SB Nation - David Legwand

Look Out! Here Come The Preds!

Sean Zandberg — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:00:22 -0000

PREDATORS (22-11-3) AT CANUCKS (20-16-0)

GAME TIME: 7:30 PM

TV: Sportsnet Pacific

UPDATE (11:23 AM): It was apparently heard on the Team 1040 that Pavol Demitra is back practicing with the Canucks...already. They must have good drugs in Slovakia. Just tuned in to the Team and if you gauge what AV said...Alexander Edler could play tonight.

UPDATE (1:08 AM): Salo and Johnson are expected to play tonight. For more on that, and some praise by AV for O'Brien, check out the Vancouver Sun.

UPDATE (1:24 AM): Jason Arnott is "questionable" for tonight with an upper body injury.

********************

Oh no! Not another Central Division team! No! The Canucks are 1-7 against that heinous group. Turn on the game and pop an anxiety pill, right? Well, maybe not. There are a couple possibilities/reasons why the Canucks might show up for this one.

A. They usually follow lackluster efforts with good ones.

B. Nashville sits 4th in the West. The Canucks won't be playing down to their competition. Nashville is 7 points ahead of Vancouver.

Almost amazingly, the Canucks can still find themselves in 8th spot tomorrow night if they beat the Preds and ~~Dallas loses to San Jose in regulation tonight~~.(DONE!) Detroit and Dallas play on Wednesday and will probably push us out then if we sneak in.

The Preds are rolling right now. Since their 4-2 win over the Canucks on December 8th, they have a 5-0-1 record. They have won 4 in a row (Canucks don't know what that is like), and have a 7-1-2 record in their last 10 games. Good lord, is this Nashville we are talking about? What gives?

In the 4 game winning streak, there are a few unlikely heroes in Nashville's lineup:

-Patric Hornqvist has 4 goals and 7 points, earning him the NHL's 3rd Star Of The Week.

-Marcel Goc (good buddies with Ehrhoff) has 2 goals and 4 assists.

-Joel Ward has 1 goal and 5 assists.

Then we have what should be the usual suspects:

-David Legwand and Martin Erat have 2 goals and 4 assists each.

-Steve Sullivan has 3 goals and 1 assist.

-JP Dumont (3 points) and Jason Arnott (2 points) have slowed down. Doesn't mean we should discount them. They can strike at any moment.

So Nashville has a lot of good things going on right now, especially with the scoring from several sources.

How do the other stats add up?

COMPARATIVE STATS

-GOALS PER GAME: Canucks 5th, Preds 13th

-GOALS AGAINST PER GAME: Canucks 10th, Preds 16th

-5 ON 5: Canucks 6th, Preds 11th

-POWER PLAY: Canucks 5th, Preds 26th.

-PENALTY KILL: Canucks 19th, Preds 28th

SHOTS PER GAME: Canucks 11th, Preds 12th

SHOTS AGAINST PER GAME: Canucks 10th, Preds 11th.

WINNING % WHEN LEADING AFTER 1: Preds 3rd, Canucks 6th

WINNING % WHEN LEADING AFTER 2: Preds 1st (100%), Canucks 8th (.933)

FACEOFF %: Canucks 11th, Preds 14th

Sad, isn't it? We are better than them in most statistical categories but are still 7 points behind them. Crazy to think that in Nashville's 4-game winning streak they have scored 23 goals, but only 1 of them on the power play, which goes along with their ranking above.

I would really appreciate it if the Canucks would just calm the hell down and play their game. They need to stop getting caught up-ice. They need to play an aggressive, consistent, and defensively sound game. Can someone please teach them how to properly break out of their own zone? Please!

Willie Mitchell said Monday: "We have to go into this one prepared to win 1-0 or 2-1," said Mitchell. "If we do that, we'll be more consistent."

Oh, and check out Kevin Bieksa's disdain about having his ice time reduced. There is some finger-pointing going right now.

Can we clone 12 Ryan Keslers? Is that possible?

Predators bounce back to beat Edmonton 6-3

Dirk Hoag — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 05:46:14 -0000

More photos » by John Ulan - AP

Nashville Predators' Jerred Smithson, right, celebrates with David Legwand after scoring on the Edmonton Oilers during the third period.

Browse more photos »

The oft-cited mantra of NHL coaches is that their teams have to play 60 good minutes of hockey to win on any given night.

Tonight in Edmonton, the Nashville Predators only played 55 good minutes, but fortunately for them it was the final 55 minutes, as they came back from an early 2-0 deficit to beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-3. The win takes the Preds to 5-0-1 in their last six games.

Follow after the jump for video highlights, the recap, and advanced even-strength statistics...

Things looked grim when the Oilers scored twice in the first 5:01, making the Preds look disheveled and sluggish. Head coach Barry Trotz called a timeout, pulled Pekka Rinne out of the net in favor of Dan Ellis (more a motivational move than an indictment of Rinne's play), and hoped for the best.

And the best is exactly what Trotz got.

First, it was Ryan Jones getting Nashville on the board, thanks to an unlikely setup by Wade Belak, whose hard work and persistence on the puck led to a rebound chance that Jones buried to extend his goal-scoring streak to four games. Next, a typically workmanlike shift by the shutdown line led to a Joel Ward goal, and the game was tied.

Fans watching at home barely had time to hoist their drinks in celebration before Marcel Goc scored off a crossing pass from J.P. Dumont to put the Preds up 3-2 late in the 1st period. Just like that, what looked like an excuse to turn the TV off and head to bed became cause for firing up a pot of coffee and settling in for a classic late-night Alberta thriller.

Having fallen behind, however, the Oilers didn't buckle. Their infamous team speed presented a constant threat, and skilled forwards like Robert Nilsson and Gilbert Brule gave the Preds' defense fits at times. After a nifty tic-tac-toe passing play between J.P. Dumont and Jason Arnott ended up with a Patric Hornqvist goal midway through the second to make it 4-2, Nilsson put on his second display of speed, bursting through the defense to pull the Oilers to within a goal at 4-3.

Often, the Preds had to settle in to packing the slot defensively as Edmonton kept bringing pressure, but they were able to keep most shots from getting the net (in the second period, each team only fired 6 on goal). Nashville got a bit of breathing room in the waning seconds as Hornqvist got his second goal of the night, tipping a long slapshot on the power play from Ryan Suter to give the Predators a 5-3 lead heading into the third.

The final period was a classic example of a team hanging on for victory; the Oilers outshot the Preds 10-5, including a couple especially dangerous chances. In the end, however, Jerred Smithson buried a lead pass by Legwand to make the final score 6-3, just seconds after getting denied an empty-netter because the play was offside.

Dan Ellis ended up with 21 saves on 22 Oiler shots, and Hornqvist led the Nashville scorers with two goals and an assist. J.P. Dumont, David Legwand, and Ryan Suter each had two assists.

It was hardly a perfect game by the Preds, considering the sluggish start and 5 total penalties, including a Too Many Men call which typically drives coaches nuts. The penalty killers also got lit up twice, on the initial goal of the game and then later in the second period while trying to defend a two-goal lead. In the end, however, persistent work by the entire group led to a huge comeback victory over an Oiler squad that had won 5 straight before Tuesday night.

And what about this offense? After having scored 5, 7, and now 6 goals in the last 3 games, the Preds now sport a Goals per Game figure of 2.77, good enough for 16th in the NHL. Last two seasons, they've been mired in 24th.

From here, the Predators head to Calgary for a Saturday afternoon (3:00 Central) start against the Flames, before moving on to Vancouver on Tuesday to wrap up the western Canada swing. Their next home game is Saturday night, December 26 vs. Chicago.

For discounted tickets to any Nashville Predators home game, you can follow this link and use the special offer code "PREDS".

Looking at the advanced stats, it's a bit remarkable that the top line of Sullivan-Arnott-Erat actually shut down the Oilers, only allowing two shots on goal at even strength in roughly 15 minutes of ice time, and the Ward-Legwand-Smithson line tipped the ice in their favor for most of the night.. Rookie Nick Spaling had what appears to be a rough game, but it should be noted that 4th-liners often come out on the poor end of these metrics. His defensive play in particular was often helpful in holding onto the Nashville lead.

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
Martin Erat	R	15:08	2	0	1	2	8	1	7	13	8	5
Jason Arnott	C	14:58	1	0	0	0	8	2	6	13	9	4
Steve Sullivan	L	14:55	1	1	1	1	8	2	6	13	9	4
David Legwand	C	13:53	2	2	0	0	9	7	2	19	12	7
Jerred Smithson	R	13:30	0	1	0	0	9	6	3	18	8	10
Joel Ward	R	12:50	2	1	0	0	7	6	1	16	9	7
Marcel Goc	C	13:37	1	0	0	0	5	6	-1	13	13	0
Patric Hornqvist	R	13:32	1	0	3	0	6	6	0	15	13	2
J P Dumont	R	13:25	0	0	0	1	6	7	-1	15	16	-1
Wade Belak	R	5:43	2	0	0	1	3	4	-1	4	6	-2
Nick Spaling	C	6:54	0	0	0	0	3	5	-2	4	9	-5
Ryan Jones	L	6:20	0	0	0	0	3	2	1	4	5	-1
Shea Weber	D	17:09	1	0	1	1	9	5	4	17	12	5
Ryan Suter	D	17:45	0	1	0	1	10	5	5	18	13	5
Dan Hamhuis	D	17:26	3	1	4	0	9	6	3	18	15	3
Kevin Klein	D	16:28	1	2	0	1	8	7	1	17	15	2
Cody Franson	D	12:07	1	1	1	0	7	5	2	14	10	4
Francis Bouillon	D	15:31	2	2	1	0	7	8	-1	14	13	1

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

Dan Ellis, 21 saves on 22 shots

14 votes

Patric Hornqvist, 2 goals, 1 assist

72 votes

Ryan Jones, 4 game goal-scoring streak

12 votes

98 votes | Poll has closed

Nashville Predators steamroll Tampa Bay 7-4

Dirk Hoag — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:40:12 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

9 days ago: Nashville Predators center Jerred Smithson, top, celebrates with David Legwand (11) after Smithson scored against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first period of an NHL hockey game on Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009 in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Browse more photos »

The Nashville Predators put on their biggest offensive display this season, rolling over the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-4 after falling behind in the first period. Seven different Predators scored, and all but four skaters got at least one point on the evening as the Preds pushed their way into 5th position in the Western Conference.

Tonight marked the third time in the last 10 games that Nashville has won by a three-goal margin, after not doing so at all in the first 24.

Follow after the jump for the recap...

Please be patient, it may take a while for video to become available.

Nashville's shutdown line, tasked with defending the line of St. Louis, Stamkos and Malone, instead provided the opening goal for the Preds; Joel Ward put the initial shot on net, David Legwand carried the rebound around behind the net for a wrap-around attempt, and Jerred Smithson ended up stuffing home the loose puck for a 1-0 lead.

While the Predators carried most of the early play, Steve Stamkos got loose through center ice at top speed a few minutes later, and was able to carry the puck wide on Shea Weber, ultimately slipping the puck through Pekka Rinne's 5-hole to tie the game 1-1.

From there, the penalty bug bit the Preds again, as in recent games against Detroit and Columbus. First, Smithson retaliated with a cross-check on that landed him in the box, and while that penalty was still being killed off, Ryan Suter clipped Vincent Lecavalier with an unintentional high-stick. Nashville survived the 5-on-3 but just as it expired, a slapshot from Lecavalier made it 2-1 Tampa Bay.

Early in the second, the shutdown line came through again for Nashville, with Legwand stuffing home a rebound of Ward's initial shot just 1:25 in. Just a couple minutes later, Nick Spaling recorded his 1st career NHL point, as he earned an assist for carrying the puck with speed into the Tampa zone, putting Niittymaki down to the ice with a backhand attempt, leaving a loose puck for Ryan Jones to stuff home. Jones has now scored in three consecutive games.

Patric Hornqvist then scored to push the lead to 4-2, taking a loose puck off a faceoff and firing a quick wrister from between the circles, a goal which chased Niittymaki from the game. Mike Smith came on in relief, but lasted just 28 seconds before J.P. Dumont tipped a Hornqvist shot past him to make it 5-2. Fans in the arena didn't even have time to chant "We Want Frosties" before the key 5th goal was scored.

From there, things just got steadily worse for the Lightning; a fight broke out behind the play between Shea Weber and Steve Downie, with Weber getting the best of the scrap by far. Dan Hamhuis added a long goal to make it 6-2, and another fight between Kevin Klein and Stephane Veilleux failed to generate any momentum for Tampa Bay.

By the end of two periods, the Preds had scored 6 goals for only the second time all season, on only 16 shots!

Smithson got into his own scrap to start the 3rd period, taking a roughing minor in addition to fighting with Ryan Malone, who had been roughing him up along the boards. On the ensuing power play, Kurtis Foster scored on a long slapshot to make it 6-3. The Lightning then crept even closer with 7:40 left in the 3rd, as Lecavalier converted on a breakaway chance for his second goal of the night, making the score 6-4. Fans began to sense trouble, as a blowout appeared to take on a new competitive angle.

Martin Erat got back on the scoresheet to make it 7-4 with 6:13 left, though, extending a remarkable night where the Preds scored a ton of goals, but no player got more than two points or four shots; this was a whole-team effort.

Pekka Rinne turned aside 30 of 34 Lightning shots, a decent night but not particularly outstanding. In the post-game press conference, Trotz offered up that he thought Pekka was a little too active on a couple of the Tampa Bay goals, when a little patience would have served him better.

Given the number of fights in the game, it was somewhat surprising to see Wade Belak skate only two shifts in the third period. Trotz noted, however, that the Lightning came out in the 3rd with good speed and tried to push the pace. They were determined to try and make a game of it, and for a few minutes, came uncomfortably close to doing just that.

NHL Boxscore

Check back tomorrow morning for the advanced stats from tonight's game.

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

Marcel Goc, 2 assists

8 votes

Patric Hornqvist, goal & assist

41 votes

David Legwand, goal & assist

22 votes

Jerred Smithson, goal & fight

17 votes

Joel Ward, 2 assists

4 votes

92 votes | Poll has closed

Sullivan's hat trick leads Nashville to 5-3 win over Columbus

Dirk Hoag — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 03:17:20 -0000

More photos » by Jay LaPrete - AP

Nashville Predators' Steve Sullivan, right, celebrates his third goal of the night against the Columbus Blue Jackets with teammates Dave Scatchard, left, and Martin Erat during the second period.

Browse more photos »

Just 6 days after Martin Erat scored three goals against Vancouver, Steve Sullivan completed his first hat trick since December 14, 2006 to lead the Preds to a 5-3 victory in Columbus tonight. With the win, Nashville pushed its record to 12-3-2 in the last 17 games, leapfrogging Phoenix into 6th place in the Western Conference.

Follow after the jump, for video highlights, the recap, and the advanced even-strength stats...

This was an odd game, in that offensively, the Preds won a tremendous number of individual battles for the puck, but that was offset by an equally tremendous number of penalties; Columbus got seven power play chances on the night, which led to two of their goals.

The top line of Arnott, Erat and Sullivan dominated much of the 5-on-5 play, while David Legwand's line was able to keep things to a relatively standstill (great work by a shutdown line on the road). Ryan Jones was able to follow up on his 2-point night against Detroit with a tip-in of a Dan Hamhuis shot, but he did take two penalties and had a couple other golden opportunities to score go wide; yes, he scored, but I didn't think he had a particularly strong game.

Patric Hornqvist was excellent, however, and capitalized on some hard work On the Forecheck by Legwand that led to a turnover behind the Columbus net. He also drove towards the crease repeatedly and got roughed up several times for his reward.

In goal, Dan Ellis was good enough to keep the Blue Jackets at bay, steering rebounds off to the side during a few stretches when Columbus seized the momentum. He ended up with 28 saves on 31 Blue Jacket shots.

All in all, while not a perfect effort, the energy level was excellent, and seizing the advantage early in the game kept Nashville in the driver's seat all evening long. It was especially important to nail down the win in regulation against a conference rival, and avoid having to work overtime ahead of tomorrow night's home game with Tampa Bay.

Reminder: Tomorrow marks the end of Movember, so check out the Preds' mustaches and make your donation!

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
Martin Erat	R	13:50	5	0	0	0	19	10	9	24	13	11
Jason Arnott	C	14:20	5	1	2	0	17	10	7	21	12	9
Steve Sullivan	L	14:10	1	0	0	0	16	11	5	20	13	7
David Legwand	C	13:34	1	0	0	0	5	4	1	8	11	-3
Joel Ward	R	11:47	1	1	0	0	4	6	-2	7	10	-3
Marcel Goc	C	10:19	0	1	1	0	8	3	5	13	8	5
Jerred Smithson	R	11:52	0	0	1	0	3	5	-2	4	11	-7
Ryan Jones	L	9:34	1	1	0	0	5	3	2	10	7	3
J P Dumont	R	10:36	0	1	0	0	6	3	3	9	7	2
Wade Belak	R	5:20	0	0	0	0	3	1	2	4	5	-1
Patric Hornqvist	R	6:10	4	1	0	0	7	2	5	9	5	4
Dave Scatchard	C	7:45	2	0	1	0	6	4	2	8	8	0
Shea Weber	D	15:59	0	0	0	0	9	9	0	14	11	3
Ryan Suter	D	15:23	1	0	1	1	9	8	1	13	10	3
Dan Hamhuis	D	15:26	1	0	0	0	16	6	10	20	14	6
Kevin Klein	D	16:28	2	0	1	2	18	7	11	22	16	6
Francis Bouillon	D	13:30	1	0	0	1	9	6	3	14	15	-1
Alexander Sulzer	D	11:19	2	0	0	3	7	5	2	11	11	0

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

Steve Sullivan, 3 goals

25 votes

Steve Sullivan's mustache, team-leading $1,595 in "Movember"

42 votes

67 votes | Poll has closed

Game 33 Preview: Jackets in tough against the Preds

Mike MacLean — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 20:08:16 -0000

by Carlos Osorio - ASSOCIATED PRESS

View full size photo »

Every year I always seem to say this: those damned Preds! Nashville comes to town for the first time this season, after going 2-0 so far against the Jackets in Nashville. The Jackets have dug themselves in a hole whereby they have to win games from here out, plain and simple. They play in the best division in hockey so intra-division games are crucial.

Some lineup changes of note- Chimmer moves up with Vermmy and Nasher, and there's a new line of Modin, Brass and Torres. That one sounds interesting, a little bit of everything. With Dorsett out with a broken hand, Murray goes back into the lineup on the checking unit with Sammy and Boller. Mase gets the start against Rinne.

I can't stress the importance of these games. The Jackets desperately need to go on a winning streak, why not start tonight?

Fearless Prediction: A win, please.

Game Time: 7:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: On the Forecheck

Game Page: Predators vs Blue Jackets Coverage

TSN Preview: Predators vs Blue Jackets Preview

TV: FSN Ohio

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

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

A meeting of polar opposites: The Blue Jackets are a skilled club that lacks resiliency and on-ice cohesion; the Predators make up for a lack of high-end talent with immense resolve. The previous two meetings, both in Nashville, ended in 4-3 shootout wins for the Predators. The Blue Jackets won all three meetings in Nationwide Arena last season.

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

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

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

Steve Mason

Mathieu Garon

EXTRA: Michael Blunden, Mathieu Roy

INJURED: Rostislav Klesla, Derek Dorsett

Nashville Predators

Steve Sullivan	Jason Arnott	Martin Erat
Jerred Smithson	David Legwand	Joel Ward
Patric Hornqvist	Marcel Goc	J.P. Dumont
Wade Belak	Dave Scatchard	Ryan Jones

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

Pekka Rinne

Dan Ellis

Game 31: Jackets take on the Preds in Nashville

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

by Jay LaPrete - AP

View full size photo »

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

Nashville Predators 2010 Winter Olympics Preview

Dirk Hoag — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:00:31 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

The power, speed and skill of Nashville's Shea Weber are expected to be a big part of Team Canada's blueline at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Browse more photos »

As part of SB Nation's series of previews for the upcoming Winter Olympics, let's take a look at the Nashville Predators who are expected to represent their country this February in Vancouver. We'll break down which players should pack their bags already, which are in a battle for a roster spot, and which have real work to do if they want their shot at Olympic glory.

Pack Your Bags!

The most prominent Predators discussed in terms of the Winter Olympics are Nashville's twin towers on defense, Ryan Suter and Shea Weber:

Ryan Suter - USA

#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	25	2	9	11	-2	16	1	0	0	0	24	8.3

Suter, as has been discussed repeatedly, is the son of Bob Suter, a member of the 1980 "Miracle On Ice" U.S. Mens Team. A steady two-way defender who faces elite opposition every night, Suter's greatest strength is his ability to carry the puck from defensive to offensive zone, and get the attack moving. The U.S. should contend for a medal, and Suter is likely to play a major role on a pretty young American squad.

Shea Weber - Canada

#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	23	6	9	15	-2	4	4	0	1	0	66	9.1

The roster selection for Team Canada is one of the most-talked about hockey stories this year. In every online projection for which players will don the Maple Leaf, however, you'll see Shea Weber's name listed as a regular on the blueline. He brings that rare combination of reliable defensive work, outstanding offensive production, and brute physical force that franchises dream of building a team around.

Alexander Radulov - Russia

#47 / Right Wing / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 188

Born: Jul 05, 1986

Well, he's still under a valid NHL contract with Nashville, so I guess this counts. Radulov should provide secondary scoring for what should be a dynamite Russian squad led by the formidable trio of Alexander Ovechkin, Pavel Datsyuk, and Evgeni Malkin.

Marcel Goc - Germany

#9 / Center / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 200

Born: Aug 24, 1983

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Marcel Goc	23	2	1	3	-2	6	0	0	0	0	36	5.6

Germany isn't exactly stacked with NHL-level talent, and the versatile Goc is sure to be included on Uwe Krupp's team.

Roman Josi - Switzerland

Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-1

Weight: 198

Born: June 1, 1990

This smooth-skating young blueliner, Nashville's 2nd-round pick (38th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, plays in the Swiss League, and last season led all players under age 20 in goals, points and assists. Having appeared in the 2009 World Championships, he's expected to suit up in Vancouver for his native Switzerland, which is capable of the occasional upset, having beaten both the Czech Republic and Canada in the 2006 Turin Games.

In A Battle

Patric Hornqvist - Sweden

#27 / Right Wing / Nashville Predators

Height: 5-11

Weight: 186

Born: Jan 01, 1987

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Patric Hornqvist	25	5	5	10	2	8	0	0	2	0	82	6.1

Sweden is the defending gold medal champion, and while being hailed as "a prime example of someone playing their way onto an Olympic team", the field of potential forwards is a tough one to crack, especially if Peter Forsberg is healthy and ready to go.

Pekka Rinne - Finland

#35 / Goalie / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-5

Weight: 206

Born: Nov 03, 1982

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Pekka Rinne	17	961	11	5			38	2.37	452	414	.916	2

Finland is turning into a real hotbed of goaltending, and with Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff proclaiming that he'd rather stay home if he's not the #1 starter, Rinne might be able to play himself onto this squad alongside competitors like Nicklas Backstrom, Tuukka Rask, and Antero Niitymaki.

Alexander Sulzer - Germany

#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	5	0	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0.0

Originally thought of as a lock for the German team, Sulzer's OIympic dreams have likely taken a hit given his lack of playing time so far this season.

Work To Do

Robert Dietrich - Germany

#50 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 5-10

Weight: 172

Born: Jul 25, 1986

Dietrich was on Germany's preliminary roster at their summer organizational camp, but is part of a crowded field of players in either North American minor league hockey or European elite leagues. With Milwaukee, he is the Admirals' 2nd-leading scorer with a goal and 13 assists in 21 games.

Martin Erat - Czech Republic

#10 / Left Wing / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-0

Weight: 203

Born: Aug 29, 1981

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Martin Erat	22	4	5	9	-7	20	2	0	1	0	43	9.3

Perhaps the recent injury to Edmonton's Ales Hemsky opens up a roster spot at forward, but Erat's slow start hasn't helped his chances.

Dan Hamhuis - Canada

#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	21	1	6	7	1	18	0	0	0	0	39	2.6

Hamhuis has represented Team Canada at the World Championships on a number of occasions, and was invited to their Olympic camp this summer. There's little reason to believe he'll crack the lineup for the Winter Olympics, however; that's not a crack on his ability, as the competition there is incredibly tough.

David Legwand - USA

#11 / Center / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-2

Weight: 202

Born: Aug 17, 1980

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - David Legwand	25	5	9	14	-1	10	0	1	2	0	53	9.4

Given his stellar defensive work this season in a checking role between Joel Ward and Jerred Smithson, Legwand might gain consideration for a similar job on Team USA. There are few players in the world that can match Leggy's combination of skating ability and size at the center position, and he could help an American team that will hope to win tough, low-scoring games. He'll have to maintain his recent offensive success, however, to get noticed as a hot commodity.

Poll

How many Nashville Predators (including Radulov) will play in the Winter Olympics?

1-3

16 votes

4-6

40 votes

7-9

9 votes

10-12

4 votes

69 votes | Poll has closed

Predators get back to their winning ways in 4-1 victory over Florida

Dirk Hoag — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:03:23 -0000

More photos » by Kate Humphrey - AP

26 days ago: Nashville Predators players congratulate Dan Hamhuis after Hamhuis scored a goal against the Florida Panthers in the first period of an NHL hockey game on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2009, in Nashville, Tenn. From left are Jerred Smithson, Marcel Goc, of Germany, Jordin Tootoo, Hamhuis and Kevin Klein. (AP Photo/Kate Humphrey)

Browse more photos »

Dan Hamhuis led all scorers with his first goal of the season along with an assist as the Nashville Predators beat the Florida Panthers in front of 14,120 tonight at the Sommet Center Smashville Arena. Wearing their new 3rd jerseys, the Preds struggled through the first two periods tied 1-1 before finally pulling away in the third in a penalty-filled affair for both teams.

After the jump we've got the video highlights, recap, and advanced even-strength statistics...

This was a fun one to enjoy, not just due to the play on the ice, but because I brought my father-in-law to the game. Since he lives in Indiana he doesn't catch NHL action often. In fact, he told me the last live game he saw pitted the Boston Bruins against the St. Louis Blues... back in 1971! As Buddy Oakes observed during the first intermission, the look of the game (especially in terms of advertisements on the boards and ice) sure has changed since those days...

On the ice, the Predators got off to a sluggish start; three power play opportunities came and went with lackluster results, and the crowd started getting restless, anticipating the worst after last night's loss to St. Louis. Late in the period, however, a point shot from Hamhuis with traffic in front from Joel Ward and Jerred Smithson got through Florida goalie Scott Clemmensen to put Nashville up 1-0 heading into the 1st intermission.

The second period saw a steady stream into the penalty box, as Jordin Tootoo squared off for a short fight with Kenndal McArdle immediately after the opening faceoff. Besides three other minor penalties to the Predators during that period (all successfully killed off, by what is looking once again like a typically strong Nashville PK unit), Tootoo got a rematch with McArdle midway through the period. Tootoo didn't want to go, but McArdle wouldn't let go and basically begged for a fight - so Toots basically pounded the stuffing out of him and ended his evening early.

Amidst all those festivities, however, Florida tied the game. Jordan Leopold was the trailer in a 3-on-2 and fired a shot high stick side by Dan Ellis, who was outstanding in his first game action in 3 weeks. Despite his play, however, fans were nervous about a tied game heading into the third, with not much offense to show so far.

Things certainly turned during the final 20 minutes, however. The Preds poured it on with a 12-5 shooting advantage down the stretch, and took a 2-1 lead early on. Steve Sullivan got the puck all alone in front of the Florida net and took his shot, which led to a rebound at the side of the goal for J.P. Dumont. He took the time to lift a backhand over a prone Clemmensen for the goal, his fifth of the season.

David Legwand continued his hot play by adding an insurance goal a few minutes later, powering his way past a Panthers defender to chase a puck into the offensive end and stuff a shot through the 5-hole for his fifth goal as well. Joel Ward added an empty netter in the final minute to ice the game for Nashville.

The Preds conclude this home stand with a game Monday against the Calgary Flames, who boast a 9-1-3 road record after winning in Columbus tonight.

For the Florida perspective on the game, check out Litter Box Cats, SB Nation's Florida Panthers blog.

For discounted tickets to any Nashville Predators home game, you can follow this link and use the special offer code "PREDS".

Looking at tonight's even-strength statistics, note that the overall SOG +/- and Corsi numbers are mostly positive; even the worst results on the team, mostly concentrated on the 4th-liners, are only mildly negative. Up front, the Legwand line had an excellent night, and consistently seemed to have the most jump.

Once again, however, that name down at the bottom of the list, Cody Franson, continues to put up positive results in relatively limited action.

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	11:31	2	2	0	2	8	4	4	17	12	5
Steve Sullivan	L	11:24	2	2	2	0	8	4	4	17	13	4
J P Dumont	R	9:55	2	0	0	0	7	3	4	16	10	6
David Legwand	C	12:01	2	0	1	0	12	5	7	19	13	6
Jerred Smithson	R	12:33	2	2	0	1	10	6	4	18	12	6
Joel Ward	R	11:46	3	1	0	1	10	3	7	17	11	6
Marcel Goc	C	12:57	1	1	1	0	4	6	-2	13	9	4
Martin Erat	R	10:39	0	0	1	0	5	7	-2	11	11	0
Jordin Tootoo	R	11:31	0	2	0	0	4	4	0	13	7	6
Michael Santorelli	C	5:57	1	0	0	0	2	4	-2	4	5	-1
Patric Hornqvist	R	8:51	1	0	0	0	4	6	-2	7	8	-1
Dave Scatchard	C	6:56	0	1	0	0	2	5	-3	5	6	-1
Shea Weber	D	14:28	5	2	1	1	11	10	1	22	20	2
Ryan Suter	D	14:09	0	1	1	3	10	10	0	19	21	-2
Kevin Klein	D	13:50	0	0	2	2	7	6	1	17	13	4
Francis Bouillon	D	13:56	0	0	0	0	6	5	1	14	11	3
Dan Hamhuis	D	15:48	0	1	2	0	9	4	5	20	8	12
Cody Franson	D	11:53	0	1	0	0	7	3	4	12	5	7

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

Dan Ellis, 23 saves & 1 assist

22 votes

Dan Hamhuis, 1 goal, 1 assist, +3 in 21:16 TOI

31 votes

David Legwand, 1 goal in 21:14 TOI

12 votes

65 votes | Poll has closed

Predators, Ellis rip Panthers 4-1

Whale4ever — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 03:55:41 -0000

Jordan Leopold scored Florida's only goal. Not Nathan Horton. Not Stephen Weiss. Not Rostislav Olesz. Not Michael Frolik. Not...you get the point.

Nashville positively owned the Original Cats, leading in SOG (29-24) and just plain solid effort to get back in the win column. Goaltender Dan Ellis was superb when called upon - and that wasn't often - and given support with goals by Dan Hamhuis, David Legwand, Joel Ward, and JP Dumont.

Remember goal support? Neither do I, but it certainly sounds like a winning strategy. Works for Florida's opponents.

Another evening of chasing the plays and allowing the opposition to dictate terms. Sounds like U.S. foreign policy.

Why wasn't Clemmer in net for Toronto on Friday, paving the way for Tomas Vokoun to start this one, against a club he played eight seasons with.

Why was Kenndal McArdle allowed to risk injury - a second time - in another fight with Jordin Tootoo when Steve MacIntyre was standing by with zippo on his schedule?

Why - OH WHY - did defenseman Bryan McCabe lead his team in SOG? Where were the forwards? Oh, here they are: Horton: zero shots. Weiss: two. Frolik: two. Congratulations, Rusty Olesz...you led the forwards with three shots on goal. And a belated thanks to defenseman Bryan Allen and his three attempts.

Another complete and utter waste of time and cash by the Panthers (what does it cost to transport and house these guys for a night?).

A sick and terribly lacking performance.

The NHL's top defensive forwards

James Mirtle — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:49:06 -0000

More photos » by David Banks - AP

Montreal Canadiens' Tomas Plekanec and Chicago Blackhawks' John Madden.

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We're about far enough into the season that we can start to look at some individual stats and have enough of a sample size to draw some conclusions. This list is the same one I've been churning out for a couple years now, and ranks players defensively based on (a) quality of competition at even strength, (b) goals against per minute played at even strength and (c) goals against per minute played on the penalty kill.

Players also have to have played at least 15 games and fill a significant role on their team's shorthanded unit. Credit, as always, to Behind The Net for the data.

Here are the top 25 at the quarter-way mark:

	NAME	TEAM	GP	QCMP	EVGA/60	SHGA/60
1	BRANDON CROMBEEN	STL	21	0.12	1.44	1.33
2	KRIS VERSTEEG	CHI	22	0.13	1.49	5.25
3	JAY MCCLEMENT	STL	21	0.13	1.75	6.27
4	VERNON FIDDLER	PHX	25	0.03	1.86	3.61
5	JOHN MADDEN	CHI	23	0.12	2.17	5.61
6	DAVID LEGWAND	NSH	23	0.09	2.28	4.43
7	TRAVIS ZAJAC	N.J	22	0.16	0.73	9.20
8	MILAN MICHALEK	OTT	22	0.22	2.57	5.27
9	JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER	N.J	22	0.09	1.69	7.47
10	DANIEL WINNIK	PHX	25	-0.05	1.59	1.54
11	SAKU KOIVU	ANA	17	0.12	1.62	8.64
12	RYAN MALONE	T.B	21	0.18	2.20	7.49
13	MIKE FISHER	OTT	21	0.08	2.32	5.41
14	JOCHEN HECHT	BUF	20	-0.04	1.64	4.10
15	MIKE GRIER	BUF	15	-0.05	1.60	3.53
16	COLIN FRASER	CHI	23	0.04	2.33	4.39
17	JAMES WRIGHT	T.B	21	0.07	1.29	8.13
18	STEVE BEGIN	BOS	24	0.03	1.96	5.34
19	DANIEL ALFREDSSON	OTT	22	0.25	3.02	5.25
20	TOMAS PLEKANEC	MTL	24	-0.01	1.94	5.06
21	DAVID BACKES	STL	21	0.01	2.03	5.19
22	BRANDON DUBINSKY	NYR	18	0.06	2.20	5.72
23	JEFF HALPERN	T.B	21	0.06	2.34	5.54
24	SCOTT NICHOL	S.J	26	-0.07	1.89	2.35
25	JOEL WARD	NSH	21	0.14	2.10	8.81

There are a lot of different names so far than what we saw last season, and I don't know if that's due to the small sample size or if we're simply seeing new players step into these roles and excel. Players on the list who have gotten recognition as top defensive forwards in the past include Versteeg, McClement, Madden, Fisher, Grier, Alfredsson and Ward.

Without a lot of high profile names in there so far (i.e. Datsyuk, Zetterberg) it'll be interesting to see what the Selke candidates look like this season. I don't think you could go wrong giving it to Alfredsson, who always does a nice job on the Sens' PK.

Players who scored on the low end among those that qualified include Wayne Primeau, Craig Adams, Lee Stempniak, Greg Campbell and Rod Brind'Amour.

I'll look at the top defensive defencemen in the near future.