CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
In the second of three games against the league's best, the
Predators bounced back from a horrible performance against the best
in the East and gave the Red Wings another run for their money. In
one of the hardest fought games so far this year, Tomas Voukoun
gave up one weak goal but held off the underachieving Red Wings to
force overtime. Unfortunately, this is not the IHL and you do not
get one point for an OT loss - Slava Kozlov's goal dashed
Nashville's hopes for a second win against the Central Division
leaders.
ANOTHER FIRST FOR THE PREDS
Coming back home, the Predators could come out in one of two ways:
they could (A) be so disheartened by the previous night's loss to
Detroit and get smoked by the Coyotes or (B) be encouraged by the
previous night's effort and put up an even better one for the home
crowd. Even without Captain Keith Tkachuk Phoenix presented a
formidable opponent for Nashville, who showed in no time they were
up to the task. A power-play goal by former 'Yote Cliff Ronning
was all the Preds would need, as streaky Tomas Vokoun held down the
fort to earn the franchise's first ever shutout.
THE EAST - A BEAST
The last time Nashville met the boys from Boston, they played a
lousy game and got spanked. This time, they got spanked even
harder. The matinee in Beantown on President's Day was again a
vacation day for the Predators, as the day of Friday night's
victory turned into the night of Monday's defeat. The Eastern
Conference has had its way with the Predators this season, and if
there is any hope of earning a playoff spot they must step it up
against the larger, stronger Eastern Conference teams. That's
pretty much the bottom line, not much to say about this contest.
BACK HOME, THANKFULLY
Up and down and up and down and up and down. This is the story of
the Nashville Predators through the 1998-99 season. That and
injured goalies anyway. The good thing about coming back home was
that even though he would not be starting, Mike Dunham was back on
the bench as Tomas Vokoun's backup. Since he injured his groin
against the Vancouver Canucks back in December, it seemed logical
that he would come back against that same team. Unfortunately, it
also seemed logical that the Canucks would injure another Preds'
keeper. At the end of the first period, Vokoun suffered a knee
sprain that would once again bring G Chris Mason up from Milwaukee
to ride the pine before the break. So the hometown fans got to
welcome Dunham back mid-game. It was also a game where the Preds
actually beat someone convincingly. With the largest margin of the
year, the Predators won the season series against Vancouver, earned
valuable points against another playoff contender, and sealed Mike
Keenan's fate as ex-coach of the Vancouver Canucks.
THE ALL-STAR BREAK
Since the 49th NHL All-Star game was going to be played Sunday in
Tampa, the Predators decided to give the fans in Tampa Bay some
practice at cheering. The worst team in the league came into Music
City and demonstrated the clear differences between the East and
the West. Size does matter, and the Predators got outmuscled all
night long. They played as if the break had already started and
lost to the cellar-dwellers from Florida. Mike Dunham showed a
little rust, making a poor decision on a dump-in in the second
period which lead to the Lightning's second goal. The video replay
rule reared its ugly head as the tying goal was disallowed due to
the tip of Patrick Kjellberg's skate crossing just into the blue.
A LOOK BACK
After a half a season in the books, it might be worthwhile to
analyze how the newest franchise in the NHL has done. So here
goes, the first report card:
Goalies: B+
When looking at the goaltending we see a tale of two injuries. Mike
Dunham's groin and Eric Fichaud's shoulder have hurt the Predators,
but have allowed Tomas Vokoun to sharpen his skills against the best.
The future looks bright.
Defensemen: C+
Drake Berehowsky has been the cornerstone of the defense, but there
are some serious holes that require solid goaltending as caulk.
With offensive-minded blueliners such as Kimmo Timmonen, Jamie
Heward and John Slaney on the ice for a considerable amount of time
each night, odd-man rushes are frequent and not too far between.
Where's Greg DeVries these days?
Forwards: A-
All good teams have at least two good combinations up front, and
the Predators have actually put together a couple that most nights
can provide a fairly good offensive punch. Cliff Ronning and
Patrick Kjellberg spend each night with a variety of wingers, as do
Greg Johnson and Sergei Krivokrasov. The loss of Ville Peltonen
deprived the Predators of some considerable skill, but Vitali
Yachmenev and Blair Atchyenum have stepped up nicely. Scott Walker
and Sebastien Bordeleau provide speed and defense, while Denny
Lambert and Patrick Cote are 6th and 7th in the league in PIM.
Veterans Darren Turcotte and Captain Tom Fitzgerald have given the
team an identity and a dependable checking line to throw out
against the league's best.
Coaching: A
The coaching staff has been exceptional, considering they are
testing the waters just like anyone else. Establishing the kind of
team mentality and unity so quickly was said to be the biggest
challenge to Barry Trotz, but it has been met and overcome.
Front Office: A+
David Poile has made all the right moves so far. Jack Diller has
sold the city on the excitement of hockey. Craig Leipold has proven
to be a new force on the Music City scene. Excellent job all
around.
Overall: B+
The Predators need serious help on special team and also need to
develop some consistency. If they can they will be a serious
threat to lose to the Stars in the first round of the playoffs.
Not bad for a first try.
