Post-Game Talk: Game 16: (10-4-2) Predators @ Blues (11-4-1)| 7 PM CST | FS-TN | Who's #1?!

[jwhouk]

Our "World-Class Goaltender":

 

[TootooTrain]

Was out for the night. Just looking at the boxscore I can tell it was a crazy game.

Ellis and Tarasenko fought!?

 

[klt2001]

Our "World-Class Goaltender":

Peks was just trying to add some humor to the game...lol. It was getting too serious/intense w/ all the fighting.

 

[wadesworld]

The Preds depended on Peks standing on his head to win of late. A four goal allowed game, 50% on the kill, lose 58% of the draws ... not a recipe for win.

You're correct. Unfortunately, those games happen sometimes. If you can figure out how to stop them, every NHL coach will pay you a million dollars.

 

[jwhouk]

This game is making me think, "We're gonna see these guys in the first round of the playoffs, aren't we?"

 

[PredsV82]

This game is making me think, "We're gonna see these guys in the first round of the playoffs, aren't we?"

Only if Chicago gets their mojo back...

 

[vippe]

Just caught the highlights but some of those goals against seemed very unlike Rinne to let in. At least compared to how he has played this season. Looked like a fun game, think I will need to watch it this afternoon.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

Good game, but terrible timing for a loss. The entire division, except for Chicago who didn't play, gained 2 points.

 

[Roman Yoshi]

Lack of secondary scoring killed us last night

 

[101st_fan]

You're correct. Unfortunately, those games happen sometimes. If you can figure out how to stop them, every NHL coach will pay you a million dollars.

This team is dependent upon a superhuman performance by our goalie every night for a chance to win. A bad PK% and getting beat at the dot are common occurrences ... only one forward line consistently putting up points is common (to the point where a fan of another team came here to question if our 3rd line is some ad hoc group due to injuries or something). Last night we got the mortal versions of Pekka and our top defensive pairing in their own end, the team gave up 3+, and we lost.

Three goals allowed is the tipping point for this team right now .... stay under it and the team hasn't lost in regulation, reach that point and they've lost 4 of 5Tin regulation with the only win coming in the shootout (allowed points in the standings every time). The Preds are near the bottom of offensive stats, near the top in defensive (except PK% which is mitigated by the low number of penalties taken). Keep the opposition's score low, win by one, ride the defense and goaltending ... it's almost Trotzian except we have a top line doing most of the scoring with no committee behind them chipping in.

 

[bdub24]

This game is making me think, "We're gonna see these guys in the first round of the playoffs, aren't we?"

Same

 

[tampa pred]

Great game- seemed like playoff hockey. Somebody had to lose, and unfortunately it was us.

Peks didn't have a great game, but I wouldn't call any of the goals softies. He had a lot of traffic in front of him all night.

Forsberg looked like the best player on the ice. Whenever he is anywhere close to the puck, he ends up with possession.

The lack of secondary continues to be an issue. Hopefully getting Fisher and Wilson back will help.

 

[NSH615]

Interesting note from the Tennessean this morning, I didn't catch this last night.

Changes: Laviolette adjusted the three forward lines out of the first period.

The top scoring line of Forsberg, Mike Ribeiro and James Neal stayed together. The new looks were Olli Jokinen-Calle Jarnkrok-Craig Smith; Gabriel Bourque-Derek Roy-Taylor Beck, and Matt Cullen-Paul Gaustad-Eric Nystrom.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/spo...erg-sets-rookie-point-streak-record/19010703/

So effectively we had 2 - 3rd lines and 1 - 4th line.

 

[Drake744]

Here here! And I think I hate the Blues more than the Hawks now.

I know I'm in the minority here but I've hated the Blues more than the Hawks since about 1999.

 

[Dave is a killer]

I know I'm in the minority here but I've hated the Blues more than the Hawks since about 1999.

Exactly, me too

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

I know I'm in the minority here but I've hated the Blues more than the Hawks since about 1999.

Exactly, me too

I think the order goes:

Hawks fans (<cough>Chelsea Dagger<cough>)>Blues>Hawks

Honestly don't find the Hawks themselves all that unlikeable.

 

[SavageSteve]

Great game- seemed like playoff hockey. Somebody had to lose, and unfortunately it was us.

Peks didn't have a great game, but I wouldn't call any of the goals softies. He had a lot of traffic in front of him all night.

Forsberg looked like the best player on the ice. Whenever he is anywhere close to the puck, he ends up with possession.

The lack of secondary continues to be an issue. Hopefully getting Fisher and Wilson back will help.

I tend to agree with all of that but with the caveat that this team is still learning to play within Laviolette's system and creating chemistry. As a fan, the game was entertaining; but felt that last night was a vary good test for the 'new' Preds to see where they were at and where they need to go from there. You could see that in the tone the players had in post-game interviews and my instinct was confirmed by Stu this morning on 94.9FM.

The messed-up thing for me to think about is that this collection of players we have will only get better as they get more confident in their roles. To me, having the luxury of a healthy Pekka Rinne standing on his head only helps to accelerate team confidence until they hit an inevitable wall they will have to overcome and so on. I feel secondary scoring will happen and when it does, lets hope the top line stays just as hot.

 

[Drake744]

I think the order goes:

Hawks fans (<cough>Chelsea Dagger<cough>)>Blues>Hawks

Honestly don't find the Hawks themselves all that unlikeable.

This is an age-old debate but I find Blues fans far more insufferable than Hawks fans. I've actually had fun with visitors from Chicago at games on multiple occasions. There's a larger number of Hawks fans, but a higher percentage of cool ones among them. Of course there's ones that you want to punch in the face, but Blues fans are far more likely to push me to that point (not that I ever would). Hawks fans annoy me out of sheer numbers. Blues fans annoy me out of sheer percentage of obnoxious people who handle their booze almost as well as a high school senior at their first party. You'd figure people would want to REMEMBER not being in St. Louis for a while, but to each their own.

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

This is an age-old debate but I find Blues fans far more insufferable than Hawks fans. I've actually had fun with visitors from Chicago at games on multiple occasions. There's a larger number of Hawks fans, but a higher percentage of cool ones among them. Of course there's ones that you want to punch in the face, but Blues fans are far more likely to push me to that point (not that I ever would). Hawks fans annoy me out of sheer numbers. Blues fans annoy me out of sheer percentage of obnoxious people who handle their booze almost as well as a high school senior at their first party.

I'm getting a sense that we probably dislike most of the fanbases more than the actual teams themselves. If I'd put Blues fans, I would have had to find a spot for Wild and Avs fans too. Come to think of it, I probably hate both of those teams more than the Hawks as well.

 

[NSH615]

I'm getting a sense that we probably dislike most of the fanbases more than the actual teams themselves. If I'd put Blues fans, I would have had to find a spot for Wild and Avs fans too. Come to think of it, I probably hate both of those teams more than the Hawks too.

The Wild and Avs fans do not travel like the Hawks and Blues. The Blues fans are the worst due to the fact that they come close to the same number of fans invading our building yet they are 10 times louder than the Hawks fans. Basically the Blues fans turn Bridgestone into the Scottrade Center. The Hawks fans just show up in numbers and get a little rowdy, particularly when things don't go their way.

I'll attend a Hawks game, I will not go to a Blues game, not even if the tickets were free.

 

[PredsV82]

I know I'm in the minority here but I've hated the Blues more than the Hawks since about 1999.

the first 7 or so years of our existence the Hawks were pathetic and we actually beat them fairly regularly... I still remember a game when the few hawks fans in the building were seen on the jumbotron with bags over their head (that was the Jocelyn Thibault days)

the Blues owned us, completley and totally, for the first several years.. then there came a time after the 04 lockout when we beat them every time for something like two years running, and then it swung back the other way...

but I really hope we dont meet them in round 1... Ideally Id rather win the division and face the 4th or 5th place team or else have St Louis win it and face Chicago in round 1(yeah, i just said that... I think we match up better with Chi thn StL)

 

[Cashville]

I miss old Columbus

Their fans were generally nice and I think we had like a 16-game home winning streak going against them at one point

 

[jstreet]

the first 7 or so years of our existence the Hawks were pathetic and we actually beat them fairly regularly... I still remember a game when the few hawks fans in the building were seen on the jumbotron with bags over their head (that was the Jocelyn Thibault tL)

I remember that. It was also the Wirtz hurts era.

I want to throw my vote in for blues fans being the worst.

 

[PredsHabs]

Interesting note from the Tennessean this morning, I didn't catch this last night.



So effectively we had 2 - 3rd lines and 1 - 4th line.

I want to see some more of the Jokinen-Jarnkrok-Smith. I have been wanting Jarnkrok with Smith for awhile. I like the combination and the fact the two J's work their tails off.

 

[NSH615]

I want to see some more of the Jokinen-Jarnkrok-Smith. I have been wanting Jarnkrok with Smith for awhile. I like the combination and the fact the two J's work their tails off.

ummm no. Jokinen needs to get off that line. I do like Smith and Jarnkrok together, but HATE the face that Jokinen is there with them.