OK, OK ENOUGH ALREADY - LEAVE US ALONE!!!!
Once again, the Predators played the St. Louis Blues. Once again,
they got their butts kicked all over the ice. In a horrendous show
of indifference, the team actually took the trip to Missouri and
made the Blues play the whole game. It would have been much better
had they all taken the night off, given St. Louis the two points
and saved some wear and tear on the team bus. Not all things went
badly, however, as the Predators were allowed to go home and will
not have to face the Blues again until next year. The first day of
next year, mind you, but beggars can't be choosers.
MMMMMM . . . I SMELL SMOKE
In efforts to give American fans a Happy Thanksgiving, the schedule
gods brought the Calgary Flames to Nashville on the Wednesday
before Turkey Day. To Canadians it's just Thursday, so a big win
made everyone happy. Once again, the Predators were back to their
hard-working ways, obviously a little startled by the whooping the
night before.
THE TURKEY WAS OKAY, BUT I'M IN THE MOOD FOR DUCK
This would be a test. A defensive test. Could the Predators shut
down two of the must dynamic players in the NHL in Paul Kariya and
Teemu Selanne? Or would the water fowl all-stars skate circles
around the lesser-talented Preds and ruin a long weekend?
Surprisingly, Kariya would get the only Ducks goal, on the man
advantage, as the sold-out crowd watched a fired up Nashville squad
win its second in a row.
NEW YORK - THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS
Unfortunately, Southerners enjoy a good night's rest. Preferably on
Sunday; one that extends right into the early afternoon hours. The
Rangers were definitely not asleep on this day, and in what was
probably the worst performance of the year, the Predators got
killed. Before they put their second skates on the Blueshirts were
up three goals and Wayne Gretzky was not looking back. Mike Dunham
did not enjoy his return to the Metropolitan New York area,
straining the groin muscle that held him out of much of the pre-
season. He was pulled from the game as the Rangers proceeded to
defeat the boys from Nashville worse than the Rebel Army was routed
at Gettysburg.
WHO ARE THESE GUYS?
Outskated, outshot, outplayed, out of their league. Without Mike
Dunham in nets, the Predators seemed to lose the foundation upon
which they were built. Alexei Yashin and Daniel Alfredsson gave a
clinic on puck control, the Sens gave one on the neutral-zone trap,
and Ron Tugnutt was giving up nothing (well, almost nothing). The
Predators spent a lot of time chasing the Senator who had the puck
- not unlike pee-wee players in the 3- to 5-year-old division.
Ugly, ugly, ugly.
STRIKE THREE
A little better, but same result. Against arguably the best goalie
in the league, the Preds took the Sabres and Dominik Hasek to the
limit. Still without Dunham, Nashville had one goal taken away by
the refs and three or four taken away by Hasek before giving up the
game-winner with less than six minutes to play. Hopefully this
bodes well for the future - Edmonton, you're next!!!
Notes: The first penalty shot ever in Nashville Arena history was
taken by Ottawa's Shaun Van Allen against Eric Fichaud . . . no
goal, wide right . . . . do NOT play with Cliff Ronning, he keeps
losing wingers (Blair Atchyenum, Scott Walker, Ville Peltonen) . .
. even the singers have hit a mid-year funk - who are these people?
. . . the Predators are in the midst of the longest home stand of
the year (five games).
