SB Nation - Jason Arnott

Top 10 New Jersey Devils Moments of the Decade: Part 1, Honorable Mention

Steve Lepore — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 23:00:18 -0000

It's been an eventful decade here in the Garden State when it comes to hockey. Two Stanley Cups, three Prince of Wales trophies, five Atlantic Division titles, seven 100-point seasons. Oh, and the Devils' goalie cemented his name in the conversations of "Greatest to ever play the game". Starting this Tuesday, I will countdown the 10 best moments since 2000, but first, a look at some of the things that didn't make the cut.

Devils Hire Larry Robinson as Head Coach... The First Time (March 23, 2000)

The Devils gave then-future Hockey Hall of Famer Larry Robinson his first shot in the coaching ranks, when former Montreal Canadiens teammate Jacques Lemaire brought him as an assistant coach when he took over the Devils in 1993. Robinson, blessed with a defensive unit that included another future Hall of Famer in Scott Stevens as well as veterans Ken Daneyko and Bruce Driver, helped bring along a budding All-Star in young Scott Niedermayer, and meshed together a defensive unit that helped New Jersey win it's first Stanley Cup in 1995.

From there, Robinson got his first head coaching job with the Los Angeles Kings in the summer of that year. After only four playoff games in the next four years, Robinson left the franchise, only to return to the Devils as an assistant for then coach Robbie Ftorek. Everything seemed to be headed in the right direction for New Jersey toward another playoff run. From December 26, 1999 to February 15, 2000, the Devils went a mind-blowing 17-3-3. But then things took a turn for the downright bizarre.

Starting with a 5-5 tie against the Colorado Avalanche on February 17th, the Devils went 5-10-2, culminating in a 5-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Devils GM Lou Lamoriello clearly saw Ftorek as losing the team (no, the bench-throwing thing isn't on this list) and leading it toward another first-round playoff exist (the Devils had exited in Conference Quarterfinals the last two seasons). He fired Ftorek on March 23, 2000, in favor of the assistant Robinson. Larry lead the Devils to an 8-2 win over the Isles and a 4-4 record the rest of the way. However, it'd be the post-season where Robinson would prove why he was fit to run this team.

Devils Trade Brendan Morrison and Denis Pederson to Vancouver for Alexander Mogilny (March 14, 2000)

Looking for some added scoring touch to support the budding A-line of Patrik Elias, Petr Sykora and Jason Arnott, Lou did what was seen as unprecedented at that time in Devils circles: he brought in a bona fide offensive talent during what you'd call arguably the prime of his career (Mogilny was 31 when acquired by New Jersey). The addition of Mogilny did something that no one previously had: He made the Devils a team you feared offensively every night.

Mogilny has also long been credited with making then-rookie centerman Scott Gomez into the player that later bolted for the Rangers, though that can be argued, as Gomez had fewer points in the full season AlMo spent with Jersey (2000-01) than in his 70-point rookie season. That said, despite a sub-par post-season in 1999-00, Mogilny put up points in that 2000-01 season that were almost unheard of previously for a New Jersey team, with 43 goals and 40 assists, second behind Elias' 96 points, giving the Devs unheard of scoring depth.

Despite chipping in 16 points in the post-season, the Devils would go on to lose the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals to the Colorado Avalanche in seven games. Mogilny signed with Toronto that off-season, only to return for an aborted, half-season stay with New Jersey in 2005-06. He was sent to Albany to make room for Elias' return from Hepatitis, and for all intents and purposes, never heard from again. Devils fans will always remember Mogilny, however, for once and for all proving that the Devils were no mere defensive juggernaut.

Patrik Elias Signs Seven-Year Contract with Devils (July 2, 2006)

Before the lockout, Patrik Elias was well on his way to becoming the offensive version of Martin Brodeur for New Jersey: putting up terrific numbers every year, but largely being taken for granted by a fanbase that wants to win the Stanley Cup every year, rather than see another 40-goal season. The young winger from the Czech Republic had put up his third 35-goal plus season in 2003-04 (38-43-81) and was one of the few Devils that showed any life in New Jersey's five-game playoff defeat to Philadelphia (3-2-5 in the series).

It was the time during the lockout that gave everyone a scare. While having a good season Mettalurg Magnitigorsk in Russia, Elias contracted Hepatitis A from food eaten in the country. The disease, chronicled largely in an NHL Network special that primarily focused on Elias' UNICEF ambassadorship, severely weakened the then 28-year old forward and kept him out of hockey for a while.

Elias didn't return to the game until January 3, 2006, with the Devils playing the Florida Panthers. Put on a line with Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta (The "Egg" Line), Elias looked as if he hadn't missed a beat. He scored eight points in his first four games, 45 points in 38 games that season, and led the Devils to an unheard of 15-game winning streak, combining the last 11 games of the season and first four of the playoffs, to lead New Jersey to a shocking Atlantic Division title on the campaign's final night in Montreal.

Elias continued a torrid pace in the playoffs. He had two goals and four assists in Game 1 of the Devils series with the New York Rangers, and went on to score 16 points in nine games that post-season. It made people notice Elias as an elite forward in this league. It also certainly drew attention to the fact that his contract was up that summer.

There were a lot of fears in Devils-land the Patrik would sign with another team. The Los Angeles Kings and Chicago Blackhawks were reported to have made serious offers. Though the real fear was that he'd sign with the Rangers. Elias alleviated those fears by agreeing to a 7-year, $42 million deal with the Devs the day after the UFA period began in 2006. He's worth every penny, and put up another 30-goal season just this past campaign. Elias will likely be a Devil for life, and hopefully never taken for granted again.

Brian Gionta Breaks the Devil Record For Goals in a Season, Devils Culminate 11-game Win Streak and Division Title With Shocking, Comeback Victory Over Montreal on the Season's Final Night (April 18, 2006)

Coupled with the 1999-00 season, the 2005-06 campaign has got to go down as one of the strangest of the decade. Head coach Larry Robinson said so himself. Robinson, re-hired by the Devils after it was announced that Pat Burns could no longer continue, had to step down after 32 games (14-13-5) when he told Lou Lamoriello at the team's annual Christmas party that the club was making him ill. Happy holidays, for sure.

More changes still were announced after a December 17, 2005 loss to Carolina. All three of the Devils major acquisitions over the off-season (Alexander Mogilny, Dan McGillis and Vladimir Malakhov) were either sent down to AHL Albany, or "retired" under mysterious circumstances. The Devils were, to put it lightly, kind of a mess. They were still figuring out how to make do with life minus Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Ken Daneyko on the backline, so this was sort of the beginning of a "new generation" of Devils, if you will.

After Robinson quit at the halfway point, longtime GM Lou Lamoriello took over as coach. A week or so later, forward Patrik Elias returned from Hepatitis A, and the team caught fire. A nine-game winning streak to start the new year let everyone know that the Devils would not suffer in the post-lockout NHL. It was an 11-game winning streak to end the season, however, that made the Devils onto every hockey writer's shortlist for Stanley Cup contenders.

A young forward named Brian Gionta emerged as the team's top scorer that season with Elias out. A small winger, known mostly up to that point for his willingness to go to the front of the net and personal rivalry with gargantuan and polar opposite on the height scale Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara, Gionta broke out in 2005-06, his style tailor made for the "New NHL". On March 28, 2006, he became the first Devil to hit 40 goals in a season since Elias and Mogilny in 2001. Going into the NHL and the Devils season's final night, he was tied with Pat Verbeek's all-time single-season goal scoring record of 46.

Now, the Devils were in Montreal that night, and could to the surprise of almost everyone, win the division title after struggling so much for the first half of the season. Everything worked out in their favor, as the Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers both lost shortly before. Two points and the Devils get the division over the Flyers (who would have the same amount of points, 101) by virtue of having more wins, as well as #3 seed in the Eastern Conference. The only problem was... well, the Devils didn't show up for the first 40 minutes of that game. The Habs had a 3-0 lead on the Devils at home with three minutes to go in the second period, and only Brodeur keeping things from getting out of hand.

Then, with 2:42 to go, Gionta scored a goal that would personify the type of player he was. A Scott Gomez shot popped high off of Montreal goaltender Cristobal Huet. Gionta gloved the puck out of the air, down onto his stick, and put the puck home to break Verbeek's record, and give the Devils hope going into the third period. Of course, neither the Devils nor Gio were done yet.

Not much was going on early in the third, but nine minutes to go, the Habs took a penalty and the Devils went on the power play. Some slick passing and a Brian Rafalski shot gave Gionta another close-in rebound and a 48th goal that season, just for some distance. All that, and the Devils were within a shot of tying it. Three minutes later, Patrik Elias scored a georgeous goal off a pass from Gomez, who'd made a brilliant rush up the eyes, to tie the game with five minutes left.

With 2:30 to go, Habs forward Alex Kovalev took a shot that Marty Brodeur kicked away, right to a Devil defender, who passed it to Jamie Langenbrunner. He raced it in on a three-on-one against the Canadiens and Huet. Langenbrunner looked over the options, called his own number and ripped a shot by Huet to give the Devils a 4-3 lead. New Jersey hung on and won the division. It was one of the best regular season nights for Jersey's team I've ever seen, and it didn't even make the top 10 list. Ill be back on Monday with part one of that. Meanwhile, leave your own thoughts in the comments and your suggestions for my Top 10.

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.

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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

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

Predators continue home-ice dominance over Columbus in 4-3 shootout win

Dirk Hoag — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 04:30:04 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, of Finland, is congratulated by his teammates after the Predators won a shootout for a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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It took five rounds of a shootout, but the Nashville Predators beat Columbus on home ice for the 13th straight time, taking a 4-3 decision. Ryan Suter led all Preds scorers with two assists, in what was a relatively wide-open affair between two teams that normally prefer to play close, tight-checking games. With the win, Nashville is now 11-3-1 in their last 15 games.

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

Despite the long-running success that the Predators have enjoyed over the Blue Jackets in Nashville, Columbus always seems to put up a tough fight. Three times tonight the Preds took a one-goal lead, and each time the Blue Jackets tied the game back up.

Dave Scatchard got the initial goal off a nice feed from Kevin Klein, a great way to celebrate his return to the lineup. He buzzed around the net whenever he could tonight, notching 4 shots in just 8:03 of ice time. After Columbus defenseman Kris Russel answered back early in the second, Martin Erat continued his torrid goal-scoring pace by following up on a rebound to put the Preds up 2-1. Marty's now got 9 goals in his last 11 games, and is officially "on fire" after a lousy start over his first 17.

Just minutes later, however, Raffi Torres banked a shot from just behind the goal line off of Pekka Rinne to tie the game back up at 2-2. What followed at the end of the 2nd was truly unusual for a Predators-Blue Jackets game. As explained by Terry Crisp in his intermission breakdown, Jason Arnott pulled a fast one, faking like he was going to the bench for a line change but circling back to take a lead pass from Shea Weber. He broke in all alone and lifted a nifty backhander of the glove of Mathieu Garon to put Nashville back up 3-2 with just seconds left in the period.

Rick Nash tied the game up at 3-3 early in the 3rd, and despite a number of good chances for both teams down the stretch and during overtime, they headed to the shootout, where Garon has enjoyed some great success over the years (in 2007-8, he went 10-0 for Edmonton in the shootout).

On the other hand, Rinne ain't so bad himself, going 5-2 last year with a .792 save percentage (a typical goalie is about .670 in that situation). After four rounds, each team had scored twice, but in Round 5, Rinne stuffed Antoine Vermette, leaving Steve Sullivan the opportunity to win the game, which he did with a nice forehand move to score the final goal.

The Preds move on now to Saturday night against Detroit, which is 4-5-1 in their last 10 and reeling from a number of injuries to key players.

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

As to the advanced stats, the top line was definitely productive tonight for the Preds, while the Tootoo-Goc-Dumont line struggled a bit. Despite limited ice time, the Jones-Scatchard-Hornqvist trio acquitted themselves well, while perhaps the best effort overall goes to the defense duo of Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Klein (yes, the pair that got shredded so much during the early weeks of the season).

All in all, I'm sure Barry Trotz will have some finger-wagging for the boys tomorrow given the number of defensive breakdowns, but it was good to see enough scoring step up to seal the win. You can't plan on winning 2-1 every night...

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	15:49	3	1	0	1	13	10	3	19	16	3
Jason Arnott	C	17:27	4	1	0	2	13	12	1	17	18	-1
Steve Sullivan	L	16:21	2	0	0	0	14	9	5	18	17	1
David Legwand	C	18:04	2	0	2	1	7	4	3	17	10	7
Jerred Smithson	R	17:12	2	1	0	0	7	4	3	17	11	6
Joel Ward	R	18:12	1	1	2	0	8	5	3	17	10	7
Marcel Goc	C	12:41	0	0	0	0	3	7	-4	8	11	-3
Jordin Tootoo	R	10:46	1	0	0	0	3	7	-4	8	11	-3
J P Dumont	R	10:41	0	0	2	0	4	8	-4	8	12	-4
Patric Hornqvist	R	7:38	0	1	0	0	4	2	2	5	4	1
Ryan Jones	L	7:28	0	0	0	1	5	1	4	6	2	4
Dave Scatchard	C	7:54	3	0	0	0	5	1	4	7	3	4
Shea Weber	D	20:11	2	0	1	2	13	9	4	21	20	1
Ryan Suter	D	21:49	1	3	1	2	10	9	1	18	21	-3
Dan Hamhuis	D	20:15	0	0	1	1	12	5	7	21	8	13
Kevin Klein	D	20:19	4	1	2	0	10	5	5	19	9	10
Francis Bouillon	D	14:41	2	0	0	0	9	10	-1	13	17	-4
Alexander Sulzer	D	12:44	1	1	0	1	8	10	-2	12	15	-3

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

Jason Arnott, 1 goal, shootout goal, 5 shots

37 votes

Pekka Rinne, 28 saves

25 votes

Ryan Suter, 2 assists

9 votes

Steve Sullivan, GW shootout goal

8 votes

79 votes | Poll has closed

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

Martin Erat's hat trick leads Nashville to 4-2 win over Vancouver

Dirk Hoag — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:17:02 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Nashville Predators left wing Martin Erat (10), of the Czech Republic, shoots and scores his third goal of the game as Vancouver Canucks center Henrik Sedin (33), of Sweden, tries to block him in the third period.

Browse more photos »

This is the type of game that David Poile and Barry Trotz have been referring to when talking about Martin Erat developing into an offensive leader for the Nashville Predators. With an empty-net goal, Erat completed just his 2nd career hat trick as the Preds knocked off the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 in a hard-fought game.

After the jump you can check out the video highlights, recap, and advanced even-strength statistics...

This was easily Erat's best game this season; he was opportunistic (banking in his first goal from behind the net), showed great speed (as on the breakaway that led to his second goal) and moved the puck decisively (shown on the power play goal by Hornqvist midway through the 3rd). If Nashville can get him scoring on a consistent basis, it could add enough punch to make the Preds a more dangerous team over the long haul of the regular season. In his last four games, the Czech winger now has 5 goals and 3 assists.

Erat wasn't the only star, however. Pekka Rinne was very solid, stopping 34 of 36 Vancouver shots and giving up very few rebound opportunities. Ryan Kesler and Daniel Sedin each scored once and led the charge up front, with 8 and 6 shots apiece. Steve Sullivan and Jason Arnott each got two assists as the new top line of Erat, Arnott and Sullivan provided constant pressure. The game-winning goal came on a slick tic-tac-toe passing play that led to an easy tap-in for Patric Hornqvist, his first score since November 12 at St. Louis.

Jerred Smithson was sent off in the 2nd period, receiving a major and a game misconduct for a hit on Alex Burrows. The refs called it Charging, but it was basically Boarding; a shoulder-to-shoulder hit that spun Burrows nastily into the dasher from a couple feet out. Burrows shook it off and was back in action two minutes later, but initially the hit looked pretty dangerous.

A Hornqvist penalty a few minutes later led to a 5-on-3 power play for Vancouver, and a goal for Kesler. In general the Nashville penalty killing was very strong. Team discipline also played a factor, as the Preds enjoyed 5 power plays to Vancouver's 4 (and one of those lasted only 1 second due to overlapping penalties).

In the third, Nashville stretched their lead to 3-1 on the Hornqvist power play goal, but the Canucks drew to within 3-2 as Daniel Sedin scored just after killing a penalty. From there on it was mostly about the Preds playing it safe with the puck and waiting for Vancouver to pull Roberto Luongo out of the next for the extra attacker, after which Erat completed his hat trick. It was the first hat trick for Nashville since February 28, when Jason Arnott pulled off the feat in the memorable 8-0 victory over Detroit.

Looking at the advanced even-strength stats, Shea Weber and Ryan Suter had strong efforts (Shea playing for the hometown fans watching on TV back in BC?), as did the new third line of Jordin Tootoo, Marcel Goc, and J.P. Dumont. David Legwand and Joel Ward had the tough task of dealing with the Sedins, and were able to minimize the damage despite giving up a fair portion of shots. Alexander Sulzer looked fine in his first NHL action since November 7 at Los Angeles.

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	14:24	1	0	2	0	9	6	3	16	8	8
Jason Arnott	C	15:28	0	2	0	0	8	8	0	16	12	4
Steve Sullivan	L	14:31	0	0	1	1	8	6	2	19	9	10
David Legwand	C	13:48	1	1	1	2	5	8	-3	13	21	-8
Jerred Smithson	R	7:32	0	0	0	0	1	3	-2	2	8	-6
Joel Ward	R	13:29	1	0	0	0	3	10	-7	8	21	-13
Marcel Goc	C	12:20	0	1	1	2	5	6	-1	16	11	5
Jordin Tootoo	R	8:41	0	0	2	0	2	6	-4	12	9	3
J P Dumont	R	10:14	2	2	1	0	4	5	-1	16	8	8
Cal O'Reilly	C	7:27	0	0	0	0	2	5	-3	4	9	-5
Patric Hornqvist	R	8:31	3	0	0	1	3	6	-3	5	11	-6
Ryan Jones	L	8:06	0	0	0	0	4	3	1	9	9	0
Shea Weber	D	18:23	2	4	2	0	8	7	1	23	11	12
Ryan Suter	D	17:17	2	0	1	1	8	8	0	23	13	10
Kevin Klein	D	15:10	0	0	1	1	2	8	-6	7	18	-11
Francis Bouillon	D	14:09	1	3	2	1	8	9	-1	17	17	0
Dan Hamhuis	D	16:32	0	0	1	3	3	11	-8	8	23	-15
Alexander Sulzer	D	10:05	3	0	0	0	6	5	1	11	10	1

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

Martin Erat, 3 goals 1 assist

92 votes

Patric Hornqvist, game-winning PP goal

0 votes

Pekka Rinne, 34 saves

6 votes

98 votes | Poll has closed

Predators lay an egg on home ice, lose to Minnesota 5-3

Dirk Hoag — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:06:47 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

15 days ago: Minnesota Wild players celebrate a goal by James Sheppard against Nashville Predators goalie Dan Ellis (39) in the first period of an NHL hockey game on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009 in Nashville, Tenn. From left are Predators defenseman Ryan Suter (20), Ellis, Wild defenseman Nick Schultz (55), defenseman Shane Hnidy (34), center Eric Belanger (25), and right wing Owen Nolan. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Browse more photos »

The final score didn't really reflect the play as the Nashville Predators put up a poor performance on home ice against the Minnesota Wild tonight, losing 5-3. Late goals by Jason Arnott and Marcel Goc made things look better than they were, as the Preds failed to take advantage of a first period in which they received four power play opportunities, converting on one, but gave up two late goals to the Wild to head into the first intermission losing 2-1.

You can click the picture above for the photo gallery, or follow after the jump for video highlights (not for the faint of heart), recap, and advanced even-strength statistics...

Trust me, you don't the recap on this one. It was nasty.

In short... too many wide-open forwards left in dangerous areas (especially the Sheppard goal late in the 1st - nobody within 20 feet of him). I have a very big question coming out of this game, which I'll share with you tomorrow in its own post...

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

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	16:09	4	1	0	0	9	11	-2	19	14	5
Steve Sullivan	L	15:27	2	1	1	0	9	12	-3	18	14	4
J P Dumont	R	11:59	0	0	0	0	2	11	-9	9	15	-6
David Legwand	C	12:12	2	0	0	0	8	4	4	16	7	9
Jerred Smithson	R	12:43	5	1	1	0	9	7	2	16	11	5
Joel Ward	R	11:28	0	0	0	0	6	3	3	12	9	3
Marcel Goc	C	10:33	0	1	0	1	5	10	-5	12	18	-6
Martin Erat	R	12:06	0	0	0	1	12	8	4	20	13	7
Jordin Tootoo	R	13:45	2	2	0	0	4	12	-8	13	24	-11
Wade Belak	R	5:45	0	0	0	0	2	2	0	4	4	0
Cal O'Reilly	C	8:23	0	0	0	0	1	6	-5	1	13	-12
Ryan Jones	L	10:09	2	0	1	0	2	7	-5	4	14	-10
Shea Weber	D	15:13	1	1	3	3	14	7	7	26	15	11
Ryan Suter	D	14:43	1	1	1	3	12	9	3	22	17	5
Kevin Klein	D	15:10	0	1	1	2	6	15	-9	13	19	-6
Francis Bouillon	D	17:50	1	1	0	1	5	18	-13	11	28	-17
Dan Hamhuis	D	15:16	0	3	1	0	7	5	2	16	8	8
Cody Franson	D	15:34	0	2	1	2	4	8	-4	10	17	-7

Monday's news: A nifty Nashville November

Dirk Hoag — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:46:05 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

The Nashville Predators have done plenty of celebrating on home ice this month, with a 6-1 record in front of their fans.

Browse more photos »

Tonight the Nashville Predators try to wrap up an outstanding November (9-3-0) at home against the Calgary Flames, but until then, let's get you started with some morning hockey news.

After the jump, we've got word that Jordin Tootoo's dad is lighting up the local rec hockey scene, a deal available to those of you who have a ticket stub from Saturday's night's 4-1 win over Florida, reaction to Brian Burke's 1st anniversary as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and word that another young Russian is leaving the NHL to play in the KHL. There's also the Nashville Predators 2010 Winter Olympic preview, posted earlier today.

And don't forget, today is Cyber Monday, so get that holiday shopping started!

Predators News

Twitter / Dierks Bentley: Mad cows iceholes lost 4 - ...
Looks like I picked the wrong year to sit out playing in the adult hockey league downtown. Country music star Dierks Bentley plays, and last night lost to a team that featured a bit of a ringer - Jordin Tootoo's dad!

Twitter / cragcoolsprings: and because we LOVE the pr ...
The Crag at Cool Springs, an indoor rock climbing facility, is offering a free guest pass to fans who bring their ticket stub from Saturday night's Predators/Panthers game. The offer stands all week.

This Time Other ‘Cats’ Had the (Black and)Blues " Pull My (Fang)Finger
AJ provides his take on Saturday's win over Florida.

Preds On The Glass: Preds Rebound with 4-1 Win Over Panthers
Buddy covers a number of angles from Saturday's game, and includes his usual post-game audio from the dressing rooms and Barry Trotz's press conference.

Predators use abbreviated attacks to take down Florida - Nashville City Paper
David Boclair points out that Saturday's 4-1 win boasted the first time Nashville had won by three or more goals since the famous 8-0 rout of Detroit last February.

Jason Arnott consistently finds net for Predators - The Tennessean
John Glennon points out that the Predators captain and Calgary's Jarome Iginla stand alone in terms of long-term goal scoring in the NHL. Each are going for their 11th-straight season with at least 20 goals.

Casey Wellman putting up strong numbers for UMass - Nashville Predators Examiner
Jim Diamonds checks in on Casey Wellman, who is an undrafted collegiate player who attended Nashville's development camp as a free agent over the summer.

Road Trip Reality Check - Admirals Short Shifts
Ryan Miller sums up the Admirals' recent 8-game road trip, and finds reason for both optimism and concern. Interestingly, it sounds like Ryan Jones is finally starting to produce, and Cal O'Reilly is leading the way offensively. Colin Wilson, however, "has been pretty much a non-factor."

Foreigner to Perform at Ads Game March 13 - Milwaukee Admirals
That's all we need is more Euros taking jobs from North American hockey players... huh? What's that? Oh, Foreigner the band is playing at an Admirals game? Neat!

Around the NHL

"Unique" hockey gifts for everyone on your Christmas list... - Hockey Gal
Stephanie shares some decidedly different hockey-themed gifts for the holiday season, as opposed to my more conventional list featured here last week.

UPDATE: Tikhonov "loaned" to KHL, will play for Red Army - Five For Howling
As Scooby Doo might say, "Ruh Ro..." Another young Russian player heads back to play in the KHL, this time skipping out on the Phoenix Coyotes.

Oilers Roundtable Discussion, 1/3 of the way through the season - Part I - The Copper & Blue
A gathering of the Oilogosphere ruminates over Edmonton's awful campaign so far. With Ales Hemsky out for basically the rest of the season, all hope is lost.

Jury still out on Burke - The Globe and Mail
With Brian Burke having passed the one-year mark as Toronto GM over the weekend, the reviews are coming in; Maple Leafs fans are getting restless over a lousy team that doesn't even have a high 1st-round draft pick to look forward to.

Down Goes Brown: One year of Brian Burke: A look back
DGB brings the funny in its retrospective on Year One of the Burke Era: "Burke delivers his infamous quote about "proper levels of pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence". Confused Leaf fans rush to their dictionaries, and are disappointed to discover that every one of those words means "terrible goaltending"."

Are the Rangers lacking heart? A picture is worth a thousand words - Blueshirt Banter
That headline's right - the picture on this post says it all...

Time working against Canucks Vigneault - Faceoff.com
After seeing that most teams that win the Stanley Cup have a relatively new coach, Jason Botchford stands ready to dispatch Alain Vigneault if the Canucks don't win it all this year.

Top 5: Best Shootout Snipers | Hockey From the Cheap Seats
Matt Reitz reviews the best shooters in the short history of the shootout; is Mike Santorelli on his way onto this list?

Minnesota Wild lost in mediocrity, Mike Green no Olympic hopeful - SI.com
Michael Farber writes about Minnesota decrepit state of hockey, along with assorted other topics. Hat tip to @leonwolf on Twitter for this one.

Top ten games in Ottawa Senators history - Silver Seven
The Senators have certainly enjoyed a wild ride in their 11-year run in the modern NHL, and Peter brings you their ten best games.

Pens' Cooke suspended for two games - NHL.com
The Penguins' agitator will sit out two games for a head shot directed at Artem Anisimov of the New York Rangers. Here's video of the shot in question; a clearly targeted, blind-side hit to the head:

Martin Erat scores twice as Nashville Predators beat Detroit 3-1

Dirk Hoag — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:58:54 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

27 days ago: Nashville Predators center Jason Arnott (19) shoots through a group of Detroit Red Wings to score a goal in the first period of an NHL hockey game on Monday, Nov. 23, 2009 in Nashville, Tenn. From left are Detroit Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood (30), defenseman Jonathan Ericsson (52), of Sweden, center Darren Helm (43), defenseman Brad Stuart (23), and right wing Patrick Eaves (17). (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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The Nashville Predators continued their upward climb through the standings with a 3-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in front of a national TV audience on Versus. Martin Erat scored twice (his first multi-goal game of the season), and Pekka Rinne made 30 saves for his sixth straight win.

Combined with a loss by Columbus in New York, the Preds have now risen to 2nd place in the Central Division.

After the jump you'll find the video highlights, recap, and advanced even-strength statistics...

Once again, the Nashville power play came through, with Jason Arnott scoring in the first and Martin Erat adding a goal in the 2nd to give the Preds a 2-0 lead. Nashville earned four power play chances by taking advantage of the slowest Detroit forwards, Tomas Holmstrom and Todd Bertuzzi, who took two minor penalties each.

The Red Wings did close the gap to 2-1 about five minutes after Erat's goal, as Drew Miller powered his way to the net off the sideboards and stuffed the puck short-side past Pekka Rinne.

In the 3rd period, Detroit came out determined to tie the score, dominating the flow of the game (outshooting Nashville 14-3 on the period at one point), but Rinne stood tall in his crease.

To be honest, at 6'5", Pekka stands tall just about anywhere, but you get the idea.

Erat capped off his big night with Nashville's 3rd goal at 17:40 of the third, taking a feed from Jordin Tootoo and ripping it past Chris Osgood for his 4th of the season. If Erat can start producing like this regularly, the Predators could have the scoring depth they've been looking for.

During a furious finish the Red Wings clanked a shot off the post during the final minute, but the Preds hung on for their seventh straight victory on home ice (tied for the 2nd-best streak in team history), and 10th in their last 12 games.

Looking at the Even Strength statistics, it becomes clear what a big night this was for Nashville's depth players. The top line of Sullivan-Arnott-Dumont had a rough time against the likes of Datsyuk and Zetterberg, but for the Predators, the two lines of Erat-Goc-Tootoo and Hornqvist-Santorelli-Thuresson put forth great efforts. The shot numbers look especially skewed given the hailstorm of shots Detroit fired in the 3rd period (16 of their 31).

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	13:36	1	0	0	1	1	11	-10	5	24	-19
Steve Sullivan	L	11:06	0	0	0	0	1	11	-10	4	17	-13
J P Dumont	R	12:15	0	1	0	0	1	11	-10	4	21	-17
David Legwand	C	15:07	1	0	0	2	3	7	-4	7	14	-7
Jerred Smithson	R	14:15	1	0	1	1	1	7	-6	5	15	-10
Joel Ward	R	15:48	0	1	0	0	1	7	-6	5	17	-12
Marcel Goc	C	11:47	2	1	0	1	9	8	1	15	20	-5
Martin Erat	R	12:22	3	2	0	1	11	8	3	18	21	-3
Jordin Tootoo	R	12:27	3	0	2	0	11	8	3	18	20	-2
Andreas Thuresson	R	9:57	1	0	0	2	7	1	6	10	9	1
Michael Santorelli	C	9:31	2	0	0	0	7	1	6	10	8	2
Patric Hornqvist	R	9:42	1	2	0	2	7	1	6	10	9	1
Shea Weber	D	18:34	1	1	3	2	6	11	-5	14	25	-11
Ryan Suter	D	16:40	0	0	0	0	5	10	-5	13	23	-10
Kevin Klein	D	17:49	1	0	0	1	6	8	-2	9	25	-16
Francis Bouillon	D	17:06	0	1	0	4	9	10	-1	12	24	-12
Dan Hamhuis	D	18:30	1	1	1	2	9	10	-1	15	24	-9
Cody Franson	D	10:13	1	0	0	1	5	5	0	11	9	2

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

Martin Erat, 2 goals

59 votes

Pekka Rinne, 30 saves

44 votes

103 votes | Poll has closed

David Legwand gets a goal, an assist, and a baby as Nashville wins 4-3 over Columbus

Dirk Hoag — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:36:30 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

29 days ago: Nashville Predators center David Legwand (11) scores the winning shootout goal against Columbus Blue Jackets goalie Steve Mason (1) in an NHL hockey game on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, in Nashville, Tenn. The Predators won the shootout to win the game 4-3. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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Nashville Predators center David Legwand enjoyed what is surely one of the most remarkable days any NHL player has ever had, scoring a short-handed goal, earning an assist, and then scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout as the Preds beat Columbus 4-3.

All this, after his wife delivered a son less than two hours before game time!

Follow after the jump for the highlights, advanced even-strength stats, and more on what is being called "the Legwand Hat Trick."

As described by Tom Callahan and Willy Daunic on the post-game radio show, Legwand's wife Lindsey went into labor earlier today, about 2 weeks sooner than expected, and head coach Barry Trotz messaged Legwand basically saying "good luck, we'll get this win without you". After the baby boy was delivered around 5:30 p.m., however, Legwand messaged back saying that he was on his way, and he showed up at the Sommet Center about 10 minutes before the team's pre-game warmup.

As Trotz described in the post-game press conference, you never know what to expect out of a player in that situation; given the excitement, he might be worn out and play awful, or charged up to come out with a great game. Fortunately for Nashville, they got the latter.

Columbus came out and played a strong first period, taking an early lead on an R.J. Umberger goal that was initially waived off under the assumption that it was batted in with a high-stick. What turned out to be the case was that the referee on the spot waived it off, but was overruled by the other ref and the two linesmen, who all thought it was OK. Toronto reviewed the video, but it was ruled inconclusive, the call on the ice stood, and the Blue Jackets had a 1-0 lead.

Later in the period, Nashville continued its solid special teams play with a power play goal from Jason Arnott, who tipped a point shot from Francis Bouillon to tie the game. Just 15 seconds later, however, Umberger added his second score, and Columbus took a 2-1 lead into the 1st intermission.

The Blue Jackets started the second period on a power play, as Arnott had to haul down a Blue Jackets forward with just seconds left in the first as he headed down the slot for a dangerous scoring chance. Instead of just killing off the penalty, however, Legwand scored shorthanded to tie the game up at 2-2. Jacob Voracek basically gave the puck right to Martin Erat, who fed Leggy down low for the score.

Two minutes later, Erat added his own power play goal, giving Nashville a 3-2 lead. With a goal, 4 assists, and a shootout goal in his last seven games, is the Preds' highest-paid player finally springing to life, perhaps?

A consistent story with the Predators this season has been their discipline in staying out of the penalty box, and a brief lapse cost them the lead. Wade Belak basically skewered Jared Boll in front of the bench, and the Blue Jackets scored on the resulting power play to tie the game late in the 2nd.

In the third period, Nashville enjoyed four separate power play opportunities but failed to cash in, and were ultimately fortunate to make it to overtime as Columbus had several dangerous chances on their own late power play, but Pekka Rinne came through with some outstanding saves.

Speaking of goalies, it has to be noted that both of these sophomores were on their game tonight. After the overtime concluded, Steve Mason had stopped 45 of 48 Nashville shots, while Rinne had turned aside 26 of 29 Columbus ones.

In the shootout, Mike Santorelli and David Legwand both scored (bringing Santo to 3-for-3 this season), while Rick Nash scored for Columbus. Rinne turned aside Voracek's attempt in the 3rd round to seal the win for Nashville, its 9th in the last 11 games.

The Preds conclude their 5-game home stand Monday against the Detroit Red Wings with a special 6:00 start time.

Considering the even-strength statistics below, a continuing point of concern is Santorelli's ability to push the offensive while he's on the ice. Granted, he's not getting prime ice time with elite teammates, but he needs to make a difference when he does get a chance. It seems like game after game, his numbers stick out in this table in the wrong way.

On the other hand, Legwand's numbers are outstanding when you consider that he went up mostly against the top scoring line for Columbus all night. Marcel Goc is also starting to make more and more of an impact in an understated way. Watch, for example, when the Arnott line comes out for a defensive zone faceoff. More often than not, Goc takes Steve Sullivan's place to take the draw, then heads to the bench once the play heads into the offensive zone, so Sully can work his magic there. It's a small detail, but one that helps the Preds put the right players in the right position to succeed.

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	15:50	1	1	0	0	9	6	3	16	14	2
Steve Sullivan	L	14:48	3	1	1	0	8	6	2	14	14	0
J P Dumont	R	15:06	3	0	1	0	11	7	4	18	16	2
Martin Erat	R	9:06	0	1	0	0	8	6	2	13	8	5
Jerred Smithson	R	13:43	1	1	0	0	8	4	4	16	8	8
Joel Ward	R	12:58	3	1	1	0	8	4	4	14	8	6
Marcel Goc	C	9:32	2	0	2	0	5	4	1	11	6	5
Michael Santorelli	C	8:14	0	0	0	0	5	6	-1	5	11	-6
Patric Hornqvist	R	12:12	3	1	0	0	9	6	3	11	10	1
Kevin Klein	D	17:06	0	0	0	1	8	7	1	16	14	2
David Legwand	C	13:57	2	0	0	0	9	3	6	16	7	9
Jordin Tootoo	R	8:50	2	0	1	0	5	6	-1	11	12	-1
Wade Belak	R	3:54	0	0	0	1	2	0	2	2	1	1
Ryan Suter	D	15:43	0	2	0	1	8	8	0	13	15	-2
Shea Weber	D	18:34	3	0	2	0	9	8	1	17	14	3
Francis Bouillon	D	14:39	2	2	0	2	10	4	6	14	8	6
Dan Hamhuis	D	17:13	2	1	0	1	13	8	5	23	18	5
Cody Franson	D	10:52	2	0	1	1	9	5	4	14	12	2

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

David Legwand, SH goal, assist, GW shootout goal

17 votes

Lindsey Legwand, delivering a bouncing baby boy in time for David to make the game

95 votes

112 votes | Poll has closed