Preds Prey: First Half Headlines

The Nashville Predators are just past the midway part of the season, and are sitting in a nice place in the standings despite the rough first half.

There are many headlines to choose from for the first half for this team, but here are the five that stood out the most, in no particular order.

Injuries to Key Players

The Predators were hit hard by the injury plague in the first half of the season, and it hit a lot of important players in the lineup. In the month of November, they were particularly hit hard with three key players heading to the injured reserve, some are back, but others are still waiting to rejoin the team. On Nov. 10, the team took its first hit with, forward Viktor Arvidsson being placed on injured reserve. Then three days later, defenseman P.K. Subban was injured and the team learned that he would be joining Arvidsson on the IR. The team thought they were in good shape, but on Nov. 30, Filip Forsberg was injured and placed on the IR. 

Arvidsson and Subban made their return to the lineup on Dec. 27 at home against the Dallas Stars. Forsberg is still on the IR, but is expected to return to the lineup sometime in January. They were just the three major injuries so far this season, but there have been plenty of other ones. Kyle Turris, Colton Sissons and Yannick Weber are currently out of the lineup with no exact date for a return to the lineup. 

Rough Times on the Road

The Preds started the season by going 8-0-0 away from Bridgestone Arena, but then mid-November came and they couldn't but a win on the road. They went 0-8-2 over their next 10 road games, but are somehow sit just two points behind the Winnipeg Jets for the lead in the Central Division. They ended a six game losing streak overall with a win against the Washington Capitals on Dec. 31. The win also ended a 10-game road losing streak. It seems like the road struggles kind of coincided with the loss of Subban and Arvidsson to injury.

During the 10-game road winless streak, the Predators only score the first goal of the game once and that was on Dec. 18 when they were facing the Chicago Blackhawks. During the eight game win streak on the road to start the season, they scored the first goal in every game except two. Another part of the road problem, has been Pekka Rinne, who is much better playing on home ice. During the eight game win streak, the Preds only gave up three or more goals a total of four times, but they did it six times during the winless streak. The opposition managed to score five goals in a game a total of four times, and that can't happen if they want to get some points and climb the standings.

Power Play Struggles

The Preds' power play has been anything but lights out this year. They have chances on the man advantage, but they can't seem to cash in on them. The team had 139 power play opportunities in the first half and only managed to score on 21 of them. They also gave up five shorthanded goals against, and finished the first half ranked 27th.

The Predators can get into the offensive zone and setup on the power play, but the problem begins after that happens. They tend to look for the perfect play and are really pass happy. If the shot is there with no one in the lane and some traffic in front then just get the puck on net because you never know that can happen. They need to stop looking for the pretty or perfect play and make the right one. The Predators have zero power play goals in 24 games played, one power play goal in 11 games played and have only scored two power play goals five times this season. 

Pekka Rinne

Rinne put up some solid numbers in the first half, but they could have been even better. In 29 games, he was 15-10-1 with two shutouts to go with a 2.25 goals against average and a .920 save percentage. He got off to a great start, but his numbers have slipped since then and a major reason for that was his play on the road. In October, he was 3-1-0 in give games with a 2.11 goals against average and one shutout. During November he was 7-3-1 with a 1.74 GAA and had another shutout. In 12 games during the month of December, Rinne was only 5-6-0 with a 2.87 GAA and zero shutouts.

Rinne has solid numbers at home this season, but has somewhat struggled on the road. The goalie's road numbers aren't terrible by any means, just not up to his numbers on home ice. In 16 games at home, he has a record of 11-5-0 with a 2.01 GAA and two shutouts. In 13 games on the road, he is only 4-5-1 with a 2.60 GAA. The team as a whole has struggled on the road and that played into his rough road record in the first half. Despite his poor road record, the team would not be in the race to win the Central Division again.

Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi

Johansen and Josi had to pick up the point pace with Forsberg, Arvidsson and Subban out of the lineup at the same time. Johansen finished the first half with 35 points including seven goals and 28 assists. The totals could have been higher if the Predators had any kind of power play in the first half of the season. Johansen can agitate the opposition and is good at face-offs winning over 53% of them taken.

Josi needed to step up his game with the loss of Subban due to injury. He had seven goals, 22 assists and 29 points in the first half of the season. The defenseman will join the play in the offensive zone and make the first pass to help his team get the puck out of their own zone. He added two game winning goals and averaged 25:24 of ice time per game. 

Flying Forward: Building Momentum, Gaining Points

The Philadelphia Flyers look to continue to build momentum and gain some points in the standings this week. The Flyers are 3-1-1 since Scott Gordon was named the team's interim head coach on Dec. 17.

This week is no easy task as they will face the Carolina Hurricanes twice, the Nashville Predators in Nashville and the red-hot Calgary Flames.

Monday, Dec. 31 at Carolina Hurricanes- 6 p.m.

The first game of the week sees the Flyers in Carolina on New Year's Eve. The Hurricanes have struggled to put the puck in the back of the opposition's net this season. The Orange and Black have struggled to keep opponents off the board. It will be interesting to see which team can do what needs to be done to get the two points in the standings. 

The Flyers should be aware of when Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen are on the ice. Aho leads the Hurricanes in goals, assists, and points with Teravainen second on the team in assists and points. The Orange and Black need to get the first goal of the game since they are better when playing with the lead rather than trying to come from behind. Neither team is especially good when trailing after two periods and have combined for only one win while forcing overtime five times in 32 attempts. The Flyers should try to have the lead entering the final period if they want to get two points.

Tuesday, Jan. 1 at Nashville Predators- 8:30 p.m.

The Flyers managed to get a win over the Predators on Dec. 20, but the Predators are a different team at home versus on the road. The Preds have gotten a few important players back from injury recently in Viktor Arvidsson and P.K. Subban. The Flyers have been known rise to the occasion when playing against the top teams in the NHL. 

The Predators' defensemen have no problem moving the puck and joining the play in the offensive zone so the Flyers will need to be aware of the trailing player in the rushes. The Flyers need to establish the forecheck early in the game to keep the Preds defending their own zone instead of attacking in the offensive zone. There needs to be plenty of traffic in front of the Predators net for deflections or tips because if Pekka Rinne is in net then he is stopping what pucks he can see. The Flyers need to limit their mistakes and play smart hockey especially since the Predators can gain speed in the neutral zone off the rush.

Thursday, Jan. 3 vs. Carolina Hurricanes-7 p.m.

The Flyers face-off against the Hurricanes for the second time in four days, but this time it'll be on home ice. The Canes will get their chances in the game since they average just over 37 shots for per game, but the problem has been finishing those chances this season. The Flyers have to be smart with the puck since the Hurricanes will take the puck away and force turnovers.

The Orange and Black should get plenty of pucks on the net since the goalies for the Hurricanes can be shaky at times. If there is an open look then don't overthink it or overpass, put the puck on the net especially on the power play, where the Flyers have been struggling. Amazingly, the Flyers have been an okay team at even strength, and that has been what is keeping them alive so far this season. The goaltending has been a lot better since the rookie Carter Hart has taken over the net. Hart has been solid making saves that the other five goalies couldn't make this season. The Flyers have gotten some secondary scoring of late and that will need to continue in this game.

Saturday, Jan. 5 vs. Calgary Flames- 1 p.m.

The Flames are one of the best teams in the NHL, and one of the hottest too. The Flyers lost an overtime game to them on Dec. 12, where the Flyers managed to blow a two-goal lead with 1:08 left in regulation. The Orange and Black are a different team with a new leader since that last game. The Flames have gotten some decent goaltending from David Rittich, while Mike Smith has given up some really soft goals.

A good way to keep the top line of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm off the board is to neutralize their speed and establish a good forecheck and cycle game early to keep the Flames in their own end. The Flyers may want to stay out of the penalty box since the Flames have a decent power play, and should they take a penalty don't give defenseman Mark Giordano any time or space to make a play. The Orange and Black hopefully have learned from their game on Dec. 12 that they need to keep attacking and play smart hockey with the lead or the Flames will burn them taking advantage of their chances and putting pucks in the net.

Flying Forward Weekly Prediction

The Flyers play two games at home this week and two games on the road. They will win both games over the Hurricanes and take all four points against them. The Predators will avenge their loss to the Flyers on Dec. 20 with a regulation win on home ice. The Flyers will keep it competitive against the Flames and then manage to lose in overtime. The Orange and Black will gain five of a possible eight points in a busy week. 

NHL Awards: Vezina Trophy Finalists

The NHL Playoffs are upon us, which means the finalists for the NHL Awards are being announced. First up, were the finalists for the Vezina Trophy, which is awarded to the top goaltender in the League.

The three finalists were Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, Pekka Rinne of the Nashville Predators and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The winner will be announced on June 20th at the NHL Awards in Vegas. The General Managers will have the final say in which goalie gets to take home the hardware.

Connor Hellebuyck was slated to start the season as the backup goaltender for the Jets until the veteran Steve Mason struggled early and then got hurt. Once Hellebuyck got a chance at being the number one goalie, he never looked back. He played in 67 games this season and finished with a 44-11-9 record to go with a .924 save percentage and a 2.36 GAA. He finished eighth in goals against average and 10th in save percentage. The 67 games were tied for the most played by a goalie, while his 3,966 minutes were the most played. 

The 24-year-old is the first Vezina finalist in Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers history, and it is also his first time being a finalist for the award. His 44 wins were tied for most in the league with Vasilevskiy, and were the most by a U.S. born goalie ever, breaking Tom Barasso’s record of 42 wins. Hellebuyck’s six shutouts were the third most in the league behind Rinne & Vasilevskiy. He won nine straight games to end the season, which is a franchise record. He faced the third most amount of shots (2,048) and made 1,892 saves. 

Pekka Rinne, 35, is a finalist for the Vezina for the fourth time in his career. He has never won the award, but came in second in the 2010-11 & 2014-15 seasons. Rinne finished third in voting in the 2011-12 season. He finished the season with a record of 42-13-4 to go with a 2.31 goals against average and a .927 save percentage in 59 games played. His 2.31 GAA was the fifth best in the league and his .927 save percentage was ranked seventh best. Rinne’s eight shutouts were tied for tops in the league with Vasilevskiy and set a franchise record.

Rinne was the most consistent of the three finalists this year. He managed to keep his team in games and give them a chance to win with timely saves. The goalie helped his team to win 11 straight games from February 19-March 19, which helped the Predators clinch the Presidents Trophy and the Central Division.The 42 wins were third in the NHL, and it marked the third time in his career that Rinne has reached 40 or more wins in a season. Yes, his number may not have been as good as the two other finalists, but without him the Predators may not even win the Central Division.

Andrei Vasilevskiy took over the starting goaltending position this season after splitting some time with other goalies the past two seasons. This is his first time as a finalist for the award and if he wins, he could be the first ever goalie to win the award in Tampa Bay Lighting history. The numbers could have been better, but he admitted towards the end of the season that he was starting to get tired due to the heavy load this year. He was 44-17-3 with a 2.62 GAA and a .920 save percentage in 65 games played in the regular season. His 3.825 minutes played were the fourth most in the league as were his 65 games played. 

The 23-year-old was tied for first in wins (44) and shutouts (8), which were both franchise records. He led his team to the best record in the Eastern Conference and to the best season in franchise history. Vasilevskiy won in straight on the road from October 9-30, which is a new Lightning record. He became the 12th goalie in NHL history to finish the season with a share of the NHL lead in wins prior to his 24th birthday. He did allow a lot of goals on the power play, but that was a product of his team not being very good in front of him.

My projected winner for the Vezina Trophy is Pekka Rinne. He did so much for his team this year, and led them to a franchise record in wins (53) and points (117). Rinne kept his team in games, and was the most consistent goaltender from start to finish despite only playing in 59 games this year. 

Rapid Review: All-Star Edition

It's that time of the year again where teams across the NHL go on their bye week, and the NHL announces its All-Star rosters. The game will once again be played in a 3-on-3 tournament to decide who wins the $1 million prize. As usual, every team must be represented by one player so there were definitely some snubs.

Here are the players selected for the Buffalo Sabres, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs.

1.) BUFFALO SABRES- JACK EICHEL

Jack Eichel being the lone All-Star representative for the Sabres was the easy and right choice. He will be on the Atlantic Division All-Star Squad. This is Eichel's first All-Star selection of his young career. He leads the Sabres with 17 goals, 22 assists and 39 points. The selection of Eichel was an easy one especially since the Sabres have been struggling and are one of the worst teams in the NHL.

2.) DALLAS STARS- JOHN KLINGBERG & TYLER SEGUIN

The Dallas Stars will have two representatives in Tampa Bay for the All-Star Game. This will be John Klingberg's first time at the All-Star game while Tyler Seguin gets the nod for the fifth time in his career. Klingberg leads all NHL defensemen with 39 points and is first on the Stars with 33 assists. Seguin leads the Stars in goals with 21 and points with 40. He is having another good year and is on pace for just under 80 points. Since being traded to Dallas, he has been nothing but consistent and has developed a nice chemistry with Jamie Benn.

3.) NASHVILLE PREDATORS- PETER LAVIOLETTE, PK SUBBAN & PEKKA RINNE

The Preds will be represented by two players and their coach. Peter Laviolette will coach the Central Division All-Stars, while PK Subban was the fan elected captain. Pekka Rinne has had an outstanding season for the Predators and will be an All-Star for the second time in his career. Subban is second on the Preds with 32 points while leading the team in assists with 23. Subban is ranked fourth among all NHL defenseman with 32 points and third in goals with nine. Rinne ranked eighth in save percentage, sixth in wins (21) and 10th in goals against average in the NHL.

4.) PHILADELPHIA FLYERS- CLAUDE GIROUX

The lone Flyers representative is their captain, Claude Giroux. The center moved to the left wing to start the season and it has paid off. He is 5th in the NHL in scoring with 52 points. Giroux leads the Flyers in points with 52 and is second on the team in assists (38) and goals (14). The forward is taking part in his fifth All-Star Game in his career. He should have been joined by, at least, one other teammate as Jake Voracek has 51 points, Sean Couturier is having a break out season and Shayne Gostisbehere has bounced back with 32 points, which is fifth among NHL defensemen.

5.) TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING- JON COOPER, VICTOR HEDMAN, NIKITA KUCHEROV, STEVEN STAMKOS & ANDREI VASILEVSKIY

The Lightning have four players and one coach going to the All-Star game so the hometown fans will have plenty to cheer about. The Bolts are the best team in hockey so it makes sense that they are sending four players. Hedman has been outstanding on the defensive side of the puck and is a +24 while putting up some points (33). Kucherov leads the NHL in points (60) and goals (27). Stamkos has managed to stay healthy so far this year, and is a big part of the success of the Lightning. Vasilevskiy leads the NHL in wins (27), is second in save percentage (.933), and second in goals against average (2.10).

6.) TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS- AUSTON MATTHEWS

The lone player going for the Leafs is Auston Matthews. This is his second selection and he will be playing with the Atlantic Division All-Stars. Matthews hasn't had to be the man in Toronto this year so his numbers are a bit lower than most, but he has had help with the balanced scoring. He leads the Leafs in goals (19) and points (33).

Shooting Stars: Weekly Preview 12/3/17-12/9/17

The Dallas Stars will look to keep the momentum going coming off of a 3-2 shootout win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.

The Stars have an opportunity to pick up some important points within the Division since they play three divisional games this week. On Sunday night, they will travel to Colorado to take on the Avalanche. They will take on the red hot Nashville Predators on Tuesday night, and then travel to St. Louis for a match up against the first place Blues. They will finish up their week at home against the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Stars will need to make sure that they know where Nathan MacKinnon is at all times when he is on the ice since he leads the Avalanche in assists and points. Dallas needs to have a big game from Kari Lehtonen, who needs to make saves and not allow any soft goals. The Stars also need to take advantage of the weak penalty kill of Colorado even though the Avalanche are very good at killing penalties at home (~90%). Dallas will need to make sure that they have the lead after the second period since they have yet to have any third period comebacks. The Stars will need to finish the game better than they have all season, and play really good defense since they have been outscored 29-17 in third periods this year.

Colorado need to play a full 60 minute game since they tend to have trouble containing teams in the second period, where they have been outscored 34-26. The Avalanche need to make sure that they have a lead after two periods since they have only gotten points in two games when trailing entering the third period this year. The Avs need to stay out of the penalty box since their overall penalty kill hasn't been great despite its success at home, and the Stars power play can be lethal at times. Colorado will need to contain the top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin and Alexander Radulov if they want to have any chance at winning or keeping the game close. The Avalanche will also need to keep an eye on John Klingberg when he is on the ice because the defenseman like to join the play in the offensive zone, and leads the Stars in assists this year.

Dallas returns home on Tuesday night to take on the defending Western Conference Champions, Nashville Predators, who are coming off of a red hot month of November. The Stars will need to play a solid defensive game and keep the balanced attack of the Preds off balance. Dallas will need to be aware of the Predators defensemen, who like to join the play in the offensive zone, and even rush the puck up the ice. The Stars need to play a discipline game since the Preds have one of the best power plays in the League. Dallas will need a big game from either Ben Bishop or Kari Lehtonen since the Preds offense has been clicking lately. The Stars will also want to get the first goal of the game to keep the home crowd in the game.

Nashville will want to keep the balanced attack coming against the Stars, since Dallas can also put the puck in the net. The Predators will need to have a lead entering the final frame since they don't have a third period come-from-behind win in five tries. The Preds will need to have a better start to the game and bring the energy from the drop of the puck. Nashville will also need to get its power play going on the road since they have only six power play goals in 48 opportunities so far. The Predators will need to have a big game from the goaltending since the Stars can put the puck in the net, and keep coming even when down.

The Stars will play their third straight divisional game on Thursday night when they visit the St. Louis Blues. Dallas will need to get the forecheck game going early to keep the offensive attack going and the Blues in their own end, defending. The Stars will need to keep an eye on Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz, who are the two leading point producers on the team, and just happen to play on the same line. Dallas will need to take advantage of their power play opportunities since the Blues penalty kill at home is under 80%. The Stars will need to make sure that they play a solid team defensive game including the defensemen, forwards and goalie. They will want to avoid the turnovers and take care of the puck since the Blues will force the opposition to turn the puck over.

St. Louis will be bringing their physical game, but they need to be discipline while bringing that physical game. The Blues will need to force some turnovers especially in the offensive and neutral zones. St. Louis will need to keep an eye on Seguin and Radulov, who are putting decent offensive numbers while playing together. The Blues will need to get a good game from the goaltending and not allow any soft goals. St. Louis wants to get the first goal of the game to keep the crowd fully involved in the game.

The Stars end their week with a non-divisional game against the Vegas Golden Knights. Dallas will need to keep an eye on William Karlsson, who is red hot and the leading goal scorer and point producer on Vegas. The Stars will need to get another good game from their goaltending since the Golden Knights have a balanced lineup that can get pucks on net. Dallas will need to take full advantage of playing at home since they haven't been great on the road this year. They need to get the first goal and keep attacking, don't sit back and try to hold onto the lead or they will get burned by the Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights will need to the goaltending to come up big for them since the Stars can put the puck in the net. Vegas will need to be better closing out the game since they have been outscored 36-27 in the third periods of games this year. The Golden Knights should know where Jamie Benn is on the ice at all times. Vegas need to stay out of the penalty box because they don't do a good job killing penalties, and the Stars have a dangerous power play. The Golden Knights need to play a solid, 60 minute road game and limit the chances of the Stars.