SB Nation - Kevin Klein

Game 31: Jackets take on the Preds in Nashville

Mike MacLean — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:01:17 -0000

by Jay LaPrete - AP

This is a good day. I just had a fantastic day at work, the Jackets are coming off a huge win last night, where they looked like the team they should be. Mase was stellar, let's see if Garon can turn his game around tonight against those damned Predators. The Preds definitely have the Jackets number, especially in Nashville. I look for a typical Jackets/Preds game tonight, one with tight checking, maybe a scrap or two (if our guys have the green light to do so) and some timely goals. A score of 1-0 or 2-1 could happen.

The Preds are one of those teams that always gets it done, no matter who is on the ice. I credit GM David Poile and coach Barry Trotz for that. I would love for the kind of long-term consistency from Howson and Hitch that those two gentleman have supplied. Pekka Rinne is the straw that stirs the drink in Nashville. In my opinion he is the future of Finnish goaltending. Backstrom and Kipper are the top dogs now, but Rinne will be a great goaltender for a long time. Add to that a fun rivalry with Steve Mason, and we could be seeing a genuine goaltending battle year-in and year-out between these clubs.

The Jackets aren't making any major lineup changes with the exception of Garon getting the start. The line of Chimmer, Umby and Jake looked dangerous on almost every shift last night, and I look for them to continue that tonight. One guy who really needs to step it up is Rick Nash. Even last night, to me he was the guy who looked the worst. He was committing turnovers, and I think he is really pressing. Seemingly every time he had the puck in the offensive zone he was going with the slapper, very unlike the Captain. I would like to see he and Brass play together for a bit to see if that will spark him. Vermmy doesn't seem to be the right fit for Nasher.

Fearless Prediction: The run of bad play in Nashville has to end sometime right? Jackets win, Chimmer continues his hot streak.

Game Time: 8:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: On the Forecheck

Game Page: Blue Jackets vs Predators coverage

TSN Preview: Blue Jackets vs Predators Preview

TV: FSN Ohio

Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

Gaylord Entertainment Center. Sommet Center. Nashville Arena. Doesn't matter what it's named, it's a house of horrors for the Blue Jackets, who are 0-10-2 in Nashville since April 3, 2006. The Jackets blew leads of 1-0 and 2-1 and lost 4-3 in a shootout Nov. 21 in Nashville.

Jackets Links:

Columbus Blue Jackets / Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets Roster / Columbus Blue Jackets Stats

Here are the lineups for tonight's tilt:

Columbus Blue Jackets

Kristian Huselius	Antoine Vermette	Rick Nash
Jason Chimera	R.J. Umberger	Jakub Voracek
Andrew Murray	Samuel Pahlsson	Jared Boll
Raffi Torres	Derick Brassard	Derek Dorsett

Fedor Tyutin	Anton Stralman
Mike Commodore	Jan Hejda
Kris Russell	Marc Methot

Mathieu Garon

Steve Mason

EXTRA: Mike Blunden, Mathieu Roy, Derek MacKenzie

INJURED: Fredrik Modin, Rostislav Klesla

Nashville Predators

Steve Sullivan	Jason Arnott	Martin Erat
Jerred Smithson	David Legwand	Joel Ward
Jordin Tootoo	Marcel Goc	J.P. Dumont
Ryan Jones	Cal O'Reilly	Patric Hornqvist

Shea Weber	Ryan Suter
Francis Bouillon	Alexander Sulzer
Kevin Klein	Dan Hamhuis

Pekka Rinne

Dan Ellis

Grading the Nashville Predators' November: the defense

Dirk Hoag — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:22:41 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber continues to play a key role at both ends of the ice.

Browse more photos »

We took a look at the goaltenders the other day, so now it is time to focus our attention on how the Nashville Predators defense played during the second month of the season. For your reference, here are October's grades...

Jump down to the bottom for the Behind the Net stats (which represent the season to date). Within each player capsule, stats reflect performance during the month of November.

Francis Bouillon

#51 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 5-8

Weight: 196

Born: Oct 17, 1975

November totals	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Francis Bouillon	13	1	2	3	-4	6	1	0	0	0	16	6.3

Having settled into a steady job (over 20:00 a night) alongside Kevin Klein, Bouillon is starting to chip in a little bit offensively to go along with his consistent defensive work. He's been rewarded with close to 3 minutes of power play ice time per game, and has also played a large role on the penalty kill. Remember when I said long ago that he'd make people forget Greg Zanon? He's certainly on his way.

And if you look at the 5-on-5 numbers below and are concerned about his team-low GFON/60, keep in mind that it's about twice what it was a month ago, meaning that over the last month that number has been roughly in line with his teammates.

Francis Bouillon's grade: A-

Cody Franson

#32 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-5

Weight: 214

Born: Aug 08, 1987

November totals	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Cody Franson	13	1	2	3	+2	4	0	0	1	0	26	3.8

Barry Trotz is careful to put the rookie in situations where he's best placed to succeed (see the QUALTEAM and QUALCOMP numbers down at the bottom; the quality of teammates he plays with is the hightest, and the quality of competition he plays against is low), but Franson is acquitting himself well so far. Surprisingly he hasn't really produced on the power play as much as one would expect, and that's where the team needs his talent most.

As seen in the game-by-game recaps, Franson has a strong impact on Shots For & Against; his "Relative Corsi", or the difference between Total Shots For & Against when he's on the ice vs. when he's on the bench, is the best on the team.

Cody Franson's grade:B+

Dan Hamhuis

#2 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 203

Born: Dec 13, 1982

November totals	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Dan Hamhuis	13	1	3	4	+6	8	0	0	0	0	20	5.0

What a turnaround for Hammer - a disastrous start has been largely reversed, as Goals Against in 5-on-5 have toned down considerably, and the penalty kill has been much better in recent weeks. He plays mostly along Franson, providing the safety net for the rook, and has provided the sort of two-way play Nashville fans have grown to expect over the last few seasons.

Dan Hamhuis' grade: B+

Kevin Klein

#8 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 203

Born: Dec 13, 1984

November totals	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Kevin Klein	13	0	1	1	-1	4	0	0	0	0	11	0.0

Just as Hamhuis' play has steadied, so has Klein's. Since his offensive contributions are so limited, the nostrum that people often use for referees applies to Klein - when you don't notice him very much, you know he's done a good job. He too deserves credit for the rebounding penalty kill unit.

Kevin Klein's grade: B-

Alexander Sulzer

#52 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 204

Born: May 30, 1984

November totals	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Alexander Sulzer	2	0	0	0	+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0

Alexander Sulzer's grade: Incomplete

Ryan Suter

#20 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 194

Born: Jan 21, 1985

November totals	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Ryan Suter	13	0	4	4	-6	10	0	0	0	0	10	0.0

Remember that post from a few days ago covering the 10 NHL Players Who Should Shoot the Puck More Often? Suter was #3 on that list for good reason, not the least of which is his extensive time (roughly 4:00 per game) on the power play. The Preds need more than just 10 shots a month out of him. His 5-on-5 results have taken a nasty turn for the worse, as well. Suter got off to a good start in October, and needs to reverse this recent slide.

Ryan Suter's grade: C-

Shea Weber

#6 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-4

Weight: 230

Born: Aug 14, 1985

November totals	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Shea Weber	11	1	5	6	-6	0	1	0	0	0	32	3.1

While the goals have dried up a bit, the shots are still coming fast and furious, so there's little concern on that front. What really jumps out is that despite playing heavy minutes against top opponents regularly, Weber made it through the entire month without a single penalty. That speaks volumes to his hard work on the defensive end.

Shea Weber's grade: B+

Here are the 5-on-5 numbers for the season to date. For explanations behind the numbers, check Behind the Net:

NAME	GP	TOI/60	RATING	QUALCOMP	QUALTEAM	PTS/60	GFON/60	GAON/60	+/- per 60
Shea Weber	25	17.54	0.06	0.07	0.08	0.68	2.05	2.46	-0.41
Dan Hamhuis	23	17.52	0.69	-0.04	-0.04	1.04	2.53	2.53	0.00
Ryan Suter	27	17.49	-0.01	0.06	0.13	0.51	1.78	2.16	-0.38
Kevin Klein	27	17.11	-1.24	-0.02	-0.09	0.26	1.30	2.47	-1.17
Francis Bouillon	27	16.14	-0.89	0.00	-0.17	0.00	0.96	1.93	-0.96
Cody Franson	21	11.59	2.03	-0.08	0.18	0.99	3.20	1.73	+1.48
Alexander Sulzer	5	11.38	2.80	-0.07	0.50	1.05	3.16	1.05	+2.11

Game 20 Preview: New Jersey Devils @ Nashville Predators - 11/19/2009

John Fischer — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:12 -0000

by Matt Slocum - AP

Zach Parise and his shots were well covered by defenders all night against Philadelphia. Can he break free into space in Nashville tonight? (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

View full size photo »

The Time: 8 PM EST

The Broadcasting Info: MSG+ for the TV; 660 AM WFAN for the radio

The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (14-5-0) @ the Nashville Predators (10-8-1)

The Last Devils Game: The New Jersey Devils went into Philadelphia with 9 straight road wins and 8 straight wins overall and got outplayed by the Flyers. A late consolation goal led to a flattering 3-2 score; but from where I stood, the Devils definitely earned that loss.

The Last Predators Game: The Nashville Predators took on the San Jose Sharks and more than held their own against the Western Conference leaders last night. Their checking line had a big night, Pekka Rinne was solid in net, and they overcame the Sharks 4-3. Dirk Hoag has recapped the game at On the Forecheck, complete with a wonderful table of even strength statistics.

The Goal: Stay calm. The Devils had a long winning streak broken on Monday, getting out played by a Philadelphia team that was able to get to Brodeur's crease with ease and prevent Devils to get right in front of Ray Emery. Perhaps doing better on around the crease in both ends will help. It's what the Devils worked on practice on Tuesday according to Tom Gulitti. But I feel keeping a level head is more crucial. Tonight, they will take on a team who has won 7 of their last 9 and just beat the top team in the West largely due to a power play that has otherwise been miserable. It may be easy to start getting frustrated or play with a little more desperation in an attempt to make a statement or prevent a slump. I feel that could be counter-productive against a team that has to be feeling good and playing well. The Devils have come from behind in so many of their recent wins by not getting frustrated within the game while looking to work harder on the next shift. That was the key to their success and they can get back to doing that Nashville. Only if they stay calm, in my opinion.

Read on for a guess at lines, some further thoughts, and some insight into the Nashville Predators as Dirk Hoag of On the Forecheck answers some question about the team he supports.

The recent big news with respect to the lineup is that the Devils have sent Cory Murphy down to Lowell and have called up Tyler Eckford. The Devils have called up Matthew Corrente earlier this month, so one of the two Devils' top defenseman prospects will be in tonight's game. Corrente has been highly regarded in the Devils' system since being drafted in the first round in 2006, tonight could be his NHL debut to see how he's developed. Eckford has had the hot hands in Lowell, with 2 goals and 7 assists in 3 games last week. Eckford has grown like wildfire since being a seventh round draft pick in 2004, putting up plenty of points in the CCHA before joining Lowell. With Murphy sent down, the Devils can see how Eckford could do in a similar role as an offensive defenseman.

Either way, in the comments to Steve's Murphy-down, Eckford-up post, I explained why I thought Murphy was sent down. Regardless of who gets their first NHL game against Nashville, the Devils' current top four defensemen will have to carry the majority of minutes yet again. Andy Greene, Colin White, Mike Mottau, and Bryce Salvador had unimpressive-at-best games in Philly. If those four can not panic in their own end, not allow Nashville forwards to get behind them, and steady themselves tonight, then it'll go a long way towards a good result for New Jersey.

In any case, here is my guess for the Devils' line up. As usual, expect the forward lines to shift during the game. With respect to who will be in or out, your best bet is to check out Gulitti or Chere later in the day. Again, this is only a guess:

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac - Jamie Langenbrunner
Patrik Elias - Dainius Zubrus - Niclas Bergfors
Brian Rolston - Tim Sestito - David Clarkson
Matt Halischuk - Rod Pelley - Ilkka Pikkarainen

Andy Greene - Bryce Salvador
Colin White - Mike Mottau
Mark Fraser - Matthew Corrente

Martin Brodeur
Yann Danis

While Eckford was just called up, I'm guessing Corrente will get to make his debut as he's been up with the team already and have been practicing to get himself acclimated to the team. I'm also guessing Jacques Lemaire will mix up his wingers and give Ilkka Pikkarainen a shot since the Devils may not necessarily need a big, fighting (?) dude like Peters tonight.

Anyway, let's look at the Nashville Predators. Do you know much about the Predators other than that they beat the San Jose Sharks last night? Did you know that head coach Barry Trotz aired a beef about the arena clock operator at the Sommet Center after the win (via Puck Daddy)? Do you know who is the highest played player on the Nashville Predators? (Just for fun, guess without looking up CapGeek - I think you'll be amazed at the answer) Well, I had some other questions about how the Predators have been doing and the man to ask about the Predators is Dirk Hoag of On the Forecheck. I was able to ask him five questions about the Predators and tonight's game. Keep in mind the questions came before

Question #1. The big story with Nashville on the surface is their difficulty in scoring goals. Prior to the San Jose game, they have scored only 39 goals in 18 games (2.11 average - second lowest in the league) and their power play is dead last at a 11.6% success rate. Yet, the Predators average 30.8 shots per game, the tenth best average in the league. While it's clear to me the Predators are getting shots on net, what has prevented Nashville from scoring goals so far this season?

DH: There are a few reasons for that discrepancy - the first is obviously a lack of finishers, the guys who can take that extra half-second to pick their spot when shooting. The Preds have only had their top line playing together for 3 games now, and the replacement personnel just don't provide that skill. Also, the team is playing a style that dictates firing the puck on net more often and having supporting forwards crash the net for rebounds, rather than circle around and try to set up a perfect shot. As for the power play, that's been a persistent problem for the last three seasons now, and although they scored twice against San Jose on Tuesday, nobody's breaking out the party balloons quite yet.

Question #2. One team stat that I'm sure you're thrilled with are team's penalties. The Predators average only 9.6 minutes per game and have taken a total of only 158 minutes; leading the league in both categories. Why are the Predators so disciplined this season?

DH: Barry Trotz has mentioned quite often in recent days that staying out of the box has been a major focus with this team. He's emphasized "checking with your feet", in other words, having players keep hustling to stay with a play rather than tail off and have to hook or hold an opponent. The team is still playing tough hockey in terms of initiating contact and following through on body checks, but avoiding penalties is key. One interesting point there is the return of Martin Gelinas to the organization as Director of Player Development; when he played with the Preds in 2007-8, he is credited with mentoring Jordin Tootoo during his most disciplined and productive season, so perhaps he's providing some advice on that front as well.

Question #3. Let's talk goalies. Dan Ellis and Pekka Rinne have been splitting time so far this season, though Rinne has the better numbers so far. Does this mean that Rinne has - or should be - the team's starter; or do you not mind the two goalies splitting time?

DH: I don't mind having both split the duty, although the balance does appear to be tipping in Rinne's favor. Both are solid NHL goaltenders, and since they are in the final year of their contracts, each is motivated to make an impact whenever they get the chance. With the compressed schedule this season, all teams will need reliable depth in goal, and the Preds are set up as well as anybody on that front.

Question #4. Among the Predator players, Shea Weber and Ryan Suter lead the Nashville defense in terms of minutes. While they are certainly impressive players to an outsider like me, who on the Predators should the Devils look out for that hasn't necessarily got the attention (or credit) they deserve?

DH: Up front, the two guys you'll want to watch for are Patric Hornqvist, a second-year Swede who battles around the net like a right-handed Tomas Holmstrom, and Jerred Smithson, a veteran who is usually focused on checking and PK work, but is clicking on a line with Joel Ward and David Legwand. Smitty is a hard worker, and unexpectedly ranks 3rd among Nashville forwards with 4 goals already. On defense, Kevin Klein has grown into a Top 4 role and is playing well after a rocky start, and also look for Cody Franson, a rookie who is getting work on the power play.

Question #5. Lastly, what is your prediction for tonight's game?

DH: I don't usually do predictions, but I really like the way the Preds are playing right now. I'll go with 3-2 Nashville.

Big thanks to Dirk for his responses. As usual, I disagree with his prediction; but he is right that the team is loaded with hard working, under-the-radar players. They got two solid goaltenders; while the Devils may see Dan Ellis tonight since Rinne got the San Jose game, Nashville won't be weaker in net.

That their power play was successful against San Jose is a real interesting note, perhaps the start of something big. With respect to special teams play, that Nashville takes so few penalties is a big plus in their favor; a power play unit that finally just got a spark could really make them more dangerous of an opponent along with being rarely shorthanded. After all, a little confidence can turn a slumping part of a team's game right around - and Nashville's offense has clearly been in a lull this season. The Devils would do well to remember that going into tonight's game. As well as staying calm on the ice will minimize the number man advantages the Predators will have to get confident on their power play and on offense in general.

Thanks for reading. Steve will have the GameThread up later today. As usual, please feel free to use this post comment about tonight's game as well as any new news with either team up until the GameThread begins. If you can, check out the Devils' viewing party at the Black Bear Bar in Hoboken. I unfortunately won't be able to make it, so I'll comment during the game here. Go Devils!

Carey Price's Record Tying Performance Under The Microscope

Robert L — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:14:40 -0000

Seven days ago, Chris Boyle's in depth analysis of the Canadiens goaltenders was a true eye opener on several fronts. Following Carey Price's record tying performance last night in Nashville, I asked Chris if he would put this one game under his microscope so we could all have a similar analysis on how good a game Price played. Down below, the graphs illustrate the story of Saturday's game quite clearly. Following Chris' take, there is a historical recap on where Price's marks fit in with other great one game performances in the team's history.

WHO FIRED WHAT:

In the order of shots on goal, shots blocked and missed shots.

Forwards Shots: 11 (0-0) - Steve Sullivan, 5 (0-0) - Martin Erat, 4 (1-1) - David Legwand, 4 (2-0) - Andreas Thuresson, 3 (0-0) - Michael Santorelli, 3 (1-1) - Jason Arnott, 2 (1-0) - Marcel Goc, 2 (0-3) - Jordin Tootoo, 1 (0-1) - Jerred Smithson, 1 (2-1) - Patrick Hornqvist, 1 (1-2) - Joel Ward, 1 (0-0) - J.P. Dumont

On goal: 38 / Blocked: 8 / Misses: 9

Total directed from forwards: 57

Defense Shots: 5 (0-1) - Dan Hamhuis, 4 (1-2) - Shea Weber, 4 (1-1) - Cody Franzen, 3 (0-0) - Kevin Klein, 1 (0-0) - Francis Bouillon, 0 (0-0) - Ryan Suter

On goal: 17 / Blocked: 2 / Misses: 4

Total directed by defense: 23

Team Totals:

On goal: 55 / Blocked: 10 / Misses: 13

Total directed shots by Nashville: 78

SHOT RANGE

Chris notes that of the 55 shots faced by Price, 22 were fired from a distance of 40 feet or more, another 19 came from within the 20 to 40 foot range, and 14 (including Steve Sullivan's 2 goals) came from up close, within 20 feet of the goal.

SAVE %

Price stopped all 41 shots directed at him from a distance of more than 20 feet out. Of 14 chances within the 20 foot parameter, Sullivan beat Price in close at the crease's lip and from 15 feet out on a rebound, uncovered both times.

Price faced 6 shots registered from less than 10 feet, which according to NHL.com gamelogs, is a total that Tim Thomas took 6 games to register.

Prior to Saturday's game against Montreal, Steve Sullivan had 2 goals and 3 assists in 17 games for the NHL's lowest scoring team. His 11 shots in this game bring his season total to 41.

Chris Notes:

I was reminded of Dryden while watching this game. Not because of Price's goaltending, but because I thought I saw the 6'5" Pekka Rinne engaged in his classic pose watching all the action.

In regards to the Nashville game, I found the following article at Puck Prospects.com very interesting.

In the "more shots" category, I was not surprised to find Nashville and Florida. I’ve always found something fishy about Florida’s inflated shot totals, both during the old Luongo days and more recently with Vokoun. Likewise, Nashville always seems to have a goaltender with a 0.920 save percentage (Tomas Vokoun, Chris Mason, Dan Ellis and Pekka Rinne). Though the most remarkable bias comes on the "less shots" side and is found, unsurprisingly, in New Jersey.

As soon as I saw the first period shot totals I thought of this article from Tom Awad that discussed that Nashville has a tendency to overreport shot totals. Also, Boone referenced it in his live game log when he said NHL.com had registered 17 shots, while RDS was reporting 21. It is an interesting tidbit considering the circumstance.

Also the game in question in which Price almost broke the record for shots faced was March 10, 1974. Wayne Thomas was in goal and faced 57 shots against the Penguins in a 5-4 Win (23 in the first period, 15 in the second, 19 in the third) 2 goals in the first, 1 in the next 2 periods. Gary Innes was in goal for the Pens and gave up 5 goals on 18 shots! 1st period the Habs had 8 shots and 3 goals, followed by 5 shots and 1 goal in each of the next 2 periods.

A look at Price's saves against Nashville from Chris' You Tube compilation.

HISTORY AND PRICE'S RECORD

Previous Canadiens Goalie Records:

For a historical point of view, here is a look back on other noteworthy performances by Canadiens goaltenders. For time and perspective, make use of the hyperlinks provided.

Most Shots On Goal Against - One Game: 57

March 10, 1974, Wayne Thomas in goal, in a 5-4 win against Pittsburgh.

Canadiens lineup / Penguins lineup

Most Saves - One Game: 53

November 14, 2009, Carey Price in goal, in a 2-0 Nashville win

Canadiens lineup / Predators lineup / Game Summary

March 10, 1974, Wayne Thomas in goal, in a 5-4 win against Pittsburgh.

Canadiens lineup / Penguins lineup

Most Shots On Goal - One Period: 24 (3 times)

2009 - November 14: Carey Price vs Nashville (1st), 2-0 Nashville (stopped 23 of 24)

Canadiens lineup / Predators lineup / Game Summary

1976 - March 19: Ken Dryden vs California (1st), 4-1 Montreal (stopped 23 of 24)

Canadiens lineup / Seals lineup Game Summary

1970 - March 15: Rogie Vachon vs Toronto (3rd) 3-3 tie (stopped 23 of 24)

Canadiens lineup / Maple Leafs lineup/ Game Summary

Most Saves - One Period: 23 (5 times)

2009 - November 14: Carey Price vs Nashville (1st), 2-0 Nashville (stopped 23 of 24)

Canadiens lineup / Predators lineup / Game Summary

2002 - October 26: Jeff Hackett vs Ottawa (1st), 5-3 Ottawa (stopped 23 of 23)

Canadiens lineup / Senators lineup

1993 - March 10: Andre Racicot vs Islanders (2nd), 5-1 Montreal (stopped 23 of 23)

Canadiens lineup / Islanders lineup

1976 - March 19: Ken Dryden vs California (1st), 4-1 Montreal (stopped 23 of 24)

Canadiens lineup / Seals lineup / Game Summary

1970 - March 15: Rogie Vachon vs Toronto (3rd) 3-3 tie (stopped 23 of 24)

Canadiens lineup / Maple Leafs lineup/ Game Summary

With the performance against Nashville, Carey Price now owns or shares six Canadiens goaltending records including the two listed above.

CAREY PRICE CANADIENS' GOALTENDING RECORDS

Most Shots Faced In One Shootout: 8

October 27, 2008 vs Pittsburgh, Canadiens 4 Penguins 3 / Game Summary

Most Saves In One Shootout: 8

October 27, 2008 vs Pittsburgh, Canadiens 4 Penguins

Most Shootout Shots Faced In One Season:

22: October 27, 2008 vs Pittsburgh, Canadiens 4 Penguins

Most Shootout Saves In One Season:

18: October 27, 2008 vs Pittsburgh, Canadiens 4 Penguins

For more on this game from the Nashville Predators angle, check out On the Forecheck.

Grading the Nashville Predators' October: the defense

Dirk Hoag — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:04:32 -0000

More photos » by Frederick Breedon - AP

After a rough start, Nashville Predators defenseman Kevin Klein has registered a +4 rating, a goal and an assist over his past 3 games.

Browse more photos »

Yesterday we considered the goaltenders, and now it's time to review how the Nashville Predators' defense corps has performed over the previous month.

It's certainly been a roller-coaster ride at times watching this bunch sort out the most effective pairings, but does the stable play of the last week bode well for the month ahead?

First, let's start off with the numbers from Behind the Net, starting with 5-on-5 data:

NAME	GP	TOI/60	RATING	QUALCOMP	QUALTEAM	PTS/60	GFON/60	GAON/60	+/- per 60
Ryan Suter	13	18.0	+1.91	-0.05	0.43	1.03	2.31	1.79	+0.51
Dan Hamhuis	9	17.8	-2.62	-0.06	-0.25	1.12	1.12	3.75	-2.62
Shea Weber	13	17.6	+1.90	-0.01	0.42	1.05	2.63	2.10	+0.53
Kevin Klein	13	17.0	-1.90	-0.07	-0.34	0.00	0.82	2.72	-1.90
Francis Bouillon	13	16.8	-0.65	-0.05	-0.29	0.00	0.55	1.65	-1.10
Alexander Sulzer	3	12.0	+2.80	0.10	0.74	1.67	3.33	1.67	+1.67
Cody Franson	7	10.7	+1.04	-0.14	0.54	1.61	3.22	2.42	+0.81
Teemu Laakso	7	10.1	-0.81	-0.18	-0.53	0.00	0.85	2.55	-1.70

Now, here's 5-on-4 power play action:

NAME	GP	TOI/60	GOALS/60	ASST/60	GFON/60
Shea Weber	13	3.8	2.44	0	3.66
Ryan Suter	13	3.7	0	1.26	3.77
Cody Franson	7	2.2	0	0	3.85
Francis Bouillon	13	1.4	0	3.32	3.32
Dan Hamhuis	9	1.2	0	0	0
Kevin Klein	13	0.7	0	0	0
Teemu Laakso	7	0.3	0	0	0
Alexander Sulzer	3	0.1	0	0	0

And lastly, 4-on-5 penalty killing:

NAME	GP	TOI/60	GAON/60
Cody Franson	7	0.1	0
Teemu Laakso	7	0.5	0
Francis Bouillon	13	1.5	3.02
Shea Weber	13	1.7	10.71
Ryan Suter	13	1.9	9.97
Dan Hamhuis	9	2.2	12.13
Alexander Sulzer	3	1.5	0
Kevin Klein	13	2.2	10.55

The individual analysis follows...

Francis Bouillon

#51 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 5-8

Weight: 196

Born: Oct 17, 1975

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Francis Bouillon	13	0	1	1	-4	8	0	0	0	0	14	0.0

Considering the fact that Francis Bouillon joined the Predators only during the waning days of training camp, and has had only a few weeks to familiarize himself with his teammates and coaches, his performance has been extraordinary. There's been little time to get comfortable, as injuries have forced the Preds to give him almost 20 minutes a night in a variety of roles. His sole assist so far came as the result of a nice effort on the power play against Chicago on October 29, when he moved down from the point and sent a centering pass to Joel Ward for the score. While it would be nice to see a few more assists by his name, I'm willing to chalk that up to a general lack of team scoring, rather than an individual failing on his part.

The defensive side of his game has been generally excellent so far; in 5-on-5, his Goals Against/60 minutes is the lowest on the team at 1.65. On the penalty kill, Bouillon's ability to jam passing lanes and move opponents has proven very effective. His results in 4-on-5 are best on the team by far.

Francis Bouillon's grade: A-

Cody Franson

#32 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-5

Weight: 214

Born: Aug 08, 1987

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Cody Franson	7	1	1	2	1	4	0	0	0	0	10	10.0

While he failed to make the NHL roster out of training camp, Franson has made the most of the opportunity he was given when called up after Dan Hamhuis was injured. Protected by the coaching staff somewhat (his Quality of Competition is near the lowest among the Preds' blueliners, and he doesn't kill penalties), he's producing positive results, which can provide a nice boost to a team that will rely on contributions from every corner of the roster.

It will be interesting to follow Cody's fortunes in the upcoming road trip as he may play a larger role on the power play due to the absence of Shea Weber. His ability to move the puck, and put quick shots on net through traffic, could prove critical.

Cody Franson's grade: B

Dan Hamhuis

#2 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 203

Born: Dec 13, 1982

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Dan Hamhuis	9	0	3	3	-6	10	0	0	0	0	19	0.0

His early-season pairing with Kevin Klein was an unmitigated disaster, as the Goals Against piled up predominantly on their watch (after 6 games, his Plus/Minus stood at -7). He's also been a workhorse on a PK unit that still sits among the league's worst. While things seem to have stabilized since he missed 4 games recently, he has a long ways to go to dig himself out of this hole.

Dan Hamhuis' grade: D+

Kevin Klein

#8 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 203

Born: Dec 13, 1984

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Kevin Klein	13	1	1	2	-4	4	0	0	0	0	9	11.1

If I had to pick a main culprit in the early Hamhuis/Klein disasters, it would probably be Klein; lapses in judgment often left Hamhuis the lone man left around the net defending a 2-on-1, and his Plus/Minus also stood at -7 after just six games. Once that pairing was split due to his partners injury, however, things seem to settle down for Kevin; not only have the Goals Against dried up, but the coaching staff has rewarded stronger play with more ice time in a variety of situations.

Much as with Hamhuis, however, better play of late needs to go a long way forward to make up for an awful start. If he's going to become a regular Top Four NHL defenseman, he also needs to provide more offensive punch as well.

Kevin Klein's grade: D

Teemu Laakso

#4 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 209

Born: Aug 27, 1987

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Teemu Laakso	7	0	0	0	-2	2	0	0	0	0	5	0.0

While the results so far at the NHL level haven't been impressive, the fact that Laakso beat out both Franson and Sulzer to earn a roster spot with the Predators straight out of training camp was an impressive feat. At 22 years of age, he's still maturing as a defenseman, and will surely get another chance down the road.

Teemu Laakso's grade: C

Alexander Sulzer

#52 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 204

Born: May 30, 1984

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Alexander Sulzer	3	0	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.0

Sulzer is a bit of an enigma; valued enough by the Nashville front office to earn a one-way contract (which they refused to give to guys like Antti Pihlstrom or Cal O'Reilly), but deserving of a demotion to Milwaukee during the early days of the season (especially damning given the salary the Preds had to pay to keep him there). With Weber on the shelf for 1-2 weeks, Sulzer will presumably get back into the mix, and needs to make an impression if he wants to stay there.

Alexander Sulzer's grade: Incomplete

Ryan Suter

#20 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 194

Born: Jan 21, 1985

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Ryan Suter	13	2	5	7	2	8	1	0	0	0	17	11.8

Suter appears to be solidifying his place on Team USA's Olympic roster with a fine start, providing steady two-way play in 5-on-5. He could stand to shoot the puck more on the PP, as the Predators need him to assert himself more on the offensive end if they want to develop a 2nd pair which can consistently keep the attack rolling. He does also bear some of the blame for the early PK woes.

Ryan Suter's grade: B

Shea Weber

#6 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-4

Weight: 230

Born: Aug 14, 1985

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Shea Weber	13	5	4	9	2	4	3	0	1	0	36	13.9

As his partner Suter lines up for Team USA, Weber appears to be making a strong case for wearing Team Canada's colors as well. Tied for the NHL lead in goal scoring among defensemen, Weber's 3 power play goals are as many as the rest of the team has combined. His defensive work remains top-notch as well, as he logs heavy minutes against elite opposition on a nightly basis, and can turn the momentum of a game with one of his thundering hits.

About the only knock against him so far is the lackluster overall special teams play; the Preds' power play is only half as effective in terms of Goals For/60 Minutes as the average NHL unit, and the penalty kill is still

Shea Weber's grade: B+

Poll

Which Predators defenseman has been the most pleasant surprise this season?

Francis Bouillon

71 votes

Cody Franson

24 votes

Ryan Suter

4 votes

Shea Weber

7 votes

106 votes | Poll has closed

Stars Let Game Get Away From Them ; Drop 4-2 Decision to Nashville

Brandon Bibb — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:42:20 -0000

More photos » by Frederick Breedon - AP

Brian Sutherby's second period goal was one of the few bright spots for Dallas this evening at Nashville. (AP Photo/Frederick Breedon)

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When I got home after a night of trick or treating with my daughter, I was told this game essentially came down to a 1:43 stretch in the middle of the third period where Patric Hornqvist and Kevin Klein gave the Preds their first lead of the night.

And after last night's wild contest went into the shootout, the Stars just couldn't muster enough energy to get back into this one. In fact, I fast forwarded to the third period and Razor mentioned that the Brad Richards' line didn't have the same jump tonight that they had last night. I think that alone probably tells you the Stars intended on keeping this a close contest and through the first 50:59, it certainly was.

But once the Predators got that two goal lead in the third period, it was over. Hell, I think once the Predators grabbed the lead, it was over. The impetus for Hornqvist's goal appeared to be the shift just before it when the J.P. Dumont line was buzzing around in the Stars' zone and kept the Stars hemmed in practically the entire shit. How Dumont himself didn't give Nashville the lead is a testament to Alex Auld's goaltending.

He almost got out of that jam. And then the Predators took a page out of Florida's playbook, crashed the net, and Patric Hornqvist was rewarded. A screen shot 1:43 later?

Game over. And for the first time this season, the Stars don't get any points on the back end of a back-to-back.

There were a few positives as James Neal extended his point streak to six games and Brad Richards notched a point for the 10th time in the 12 games in which he's appeared in by extending his point streak to five games.

And the Wandell line set up Brian Sutherby for his go-ahead goal in the second period. But in the end, a close game got away from the Stars and they've hit a bit of a bump in the road having gone 0-1-1 these last two nights.

We'll have more on this game tomorrow and throughout the week until the Stars host Calgary this Wednesday.

Nashville Predators get back to .500 with 4-2 win over Dallas

Dirk Hoag — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:13:44 -0000

More photos » by Frederick Breedon - AP

about 1 month ago: Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber, left, is congratulated by right wing J.P. Dumont, second from left, defenseman Ryan Suter (20), right wing Patric Hornqvist (27), of Sweden, and center David Legwand (11) after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Frederick Breedon)

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Despite falling behind 1-0 and 2-1, the Nashville Predators opened up with three goals in the third period to defeat the Dallas Stars and get back to .500, with a 6-6-1 record for the month of October.

Dan Hamhuis and J.P. Dumont had two-assist nights, while four different Predators scored goals; Shea Weber on the power play, Steve Sullivan, Patric Hornqvist with the game-winner, and Kevin Klein with an insurance goal. Pekka Rinne had another strong game in net, stopping 27 of 29 Dallas shots.

After the jump, the video highlights and statistical breakdown...

While the Shots On Goal favored Nashville by a narrow 33-29 margin, the Total Shots were more impressive at 60-49; the Predators were able to respond to a talented group of Dallas forwards by generating a good combination of aggressive battles at the front of the net, along with plays designed to set defensemen up for one-timers (which led to the Weber & Klein goals).

As for how the even-strength play broke down, check out the table below:

Even Strength		Individual Totals					Team Totals While Player Is On Ice
Player	Pos	EV TOI	Shots	Shts Blkd	Missed Shts	Blocks	SOG For	SOG Ag	SOG +/-	Tot SF	Tot SA	Corsi
David Legwand	C	15:53	4	1	1	1	13	10	+3	22	15	+7
Steve Sullivan	L	15:28	1	0	0	0	9	12	-3	19	17	+2
Jean-Pierre Dumont	R	15:00	2	0	1	0	9	9	0	19	14	+5
Jerred Smithson	R	11:56	0	0	0	1	5	3	+2	8	5	+3
Patric Hornqvist	R	12:01	2	1	2	0	8	3	+5	18	4	+14
Colin Wilson	C	9:45	1	0	1	0	4	4	0	12	4	+8
Dave Scatchard	C	12:58	1	2	1	0	4	4	0	12	5	+7
Marcel Goc	C	10:00	2	0	1	0	3	2	+1	5	2	+3
Andreas Thuresson	R	8:28	0	0	1	0	2	3	-1	4	3	+1
Michael Santorelli	C	14:10	3	1	1	0	7	4	+3	13	7	+6
Joel Ward	R	13:27	2	2	0	1	12	4	+8	18	6	+12
Peter Olvecky	L	7:53	0	1	0	0	3	2	+1	4	2	+2
Shea Weber	D	11:45	1	0	1	1	4	4	0	10	8	+2
Ryan Suter	D	18:43	1	0	0	2	5	7	-2	15	12	+3
Dan Hamhuis	D	18:28	1	1	1	0	14	7	+7	30	10	+20
Kevin Klein	D	20:24	1	0	0	0	15	8	7	19	9	+10
Cody Franson	D	11:28	0	4	1	1	7	7	0	19	8	+11
Francis Bouillon	D	18:34	2	0	0	1	9	7	2	11	9	+2

Take a look at the column on the far right - every player in the Nashville lineup came out tonight with a positive Corsi rating, meaning that when they were on the ice at even strength, the Preds fired more shots than Dallas did. Normally you hope that your top two lines end up positive, and your depth guys come close to breaking even, but this was an outstanding effort by the entire team tonight.

Besides the solid play at even strength, we saw the Nashville power play strike again, once in 3 chances, while the penalty killers fought off 4 of 5 Dallas PP's, including a dangerous 5-on-3 situation in the second period, when Dallas threatened to extend its lead.

All in all, that 6-6-1 record is not a bad showing for a team that has had several key players injured at various points, and played 8 out of 13 games on the road to open the season. Prior to the opener, I thought 12 points in 13 games would be a decent result for the month, and here they stand with 13. Granted, some of the losses along the way were truly horrifying, but the team's play has improved considerably in almost all areas, and they can now take a three-game winning streak into a road trip that begins on Thursday in Anaheim.

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

Patric Hornqvist, GW goal, 4 shots

51 votes

Pekka Rinne, 27 saves

19 votes

Shea Weber, PP goal, 4 shots

13 votes

Dan Hamhuis, 2 assists, +20 Corsi

11 votes

94 votes | Poll has closed

Searching for answers on the Nashville Predators' blueline

Dirk Hoag — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:32:48 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Nashville Predators defenseman Dan Hamhuis and his partner Kevin Klein have both started the season with -7 Plus/Minus ratings through 6 games.

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With Nashville's defensive difficulties of late, and today's recall of Cody Franson, speculation is naturally growing about how the defense pairings should look.

Do the defense pair of Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Klein (each a -7 so far) bear the brunt of the blame? Should one of them be scratched or traded, while guys like Francis Bouillon and Teemu Laakso are moved up?

To help answer that question, let's look inside the numbers...

The following data comes from Behind the Net, and relates to 5-on-5 play only. Next to each player I've noted which pairing they've generally played on:

NAME	TOI/60	RATING	GFON/60	GAON/60	SFON/60	SAON/60	CORSI
Ryan Suter -1	17.59	+4.06	2.84	1.71	31.3	25.6	+15.9
Shea Weber -1	18.87	+4.1	2.65	1.59	28.1	25.4	+14.8
Dan Hamhuis -2	17.88	-3.91	0.56	4.47	26.3	20.1	+3.4
Kevin Klein -2	15.66	-4.47	0	4.47	23.6	19.2	-4.47
Teemu Laakso -3	10.89	+0.68	0.92	1.84	16.5	36.7	-22.04
Francis Bouillon -3	16.24	-0.61	0	1.85	17.9	32.0	-22.79

Let's take these columns one at a time:

TOI/60: A simple measure of ice time per game; this tells us that Teemu Laakso is playing a lesser role (to no surprise, given his rookie status). One column I didn't add in here (for space purposes) was the Quality of Competition; to sum up those values, it suffices to say that Suter & Weber face the toughest opponents, and that Laakso faces the easiest by far. Again, no surprise there in sheltering the rookie.

RATING: This tells us, per 60 minutes of 5-on-5, the impact on Goals For and Against that each player has had. Little surprise here, to see the top pair standing out, the bottom pair middling, and the 2nd pair awful.

GF ON/60: How many Goals For are being scored by the Predators per 60 minutes of play when each of these guys is on the ice. Again, matching what our eyes are telling us, the top pair is doing OK but the rest are doing terribly.

GA ON/60: The same thing, but for Goals Against. Hamhuis and Klein are getting lit up like a Christmas tree.

SF ON/60: How many Shots On Goal are being fired by the Preds, prorated to 60 minutes of play. The bottom pairing starts to stick out, as team offensive output drops by nearly half as compared to the other units.

SA ON/60: More bad news for that bottom pairing; shots are coming hot and heavy at the Nashville net when they're out on the ice.

CORSI: The balance of Total Shots (which includes Missed and Blocked) when each player is on the ice. This falls right in line with the Shots On Goal view; the 3rd pair is facing a shooting gallery, while the top pair is driving the play forward. The second pair is basically breaking even.

Bottom line? I'm not sure there's good evidence to show that promoting either Teemu Laakso or Francis Bouillon into a larger role makes any sense at this time. Laakso, in particular, is facing the easiest opposition but is having some of the worst results in terms of driving Shots For and Against. With Bouillon, one can make the argument that he's still rounding into game shape after having started training camp so late; but that argument only buys him some time, it doesn't let him off the hook.

Does something need to change with the Predators' defense? Absolutely; the gaffes we've seen of late (almost all of which have involved the Klein/Hamhuis pair) have been awful. It doesn't matter if you play 15 minutes of sound defense, only to have a couple brain cramps that lead to easy goals for your opponent.

So let me toss something different out there for consideration; what if the Suter/Weber pairing were broken up? Perhaps Hamhuis/Weber and Suter/Klein might allow one of Suter and Weber to be on the ice for most of the game, taking a leading role while their partner backs them up. It's an idea...

Nashville's 6-1 loss to Edmonton: Inside the Numbers

Dirk Hoag — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:50:17 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Ryan Jones led Nashville's forwards with 3 shots on the power play Monday night, but the Predators failed to score with the man advantage.

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What's that you say? You want to relive the magic of Monday night's 6-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, but in a detailed, statistical manner? Well then, you've come to the right place!

Follow after the jump for the breakdown by Even Strength, Power Play and Penalty Kill to see which Nashville Predators fared better or worse across a number of categories...

FYI, I'm hoping to add some aspect of Shot Quality to these tables in the near future, as it occasionally sheds extra light on a given game. In this particular one, for example, Nashville had a massive shooting advantage but Edmonton's shots tended to come from closer in, and were more dangerous.

Even Strength

Even Strength		Individual Totals					Team Totals While Player Is On Ice
Player	Pos	EV TOI	Shots	Shts Blkd	Missed Shts	Blocks	SOG For	SOG Ag	SOG +/-	Tot SF	Tot SA	Corsi
Jason Arnott	C	14:07	2	0	1	1	10	6	+4	16	14	+2
Steve Sullivan	L	14:02	1	1	0	1	10	5	+5	15	11	+4
Patric Hornqvist	R	13:36	1	0	1	1	9	8	+1	14	14	0
Martin Erat	R	13:48	2	0	1	0	8	3	+5	11	5	+6
David Legwand	C	9:20	1	1	0	1	6	7	-1	12	8	+4
Michael Santorelli	C	9:27	2	1	0	0	8	6	+2	13	9	+4
Ryan Jones	L	9:05	0	1	0	0	1	5	-4	8	7	+1
Joel Ward	R	14:01	2	0	1	1	4	5	-1	7	9	-2
Colin Wilson	C	13:42	1	1	0	2	4	3	+1	6	7	-1
Marcel Goc	C	7:18	0	0	0	0	4	2	+2	6	4	+2
Triston Grant	L	5:25	1	0	0	0	4	2	+2	5	3	+2
Jerred Smithson	R	6:26	0	0	1	0	4	2	+2	5	4	+1
Shea Weber	D	16:45	4	0	0	1	11	5	+6	15	11	+4
Ryan Suter	D	14:58	2	0	0	0	10	4	+6	12	10	+2
Dan Hamhuis	D	14:41	1	1	1	0	9	7	+2	16	10	+6
Kevin Klein	D	14:07	0	0	0	2	8	9	-1	13	14	-1
Teemu Laakso	D	13:43	3	1	1	1	4	5	-1	10	9	+1
Francis Bouillon	D	15:20	0	0	1	0	6	6	0	12	14	-2

Obviously we all knew that Kevin Klein had a rough night, and these numbers back that up. He was one of just 5 Preds with a negative Shots On Goal +/-, which is something considering Nashville outshot Edmonton 23-13 at even strength.

Amidst all the noise of that loss, however, another quiet effort by Ryan Jones jumps out when you look here. Mike Santorelli, on the other hand, drove pucks to the net in his limited ice time.

Power Play

Power Play				Team Totals While On Ice
Player	Pos	PP TOI	SOG	Goals For	SOG For	Tot Shots For
Ryan Suter	D	7:19	1	0	9	12
Shea Weber	D	6:41	4	0	9	12
Jason Arnott	C	6:27	2	0	9	12
Patric Hornqvist	R	6:27	1	0	9	12
Steve Sullivan	L	6:07	1	0	9	12
Martin Erat	R	5:17	1	0	8	10
Kevin Klein	D	4:39	1	0	7	9
Ryan Jones	L	3:58	3	0	6	7
Dan Hamhuis	D	3:06	2	0	6	7
Colin Wilson	C	2:59	0	0	4	5
David Legwand	C	2:08	0	0	4	5
Joel Ward	R	1:15	0	0	1	2
Teemu Laakso	D	0:54	0	0	1	2
Francis Bouillon	D	0:49	1	0	2	2
Triston Grant	L	0:24	0	0	1	1
Marcel Goc	C	0:10	0	0	0	0

The Preds now stand at 29th in the league on the power play. All that time, all those shots, and no goals.

Penalty Kill

Penalty Kill				Team Totals While On Ice
Player	Pos	PK TOI	Blkd Shts	Goals Ag	SOG Ag	Tot Shots Ag
Jerred Smithson	R	2:27	0	1	1	1
David Legwand	C	2:20	0	1	1	2
Dan Hamhuis	D	2:00	0	0	0	1
Kevin Klein	D	2:00	0	0	0	1
Joel Ward	R	1:16	1	0	1	2
Shea Weber	D	1:08	0	1	2	2
Ryan Suter	D	1:08	0	1	2	2
Martin Erat	R	0:48	0	0	1	1
Teemu Laakso	D	0:47	0	0	0	0
Francis Bouillon	D	0:47	0	0	0	0
Marcel Goc	C	0:35	0	0	0	0
Jason Arnott	C	0:12	0	0	0	0
Steve Sullivan	L	0:12	0	0	0	0

Few shots were given up on the PK, although one ended up in the net.

Nashville's 1-0 loss to Buffalo: Inside the Numbers

Dirk Hoag — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:08:43 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Teemu Laakso, along with most of the Nashville Predators, spent too much of last night chasing opponents in the defensive zone.

Browse more photos »

As if last night's 1-0 loss to the Buffalo Sabres wasn't gruesome enough in real time, I thought I'd take another swing at presenting detailed stats from the Nashville perspective.

Readers with delicate constitutions may wish to avoid the horrifying details herein...

Even Strength

Even Strength		Individual Totals					Team Totals While Player Is On Ice
Player	Pos	EV TOI	Shots	Shts Blkd	Missed Shts	Blocks	SOG For	SOG Ag	SOG +/-	Tot SF	Tot SA	Corsi
Jason Arnott	C	15:06	0	2	1	0	5	8	-3	14	12	+2
Steve Sullivan	L	15:47	3	0	0	0	6	10	-4	14	14	0
Patric Hornqvist	R	13:59	2	0	0	1	8	7	+1	15	11	+4
David Legwand	C	16:14	2	0	0	1	8	15	-7	14	26	-12
Martin Erat	R	16:02	0	0	0	0	6	12	-6	14	23	-9
Michael Santorelli	C	14:57	3	1	1	1	7	8	-1	12	20	-8
Marcel Goc	C	13:52	0	0	0	0	4	4	0	12	9	+3
Joel Ward	R	13:14	0	1	2	0	3	8	-5	13	13	0
Ryan Jones	L	8:43	2	4	0	0	3	6	-3	10	10	0
Ben Guite	R	5:47	1	0	1	0	2	9	-7	3	10	-7
Jerred Smithson	R	7:59	0	0	1	0	3	9	-6	5	10	-5
Triston Grant	L	7:02	0	0	0	0	3	9	-6	5	10	-5
Shea Weber	D	21:41	2	1	3	2	8	13	-5	21	22	-1
Ryan Suter	D	19:13	0	1	1	4	8	14	-6	18	23	-5
Dan Hamhuis	D	17:15	2	0	2	0	8	7	+1	16	15	+1
Kevin Klein	D	17:29	1	1	0	2	7	7	0	13	15	-2
Francis Bouillon	D	15:40	1	1	0	0	4	18	-14	11	23	-12
Teemu Laakso	D	9:00	0	0	0	0	3	14	-11	7	17	-10

Note: Color shading highlights top (green) and bottom (red) 15% of performers, prorated for ice time. I've attempted to group players by forward line or defensive pairing.

It was a tough night across the board, as all but two players finished on the negative side of the Shots On Goal +/- at even strength (Hornqvist & Hamhuis). The defensive pairing of Bouillon and Laakso had it especially bad. One oddity found here is that Ryan Jones had 4 of his 6 shot attempts blocked, a high proportion for a forward. As for Martin Erat, it may well be milk-carton time; I agree with Brandon Felder's assertion that when J.P. Dumont returns to the lineup, #10 should be banished to the 3rd line (at least) in favor of Hornqvist and Santorelli, who show much more assertiveness offensively.

Just imagine bringing a hockey fan from another city to a Predators game, and ask them which guy they think is the highest paid player on the team. Better yet, bring 1,000. I'd bet not a single one of them would guess Martin Erat.

Power Play

Power Play				Team Totals While On Ice
Player	Pos	PP TOI	SOG	Goals For	SOG For	Tot Shots For
Dan Hamhuis	D	0:50	0	0	0	0
Teemu Laakso	D	0:20	0	0	0	0
Shea Weber	D	0:52	0	0	2	2
Kevin Klein	D	0:48	0	0	0	0
Martin Erat	R	1:08	0	0	0	0
David Legwand	C	1:08	0	0	0	0
Jason Arnott	C	0:52	2	0	2	2
Ryan Suter	D	1:10	0	0	2	2
Steve Sullivan	L	1:10	0	0	2	2
Patric Hornqvist	R	0:52	0	0	2	2
Ryan Jones	L	0:50	0	0	0	0

They only earned two minutes of power play time (a problem all its own), so there's not much here to see.

Penalty Kill

Penalty Kill				Team Totals While On Ice
Player	Pos	PK TOI	Blkd Shts	Goals Ag	SOG Ag	Tot Shots Ag
Jerred Smithson	R	4:18	1	0	3	6
Dan Hamhuis	D	3:50	0	0	3	7
Kevin Klein	D	3:08	0	0	3	7
Marcel Goc	C	2:51	0	0	2	3
Francis Bouillon	D	2:51	0	0	1	1
Ryan Suter	D	2:44	0	0	3	3
Joel Ward	R	2:36	2	0	1	3
David Legwand	C	2:30	0	0	2	3
Shea Weber	D	2:13	0	0	2	2
Ben Guite	R	2:05	0	0	3	4
Teemu Laakso	D	1:14	0	0	0	0
Martin Erat	R	1:05	0	0	1	1
Steve Sullivan	L	0:24	0	0	0	0
Jason Arnott	C	0:11	0	0	0	0

They managed to kill off a full 8 minutes of shorthanded duty without giving up a goal (due in good part, of course, to Pekka Rinne's goaltending), but most of these results aren't bad.

As always, questions or suggestions as to the presentation of single-game advanced stats are welcomed. I do plan on adding faceoff information later on (broken down by on-ice strength and zone).