I'm not ready to call this a must win, but any type of losing streak will put this team in a serious hole. The Minnesota wild looked dynamic on offense in their first two games. The Preds will have to key on Parise and Heatly if they want to keep the score low.
Mason will be starting in net, hopefully the defense will step up and protect him. Mason is more than capable, but he is not Pekka Rinne.
My Prediction: 4-3 overtime win for the Preds
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Blues Recap
The good news, the Preds have gotten two points so far, the bad news, they have given up four to divisional opponents. To steal Trotz's word, last night was a "man's game." There was plenty of hitting, there were a couple of scrums, and healthy amount of penalties.
The Good: Colin Wilson continued to look phenomenal. Wilson's puck handling and passing has looked top line worthy. He may finally be the forward we all want him to be.
While I am not ready to call him Ryan Suter, Roman Josi has looked beyond exceptional in these first two games. He is moving the puck well, and not making the rookie mistakes he made last year. While I believe Josi will need to gain some muscle the kid has looked great so far.
Ryan Ellis has also been impressive in the first two games. Ellis could also add some muscle, but he has great stick work and positioning to make up for his small size. Then there is his offensive game, the defenseman has a nose for the puck and makes exceptional break out passes, example: Colin Wilson's goal against the blues.
The Bad News: Pekka did not look good in the shoot out against the blues, both Oshie and Steen scored with relative ease. On the other hand, it was Pekka and a couple of simply ridiculous saves that got the Preds to the shoot out.
Craig Smith has not looked up to game speed. The second year forward has made several bad give always, landing him in Trotz's dog house. Smith needs to get back to shooting the puck, he only had one shot against the blues. Don't be surprised if Smith gets benched versus the wild tonight.
Several Preds, including Sergei Kostitsyn missed open net chances that could have given the Preds a two goal lead.
A final note, do not blow this out of proportion, the Preds got 2 of 4 possible points, it isn't exactly what we want, but it is not a bad start. This team is showing skill as they knock off the rust. The Preds will be alright.
Game day preview later.
The Good: Colin Wilson continued to look phenomenal. Wilson's puck handling and passing has looked top line worthy. He may finally be the forward we all want him to be.
While I am not ready to call him Ryan Suter, Roman Josi has looked beyond exceptional in these first two games. He is moving the puck well, and not making the rookie mistakes he made last year. While I believe Josi will need to gain some muscle the kid has looked great so far.
Ryan Ellis has also been impressive in the first two games. Ellis could also add some muscle, but he has great stick work and positioning to make up for his small size. Then there is his offensive game, the defenseman has a nose for the puck and makes exceptional break out passes, example: Colin Wilson's goal against the blues.
The Bad News: Pekka did not look good in the shoot out against the blues, both Oshie and Steen scored with relative ease. On the other hand, it was Pekka and a couple of simply ridiculous saves that got the Preds to the shoot out.
Craig Smith has not looked up to game speed. The second year forward has made several bad give always, landing him in Trotz's dog house. Smith needs to get back to shooting the puck, he only had one shot against the blues. Don't be surprised if Smith gets benched versus the wild tonight.
Several Preds, including Sergei Kostitsyn missed open net chances that could have given the Preds a two goal lead.
A final note, do not blow this out of proportion, the Preds got 2 of 4 possible points, it isn't exactly what we want, but it is not a bad start. This team is showing skill as they knock off the rust. The Preds will be alright.
Game day preview later.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Preds Blues 1/21/13
Tonight the Preds look to recover from Monday nights shoot out loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. It is the St. Louis Blues making their way to the music city. Last year the Preds were 4-1-1 against the Blues. Having said that the Blues did not have Ken Hitchcock for a couple of those wins. Tonight should be a hard fought match with lots of physicality and probably a fight or two. Look for Craig Smith to have a chip on his shoulder after being called out by coach Trotz monday night. Also look for Colin Wilson to try and step up and earn his spot on the second line. It will be Halak in net for the Blues.
My Prediction: The Preds will take this one 3-2. They understand the importance of this game and Trotz usually has Hitchcocks number.
Closing note: Shea Weber can not take anymore five minute majors, while I agree someone needed to fight Boll it did not need to be our best player. Yip, Mcgratten and Clune have a purpose, they needed to be used.
Recap should come tomorrow.
My Prediction: The Preds will take this one 3-2. They understand the importance of this game and Trotz usually has Hitchcocks number.
Closing note: Shea Weber can not take anymore five minute majors, while I agree someone needed to fight Boll it did not need to be our best player. Yip, Mcgratten and Clune have a purpose, they needed to be used.
Recap should come tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
A Dream
Monday night the Nashville Predators and the Predator foundation hosted a bowling event to support the fight against pediatric cancer. I left Murray Monday afternoon in hopes of meeting some fellow Pred fans, maybe grab an autograph and get me roll on. What I walked into was so much more than I was hoping for. I signed up as an individual, I had no clue who my teammates would be, but i could not have asked for better people. My team included five of the most wonderful and enthusiastic individuals I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. I had the luck of being paired with a couple (the Bauman's) who worked with the Predator's Foundation. These most generous people took be around and introduced me to people such as Coach Peterson and Tom Callahan (@predsradio). Our Teams celebrity was Michael DelGiorno of WTN who played the role of team comedian. I am ever grateful for the wisdom he passed me about the radio industry. And I con't forget our team coaches Mrs. Crisp and Mrs. Grimson. Both of these women were simply a joy to be with. I repeat, I could not have had a better team, we were eaily the most enthusiastic lane in the whole alley.
I can not say enough about the event as a whole. Ryan Ellis and Craig Smith shared the lanes with fans while all the coaches tried to return to athletic glory. The list of celebrities was outstanding, JP Dumont captained a team, Willy Daunic won most improved player, and Tom Callahan went perfect through nine on road to a 275. One of the highlights was talking Notre Dame football with Pete Weber while he was not commentating the action. Gnash was there with the infamous air horn helping bowling balls to the gutters.
This was simply an amazing night, a great cause and a ton of fun. If you get a chance to attend an event like this I reccomend it. I went to this event hoping to have some fun, I left knowing that this would be one of the highlights of my year.
I can not say enough about the event as a whole. Ryan Ellis and Craig Smith shared the lanes with fans while all the coaches tried to return to athletic glory. The list of celebrities was outstanding, JP Dumont captained a team, Willy Daunic won most improved player, and Tom Callahan went perfect through nine on road to a 275. One of the highlights was talking Notre Dame football with Pete Weber while he was not commentating the action. Gnash was there with the infamous air horn helping bowling balls to the gutters.
This was simply an amazing night, a great cause and a ton of fun. If you get a chance to attend an event like this I reccomend it. I went to this event hoping to have some fun, I left knowing that this would be one of the highlights of my year.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
The Sophomores
There have been several great posts on Roman Josi and whether he will be able to fill Ryan Suter's roll on the top pairing. Personally, I'm not worried about Roman Josi, I am worried about the young kids on offense. Which sophomore stud will step up and be the offensive threat that Nashville needs. Both Craig Smith and Gabriel Broque are heading into their second year with the big club, the question is, who is going to step up? Which of these young men will add the scoring touch that Nashville so desperately needs?
Craig Smith is a six foot one inch center from Madison, Wisconsin. After playing two years for the home town Badgers, David Poile was able to convince Smith to leave college for the bigs. In seventy-two games with the Predators, Smith scored fourteen goals and twenty-two assists. The twenty-two year old had six power-play points helping the usually dismal special teams. Smith also racked up thirty penalty minutes while registering a minus nine. Smith has one great up side, he takes shots, not something normal for a young Pred. The ex-badger took one hundred and seventy-two shots ranking him 115th in the league. Smith's rookie numbers rank him as the number two overall Predator rookie, losing only to Alex Radulov by one point. (Just think if he hadn't skied that empty netter.)
If Craig Smith can follow in the footsteps of Alex Radulov, Smith will put up about sixty points in the coming season, we can only hope this happens. David Legwand put up twenty-eight points in his rookie year with the Preds. More than likely, Legwand is the path that Smith will follow. Smith and Legwand are similar players, both are known to have game breaking speed, while being solid in the defensive end. Craig Smith looks to be the next "Predator" forward.
I see Craig Smith playing on the second or third line. If Smith can be paired with offensive talent like Colin Wilson, he looks to have a offensively packed year. He should put up somewhere between forty and fifty points, assuming last years slump can be broken. As fans we can only pray that Trotz does not give Smith the Geoffrion treatment.
Gabriel Borque is a five foot ten inch speed demon, straight out of the Canadian wilderness. Bourque only played forty-three games in the NHL this year, but he made it count. In just over half a season, the young forward registered nineteen points, tallying seven goals and twelve assists. It is impossible to say what he could have done with a full season, but if we were to double everything, Bourque would be the new Predator's rookie scoring champion. It is a big if, but had he doubled his totals, Bourque would have tied Craig Smith in goals, while beating him in assists.
We can only speculate how these player will turn out, but it is my hope that we will see Gabriel Bourque turn into something similar to Steve Sullivan. I expect to see Bourque on the third line with Nick Spaling, developing his game. Bourque can change a play with his speed, and he uses that speed to be one of the teams top forecheckers. I'm hoping for thirty-five to forty points out of Bourque, but more importantly I see him becoming more responsible in his own end. Down the road, Bourque may be one of the Preds top offensive threats, just not this year.
Craig Smith is a six foot one inch center from Madison, Wisconsin. After playing two years for the home town Badgers, David Poile was able to convince Smith to leave college for the bigs. In seventy-two games with the Predators, Smith scored fourteen goals and twenty-two assists. The twenty-two year old had six power-play points helping the usually dismal special teams. Smith also racked up thirty penalty minutes while registering a minus nine. Smith has one great up side, he takes shots, not something normal for a young Pred. The ex-badger took one hundred and seventy-two shots ranking him 115th in the league. Smith's rookie numbers rank him as the number two overall Predator rookie, losing only to Alex Radulov by one point. (Just think if he hadn't skied that empty netter.)
If Craig Smith can follow in the footsteps of Alex Radulov, Smith will put up about sixty points in the coming season, we can only hope this happens. David Legwand put up twenty-eight points in his rookie year with the Preds. More than likely, Legwand is the path that Smith will follow. Smith and Legwand are similar players, both are known to have game breaking speed, while being solid in the defensive end. Craig Smith looks to be the next "Predator" forward.
I see Craig Smith playing on the second or third line. If Smith can be paired with offensive talent like Colin Wilson, he looks to have a offensively packed year. He should put up somewhere between forty and fifty points, assuming last years slump can be broken. As fans we can only pray that Trotz does not give Smith the Geoffrion treatment.
Gabriel Borque is a five foot ten inch speed demon, straight out of the Canadian wilderness. Bourque only played forty-three games in the NHL this year, but he made it count. In just over half a season, the young forward registered nineteen points, tallying seven goals and twelve assists. It is impossible to say what he could have done with a full season, but if we were to double everything, Bourque would be the new Predator's rookie scoring champion. It is a big if, but had he doubled his totals, Bourque would have tied Craig Smith in goals, while beating him in assists.
We can only speculate how these player will turn out, but it is my hope that we will see Gabriel Bourque turn into something similar to Steve Sullivan. I expect to see Bourque on the third line with Nick Spaling, developing his game. Bourque can change a play with his speed, and he uses that speed to be one of the teams top forecheckers. I'm hoping for thirty-five to forty points out of Bourque, but more importantly I see him becoming more responsible in his own end. Down the road, Bourque may be one of the Preds top offensive threats, just not this year.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
A Look Ahead
Looking at the roster I came up with hypothetical lines for the coming season if there are no roster changes.
Top Line: Sergei Kostitsyn - Mike Fisher - Martin Erat
Second Line: Colin Wilson - David Legwand - Craig Smith
Third Line: Gabriel Borque - Nick Spaling - Patric Hornqvist
Fourth Line: Matt Halischuk - Paul Gaustad - Brandon Yip
Scratches: Brian Mcgratten and Chris Mueller
First Pair: Weber - Josi
Second Pair: Klein - Blum
Third Pair: Gill - Ellis
Scratch: Mathais Ekholm
Starting Goalie: Pekka Rinne
Back-up Goalie: Chris Mason
Granted our team is coached by Barry Trotz and these lines could be completely wrong.
Possible switches: Smith to the fourth line, Yip to the Third line and Hornqvist to the second.
Mueller could fit in for Yip, Halischuk, Borque, or Smith.
Colin Wilson could get dropped to the third line moving Hornqvist into his place.
Good Bye Ryan Suter
Here we are on Independence Day and we still have know idea what the future of the Predators looks like. The difference, at this point we know that the future does not include Ryan Suter. Around noon central, the news broke that both Zach Parise and Ryan Suter had signed thirteen year contracts with the Minnesota Wild. Do I feel a little betrayed by Suter, yes. Am I little angry at Poile for not dealing him, I want to be. Will I still be a Preds fan next year, yes. This blog isn't about Suter's decision, but instead the state of the Predators moving forward.
Clearly the loss of Suter leaves a gaping whole in the Predators roster. Hypothetically, if the Preds can only sign Weber, the defense pairing will look like this: Weber with Josi, Klein with Blum, and Ellis with Gill. I am imagining I am feeling what most fans felt when Weber and Suter made their debuts in the league. I love these lines if Josi, Blum, and Ellis play the way we hope them too. Add Ekholm into the mix and the Predator defense core has all the promise in the world.
But relying on rookies is like horse racing being your primary source of income. Enter Matt Carle, the top defense man left on the market. He is not Suter, but he is a fair replacement. With the Preds about thirty million under the cap floor, they have the ability to overpay Carle making Nashville that much more intriguing. As Poile works towards signing Carle, he also has to be working towards signing Weber to a long term deal. And Weber is the key in all of this, the Preds must lock him down, and they must lock him up for as long as they possibly can. There is no telling how the splitting of Weber and Suter will effect each others play. My bet is that Suter will suffer more, his playing partner in Minnesota will be a major down grade from Weber. Not to mention Weber creates many of his own scoring chances.
Even with the departure of Suter, I am not tremendously concerned with defense. Between Trotz's ability to run a defensive system, Pekka's unbelievable talent, and possibly the best defensive forward core in the league, defense is not something that I am worried about. Nashville hasn't been an offensive threat since J.P. Dumont was putting up sixty points a season. So the question arises, what will the Preds do for offense. I expect both Josi and Ellis to have bigger offensive years, the same goes for forwards Craig Smith and Gabriel Borque.
So what forwards are available? Radulov is back to Russia and being paid Crosby type of money, not that he looked good in his time here. Semin is said to have attitude problems, and lacks presence in the the defensive zone, and by lacks presence, I mean to say he is a ghost, non-existent. Rick Nash is on the market, but no rumor has had Nashville in the race for him. Thinking about it, would it really be smart of Columbus to trade him in division, no. Bobby Ryan is also said to be on the market, and he is the dream. People have been floating the idea of Wilson, Blum and our first for Ryan, if Anaheim will accept, it is Poile's job to pounce like a hungry tiger. Bobby Ryan would automatically take Nashville's offense to the next level. Other names I like are Wojtek Wolski, Niklas Hagman, Eric Fehr, and Peter Mueller to name a few. I'd give Peter Mmueller more attention, because I would love to see him in gold, but I see him being the next Matt Lombardi.
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