GDT: Nashville Predators v. St. Louis Blues 5pm @ The Bridge

[PredsV82]

This should sum up what Poile didn't address in the offseason. While we all worried about Josi filling Suter's skates, he should've concerned himself who was going to replace Josi on the second pairing. Josi and Weber look good together. The other two pairings worry me greatly.

I'd almost venture putting Ellis with Weber and putting Josi back with Klein. Problem is who's our third pairing. We need a PMD to pair with Klein to make that second pairing effective.

On to Minny and kicking Suter's arse.

I've been clamoring for a while now that we need a 2nd pairing puck moving d-man. Glad there's others who feel the same.

We could throw a hail mary and stick Blum with Klein. At this point though, I want to keep Weber and Josi together. They may as well get comfortable playing together since I see them as our future 1st pairing for a while. I don't think Weber and Ellis would complement each other very well.

Agreed. Klein and Hannan is not going to work for the same reason Klein and Hamhuis or Klein and Bouillon didn't work: neither player can move the puck out of the back. Klein is great at carrying the puck and stick-handling, but when you force him to pass, his game goes to pieces and puts more pressure on everybody.

I'd give Blum a shot at that position alongside Klein for a couple of games, and if that doesn't fix the issue, start putting out feelers for a defenseman and see if there aren't any Grebeshkov-type adds available. Of course, on a condensed schedule like this, teams are probably less likely to give up the kind of asset we would be looking for, if for no other reason than the tightness of the playoff race...

all very nice thoughts but you act like other teams just have excess puck moving dmen lying around that they will trade for our scraps

there's a reason that Ryan Suter got 100 million dollars even thought he scores about 6 goals a season.... PMDs are one of the most coveted commodities in hockey and you either grow your own or you pay through the nose for them.

we will have to figure out some combo that works with the 7 defensemen we have....

 

[Jarnberg]

Thru the first two games, the Predators' problems lie in the inability to cycle the puck and to clear the zone. Both lead to consistent pressure in our own zone. The Hannan - Klein paring have got pinned up in their own zone far too many times. But that isn't all on the defense. The forwards are just as guilty. This team is weak along the boards. The "Yip" line got caught in their own zone alot too. And the fact that we are icing a line of McGratton - Yip - Clune is borderline comical. Clune's hit was disgusting; that guy doesn't deserve to be on NHL ice.

The good news is that Josi looks absolutely fantastic. Wilson looks much improved.

 

[Jarnberg]

Oh and if it makes you feel any better, Tarasenko was drafted two spots ahead of the offensive bombshell Austin Watson. St. Louis traded to draft him.

 

[glenngineer]

all very nice thoughts but you act like other teams just have excess puck moving dmen lying around that they will trade for our scraps

there's a reason that Ryan Suter got 100 million dollars even thought he scores about 6 goals a season.... PMDs are one of the most coveted commodities in hockey and you either grow your own or you pay through the nose for them.

we will have to figure out some combo that works with the 7 defensemen we have....

Who said anything about trading scraps? Those are your words, not mine. If we feel the need for an upgrade on the second pairing, a good piece or two is going the other way and I have no problem with that.

 

[Top 6 Spaling]

Weber-Josi
Klein-Blum
Ellis-Hannan

 

[worstfaceoffmanever]

all very nice thoughts but you act like other teams just have excess puck moving dmen lying around that they will trade for our scraps

I don't think any of us said that anywhere. In fact, I think I said the opposite:

Of course, on a condensed schedule like this, teams are probably less likely to give up the kind of asset we would be looking for, if for no other reason than the tightness of the playoff race...

Not explicitly the opposite, but it can be inferred that a PMD won't come cheap. Like Glenn said, I'm perfectly fine with dealing a major piece to fix the blue line if it comes to that, but I think we need to give Blum a look first before we start looking for any external solutions. It certainly doesn't have to be a player of Suter's caliber, just a guy who can pass. If the Isles flame out, Mark Streit could become available, and that'd be my first choice. Veteran guy and exactly the kind of player Klein can be successful with.

 

[hoosierpred]

Yes,

Peks is flopping and dropping his shoulders early a lot in these first two games.

Absolutely right. Peks made some great saves tonight, but he is still making himself smaller and opening himself up to top shelf goals. Kind of leaning forward too much instead of having his chest more square to the shot. It's hurting him on shootouts too. There was a brief stint last year when this was a problem but he got it corrected. Let's hope Korn gets this worked out quickly.

 

[nomorekids]

I actually think Klein\Hannan has been okay, but the third pairing has been dreadful.

AS I'VE BEEN SAYING:

Weber-Bouwmeester\Martin
Klein-Josi
Ellis-Hannan
Gill

The bottom six is a mess right now with spots being used on McGrattan and Clune, but neither being given icetime(justifiably). Factor in that you have Brandon Yip, who, while not "bad," is also not "good" at anything.

Gabby Bourque coming back will help out...hopefully he's called up today. I'd go ahead and call Mueller or Latta up as well, and go with:

Bourque Spaling Smith
Halischuk Mueller Yip

Bench McGrattan. Waive Clune.

Shootouts are always iffy for us. In the past couple of seasons, we've struggled to find anyone to score consistently(Legwand probably the closest to a good option that we have), but have done okay because Pekka has been able to make one goal stand up. If more teams catch on to Peks' tendency to bite on moves made at slow velocity, we're not going to win many.

The biggest concern is that Grimson, Daunic, and even Trotz and Horachek were trumpeting their happiness in the effort last night. Was it better than Saturday? Yes. But you still got outshot by 15, including 6-0 in OT, despite having all of those powerplays and STL only having 2. I don't think anyone was surprised when the Blues got that third goal, because you could certainly feel it coming.

 

[hoosierpred]

Even had Hannan jumped up on Tarasenko immediately, it was still a 3-2 entering the zone, and who knows what the result would have been. Like you say 101, his indecision caused the goal, though I think Peks probably needs to come up with one. Hannan misplayed it, but I'm not so sure he got "burned."

And you're absolutely right about the culpability of our forwards in the defensive/neutral zone. Poor clearances, poor passes, and some terribly poor decisions on breakouts. I think a lot of that is just rust and lack of rhythm, though, at this point in the season.

Way too early to tell, but Josi replacing Suter seems to be one of the lesser worries for this team at the moment.

I like to spend my time during games focusing on one player to see how they're doing. Since Hannan is new, i've focused on him for the first two games. My impression is that if he continues the way he's played he's going to be a pretty good addition. He looks small and compact until you see him standing next to other players. He is better at separating people from the puck than many of our other defensemen (certainly better than suter ever was at this single aspect). His decisions with the puck seem generally solid, but I have to say that our forwards are not making it easy on our defensemen in general during the first two games. (lots of poor choices with angles to recieve the pass and not giving the defensemen good moving targets to hit in transition). The play in question was not his fault at all. It was 3 on 2 but there was 2 on 1 on his side with no support at all, so the goalie is supposed to have the shooter. If a forward with a puck can cut so cleanly to the middle on his forehand as Tarasenko did, it's generally a failure of the backcheck.

 

[token grinder]

I would like to point a couple of things out:

1)we still have not been beaten by anything more than the skills competition. While important to grab those points, it isn't like we have had our doors blown off.

2) We have given up 3 even strength goals, so again, our 5 on 5 isn't terrible. Rusty yes. Not terrible. Stay out of the box.

3) of those 3 goals against, Klein has been out there for all of them...and so has Wilson.

4) 27 and 33 were the Wings on both the STL ES goals. I would lay a bit of blame on them for the chaos trying to help too much down low which led to STL dmen having too much time and space. Must close those gaps.

5) as much as we want to rip our guys for getting pinned in the zone a few times a game, those fellas on the other side of the ice are paid to do that as well. We generated many, many many good chances last night. We pinned them a few times. While there was rust, we seemed to settle a little bit after STL came at us with playoff intensity the first period. I think we needed that.

6) we need 7 points from this seven game roadtrip. 24 points from the road (50%) and 15 wins at home should get us in the tournament for Lord Stanley's cup.

 

[Cashville]

I hate losing in hockey, but I thought it was a pretty solid game against a very good opponent. Wilson and Hornqvist are tied for #1 Preds star; both played a fantastic game in my opinion. I liked Josi's play; nothing flashy, but good with the puck and strong fundamentals. He's a lot more physical thus far than I remember him being. Hannan had a handful of good plays (e.g. saving Wilson's rear in the 2nd with a nice block) but he had some pretty questionable ones as well (e.g. giving Tarasenko a mile to rip that shot). Peks was fine; Pietrangelo's goal was savable but it was also a sick snipe.

Craig Smith had just a terrible, terrible game. He's young and he'll recover, but I literally cannot think of one thing he did well last night. SK was neither good nor bad, but I almost threw my remote out the window when he missed that wide open net. Can we hit more pipe as well? I don't think it's possible.

Lastly, Tarasenko is un-****ing-believable. He single-handedly makes the Blues significantly more dangerous. They don't really have truly dynamic forwards other than maybe TJ Oshie, but this kid is definitely something to worry about when he hits the ice.

 

[Top 6 Spaling]

Josi is playing a steady game right now, logging big minutes and not making mistakes. You don't notice him much on the ice, because he isn't flashy, but he gets the job done.

If that doesn't sound like Ryan Suter, I don't know what does.

 

[nomorekids]

I hate losing in hockey, but I thought it was a pretty solid game against a very good opponent. Wilson and Hornqvist are tied for #1 Preds star; both played a fantastic game in my opinion. I liked Josi's play; nothing flashy, but good with the puck and strong fundamentals. He's a lot more physical thus far than I remember him being. Hannan had a handful of good plays (e.g. saving Wilson's rear in the 2nd with a nice block) but he had some pretty questionable ones as well (e.g. giving Tarasenko a mile to rip that shot). Peks was fine; Pietrangelo's goal was savable but it was also a sick snipe.

Craig Smith had just a terrible, terrible game. He's young and he'll recover, but I literally cannot think of one thing he did well last night. SK was neither good nor bad, but I almost threw my remote out the window when he missed that wide open net. Can we hit more pipe as well? I don't think it's possible.

Lastly, Tarasenko is un-****ing-believable. He single-handedly makes the Blues significantly more dangerous. They don't really have truly dynamic forwards other than maybe TJ Oshie, but this kid is definitely something to worry about when he hits the ice.

David Perron and Alex Steen, as well.

 

[triggrman]

Thru the first two games, the Predators' problems lie in the inability to cycle the puck and to clear the zone. Both lead to consistent pressure in our own zone. The Hannan - Klein paring have got pinned up in their own zone far too many times. But that isn't all on the defense. The forwards are just as guilty. This team is weak along the boards. The "Yip" line got caught in their own zone alot too. And the fact that we are icing a line of McGratton - Yip - Clune is borderline comical. Clune's hit was disgusting; that guy doesn't deserve to be on NHL ice.

The good news is that Josi looks absolutely fantastic. Wilson looks much improved.

Could not agree more.

Too many times last night in the defensive zone we got the puck out of the cycle to the foward on boards only to see him turn it over to the defenseman and the cycle continued. I think our forwards are actually too high on the defensemen. I don't want them down low but they need to back up some, it gives the defensemen a quicker out and prevents their defensemen from sitting on top of our wingers trying to breakout. It creates space and easier breakouts.

In the zone we have to get the forecheck going quicker on the dump-ins, I have no solution for this, maybe carry the puck in more, I really don't know. We need to do a better job of handling the puck. Scotty Nichol looked as good with the puck last night as any of our players not named Wilson or Erat.

 

[MKMM]

A few thoughts from me...

Well the outcome of the 2 Games weren't what we expectet or hoped for, but it isn't the end of the world either.
2 Points is "okay" and we hadn't had any luck with 3 Posts.
We cleary wern't able to play our best yet, but we improved last game and im sure the game today will also be better. Give them some time, it only has been 2 games and last year we also didn't started as hoped with a 2-3-1 record but at the end it turned out to be one of our beste seasons.

In Goal i think Pekka was good but not great. He made some great saves but he also looked shaky some times. Atleast to me.
And i also think he should/could have stoped Tarasenkos Shot, even if Hannan made a mistake before.
And i think the trays to play the puck to often when the opposite team is in our zone and making preasure. Last game he mishandeld the puck 3 or 4 times behind the net and with a bit more luck St.Louis would have scored. And it also for sure doesn't increase the self assurance and self-confidence for our team.

I don't think the defense is that bad as some pretend it to be, but it's not perfect either.
To first pairing is looking really good and it's going to be better every game. Josi is playing amazing and he is going to be a stud.
Am I'm the only one who tinks that Weber is playing harder and with more heart than last year?
My opinion on the second pairing is splitted. I like it as a shout down paring when we don't have the puck. Both defended pretty well, although Hannan made a mistake at Tarasenkos Goal.
But it doesn't work when we have the puck and need to break out.
Neither of them is good or feels comfortable at doing a good outlet ot brealout pass. But it's not only thei fault, the forwards also has to be in a better postion to recive the pass and/or to the puck out.
Anyway i would like to see Blum playing the next 2 or 3 games. Hopefully he can solve the problem a bit.
I like our third pair, especially Ellis. He made huge steps forwards and he has so much offensive abilty.

Like said before the forwards have to postition themselfes better for the break out and beckcheck a bit harder to help the D.
Legwand needs to step up his game, he didn't look good last game.
I liked Sk at game one but yesterday he could have played better. He needs to burry his chances, but that is an issue for the hole team.
Smith looked awful? I think he needs more offensive linemates to succed.

Hornqvist, Spaling and especially Wilson had great games. Wilson has been ne of our best forwards at the to games, and he also backched. I hope he breaks out now.

The 4 "line" was useless. We need Gaustad and Bourque back badly and i would und call up Watson or Beck.

Sk-Fisher-Erat
Bourque-Legwand-Horny
Wilson-Watson-Smith (Watson is very good at the defense but also has some nice offensive skills. Let the Kids play togehter as long as they work hard)
Spaling-Gaustad-Halischuk

 

[Cashville]

Yes I miss Bork Bork Bork. Halischuk and Spaling actually had very good games, but we're missing Bourque badly for the forecheck and speed in the bottom six. He's our version of Darren Helm.

 

[wadesworld]

In the zone we have to get the forecheck going quicker on the dump-ins, I have no solution for this, maybe carry the puck in more, I really don't know. We need to do a better job of handling the puck. Scotty Nichol looked as good with the puck last night as any of our players not named Wilson or Erat.

Agree with this. This is why we can't get the cycle going, because we don't have anyone who can turn with the puck decently - or at least they're not showing it if they can. If they don't have a pass open, they get pinned and lose the puck.

 

[ThirdManIn]

The biggest concern for me is time. We're playing what is essentially half of a season here. The Preds are notorious for slow starts (usually playing close to .500 hockey). They won't have nearly as much time to get it all worked out this year. I'm not worried yet, but if we're still playing this sloppy in a week I have a feeling it's going to be a loooong (shortened) season.

 

[token grinder]

2 points is two points for me I guess. I would have been just as happy beating the snot out of Columbus and losing to STL or vice versa. I think the goal of the short season is to average a tick above a point per game played. If we can get 7 points on the seven game roadie here, I feel good about the rest of the year.

 

[triggrman]

Agree with this. This is why we can't get the cycle going, because we don't have anyone who can turn with the puck decently - or at least they're not showing it if they can. If they don't have a pass open, they get pinned and lose the puck.

I'd like to see SLake or hipcheck85's opinion on this. There's no way it's just a talent thing, Nichol is not better with the puck than SK but man it sure looked like it.

 

[luckofirish8]

Despite the loss tonight against the Blues I just gotta say you guys have an amazing fan base.

The arena was rocking

I've actually been a bit disappointed with our performances in the first two games. We had our moments, but overall it seems like we (the fans) haven't quite hit mid-season form yet either.

But, thanks.