete, but to some it appeared as if he had lost confidence in his shot and his offensive game. J.P. is skillful with the puck and has shown that he can score goals, and the Predators need to have him regain his scorer’s mentality in the offensive zone. Getting him to 25-30 goals would be a huge bonus for the team and create some interesting line options for the coaching staff. Mediocre play will once again cause J.P. to lose ice time. That could be an interesting situation for him as he will be one of the players that will be pushed by some of the younger talent in the system if he struggles again this year. 

These players are vital to the Predators success. Each needs to elevate their game and contribute more to the upcoming season. If they do so, the Predators will (once again) continue to surprise the conventional wisdom that says they will not make the playoffs in the upcoming season.

First, David Poile re-signed Francis Bouillon for two years at a $1.375 million cap hit.  Given my attempts at impersonating David Poile last time, I definitely like this deal (which was better than what I had guessed).  The downside is the likely difference in the role Poile and I have them playing.  I continued to ice Bouillon as the number five defenseman and re-signed either Hamhuis or Grebeshkov as the number three defenseman.  With Poile trading Hamhuis and stating on radio shows that he likely will not qualify Grebeshkov, he is likely prepared to enter the season with either Klein or Bouillon in the third slot.  We’ll see how long that experiment works out (and it certainly could be made to work).

After the Bouillon signing, Poile traded Dan Hamhuis to Philadelphia and then shocked most of the Predators’ fans and media by trading Jason Arnott to New Jersey.  The trade of Hamhuis was great in that it brought back former Predator first round pick Ryan Parent for a player that Nashville was going to lose in two weeks anyway.  Parent (RFA) will now have to be re-signed as well, but shouldn’t be a huge cost.

Jason Arnott yielded a prospect and a second round pick from New Jersey.  More importantly however is the $4.5 million that is now available to re-sign current players and make improvements to the team.  Much has been made regarding the impact that losing Arnott’s scoring will have.  In my opinion, I don’t think that replacing the 46 points he scored from last season will be that hard (certainly with the additional salary room).  As a team that’s always had a leadership group above and beyond the captain and the alternates, they should not experience much of a leadership void either.  Arnott’s history of concussions was troubling to me for both the player and the team.  From that perspective, I wish he had retired.  In any case, I wish both he and Dan Hamhuis the greatest of luck and health and thank them for their service to the Nashville Predators.  I’ve had the pleasure of watching them both play in Nashville for many years.

Now that all the dust has settled, what options are available to David Poile as he completes the roster?  Plenty.  First, let’s make the following assumptions so that we set our field:

• Ryan Parent and Cody Franson are both re-signed at roughly $1 million each,
• Patric Hornqvist is re-signed for 3yrs and a $2.25 million cap hit ($2, $2.25, and $2.5 million per),
• Mark Dekanich or some other backup tender is brought in for about $550,000.

Including Alexander Sulzer, Cal O’Reilly, and Nick Spaling that brings the roster size to 23 players totaling $43.175 million in actual salary with a $44,633,334 cap hit.  That breaks down into 13 forwards, 8 defensemen and 2 goalies- one (or two) too many defensemen.  Let’s additionally assume that the Predators budget will be roughly $46 million in actual salary and they still cannot exceed the midpoint of the salary cap.  Without moving another player, Poile still has about $2.125 million in actual salary room for the upcoming season.  Of course with roster limits, he’ll have to move someone (or demote) to bring in more, so let’s move Alexander Sulzer.  That raises budget space to $2.825 million.

Assuming moving J.P. Dumont is still an option as well, that opens the budget space to $6.875 million (while being $7,516,666 under the cap mid point).  Given that Poile still wants to address scoring and hasn’t ruled out further trades or free agents, I believe that Poile is open to bringing in an elite forward provided he can move J.P. Dumont.  Most did not believe that moving Arnott was an option (NMC, etc.), but it was.  Moving Dumont is a viable option if he’s agreeable.

The numbers work.  Even with an internal budget of $46 million, you can bring in a superstar player.  Will David Poile do that?  I don’t know, but I believe he’s looking for that right fit.

Edited to add: All numbers obtained from CapGeek.com.

David Poile- from CNNSI.com

In my last blog, I detailed the tough job that this offseason will be for David Poile.  In order to understand my thought process, as wacked as one might think it is, please read that entry if nothing more than to confirm your suspicions.

In this missive, I’m going to pretend I’m David Poile and outline scenarios, with specific players, designed to improve the team for next season as well as beyond.

Before I go and build next year’s Nashville Predators, I will share the guiding principles I will use throughout my efforts: (1) maintain the principle of building from the goaltender out, (2) do not sacrifice the core youth for veterans, and (3) provide tools to better the power play.  Two additional guiding principles that I’m going to utilize are to favor top-end potential over scoring depth as well as to restrict top-six level salaries for top-six forwards (in terms of their role on the team).

Nothing so onerous or outlandish yet (don’t worry, I’ll get there).

Next, I go to Ed Lang and the owners and do my utter best to convince them that the budget should be raised to $48 million- just under the cap midpoint.  My argument would be that it’s only $2 million and that you could pretty easily take it back down to $45 million in two years if they team doesn’t break even over the next two years (netted).

That might be a little risky, but I think it’s crucial for the long-term health of the franchise.  In and of itself, it also doesn’t take the franchise anywhere close to $20 million in losses to trigger any clauses with the city.  For the first draft of this scenario, I will work with a budget of $48 million.

Remember that we start with 18 players under contract, totaling roughly $42.7 million.  I’m going to build an improved roster on a $48 million budget.  Throughout this exercise, I will utilize capgeek.com and their great salary cap charts and fantasy calculators.  I can’t recommend their site enough.  Let’s start the insanity fun.

Internally, Identify the Top-Six Forwards

These forwards must be the best paid, ELC’s notwithstanding.   They must be played in roles to maximize their offensive potential as the team’s shift away from depth-based scoring (due to financial reasons) necessitates that fact.

I would identify David Legwand, Martin Erat, Colin Wilson, Patric Hornqvist, and one of Steve Sullivan, Jason Arnott, and J.P. Dumont.  Given the choice, I would choose Sullivan.  The other two join the pool of tradable assets that will be used to bring in the sixth player (directly or indirectly).

Why those five?  Legwand and Erat are paid like top six forwards, were drafted by Nashville and have longer contracts than the others.  Wilson is paid $1.725 million.  Nashville can’t afford too many players making that on the third line and he’s the best option, long term, to play top six minutes as opposed to Joel Ward and Jordin Tootoo.  Hornqvist is a given coming off a 30 goal season with less than top six minutes and is a natural for moving into a more permanent top six role.

From Sullivan, Dumont, and Arnott, I choose Sullivan for two reasons: (1) he’s a cheaper option with an expiring contract, and (2) I believe his ability to be both an effective scorer and playmaker trumps either Arnott’s scoring or Dumont’s playmaking ability.

Re-sign Patric Hornqvist: 3 years, $2.25 million cap hit

Since I’ve included him above, this obviously must occur.  Probably the lone bright spot on the power play, it’s crucial he’s brought back.  With this salary, he gets top-six minutes and plays a role that will maximize his offensive abilities.

Re-sign Shea Weber: 12 years, $5.5 million cap hit

Following our guiding principle of building from the goaltender out, and being proactive in signing our elite defenseman with the more unique skill set, I sign Shea Weber to a long term contract extension modeled after Duncan Keith’s contract (which also stresses the importance of re-signing Weber this offseason to maximize the effect of that comparable contract).

Additionally, it shows the league that Nashville has no intention of letting their All-Olympian defenseman leave town and is committed to improving the team- even with a limited budget.

Re-sign Francis Bouillon: 3 years, $1.5 million cap hit

Continuing our principle of building from the goaltender out, I re-sign the steady and physical Bouillon to a reasonable $1.5 million for the next three years.  With the re-signing of Bouillon, Nashville returns at least four from the last season’s blueline.  For Nashville, and their style of play, the more stability among that group the better.

Expect Jonathon Blum to fill 6^th Defenseman Spot

Blum’s NHL salary will be $941,666 over the next two seasons.  As much as I like Cody Franson, and feel that he plays an important role on the Predators power play, I also feel that Franson is likely the more valuable asset for trade purposes.  I also think that it is important to play Blum now in the event Nashville has to make another key decision in the 2012 offseason- coinciding with conclusion of his and Ryan Suter’s contracts.

That said, if the trade is favorable for Nashville, I would keep Franson and trade Blum without too much concern.

Identify Movable Roster Assets and Resultant Increase in Cap Space

Now, I identify assets that I want to move and the cap space that brings to the table.  Some of those assets have a No Movement or No Trade Clause.  While that makes moving those individuals harder, it’s not impossible and certainly not to be avoided.  At the end of the day, some of these players could remain, but I make every attempt to move each of these players to further the team.  I value the cleared cap space foremost, but want to maximize the return as much as possible.

Jason Arnott (NMC): 1 year left, $4.5 million cap hit

J.P. Dumont (NMC): 2 years left, $4 million cap hit

Jordin Tootoo: 2 years left, $1.25 million cap hit

Cal O’Reilly: 1 year left, $562,500 cap hit

Alexander Sulzer: 1 year left, $650,000 cap hit

If Nashville doesn’t re-sign Cody Franson or Denis Grebeshkov, their Restricted Free Agency status makes them useful trade assets as well.

If we pause to take stock, courtesy of capgeek.com, after removing those players from the roster, we are left with 16 players (10 forwards, 5 defensemen, 1 goalie), $36.421 million payroll, and a remaining budget of roughly $11.5 million (remember, we’re working on an internal budget of $48 million for this exercise).

Let’s continue…

Re-sign Dan Hamhuis or Denis Grebeshkov: 6 years, $3.75 million cap hit

Now we start spending that additional $11.5 million, and we do it by completing our blueline.  With this signing, Nashville does not have to make a move on the blueline until Ryan Suter and Jonathon Blum’s contracts expire in two years.  They certainly could, of course, but they don’t have to make a move.  Grebeshkov likely signs for a little less, but for easiness I’m going to work with the $3.75 million number.

(Re-)Sign two bottom six forwards and a backup goaltender: Limit of $1.75 million

Here we are filling out the role players.  We could re-sign Dustin Boyd for $700,000, sign another bottom six forward for $500,000 and sign a backup goaltender for $550,000.  Essentially any group of players provided we limit the total to $1.75 million.

Glancing again at where we are at, courtesy of capgeek, we have signed 20 players (12 forwards, 6 defensemen, and 2 goalies), committed $41.9 million to payroll, and have about $6 million left for our final top six forward.

Sign, or Trade for, an Elite Forward: Limit of $6 million cap hit next season

I first approach Washington about Alexander Semin (1 year left, $6 million cap hit).  I would consider any combination of the tradable assets above and/or a reasonable combination of draft picks for Semin.  If a trade can be made, I think his 40+ goals and top-end offensive skill bring the most to this team for the power play (other than bringing a power play coach).  Semin becomes an immediate threat that other teams must focus upon.  That will help Hornqvist and the defensemen increase their offensive potential.

The other aspect of trading for Semin is that Arnott and Dumont might be more likely to waive their NMCs to go to a team like Washington if I can entice Washington enough to take on the additional salary.

If Semin is off the table, I might turn my attention to Patrick Marleau.  I might also call Anaheim to discuss the possibilities of Bobby Ryan.  If Poile was going to exceed $5 million for Phil Kessel, the possibility should exist to bring in a player of this caliber after clearing the salary we cleared to this point.

Other Options for the Final Top Six Forward

The next best option might be to trade for Chicago’s Dustin Byfuglien (1 year left, $3 million).  Doing so would mean that we move our tradable assets above for draft picks (or those role players) as Chicago could not take salary back.  To me, that’s not a bad option as it gives me, I mean David Poile, significant options down the road.  Byfuglien brings the size and willingness to play in front of the net.  Between him and Patric Hornqvist, Nashville should be able to field two power play units that would be incredibly frustrating to play against and should be able to score at a much better pace- even if they are the ugly goals.

The final option here would be to bring back one of Dumont or Arnott.  This is the least favorable option by far to me.  This team must improve its power play and I believe retaining either does not do that.  Bringing in a player of Semin’s caliber certainly provides that potential.  Dustin Byfuglien brings another big body to the net.  To me, retaining Dumont or Arnott does not improve the power play and does not help offset the change in philosophy of focusing on getting more production from the top six and less on depth scoring.

All three options complete the roster.  The first brings the payroll to $47.9 million.  The second option (Byfuglien) brings the payroll to $44.9 million.  The final option brings the payroll to $45.9 – $46.4 million.

The latter two options actually allow the Predators to stay within their current budget, although only one of those options helps the Predators in my opinion.  The first option however, has a potentially much higher reward, for only a slightly higher risk- in my opinion.

Down the Road

Next year, Steve Sullivan’s $3.75 million comes off the books.  The Predators begin paying an additional $1 million for Shea Weber.  That’s a net of $2.75 million to work with to fill the vacant top six role- that’s with a full $6 million already allocated to an elite forward.

If next season sees a deep run in the playoffs and/or increased ticket sales, the budget could potentially go higher.  If an other-than-elite forward was not brought it, then there’s additional room to fill Sullivan’s vacant role.  If Semin was brought in and he doesn’t work out, that’s another $6 million to work with (and two spots to fill).  There’s also this kid named Radulov that will be free to return to the team after next season as well- for a nice, cheap price.

In two years time, it might become necessary to trade Ryan Suter.  For this reason, I believe it important to keep one of Hamhuis or Grebeshkov as well as groom Jonathon Blum to step into Suter’s role.  While one could argue to trade Weber instead, especially since the average Nashville fan considers Suter to be the better all-around defenseman at this time, I believe that Weber’s skills and assets are more difficult to replace both from within and via a trade.  As such, I consider Suter the better asset to trade if necessary.  That said, I don’t believe that trading him will be necessary.

There you have it, my impersonation of David Poile.  Have fun with it.  Or not.

There is no doubt that the Blackhawks are a powerful and potent team, one that presented challenges to the Predators. The Predators showed that they could handle those challenges and had the potential to make this a very interesting series. A 4-1 win in the United Center in game one served notice that the Predators were going to make this a difficult series for the highly favored Blackhawks.

Trailing 1-0, the Predators scored what can be deemed a fluke goal as J.P. Dumont lofted a soft backhand shot toward the net. The puck took a funny bounce and squirted past Chicago goaltender Antti Niemi to tie the game. The Predators would build on this momentum and take a 4-1 victory with a rebound goal by Dumont and empty net goals by Jerred Smithson and Martin Erat.

The interesting aspect of this win was that this was the Predators first road playoff win in the history of the franchise.

The keys to this victory were solid goaltending by Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne; solid play by the Nashville defense, and an aggressive forecheck that kept Chicago from setting up effectively in the offensive zone.

All those positive characteristics disappeared in the second game of the series as Chicago turned the tables on the Predators and played the Predators game in a 2-0 shutout win. Rinne made some outstanding saves for the Predators to keep the game from getting out of hand, but the Predators never mounted a serious offensive challenge to the Hawks and Niemi.

Tied at one, the series shifted to Nashville as the Predators were in good shape against a putative Cup favorite.

The Predators would take a 2-1 series lead with a 4-1 victory over the Hawks. This time, there were no empty netters. Instead, there was balanced scoring and an aggressive attack that prevented the Blackhawks from entering the zone with speed. Once again, Rinne was very good in net, the defense exerted their will on the Blackhawks, and the offense got balanced scoring. Joel Ward, David Legwand, Shea Weber, and Martin Erat tallied for the Predators. Tied at 1 at the end of the first period, the Predators would notch two goals in the second and one in the third to ice the game.

Ahead 2-1 in the series and with game four at the Bridgestone Arena, the Predators had an opportunity to put the Hawks down two games and in a very difficult position.

Instead, it was the Blackhawks that rose to the occasion with a 3-0 win over the Predators. Once again, the Blackhawks turned the tables on the Predators and stymied their offense with solid defense and an aggressive forecheck. When the Predators got scoring opportunities, Niemi was able to clean up any chances.

Now tied at two games, the series shifted back to Chicago, and in game five, Chicago dominated for the first half of the game. The Predators opened well, with David Legwand getting the first goal of the game with a beautiful shot to the far side post with Joel Ward screening Niemi. From there, things fell apart for the Predators as the Blackhawks scored the next three goals and outshot the Predators 24-8.

With the Predators on the penalty kill late in the second period, the potent Hawk offense was swarming and looking to add to their advantage. A funny thing happened on the way to cruising to what appeared to be an easy victory for the Hawks. They gave up a short handed goal on the power play to make the score 3-2. The Predators were able to go in to the second intermission with a successful penalty kill, a score, and a bit of momentum.

That momentum carried over into the third period as Martin Erat tallied two goals to give the Predators a 4-3 lead. As the time in the period evaporated, it was apparent that Chicago was gripping their sticks tightly and the Predators were improbably going to win this game for a 3-2 series lead.

That all came crashing down in the final :20 seconds of the period. With Marian Hossa in the box for a five minute major for boarding, the Predators controlled the puck and appeared ready to burn up the remaining time on the clock. Martin Erat had the puck behind the Chicago net, and instead of just eating the puck and letting the time run off the clock, he amazingly threw the puck into the slot where it was controlled by Chicago. The started a breakout, and with :13 seconds on the clock, Patrick Kane scored as Joel Ward lost coverage on him at the side of the net. 13 seconds away from an amazing win, and instead the two teams were now headed to overtime.

The Predators had 3:37 of power play time (the carryover of  Hossa’s penalty) to begin the overtime period. As it was, the Predators abysmal power play once again shot blanks. Hossa was able to cme out of the box and score the game winner just :10 seconds after his penalty expired. What should have been a 4-3 win for the Predators in regulation was now a heartbreaking 5-4 overtime loss.

In game six, the Predators fell behind in the first period 3-1. One of the goals was a freak goal, as Brent Seabrook was just attempting to dump the puck in the zone. Pekka Rinne, seeing this, skated behind his net to stop the puck. Instead, the puck hit the skate of Patrick Kane, who was going off the ice for a line change. The puck radically changed directions, and before Rinne could react back to the front of the net, found its way into the goal.

The Predators battled back to tie the game at 3, but Chicago would once again reclaim the lead with a power play goal. They would later add an empty net goal to make the final margin 5-3 and capture the series 4-2.

For the Predators, the series will be remembered as a series that presented opportunities to win games that were lost because of failure to capitalize on their advantages. Losing game five was heartbreaking. This was a game that the Predators should have won.

The Predators only managed one power play goal on 26 attempts. A timely goal with the man advantage could have swung momentum to the Predators in several of these contests.

The Predators will also rue the lack of production from some of their offensive stalwarts. Jason Arnott tallied two goals, both in game six. Otherwise, he was invisible in the first five games. Steve Sullivan competed hard, but was held without a goal. After scoring two goals in the first game, J. P. Dumont was held scoreless for the rest of the series.

Leading goal scorer Patric Hornqvist missed most of the series, playing ten minutes in game one and the entire game in game six. It was revealed after the series that Hornqvist had a broken left hand. Losing the leading scorer from the regular season certainly hurt the Predators offensive effort.

As painful as the loss of this series was, it was part of the learning experience for this team. They notched their first road playoff win. They found out they could not only compete with, but defeat one of the best teams in the Western Conference in a pressure packed playoff environment.

It is now time to look back on the pain of the loss of this series and realize what could have been.

It is also time to build on the potential and the growth that this team has shown. Use the pain of this loss and the lessons learned to get back to the playoffs and finally break through and win a series.

It’s now time to take the next step. It’s time to stop wondering about what could have been.

After a scoreless first period, Patrick “20 Cent” Kane got the Hawks on the board in the second period with a garbage goal. Pekka Rinne made the save on a shot by Patrick Sharp, but Rinne couldn’t control the rebound, which was sitting in the blue ice of the crease. 20 Cent knocked home the rebound to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead and send the United Center crowd into delirium.

The Predators evened the score in the third period with a garbage goal of their own. J. P. Dumont flipped a backhand toward the net that took a funny bounce and beat Antti Niemi to to tie the game. A garbage goal, but unlike the Chicago goal, the Nashville goal seemed to shake the Hawks.

Dumont would record his second tally off a shot by David Legwand, He fought for control of the puck on the rebound, gained control, and fired it high over a sprawling Niemi to give the Predators a 2-1 lead at 10:37 of the third period.

Jerred Smithson would add an empty netter at 19:12 of the third. Marty Erat would finish the scoring with another empty net goal at 19:46 of the third, and the Predators would finally get the 800 pound gorilla off their back as they recorded their first road win in the history of this franchise.

The Predators played a great road game, clogging the neutral zone and refusing to let Chicago enter the offensive zone with speed. This forced the Hawks to set up in the offensive zone, and when they did, the Predators defense was solid. limiting chances in front of Rinne.

Everyone knew that Chicago would bring a strong offensive effort, and tonight the Predators played a sound defensive game. They frustrated the offense of the Hawks and gave them very few quality chances.

When the Blackhawks did get a scoring chance, Pekka Rinne was outstanding in net. He made several quality saves, and for the night stopped 25 of 26 shots.

Kudos to the Predators for playing a composed, patient game. They stymied the potent Hawks offense all night. They weathered the push that everyone knew would come from Chicago. They showed maturity and poise in a hostile environment.

Chicago outshot Nashville 10-7 in the first and 12-6 in the second. One would think the tend would continue in the third, but the Predators outshot the Hawks 13-4. Turning up the pressure offensively was critical for the Predators, and it paid off with four goals.

More importantly, the Predators shut down the Hawks in the third period, limiting them to four shots in the  period. This shows the heart and composure of this squad. In a hostile arena with a quality opponent, it would have been easy to crumble under the pressure. Instead, the Predators exerted their will and changed the outcome of this game.

Tonight, heart and character was on display, and it was shown by the Predators.

This is just one game in what will be a tough series for the Predators. No one thinks the Predators can or will win four straight games. This game shows, however, that the Predators can compete with the talented Blackhawks. This game shows that the Predators have the heart and the skill to win this series. This game shows the Predators what they have to do to win the series.

Now the Predators have the gorilla off their back. The 800 pound primate is gone. Now the Predators know they can win on the road. Now the Predators know they can compete.

It’s now time to put the second road win in the books.

It’s now time to start to make history and win a playoff series.

You have made the big first step, boys.

Time to take the second one on Sunday.

The Red Wings opened the contest with their typical strong play, and Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne was called upon to make some big saves early to keep the Wings off the board. That would change at 18:15 of the first as the Wings tallied on a power play marker. With Francis Buillon in the box for interference, Detroit D-man Brian Rafalski went to the net and was able to get the puck past Rinne on a sharp angle shot to give the home team a 1-0 lead.

The second period was more of the same between the two teams, as both defenses thwarted offensive chances. The Predators, however, started to assert themselves in the offensive zone and began to put pressure on the Wings defense.That pressure paid off for the Predators as Shea Weber buried a blast from the blueline with traffic in front of  Jimmy Howard at 1:36 of the period.

The Predators kept forcing the puck deep and pressuring the Detroit defense. Marty Erat was able to get the puck past Howard at 5:01 and give the Predators their first advantage of the game.

The Predators cycled the puck well in this game and generated some solid offensive chances against a good defensive team. The offense played with confidence today and forced Howard to make some good saves.

This is Detroit, and one knew that they were going to keep pushing and bring the pressure. That effort paid off at 16:01 of the period as Nick Lidstrom took a nice pass from Tomas Holmstrom from behind the net and beat Rinne for the tying goal.

It would have been easy for the Predators to wilt under the pressure that Detroit was bringing. The home crowd was rocking and everyone on both benches knew that the Wings would be pressing.

The crowd was quieted as Dustin Boyd battled for a puck behind the Detroit net and found J.P. Dumont alone inside the face off circle to the left of the net. Dumont fired the puck far side post to give the Predators a 3-2 lead that they would carry into the intermission.

The third period was a back and forth affair, as each team generated chances and each goaltender shut the door. The Predators had a glorious chance to extend the lead to two as Dustin Boyd undressed Nick Lidstrom inside the Detroit blue line and skated in on Howard. Boyd got Howard to open up and slid the puck five hole, only to have it hit the post and dribble back to Howard in the blue paint.

With Howard pulled for the extra attacker, the Wings tied the game with only :37 seconds left as Pavel Datsyuk beat Rinne glove side. Neither team could score in the remainder of the third, and it was off to overtime.

The one point that the Predators earned allowed them to clinch a playoff spot, but the Predators wanted the second point to stay ahead of Detroit in the standings and position themselves for the playoffs.

It would have been easy to become deflated after giving up the lead late in the game. It would have been easy for the team to hang their heads and feel sorry for themselves. That, however, would not have been Predator hockey.

The Predators controlled the face off in overtime and Joel Ward entered the zone. He got the puck to Ryan Suter, who was driving the net. Suter wristed the puck to the far side over the shoulder of Howard and found the twine. Game over. 16 seconds in, and the Predators had taken the all important second point.

The game was a test of wills. Who would yield first? Who would make the critical mistake? In times past, it would have been the Predators, as the Joe has been a house of horrors for the Predators.

Not today.

This team has character. This team battles. This team has grit and heart. And it was on display in the game today. There were deflating moments, but the Predators bounced back time and again. There was no quit in the Predators.

Since the Olympic break, the Predators are 13-5-1, the best record in the NHL. They have picked a good time to play their best hockey of the season. That record is testimony to the caliber of this team. In a critical time, the Predators have elevated their play to a new level.

The Predators now have two games remaining and the opportunity to get to 100 points. They are in the playoffs, but now we are playing for seeding. The points are still precious.

The Predators will have an opportunity to rest and get on the ice for some much needed practice. This is the time to work on aspects of the game that need improvement and to get players healthy.

It’s also time to savor a playoff clinching win against a good team.

After coming off a listless loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday, it was important for the Predators to get off to a good start. Lee Stempniak thwarted that good start as he netted a goal at 5:54 of the first with a forehand that fooled Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne. The shot seemed to flutter and drop and found its way under the arm of Rinne, and once again, Nashville found itself starting in a hole.

That deficit would be erased by Patric Hornqvist at 13:09 of the first. Marcel Goc lead a rush into the Phoenix zone and got the puck to Hornqvist, who was driving the net. He was able to sneak a backhander low to the stick side of Phoenix goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov for his 29th goal of the season. Hornqvist continues to shine in this, his first full season of play.

Tied at one at the beginning of the second period, the Predators came out strong and put pressure on the Coyotes. J.P. Dumont, working the puck low in the zone, drew the attention of four Coyote defenders. He was able to get the puck to Marcel Goc, who found Steve Sullivan, alone just inside the faceoff circle and he roofed a puck over the shoulder of Bryzgalov for his 15th goal of the year and a 2-1 Predators lead.

The Predators continued to put pressure on the Coyotes, controlling the puck and keeping Phoenix in their end for much of the period. The pressure paid off as Dan Hamhuis unleashed a shot from the point that beat Bryzgalov over his shoulder at 9:28 of the second. The Predators kept the Coyotes boxed in their zone for much of the period and exited the second with the 3-1 lead.

The Coyotes are a talented team, and it was inevitable that they would keep pushing and make it a game. They cut the lead to 3-2 at 13:28 of the third as Wojtek Wolski scored through traffic.At 3-2 and six minutes remaining in the game, Predator fans knew that this game was not over.

Sure enough, the Coyotes tied the game at 16:03 of the third as Keith Yandle jumped into the rush and put a puck past a screened Rinne. All of a sudden, a game, and two precious points, that seemed in hand now hung in the balance.

Scoreless for the remainder of the third period, the game went to overtime. The Predators generated more offense and created some chances, outshooting the Coyotes 4-3, but couldn’t solve Bryzgalov. And once again, these two mirror images were going to a shootout. The last time they faced each other, it was a ten round affair, eventually won by the Coyotes.

Lee Stempniak was the first shooter for the Coyotes, and he slipped the puck through Rinne’s five hole for a 1-0 lead.

Young Cal O’Reilly popped the water bottle on the net on his shootout attempt, as he beat Bryzgalov top shelf. Cool, calm, and collected, O’Reilly is money in the shootout.

Rinne stopped Adrian Aucoin, who had remarkably not missed in five shootout attempts this season, and Marty Erat missed over the crossbar. Tied at one, Rinne now faced Radim Vrbata. Vrbata drove wide and Rinne forced him to shoot high. The shot pinged off the crossbar to keep the game tied at one.

David Legwand was the third shooter for the Predators, and he beat Bryzgalov five hole for the game winner.Two points- two important points- for the Predators as they skated off the ice with the win.

The response of the Predators after the lackluster effort in the previous game was encouraging. This is a team that the Predators could possibly meet in a first round matchup in the playoffs, and tonight they acquitted themselves well. Good intensity and resiliency allowed them to skate away with the win.

There are concerns. Two power plays and no shots for the Predators. Failure to lock down a lead in the the third period. These have to be addressed and corrected.

The positives are that the Predators persisted. Giving up the lead would have caused a lesser team to fold. You did not. You played some solid hockey against a very good team. You showed that you can compete with one of the best in the Western Conference.

These are confidence builders. These are building blocks to a successful run to the post season.

Tonight, you looked into the mirror and saw a very good team. Tonight, you saw that you can compete and win against one of the best.

Remember what this looks like. You will be seeing teams like this again.

The Predators jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period with an aggressive, attacking game that kept the Wild back on their heels. Colin Wilson opened the scoring for the Predators as he blocked an outlet pass by Wild defenseman Nick Schultz and broke in on goalie Josh Harding for his 7th goal of the season. Wilson whipped a quick wrist shot that beat Harding to the glove side for a 1-0 Predator lead at 7:07 of the period.

Rinne was tested early, as the Wild put pressure on the Nashville netminder in the first. Rinne was strong in net and turned aside all 9 shots he faced in the first period. His stellar play set the tone for the game, as the Wild could not solve the big Finn.

J.P. Dumont scored the second goal for the Predators as he took a nice pass from Jordin Tootoo, who controlled the puck in the corner. Tootoo found Dumont cruising down the slot and he fired a shot over Harding’s glove hand for the second Predator tally and his 16th goal of the year.

With time running out in the period, Jason Arnott gathered in a puck at the half board and shot a puck at the net. Harding was inexplicably looking the other way and the puck went behind him and found the back of the net. After the game, Head Coach Barry Trotz said that Harding had broken a strap and was trying to clear the buckle out of the crease and not watching the puck. Arnott was opportunistic with his shot to the net and his effort made the Wild pay with his 18th goal of the year. 3-0 Predators at the end of the first period.

The start of the second period would see the Wild try to exert pressure and get back in to the game. That momentum was quickly derailed by a Marcel Goc goal at 2:19 of the period with a quick blast from just inside the face off circle. Goc recorded his 12th goal of the year to make it 4-0 Predators, and they appeared in control of the game.

If this game would have gone true to form, the Wild would have surged and made it a game, but the Predators had other ideas.They would allow only four shots in the period, while logging 14 of their own. The defense was solid and thwarted any serious scoring chances by the Wild. The defense was smothering the Wild and refused to give them an opportunity to get back in to the game.

The third period was more of the same for the Predators as they continued to dominate the Wild. They only allowed four shots in the third period as well, and outshot the Wild 37-17 for the game. Patric Hornqvist would notch his 27th goal of the season on the power play at 7:35 of the period to make it 5-0 Predators and this game was over. It was just a matter of playing out the clock and getting the win in the books.

This effort against the Wild was total domination by the Predators. After the first period, the Wild rarely got a quality scoring chance as the defense was solid in the zone, limiting the Wild chances. The Predators were exceptional in the neutral zone, refusing to allow the Wild easy entry into the offensive zone and limiting their space.

This was a game that was textbook hockey by the Predators. They exerted their will early and took control of the game. More importantly, they refused to let the Wild get established in the offensive zone and did not allow quality scoring chances. This was Predator hockey to the max.

This is the type of hockey that the Predators have to continue to play. Solid hockey in all zones. A dominating effort from start to finish. They kind of play that breaks the will of your opponent.

Keep playing this way, boys. Go wild on the opposition. Dominate from start to finish. And lock down a playoff spot.

This is the game you have to play. You were built for this type of game. Confident, determined, dominating.

Predator hockey.

After falling behind 4-2 going into the third period, Dany Heatley pulled the Sharks back within one with a power play goal. It was Heatley’s second tally of the game. This is exactly why Heatley was added: to score big goals when the team needed it. He ignited the team, and then Joe Pavelski lead the charge from there.

Poor play resulted in Pavelski being demoted a line and benched for a long stretch during the second period. Coach Todd McLellan’s subtle message evidently pushed the right button as he carried the Sharks in the third period. He scored two goals and two assists in the period.

The eventual game-winner was a one-on-one rush against USA Olympic teammate Ryan Suter. Pavelski pulled the spin-o-rama and was able to beat Predators goalie Dan Ellis on the backhand for one of the highlight goals of the season.

Pavelski set up Manny Malhotra’s tying goal in the third period just 1:36 after Heatley’s goal. Malhotra returned the favor when he sealed the boards creating a turnover that landed straight on Pavelski’s stick. Pavelski then roofed the puck past Ellis to give the Sharks their first lead of the game 5-4.

Just two minutes after that when all the momentum seemed to be in the Shark’s favor, Nashville tied it up again thanks to J.P. Dumont’s second goal of the game.

Then came Pavelski’s spin-o-rama goal which prompted Predators coach Barry Trotz to pull Ellis for Pekka Rinne.

Patrick Marleau provided the insurance marker when he scored his 40th goal of the season on a 2-on-1 rush. It’s Marleau’s first career 40-goal season.

Jay Leach added an empty netter in the final minute of play. The goal was Leach’s first career NHL goal. If there was a perfect way to top off this unexplainable period, it would be with a Leach goal and sure enough it happened. Oddly enough he scored it from his own end actually aiming for the empty net apparently.

13 Sharks figured into the scoring, including two assists from Scott Nichol who returned to the lineup to face his former team after the vicious hit-from-behind he received last week.

The Predators outplayed the Sharks dramatically the first two periods. At one point in the first period, the shot total was 14-0 in favor of Nashville. By the end of the game the discrepancy was widened to 45-25. They also lost the face-off battle, something that rarely happens.

With those statistics one wouldn’t expect the Sharks to come out on top and they probably don’t want to get into the habit of making comebacks like the last three games. Tonight’s game was the ninth straight game the Sharks surrendered the first goal of the game.

Not to put the damper blanket on a tremendous third period, but everything that this team will be judged on comes in the playoffs.

If they play like they did in the first two periods of tonight’s game they won’t stand a chance against anyone. If they play like they did in the third throughout the playoffs, maybe there’s a chance of lifting that dark playoff veil that haunts this franchise.

Next Game

The Sharks will conclude their 5-game homestand on Saturday when the Florida Panthers come to town. Then its off to Anaheim on Sunday for the start of a 6-game road trip.

Words do not even begin to describe how painful this is for the Predators. This game was in hand. Just play solid hockey for one period and skate out of the Shark Tank with the win. Instead, the Predators gave of six- SIX- freaking goals to the home team.Unbelievable is all I can say.Actually, I could say a lot more, but this is a family oriented blog.

Nashville outshot the Sharks 17-6 in the first and 17-5 in the second, building their lead. At the start of the third period, however, the Predators looked as if they were content to just sit on the lead, and this bit them in the butt. The Sharks scored two quick goals to to tie the game. The tying goal by Manny Malholtra was reviewed to see if he had kicked it in, and if there had been any consistency whatsoever by the War Room, it would have been disallowed as was Dustin Boyd’s goal in the second. However, it was allowed to stand.

Although momentum was in the Sharks favor, the Predators fought back and still were in the game. Sloppy defense allowed the Sharks to swarm Dan Ellis, and he was unable to keep pucks out of the net. For the night, he allowed 6 goals on 17 shots.

After the Sharks had taken a 5-4 lead, the Predators came back to tie the game at 5. Shea Weber casually played a puck at the Predators blue line and Joe Pavelski stole the puck and broke in on Ellis to score the game winner. For the night, the number one D pairing of Suter and Weber were -6 and -5, respectively.

Kudos to Colin Wilson for a strong game; and to Patric Hornqvist and J.P. Dumont, who each notched two goals.

Frankly, this game is not worthy of a recap. Folding in the third period like this team did is unacceptable and inexcusable. Attempting to sit on a lead instead of pressing the attack and doing what got the lead in the first place was a formula for disaster.

Listen guys, you had two points for the taking. Two points that, hopefully, you will not back upon with regret at the end of the season. Two points you just pissed away.

It’s not going to get any easier for you guys, and no one feels sorry for you right now. There are teams that are hungrier and more desperate than you and they will step over you to get in the playoffs.You have to get that hunger and that desperation back into your game, or you will be on the outside looking in come playoff time.

I’m disgusted with the performance in the third period. As bad as I feel, I hope you feel much worse. I hope this eats at you. I hope you’re so angry that you can’t see straight. I hope the coaches or the captain or someone on this team ripped you a new one in the locker room. Because you deserve it.

The first 40 minutes of this game were exquisite hockey. You stunk it up in the last 20. Beyond anything I could imagine.

You get your chance for redemption tomorrow night. Show some heart. Be mentally and physically tough. Play like you did in the first 40 minutes of this game.

Oh yeah. Try playing that way for all 60 minutes tomorrow.