SB Nation - Pekka Rinne

Predators bounce back to beat Edmonton 6-3

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

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

Predators @ Oilers, 12/17/09 - Talking to On The Forecheck

Derek Zona — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:48:13 -0000

via www.sportslogos.net

SBNation's Predators vs Oilers coverage

On the Forecheck

I caught up with Dirk Hoag from On the Forecheck to talk about where things stand in Nashville.

C&B: The Nashville papers are positing that the Predators are in an extremely perilous financial situation, and the underlying tone is that they may eventually be on the move. What's the validity of this?

Dirk: When it comes to on-ice reporting on the Preds, the local papers do a fine job. When it turns to off-ice issues, however, it's an entirely different story. Unfortunately the Tennessean feels the need to run with half-truths and innuendo at the behest of anyone looking to run down the team, whether it's Richard Rodier working for Jim Balsillie, or the Sommet Group, which had stopped paying its arena rights fees.

The bottom line is that by keeping their salary around the 33% mark between the salary cap and floor, and achieving the targets required to get full NHL revenue sharing, the Preds are basically a break-even business at this point. A playoff run would be the best thing for this team both financially and in terms of building the fan base, and that's the one thing they've failed to achieve so far. In a nutshell, I'd say the team is doing OK, but that they've got little margin for error. They can't throw out a lousy team for a decade and expect the team to stay put, like in Chicago or Toronto.

What we're waiting for off the ice is for the Boots Del Biaggio bankruptcy to complete, which would clear the way for Calgary's Brett Wilson to join the ownership group, which should help provide stability.

C&B: The Preds have two 1st-tier goaltenders in Pekka Rinne and Dan Ellis, yet both are unrestricted free agents at the end of the year. Will the Preds try to sign one of these guys soon?

Dirk: It sounds like that's something that's going to be looked at after the holidays. The Preds have a history of locking up their core players, and I'm sure they'd at least want to get Pekka Rinne locked up, not just to avoid free agency, but to get rid of the distraction as the team goes through the playoff chase.

C&B: Everybody hates Jordin Tootoo except Preds fans. What does he bring to the team that will be missing while he's out with an injury?

Dirk: Toots has done a good job this season hustling On the Forecheck (smooth plug, no?) and creating turnovers, while being disciplined about it and not taking too many penalties. Besides playing at a 40-point pace (which would have been a career high), he has helped create some goals that he didn't even get an assist on.

C&B: Lastly, Nashville keeps trying these terrible mustard-yellow colors in their uniforms. As you know, we here at The Copper & Blue are big proponents of yellow in uniforms, just not awful mustard-yellow. Is there a chance that Nashville could right the ship and give us some nice non-mustard uniforms that feature yellow?

Dirk: I think you're SOL there for a while. The new 3rd jerseys were noteworthy for not including any yellow (as part of a "Black & Blue" marketing campaign). There are some rumblings that yet another new jersey might be in store for next season, but we'll have to see.

Nashville Predators Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Jordin Tootoo	foot	12/13/2009

Nashville Predators steamroll Tampa Bay 7-4

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

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

6 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)

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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

Game 33 Preview: Jackets in tough against the Preds

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

by Carlos Osorio - ASSOCIATED PRESS

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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

Post Game Analysis: Bertuzzi wins it again

MrNorrisTrophy — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 16:22:21 -0000

More photos » by Kate Humphrey - AP

9 days ago: Detroit Red Wings right wing Todd Bertuzzi (44) backhands a shot past Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne, of Finland, for the winning goal in the overtime period of an NHL hockey game on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 in Nashville, Tenn. The Red Wings won 3-2. At right is Predators defenseman Kevin Klein (8). (AP Photo/Kate Humphrey)

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Todd Bertuzzi wins it again in overtime. Yes you read that right, Todd Bertuzzi won it AGAIN. If he keeps this type of production up then we will be in good shape. Do I expect it to stay like this? No, not really but I'll take it for now. Detroit needs secondary scoring and he's starting to get the confidence needed to do so.
Chris Osgood had some pretty sick saves last night. To quote Winston Churchill (sort of), Osgood is "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." There are nights when he can't stop the easiest of shots but then there are nights when he looks like he should have about 8 Vezinas on the mantle. He wasn't really either last night (why he's an enigma) but he was solid and kept the game within reach for the Wings with some incredible saves.
Remember the time when the Red Wings were absolutely dominant in the circle? I miss those days. We did better last night--winning 29 to Nashville's 28--but I sure miss the days of winning about 75% of the draws taken. Can't wait for Fil to get back in the circle that's for sure.
Drew Miller, you were a quality find. Out shadowed by Bert's 4 in 2, Miller had a goal and an assist last night in 12 minutes of play. Sure, he only has 4 points on the season but he brings more than just points. He has been great on the forecheck, PK, and in the corners. Unfortunately, I don't know if there's room for him when Filppula, Franzen, Williams and Cleary come back.
I'm glad I didn't play a drinking game last night for everytime I heard the word "Smashville" used. I was forced to watch the Nashville broadcast (thanks Center Ice) and every commercial break there was someone saying something or other about Smashville. Yeah, I get it. It's a cool nickname but you can't over do it. If I had played a drinking game for that, I surely would be in the ICU or morgue right now.
Bertuzzi's second goal was a thing of beauty. The play started with Datsyuk forcing a turnover and giving Bertuzzi a great outlet pass. He was neck and neck with Nashville defender Klein and protected the puck on his stick before sliding it past Rinne's poke check attempt and then a backhand into the net for the second straight win for Detroit. Highlights of the goal below.

Nashville Predators battle back before falling to Detroit in OT, 3-2

Dirk Hoag — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 06:06:14 -0000

More photos » by Kate Humphrey - AP

Nashville Predators defenseman Shea Weber, right, checks Detroit Red Wings center Kris Draper off the puck in the second period.

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Tonight's game had all the drama of a roller coaster for the Nashville Predators; lots of ups and downs, and unfortunately the excitement ended all too early, as Todd Bertuzzi scored his second goal of the night, the game winner, just 24 seconds into the overtime period in a 3-2 loss.

It wasn't all bad news, however, as the biggest crowd of the season (16,673) saw the home team fight back from a 2-0 deficit to force the OT. Follow after the jump for video highlights, the recap, and advanced even-strength statistics...

This was an odd game for a number of reasons. Sometimes, the officials called things by the book, while at other times they let a lot of back & forth stuff go. We had Dan Hamhuis swiping a puck off the goal line that got behind Pekka Rinne, and Jordin Tootoo limping off the ice after taking a Shea Weber shot off the foot.

You have to love the NHL's non-disclosure rules about injuries, by the way. In the post-game press conference, all Barry Trotz would say about Tootoo was "somewhere on the body, hopefully not broken." Way to narrow it down, coach!

Anyways, the story of the game was that the Red Wings, even though they played an overtime game the night before, came out blazing, outshooting the Preds 14-5 in the first period, but miraculously not scoring. Early in the second they took the lead on spinning backhander by Todd Bertuzzi, then followed it up later when Drew Miller batted in a puck that bounced off the crossbar, and made it 2-0.

From that point on, however, the Preds battled back. A power play goal by Ryan Jones (his first of the season, in what was by far his best game) got Nashville on the board a couple minutes later, and they ended up outshooting Detroit 19-8 in the second period. Early in the 3rd David Legwand tied it up by gathering in a loose puck as J.P. Dumont carried it through the slot and created havoc for the Red Wings defense.

That was good enough to get Nashville to overtime, but a bad turnover by Leggy just inside the Detroit blueline gave Bertuzzi a rush the other way, and Kevin Klein never could catch up well enough to stop his shot. Before folks even had time to settle in for the OT, it was all over, just 24 seconds in.

All in all, though, the Preds should consider themselves fortunate to get the single point in the standings for the OT loss. Over the course of the season, a team needs to eke out a few points on nights when they don't play their best, and tonight they just dug themselves too deep a hole in what was often an emotional game between bitter rivals.

Shea Weber, in particular, seemed especially charged up for Detroit, perhaps a bit too much so. He took 3 penalties on the night, which may not sound unusual for such a physical defenseman. Those were his first penalties, however, since October 22nd at Ottawa, a span of 20 games without sitting in the box. That's a remarkable achievement for a guy who consistently plays anywhere from 22 to 25 minutes a night against elite opponents. A hallmark of the Predators' success in recent weeks has been their ability to avoid needless penalties, and tip the special teams balance in their favor.

Despite taking the loss, Rinne was excellent in stopping 26 Detroit shots. The first Bertuzzi goal looked bad but the shot clearly caught both he and defenseman Ryan Suter off-guard, and he stopped several other dangerous chances for Detroit to make up for it.

Looking at the stats from tonight, Patric Hornqvist and Ryan Jones jumped out as having excellent nights. Not only did they create a number of good scoring chances, but their pure hustle created 3 of Nashville's 4 power plays as Jones drew two calls, and Hornqvist one. Dumont also had a good night helping to set teammates up for shots as he drew the attention of the Red Wing defense constantly.

The Preds' next game is in Columbus on Monday, before returning home to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday.

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	14:37	1	0	1	0	10	8	2	15	17	-2
Jason Arnott	C	15:11	3	2	1	0	12	10	2	18	18	0
Steve Sullivan	L	14:51	4	0	0	0	12	9	3	16	16	0
David Legwand	C	12:58	1	0	0	0	8	5	3	11	9	2
Jerred Smithson	R	11:29	0	0	0	0	2	4	-2	3	10	-7
Joel Ward	R	12:38	0	0	0	1	2	4	-2	2	12	-10
Marcel Goc	C	11:52	2	0	1	1	6	4	2	7	12	-5
Jordin Tootoo	R	1:19	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	1	2	-1
J P Dumont	R	11:06	1	2	0	0	11	5	6	14	9	5
Patric Hornqvist	R	9:06	3	0	0	0	9	4	5	13	5	8
Ryan Jones	L	12:16	2	1	0	0	12	5	7	15	9	6
Dave Scatchard	C	6:13	0	0	0	0	5	1	4	6	3	3
Shea Weber	D	17:15	3	0	0	2	15	6	9	21	16	5
Ryan Suter	D	16:57	4	1	0	0	15	6	9	21	15	6
Dan Hamhuis	D	18:15	1	1	0	1	7	9	-2	11	18	-7
Kevin Klein	D	17:57	1	0	0	6	5	9	-4	9	18	-9
Cody Franson	D	8:43	2	0	0	1	8	5	3	8	8	0
Francis Bouillon	D	10:42	1	0	0	0	11	5	6	11	8	3

Poll

Who is your Predator of the Game?

Ryan Jones, 1 G, 1 A, 2 penalties drawn

42 votes

Pekka Rinne, 26 saves

17 votes

59 votes | Poll has closed

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

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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 goalies

Dirk Hoag — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:19:43 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Pekka Rinne has smothered the opposition on his way to taking over the #1 starters job in Nashville. Literally.

Browse more photos »

Another month, another set of report cards for our intrepid Predators. Sure, the jump in the standings looks great, but which individuals are helping or hindering the team's chances these days?

After the jump, let's start with the goalies...

Pekka Rinne

#35 / Goalie / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-5

Weight: 206

Born: Nov 03, 1982

November saw Rinne finally assume command over the Nashville goaltending situation, as he started 10 of the 13 contests and won seven of them. There have been occasional letdowns, but overall he's given the Predators a chance to win; even his final game of the month, a 5-0 defeat to Calgary wasn't attributable to him. His seven wins all came in a streak that ran from November 12 in St. Louis to November 25 in Colorado, a run which lifted Nashville back into playoff position in the Western Conference.

That said, Rinne's performance has been more steady than sensational. That's not necessarily bad news, as it means that what we're seeing is sustainable (unlike what Colorado got out of Craig Andersen early on). But he's also a good step below the elite goaltenders of the NHL. Might that ultimately make it a little easier for David Poile to sign him to a contract extension?

November totals	GP	MIN	W	L			GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Pekka Rinne	10	610	7	3			24	2.36	282	258	.915	1

Pekka Rinne's grade: B+

Dan Ellis

#39 / Goalie / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-0

Weight: 188

Born: Jun 19, 1980

Lost in all the excitement over Rinne's winning streak is the fact that when called upon for a rare start, Dan Ellis has been outstanding. During a critical west coast road trip, he pulled out a huge 3-1 win over Los Angeles, and nearly stole a point in San Jose before a weak last-minute goal cost Nashville the game. It was a full 18 days before he started again, at home vs. Florida on Saturday, but he was crisp and effective in a 4-1 triumph.

If Rinne gets the bulk of the work going forward, the Predators will need Ellis at his best when needed, and so far, he's done well. With back-to-back games coming up Friday in Chicago and Saturday at home vs. Minnesota, it's likely we'll see him again soon.

November totals	GP	MIN	W	L			GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Dan Ellis	3	180	2	1			6	2.00	81	75	.926	0

Dan Ellis' grade:B+

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