On the Forecheck
Preds fail to stomp out the Flames
by Forechecker on 10/24/08 at 10:50 AM ET
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These are the games that drive fans nuts. A strong early effort and a 3-0 lead get utterly wasted in a loss to the Flames.
It was like three different hockey games were played last night; in the first period, Nashville dominated the flow of the game (outshooting Calgary 14-4), but failed to translate that into actual goals. That shot advantage doesn’t even include the shorthanded 3-on-1 that saw Martin Erat hit the post and Ryan Suter flub a wide-open rebound opportunity.
In the second, the play was more even, but the goals started coming for the Predators. Within a span of 2:28, the lead ballooned to 3-0 and it looked like a rout was in the making.
It sure was, just not the one Nashville fans expected.
From that point on, the Preds seemed toothless; long stretches of power play time were wasted, critical faceoffs lost, and, most distressingly, Calgary forwards were allowed easy access to the front of the net. The third period was like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
One would have thought that with several days of practice leading up to this game, the recurring issue of protecting the crease would have been addressed. It seems like other teams pack their players into the slot when protecting a lead, but too many Predators spread out and leave openings to be exploited. That said, Dan Ellis needs to step up in those situations and make a save; every NHL goaltender gets hung out there occasionally, and a #1 guy has to deal with that. Right now, it seems like every Nashville mistake ends up in the back of the net.
Los Angeles comes to town on Saturday, and Barry Trotz’s crew dearly needs to put together a consistent, 60-minute game. Whoever says the preseason should be shortened is mistaken in my book; maybe teams need to be more aggressive cutting players earlier so the NHL lineup can focus on implementing their defensive system, but the Predators (and some other teams around the league) just look sloppy at this point.
RANDOM NOTES
An interesting contrast in coaching styles came after the Preds’ third goal. Trotz, in that situation, has typically yanked the starting goaltender in a bid to shake up the team and change the momentum. Mike Keenan, on the other hand, called a timeout, settled his charges down, and kept Kiprusoff in the game.
I thought Todd Bertuzzi looked quicker and more dangerous offensively than I’ve seen in a long time, and in terms of TV presentation, Mark Howard makes a great addition to the local broadcast. He’s one of the few members of the Nashville sports media who can actually speak intelligently about the game as opposed to typical intermission interview questions like, “the score is X-X, what do you have to do to win this hockey game?”
I know that the 3 Stars selection is basically meaningless, but how does Jason Arnott get the 3rd Star last night? He led that underperforming power play, was on the ice for two even strength goals against, and had two awful penalties that contributed greatly to the Nashville collapse. The first cut short a 5-on-3 power play (tripping Craig Conroy after winning a faceoff in the offensive zone), and the second led to the winning goal by Mike Cammalleri. The Preds captain had Nashville’s worst Penalty Plus/Minus rating last year, and the team can ill afford a repeat performance in that area.
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