"Butterflies and Hurricanes" - 9.26.09 - Nashville vs. Carolina
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Nashville Predators (3-1-0)
Last Game: Atlanta 5 vs. Nashville 4
Goals For: 15
Goals Against: 9
Power Play: 1.5%
Home Power Play: 10%
Penalty Kill: 87.5%
Home Penalty Kill: 90.9%
Predators Team Leaders
Goals: Five tied at 2
Assists: David Legwand/Patric Hörnqvist, 4
Points: Legwand, 5 (1g+4a)
Power Play Goals: Peter Olvecky/Shea Weber, 1
Power Play Points: Legwand, 2 (0g+2a)
Short Handed Goals: None
Short Handed Points: None
Shots: Hörnqvist/Weber, 19
Shooting Percentage: Olvecky, .667
Plus-Minus: Weber/Hörnqvist, +4
Penalty Minutes: Triston Grant, 11
Hits: Andreas Thuresson/Hörnqvist/Grant, 6
Blocked Shots: Dan Hamhuis/Kevin Klein, 6
Giveaways: Weber/Erat, 2
Takeaways: Hamhuis/Ben Guite, 4
Turnover Differential: Dan Hamhuis, +4
Faceoffs Won: Jason Arnott, 19-25
Facceoff Percentage: Colin Wilson, 68.4%
Wins: Dan Ellis, 2-0-0
Minutes Played: Pekka Rinne, 92
Saves: Ellis, 59
Save Percentage: Ellis, .941
Goals Against Average: Ellis, 1.33
Shutouts: Ellis, 1
Nashville Injury Report
Wade Belak (Groin, Status Unknown)
Joel Ward (Groin, Doubtful)
Colin Wilson (Groin, Doubtful)
Steve Sullivan (Groin, Questionable)
Francis Bouillon (Abdomen, Status Unknown)
Sully - Arnott - Dumont
Santorelli - Leggy - Erat
Jones - Goc - Hornqvist
Grant - O'Reilly - Tootoo
Suter - Weber
Hamhuis - Klein
Sulzer - Franson
Rinne starts in net
Others are all scratches and did extra work with Trotz after the skate. Belak and Ward skated on their own prior to the skate, but are out and Wilson still is not skating...
It's going to be tougher for me to get jazzed about tonights game. When we were trying out players for the third line there was the usual preseason hope in the air. Was it going to be Wilson, Spaling, O'Reilly, Eaves? And who would win the wings?
Now, looking at a line of Jones-Goc-Hornqvist I'm thinking that we didn't improve much after all. Oh well. It's not worse than last year at least, and should be a little bit better once Ward is ready. Get healthy soon Colin!
I'll enjoy hearing tonight if the Leggy line can solidify even more. And I really hope to hear good things about our defensemen and goalies. Time to put it together boys!
Hey, before everyone starts jumping off a bridge here...
The top-six is intact and playing tonight. Both tonight and tomorrow the bottom-six will be a mix of players battling for roster spots. Ward and Belak are locks for the roster, but are both injured. Grant only has a spot as long as Beeler is out. Hornqvist has looked good in the preseason, but has to prove he can finish. O'Reilly has been invisible and better show something to stick. Spaling is not ready for a starting center spot IMO. Smithson is a lock and Guite will battle tomorrow for his roster spot, although I'd bet that he has a reserve spot locked up already.
Still the preseason, still battling injuries, still have guys battling for roster spots. Not the end of the world...
Now, looking at a line of Jones-Goc-Hornqvist I'm thinking that we didn't improve much after all. Oh well. It's not worse than last year at least, and should be a little bit better once Ward is ready. Get healthy soon Colin!!
Hörnqvist is purely a temporary measure until Ward gets healthy. Same with Grant for Belak. Both will be in Milwaukee as soon as the guy they're filling in for is ready to play, so I have no problem with them being in the lineup, even if it has to carry over into the first few games of the season, because it's being done out of necessity.
Hopefully O'Reilly will get a tryout with Jones and Hörnqvist tomorrow night before Trotz makes his decision. If we go into the season with Goc as our #3 centerman...
Hopefully O'Reilly will get a tryout with Jones and Hörnqvist tomorrow night before Trotz makes his decision. If we go into the season with Goc as our #3 centerman...
I agree, O'Reilly needs that look before making a decision, but the bottom line is that whoever starts in that No. 3 center spot is simply a place holder for Colin Wilson. Willy will be up before the Olympic break...
I'm out of town tonight so I'm listening online....does 97.1 stream online? If I can only get the game through the Preds, do they air the post game show or cut off after the game? Thanks!!
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