On the Forecheck
Enough Phaneuf
by Forechecker on 11/06/08 at 04:44 PM ET
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Tonight’s Predators-Flames matchup in Calgary features a battle for the title of “NHL’s Great Young Defenseman”. Dion Phaneuf is the incumbent, and the up-and-comer is Nashville’s Shea Weber. So how are these two doing so far?
The Basics:
Shea Weber 12 GP, 5 G, 7 A, +3, 10 PIM, 39 Shots, 12.8 Sht %
Dion Phaneuf 13 GP, 2 G, 7 A, -1, 15 PIM, 55 Shots, 3.6 Sht %
The Exotic:
Shea Weber -1 Penalty Plus/Minus*, 1.82 EV60 (Points per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 play)
Dion Phaneuf +1 Penalty Plus/Minus, 1.00 EV60
While Weber may be faring slightly better so far, I’d expect those shooting percentages to revert to norms over the coming weeks, as Weber cools off and Phaneuf picks it up a bit. No matter the case, these are two stellar performers who will play a huge role in the outcome tonight.
The big question will be whether or not Nashville shortens the bench in the 3rd, as Jason Arnott suggested after the Vancouver loss Tuesday night. I’m inclined to agree with the captain on this one, although as Lowetide wrote today about the Oilers, I suspect that in the early part of the season, coaches prefer to give depth players a little more ice time to see what they’ve got to work with down the road.
For a Calgary-based preview, head over to Five Hole Fanatics, where Nashville fans will discover that Barry Trotz isn’t the only habitual line-juggler in the NHL. As Kent notes, the Flames are currently struggling in 5-on-5 action (GF/GA = 0.85, 22nd in the NHL), while the Predators are at least decent on that front (1.04, 13th).
In other words, let’s make this an up-and-down, clean affair, and keep the penalties to a minimum. But let’s face it, that’s probably not going to be the case when these two teams get together.
In their only previous meeting this season, Calgary made a shocking comeback from a 3-0 Nashville lead to take a 5-3 decision at the Sommet Center. The Preds squandered a 5-on-3 power play in the 3rd period and went on to drop the game, with Jarome Iginla earning a hat trick.
This time, Pekka Rinne will get another start in goal, and considering his recent work, that’s the right move. After getting knocked out of the net in his first start in Columbus, he’s stopped 51 of 54 shots in consecutive victories over Edmonton and Florida. Barry Trotz loves to reward performance, and since Dan Ellis had some back issues last week, it’s not a bad idea to lighten his workload anyway.
Ryan Jones will watch from the press box tonight, along with Ville Koistinen. The last spot on the bench is up for grabs, with Rich Peverley on the outside looking in.
*through games of November 2, 2008.
Filed in: Nashville Predators | On the Forecheck | Permalink
Tags: Dion+Phaneuf, Shea+Weber,
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