Preds Prey: Weekly Preview 11/19/17-11/25/17

The Nashville Predators will look to continue their hot streak this week as they face a couple of Central Division foes and a team that is struggling in all aspects of the game.

The Predators will face the Winnipeg Jets, Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues this week. They have a chance to gain some points within the division and those points are always important and they want to get as many as they can.

Nashville will need to make sure that they contain Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele by spending time in the offensive zone, and not taking any bad penalties. The Predators will need to get the first goal of the game and keep the crowd involved from the start. Nashville will need to have a better start to this game since they've struggled in first periods of games at times this year. The Preds will need to stay out of the penalty box since the Jets' power play is operating at almost 22%. Nashville will need to get traffic in front of Connor Hellebuyck since he has had a great start to the season, and has taken over the number one goalie position over Steve Mason.

The Jets will need to find a way to contain Filip Forsberg, who leads the Preds in all three major offensive categories. Winnipeg will need to be aware of the Predators defense since they like to join the play in the offensive zone and can put up some points. The Jets need to get the first goal of the game to quiet the crowd. Winnipeg will need to stay out of the penalty box since Nashville's power play can strike at any time. The Jets will need to shoot the puck and make sure they get plenty of traffic in front of the net.

The struggling Canadiens visit Nashville on Wednesday night. The Predators will need to shoot the puck since the Habs are starting a rookie goalie, and are struggling defensively. Nashville will need to get off to a fast start, attack and get in on the forecheck. The Preds need to get the tone from the beginning of the game and not sit back at any point. Nashville shouldn't look past the Habs to the Blues because that would be a mistake even though the Habs are really struggling.

The Habs will need to be aware of where Filip Forsberg is on the ice at all times. They need to make sure that they play a discipline game and not give the Preds anymore chances on the power play than necessary. Montreal will need to be consistent within the game, and stay focused instead of having lapses throughout the game. The Habs will need to get anyone on the roster going and have a big game. Montreal will need to find a way to keep Roman Josi and P.K. Subban out of the offense for the Preds.

The Predators finish up their week against the St. Louis Blues, who are one of the best teams in the League. Nashville will need to contain the line of Jaden Schwartz, Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko since they have been on fire to start the season. One way to stop that line is to win offensive zone draws since they start a lot of the time in the offensive zone. The Preds will need to play a solid all around game for 60 minutes. Nashville will need a big game out of Pekka Rinne, should he be starting in this game. The Predators need to finish better since they have been outscored 25-17 in the third period of games this year.

The Blues will need to get off to a fast start and get the first goal of the game. St. Louis will need to stay out of the penalty box since the Preds have a very good power play. The Blues will need to be aware of how much the defense likes to chip in on the offensive side of the puck. St. Louis will need to play a good game at even strength to beat the Preds. The Blues will also need to have a big game from the goaltender, who will need to make saves when needed.

Sabres Slashes: Weekly Preview 11/19/17-11/25/17

The Buffalo Sabres look to string some wins together while playing four games in six days. The Sabres will look to get things going with yet another lineup change. this time it's Jack Eichel moving down in the lineup. When are the Sabres not tinkering with their struggling lineup?

The Sabres playing host to the Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild and Edmonton Oilers. On Saturday, they will be in Montreal to face the Canadiens. The Sabres have a chance to gain some points this week as they face two teams that are struggling in the Oilers and Habs.

The Sabres will need to get a ton of traffic in front of Sergei Bobrovsky for deflections and second chances. They will need to avoid turnovers and play a smart, defensive game overall. Buffalo will also need to have a good showing from the goalie because the Blue Jackets can put some pucks in the net. The Sabres need to get off to a good start and be a lot better at even strength than they have been so far this year. Buffalo will need to take advantage of a weak road penalty kill of Columbus. The Sabres will need to pay attention when Zach Werenski, Seth Jones and Artemi Panarin are on the ice for the Blue Jackets because those three can put up some numbers in the offensive zone.

The Blue Jackets need to get their power play going and this game would be a perfect time to start since the Sabres have one of the worse penalty kills in the League. Columbus will need to have a solid 60 minute effort. The Blue Jackets will need to stay out of the penalty box because the Sabres may be struggling on the power play right now, but they still have some guys that can put the puck in the net. They will  just need to shoot the puck since the defense and goaltending hasn't been spectacular this year for Buffalo. Columbis is going to need to find a way to keep Evander Kane off the score sheet since he is first in goals and points on the Sabres.

The Wild come to town on Tuesday night, and this won't be an easy game for the Sabres. Buffalo will need to find a way to solve goaltender, Devan Dubnyk, should he start. The Sabres will need to get off to a better start since they have been outscored in the first period of games this year. Buffalo will need to play a disciplined game because the Wild have a decent power play with plenty of fire power on it. Buffalo will need to get some sustained offensive zone pressure by getting in on the forecheck, winning board battles and cycling the puck.

Minnesota needs to get the first goal of the game to take the crowd out of the game and the Sabres have only won two games when the opposition has scored first. The Wild will need to have the lead entering the third period since they only have one third period win when trailing after two periods. Minnesota will need to play a 60 minute game meaning they need to find a way to be better in the second period of games. The Wild need to attack the Sabres defense and have speed entering the offensive zone.

Buffalo will face Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Friday. The Sabres will need to know where McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are at all times when they are on the ice. Buffalo needs to stay out of the penalty box, and play team defense. The Sabres will need to have the lead entering the final period. Buffalo will want to get more offense from the defense, which has been difficult to do this year. They need to make sure they are crisp with their passes and have easy exits out of their own zone. They also need to get some production out of the bottom six forwards, who have a combined 24 points.

The Oilers need to get their secondary scoring going and in a hurry. It has been McDavid leading this team in every offensive scoring category. They need to get more production from guys like Milan Lucic, Ryan Strome, Leon Draisaitl and company. The bottom six of the Oilers only have 20 combined points on the season. The Oilers need to get the first goal of the game and just keep attacking the Sabres. The goalie is going to need to come up big and they will also need a max effort from everyone on the ice for a full 60 minutes.

The Sabres will need to contain Jonathan Drouin and Brendan Gallagher when they take on the Habs on Saturday. Buffalo will need to get the first goal of the game to take the crowd out of the game. The Sabres need to get the power play going and have a big game from whichever goalie should make the start. Buffalo needs to be better at even strength and just attack the Habs.

The Canadiens will need to have a solid effort in this game and put the work in to win a game. They need to get off to a better start and stay out of the penalty box. The Habs will need to be good at even strength and really apply some pressure since the Sabres do allow goals and in bunches. Montreal will need to have a solid game from the goalie, and may even need the goaltender to steal them this game. The Canadiens will need to find a way to contain Jack Eichel and Evander Kane.

Leafs Notes: Weekly Preview 11/12/17-11/18/17

The Toronto Maple Leafs will only play two games this week, and that could either help them or hurt them.

The Leafs will take on the New Jersey Devils at home on Thursday night and then travel to Montreal to take on the Canadiens, who could still be without goaltender Carey Price. The Leafs will have a chance to get some more points and try to stay on pace with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Atlantic Division.





The Leafs will need to find a way to stop the balanced lineup of the Devils since they have five regulars in the lineup with 10 or more points. Toronto will need to limit their mistakes and spend a good amount of time in the offensive zone. The Maple Leafs can spend a lot of time in the offensive zone by having a good forecheck game, getting the cycle game going and moving the puck quickly and crisply. The Leafs need to find a way to stop Taylor Hall and Will Butcher, who have been the top scoring forward and defenseman for the Devils this year. Toronto will need to figure out a way to get the puck into the back of the net since the goalies have been good this year for New Jersey. They will want to get traffic in front, deflect some pucks, be in the slot for rebounds and work from behind the net.

New Jersey will want to get the first goal of the game and make the Leafs come from behind. The Devils will want to find a way to stop Nazem Kadri and Morgan Rielly, who are both having decent seasons so far. If the Devils get down ten they need to keep attacking because the Leafs will give up some goals when they have the lead. New Jersey just needs to get pucks on net since the goaltending has been a bit shaky for the Leafs. The Devils will need to make sure that they have the lead entering the final period of the game.

The Maple Leafs will have an opportunity to pick up an important two points within the division on Saturday night. They have played okay on the road, but have played much better at home. Toronto will need to get pucks on net especially if Carey Price is still out injured for the Habs, or just coming off of injury. The Leafs need to get the first goal of the game and start putting doubts in the minds of the Habs players, and that also goes into getting off to a fast start. Toronto will need to play a solid, defensive 60 minute road game and that might not happen since the defense hasn't been great all season. The Leafs need to find a way to stop Jonathan Drouin and Shea Weber.

The Canadiens will need to get pucks on net to generate chances and make sure that players are in position for second chance opportunities. Montreal  will need to get the lead and keep attacking because if they sit back or start making mistakes then the Leafs will make them pay by using their speed to score goals. The Habs will need to get off to a better start in this game then they have in other games this year since they have been outscored handily in first periods of games. Montreal will need to find a way to contain James van Riemsdyk and Patrick Marleau, who have been able to produce points at a decent rate this year. The defense of the Canadiens are going to need to be in good position, and the gap control will need to be good between the forwards and defense so the Leafs can't force too many turnovers.

Sabres Slashes: Weekly Preview 11/5/17-11/11/17

The Buffalo Sabres are looking to bounce back from a week where they only got two out of a possible eight points. It won't be an easy task.

The Sabres will take on the Washington Capitals on Tuesday night, and then they'll have two days off before a back-to-back situation with divisional implications. On Friday night, the Sabres will host the Florida Panthers, who have been struggling themselves. On Saturday night, Buffalo takes a trip to Montreal to face the Canadiens, who have managed to get a few wins lately.

The Sabres need to find a way to stop the balanced lineup of the Capitals. Buffalo will need to establish a forecheck, and a good cycle game to spend some time in the offensive zone. The Sabres are going to need to find a way to stop Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Buffalo needs to get some traffic in front of the net to take away the goalie's eyes and get some deflections. The Sabres need to get the first goal of the game and then keep building off of it. The biggest key to tonight's game is to avoid turnovers because the Capitals will take advantage of them and turn them into scoring chances and/or goals.

The Caps are only playing .500 hockey in its past 10 games. They need to pressure the puck carrier of the Sabres to force turnovers because the Sabres will turn the puck over at times. Washington needs to get the early lead and keep being aggressive or the Sabres will take advantage and try to get the win. The Caps will need to find a way to slow down Jack Eichel and Evander Kane. When the Capitals are on the power play, they will need to be aware of the shorthanded presence of Eichel and Kane, who have score a few shorthanded goals this year. Washington needs to get pucks on net because the goalies for Buffalo haven't exactly been reliable this season and have let in some soft goals.

The Sabres will have two days off before taking on the Panthers at home. Buffalo will need to take advantage of a weak penalty kill of the Panthers, and they also need to use their speed to draw penalties. The Sabres need to eliminate time and space from the skilled players of Florida like Jonathan Huberdeau, Sasha Barkov, Evgenii Dadonov and Vincent Trocheck. Buffalo will also have to be aware of where and when defenseman Aaron Ekblad is on the ice because he can fire it from the point. One of the goalies is going to have to step up and win a game for the Sabres, which they haven't done enough of this year. The Sabres just need to get pucks on net since the goalies for Florida haven't exactly been Vezina-like this year.

The Panthers will need to find a way to stop the top line of the Sabres, which consists of Evander Kane, Jack Eichel and Jason Pominville. The line has combined for 38 points in 14 games so far this year. Florida will also need to be sure that they have the lead after the second period because they haven't lost a game when leading after two periods, but they are only 1-6-0 when trailing heading into the third period. The Panthers need to use their speed through the neutral zone to back Buffalo into their own zone. The two teams are going to need to fight through the physical play. The Panthers need to get off to a fast start since the Sabres have allowed 17 first period goals.

The Sabres visit the Canadiens, who could still be without an injured Carey Price. The Sabres need to make sure that they have the lead entering the third period since they give up a lot in the third period of games. Buffalo need to watch out for the Shea Weber bombs that can come from the point especially on the power play. The Sabres need to be a lot better when playing at even strength, and they need to get off to a fast start, which has been a problem this season. Buffalo is going to need to find way to contain Jonathan Drouin and Brendan Gallagher.

The Canadiens need to make sure that they get pucks on net and have plenty of traffic in front of the opposing goalie. The Habs need to find a way to take advantage of the weak road penalty kill of the Sabres. Montreal needs to get off to better starts since they have been outscored 23-14 in first period of games. The Canadiens need to play a complete game, tighten up on defense and avoid turnovers. If the Habs an get some pucks on net then they are bound to get a few goals since the Sabres goalies haven't been the best this year.