Our afternoon hockey notes lead off with welcome (if not surprising) news on the Nashville Predators' lineup for tonight's Game 1 at Phoenix 8:00 p.m. on NBC Sports). After suffering an injury in the penultimate regular season game, defenseman Hal Gill looks ready to play...
Nashville Predators News
Radio Note: I'll join the 3HL on 104.5 around 4:45 or so to help set up tonight's game...
Gill: "I think we’re ready to go" - Predators Insider The words we've been waiting for. Hal Gill's back.
The 303:30 – 2-time Stanley Cup champ Bobby Holik and a Preds, Coyotes preview with Carl Putnam | Section 303 For your pre-game listening, there's a fresh 303:30 complete with Holik, who's wonderfully candid for an ex-player.
Smashville 24/7 - Preds want net presence against Smith Given that mandate, I wonder how much ice time Patric Hornqvist will get.
Predators vs Coyotes Preview: Brothers from the Desert - Predlines Dan sees Nashville as having a pretty broad advantage.
Inside Smashville " Keys to success for Predators in second round of playoffs Seth offers up his thoughts on what the Preds need to accomplish.
Paul McCann - Desert Game Night - How I Predicted the Qtrs and My Calls for the Semi's I, for one, am SHOCKED that Paul is calling the Flyers over New Jersey.
Preds On The Glass: POTG second round NHL playoff predictions Buddy believes in Washington.
Coyotes and Predators are mirror images - NHL.com This is the first angle many take when looking at this series from the outside.
Nashville Predators' Pekka Rinne leads NHL playoff run | The Tennessean Has David Climer caught Preds fever?
Time to Say Goodbye . . . | Admirals Roundtable Jason surveys the scene in Milwaukee following their sudden playoff dismissal, giving some credit to Ian Herbers for stepping up after the surprisingly swift departure of Kirk Muller.
Season in review - JSOnline Paul Fenton talks up the job Herbers did, too.
Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey
Hart Trophy Finalists: Henrik Lundqvist vs. Evgeni Malkin vs. Steven Stamkos | Puck Daddy Is Stamkos a shocker, since his Lightning didn't make the playoffs?
The Five For Howling Roundtable: Predators vs. Coyotes Predictions - Five For Howling The gang in Phoenix calls their shots.
Bad Stories: Five Terrible Hockey Narratives and Why They Need to Go | Backhand Shelf If everyone followed E's advice here, a good portion of hockey writers would be left without material. Hmm... maybe that ain't so bad.
Where Do We Go Now? - Second City Hockey Dare we welcome Blackhawks fans on the Preds bandwagon?
2012 NHL Playoffs: Western Conference Second Round Predictions - Fear The Fin Really good stuff here for any of you who dig the stats stuff.
Rink Roundtable: Capitals vs. Rangers, Round 2 - Japers' Rink The Caps crew looks ahead to Washington vs. New York.
Hodge Podge Post, Complete with 2013 All Star Game Logo! - The Cannon Pretty decent job on the logo, I'd say.
Canada's NHL teams should be better - The Globe and Mail Make It Zero - the number of Canadian NHL teams left in the playoffs, that is.
Goalie items on extra 15% discount with new coupon code | Hockey Gear HQ For any of you goalies out there, here's a chance to gear up while saving some cash.
When it came down to overtime, the oldest guy on the ice, Ray Whitney, won it for the Phoenix Coyotes 4-3. The Predators dominated the game from the second intermission on, overcoming a 3-2 deficit to tie the game and force overtime, but Mike Smith's 39 saves, and the overall Coyotes dominance on the faceoff circle, conspired to cost Nashville the game.
Follow after the jump for the video highlights and reaction...
Follow @Forechecker
Cue the video (might take 30-45 minutes post-game to work):
Your random observations:
As noted by Josh Cooper on Twitter, that penalty which led to the opening PP goal for Phoenix was Klein's first since October 29. That's a long stretch without getting caught like that.
The hockey gods smiled upon the Preds with Yip's equalizer later in the first. Mike Smith came out of his net quickly to play the puck (as he loves to do), so when the puck took a goofy bounce out of the corner, Smith didn't even have a chance.
The faceoff situation reminded me of Game 1 vs. Vancouver last year the way the Preds were dominated, especially early on.
Despite the articles earlier today about Mike Fisher taking a more offensive role in this series, he passed up golden shooting opportunities in the first and third period in order to make that dreaded "extra pass". That ain't gonna cut it, just shoot the puck and let that other guy crash for rebounds.
That "just shoot" mentality proved critical on the Preds' 3rd goal, the power play score by Martin Erat in the third period. Suter's probably the 5th shooting option on that first power play unit, but he fired from the point while Hornqvist drew the attention of the Coyotes defense in front, leaving the puck wide open for Marty to jump on it.
The third period saw the Preds thoroughly take advantage of a Coyotes team which appeared to go into a bit of a defensive shell, as Nashville out-shot Phoenix 16-1. That carried through into the overtime as well.
Pekka? You're no Mike Smith... please don't come out and play the puck so much, m'kay?
The Legwand-Radulov-Bourque line carried the play on so many shifts, they leave you feeling that the goals are due to come. The Gaustad trio also wreaked havoc whenever they got out there, I thought for sure they might cash in during the overtime.
Hal Gill played 18:02 and looked pretty capable out there.
The OT winner just showed how a mental lapse can lead so quickly to a goal against. Weber got suckered in to playing the puck, leaving Whitney all alone to bury the goal.
So what are the takeaways for Game Two on Sunday? Faceoffs have to be a priority, with the wingers bringing the intensity to win those 50/50 battles for the puck. My patience with SK74 is wearing awfully thin, too, for most of the game he was completely invisible out there.
After what has seemed like an interminable wait, we're finally ready to drop the puck on the Western Conference Semifinals, as the Nashville Predators tangle with the Phoenix Coyotes tonight in Game One (8:00 p.m. Central, NBC Sports).
Follow after the jump for your series preview...
Even Strength Play
NSH Offense vs. PHX Defense
PHX Offense vs. NSH Defense
5-on-5
GF/60
SF/60
Shoot %
GA/60
SA/60
Save %
NSH Offense
2.5 (9th)
27.4 (24th)
9.1 (3rd)
2.3 (9th)
30.5 (25th)
924 (7th)
NSH Defense
PHX Defense
2.2 (7th)
31.2 (28th)
930 (2nd)
2.5 (9th)
29.8 (13th)
8.3 (15th)
PHX Offense
GA/60
SA/60
Save %
GF/60
SF/60
Shoot %
Between a hot-shooting team and another with a hot goalie, the goalie's performance is probably the more reliable, and Mike Smith will give the Predators fits. Of all NHL goalies with more than 1000 shots faced at even strength, Smith's .936 save percentage led the league (Pekka Rinne was 7th at .928). On the attack, the Coyotes have quite a lot in common with Nashville's depth, boasting 9 skaters with 10 or more even-strength goals, led by Radim Vrbata:
Radim Vrbata
#17 / Right Wing / Phoenix Coyotes
6-1
190
Jun 13, 1981
GP
G
A
P
+/-
PIM
PPG
SHG
GWG
SOG
PCT
2011 - Radim Vrbata
77
35
27
62
+24
24
9
1
12
232
15.1
Much like Sergei Kostitsyn last year, Vrbata is enjoying a career-high in goal scoring due to the favors of Lady Luck (read: high shooting percentage), but he's still a legit 20-25 goal type of winger.
Nashville's top even-strength goal scorer (19 in 72 games) hasn't gotten on the board yet in the playoffs, but did a stand-up job battling Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk in the opening round:
Mike Fisher
#12 / Center / Nashville Predators
6-1
208
Jun 05, 1980
GP
G
A
P
+/-
PIM
PPG
SHG
GWG
SOG
PCT
2011 - Mike Fisher
72
24
27
51
+11
33
5
0
7
157
15.3
I can't give either team an edge here. Although Phoenix's numbers are slightly better over the course of the entire season, Nashville's significant additions since the trade deadline effectively close that gap.
Special Teams
NSH PP vs. PHX PK
PHX PP vs. NSH PK
GF/60
SF/60
Shoot %
GA/60
SA/60
Save %
NSH 5-on-4
7.6 (1st)
45.4 (22nd)
16.8 (1st)
6.1 (15th)
53.2 (24th)
885 (12th)
NSH 4-on-5
PHX 4-on-5
4.9 (7th)
55.2 (29th)
911 (3rd)
4.4 (29th)
40.4 (29th)
10.9 (26th)
PHX 5-on-4
GA/60
SA/60
Save %
GF/60
SF/60
Shoot %
Here's where the Predators can press the advantage. The power play has been excellent all year long, while the penalty kill turned around mid-season after a substandard start. The Coyotes had the 3rd-fewest penalty minutes in the league after Nashville & Detroit. So going by the logic from the 1st round, we should see a ton of whistles being blown between these two teams, right?
Goaltending
Two of the league's top performers are squaring off here, in a matchup you'd have to call even. If you want to give an edge to one side or another, it's so small as to be insignificant:
Pekka Rinne
#35 / Goalie / Nashville Predators
6-5
209
Nov 03, 1982
GP
MIN
W
L
OTL
GA
GAA
SA
SV
SV%
SO
2011 - Pekka Rinne
73
4169
43
18
8
166
2.39
2153
1987
.923
5
Mike Smith
#41 / Goalie / Phoenix Coyotes
6-4
215
Mar 22, 1982
GP
MIN
W
L
OTL
GA
GAA
SA
SV
SV%
SO
2011 - Mike Smith
67
3903
38
18
10
144
2.21
2066
1922
.930
8
Both of these goalies stole the show in the opening round... leaving the main question - which will crack first?
Lines
Courtesy of Jordan Ellel at Five For Howling, here's a look at the recent lines for Phoenix (with the obvious caveat that they are prone to change):
Whitney - Hanzal - Vrbata
The prime line. Both the top scoring line for the team and it's defensive shut-down unit, although Tippett doesn't necessarily pair them against the other team's top line.
Boedker - Vermette - Doan
Not a line that we saw too much even though I think technically this was the announced line for both games 5 and 6. It's the line I'd play with Torres being suspended.
Korpikoski - Gordon - Pyatt
Another defensive shutdown unit that has chipped in a number of timely goals in the playoffs. Gordon and Korpi get your top penalty kill minutes among the forwards. Hanzal and Doan or Langkow and Doan generally comprise a secondary PK unit.
Chipchura - Langkow - Brule
4th unit, but probably sees more time than Nashville's 4th line. They have sneaky skills and are a good grinding group even if Brule is the only one with true finishing ability.
Miscellaneous:
Bissonnette probably won't dress unless there are injuries and the series is getting oddly physical. Pouliot has been up and down between Portland and Phoenix this year, but is probably the top "skill" player coming out of the press box. There's a host of AHL guys that it would be interesting to see play (Brett MacLean most notably), but I highly doubt that we'll see any of them unless there are serious injuries.
Defensive Pairings:
Yandle - Morris
Klesla - Aucoin/Schlemko/Stone
Rozsival - OEL
These aren't really listed by depth as they all play lots of minutes. Not sure what the injury status is on Aucoin, Klesla and Rozsival who all missed time/seemed injured during the first round series. OEL and Yandle are the dangerous offensive threats while the rest pretty much stay at home...although Tip gives them free range to pinch as needed and Klesla has been surprisingly jumping in to the play a lot.
For the power play, the prime line usually gets the first crack with OEL - Yandle patrolling the blue line, or Doan at the point depending on how Tippett is feeling. The second power play unit is a crapshoot and completely based on who Tippett feels is playing best that game. You might see the 4th line out there, you might see Vermette and Boedker. Given that the team only scores on about 13.5% of their power plays, I wouldn't worry too much.
All the d-men rotate through the PK time, with the exception of Yandle unless there's some d-men in the box already.
The Preds found a winning combination against Detroit despite not getting much scoring from Mike Fisher's line:
SK74 - Fisher - Erat
Bourque - Legwand - Radulov
AK46 - Spaling - Hornqvist
Yip - Gaustad - Halischuk/Tootoo/Smith
Who will earn the opportunity on that 4th line? That will prove to be a story to follow on a daily basis.
On the blueline, the imminent return of Hal Gill shores up a group which held their own against Detroit. Ryan Porth talked to Gill Thursday after practice:
When asked if he'll play in Game One, Gill said, "Yeah, I'd like to. I haven't talked to the coaches to make a final decision, but hopefully they want me back in."
Gill, one of the latest Predators to sport a Mohawk for the playoffs, spent most of the last two days practicing alongside Francis Bouillon, which is usually a sign of what the next game's lineup will be.
That would mean pairings of Suter/Weber, Josi/Klein, and Gill/Bouillon. If Gill's ready to go right from Game One, it gives Barry Trotz the luxury of relieving some of Ryan Suter's PK responsibilities, allowing him to place Suter in more offensively-oriented situations.
Predictions
Marc
This matchup really couldn't have worked out much better for the Preds. They have the advantage at every position, and not having home ice should help them get back into the game flow after a long break, like the coaches said. Preds keep the good times rollin'. Preds in 5.
Chris
The Nashville Predators sent the Detroit Red Wings to the golf course in 5 games with only four or five skaters playing well, and no Hal Gill. I have to think the team comes out with a few complete performances in this series, and their best punch is significantly better than the Coyotes'. Plus, Mike Smith has not been this good his entire career. Pekka Rinne has. Preds in 6, if only because every series in team history has ended at Bridgestone Arena.
George
Though the travel between Phoenix and Nashville won't be too big a factor for the Preds or the Yotes in the early part of this series, thanks to a couple days off between games 2 and 3, expect the Coyotes to pick up one apiece in each city. Hal Gill will finally find his way back into the lineup, and the Preds top lines will factor more in this series than they did against the Wings. Mike Smith will still be a factor as well, but the Preds will find a way to solve him. PREDS in 6.
Dirk
The Raffi Torres suspension could prove to be a significant loss for the Coyotes, as he's the kind of offensively opportunistic banger who can give Nashville's depth defensemen problems sometimes. Between that loss for the Coyotes up front, and the return of Hal Gill on the Preds' blueline, I think Nashville will be able to slow down the Phoenix attack. That, combined with the variety and depth of offensive weapons the Preds can bring to bear gives Phoenix too much to handle. PREDS IN 5.
In preparation for Nashville's upcoming series against Phoenix, we figured it would be a good idea to take a look at some Coyotes that Predators fans might not be so familiar with. Now we present: Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Outside of Keith Yandle, the Coyotes don't have that many big names playing for them on the blue line. One who has stood out this year, however, is the youngster Oliver Ekman-Larsson.
Phoenix drafted Ekman-Larsson sixth overall in 2009, and he split time between Phoenix and San Antonio during the 2010-11 season. This year, Ekman-Larsson played a full 82-game season and appeared in all six of the Coyotes' playoff games, helping Phoenix earn its first ever playoff series win.
Follow after the jump for more:
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
#23 / Defenseman / Phoenix Coyotes
6-2
176
Jul 17, 1991
GP
G
A
P
+/-
PIM
PPG
SHG
GWG
GTG
SOG
PCT
2011 - Oliver Ekman-Larsson
82
13
19
32
0
32
2
1
2
147
Strengths
Ekman-Larsson pretty much has a lot of the tools you want in a defenseman. He's got the size - most places list him at 6-2 and anywhere between 176 and 190 - he can play on the power play and to top it all off he's only 20 years old.
This year, Ekman-Larsson was second on the Coyotes in minutes player per 60 minutes, finishing just below Yandle, signifying head coach Dale Tippet's trust in the young defenseman. He's also been playing on the top power play unit and has put up good offensive numbers for a defenseman - 32 points in 82 regular season games. His 3 points in the Chicago series all came on the power play.
He's also incredibly disciplined, only registering 32 penalty minutes during the regular season and just two during the playoffs.
Jerry Brown of NHL.com wrote before the playoffs:
But right now, the Coyotes are tickled with this year. Keith Yandle struggled offensively at times. David Schlemko and Michal Rozsival had long-term injures and Aucoin has a series of minor ones. For much of the season, Ekman-Larsson was the steadiest hand on the blue line.
Coaches and teammates point to his smooth skating and extra gear that jumps out on the ice. His size (6-foot-2, 190) and wingspan that covers a great area and allows him to get back into plays and extract the puck with a poke check. He showed an unflappable demeanor and, as the season wore on, more affinity for the physical side of the game.
Weaknesses
So where can the Predators take advantage? Like most young, puck-moving defensemen, Ekman-Larsson still has a lot of work to do in becoming an all-around defenseman who can eat up a lot of minutes on a nightly basis. A young gun like him is bound to make a few mistakes over the course of a seven game series (he is a minus three in the playoffs so far, for those of you that like that stat).
Another area where the Predators can take advantage is the depth that Nashville possesses. Ekman-Larsson averaged just over 22 minutes per game during the regular season and actually leads the Coyotes in that category during the postseason.
Because of the consistent scoring Nashville has produced this season, Phoenix's depth on defense will be tested. Simply put, Ekman-Larsson and Yandle can't be out for every shift and the Predators have a chance to capitalize there.
Are you looking to get a little high culture in your head before diving back into the fury that is playoff hockey? Well, you're in luck.
Before we get into the Preds/Coyotes series previews, Rangers & Devils triumphs in Game Seven, and your other hockey notes this morning, there's a special deal available for Nashville Predators fans you should be aware of...
Nashville Predators News
Nashville Predators fans get in free to Frist Center | Ms. Cheap Just remember to race through the door ahead of your companions and shout "Frist!".
The View from 111: Predators/Coyotes Second Round Preview Mark likes the Preds' advantage at the top of the depth chart.
Battle of the Goalies: Rinne vs. Smith | ladypreds Goalie fetishists are going to love this series.
Phoenix vs Nashville Playoff Preview - Predneck Nation Miranda wonders if Phoenix has already achieved their major goal in just making it this far, while the Preds have loftier expectations.
Inside Smashville " Yip’s consistent play earns him fourth-line role for Predators From Colorado waiver-bait to playoff regular in just a matter of weeks? Yip's making the most of his opportunity.
Smashville 24/7 - Smashville On The Glass Podcast – Second round preview Ryan & Mark set up Round 2.
TheSpec - Ellis all business in first NHL playoff run Ryan Ellis has more big-game experience than most NHL rookies.
WCSF: Phoenix Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators Series Preview: The Forwards - Five For Howling Take a look at how the Phoenix side views the Preds' forwards.
WCSF: Phoenix Coyotes vs Nashville Predators Series Preview: The Special Teams - Five For Howling Carl looks at how the PP & PK units match up.
Where Are They Now? Playoff Edition | The Predatorial It seems like former Predators are making an impact all over the playoffs these days.
Predators welcome challenge of starting series with Phoenix on the road - Nashville Predators Examiner Getting out on the road should help the team focus on the job at hand, don't you think?
Nashville Predators, Phoenix Coyotes show depth of NHL | The Tennessean The traditional powers have left the stage as new teams have taken over the Western Conference.
Fisher expects to adopt a more offensive mindset in second-round playoff series | Nashville City Paper Not having to lock horns with Zetterberg & Datsyuk should help with that.
Former Nashville Predator Joel Ward not bothered by racist tweets | The Tennessean Wardo's not going to let a few hacks on Twitter spoil the fun.
Former Predators teammates celebrate Joel Ward’s overtime-winning goal - Nashville Predators Examiner It's pretty much impossible not to like Joel Ward and be happy for his big moment.
X-factor: Nashville needs offense from both Kostitsyns - NHL.com To me, the two biggest guys who need to step up are SK74 and Patric Hornqvist.
Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey
Adam Henrique Scores in Double Overtime to Win Game 7 for New Jersey Devils; First Playoff Series Win Since 2007 - In Lou We Trust A goal by Marcel Goc, which sent this one to overtime, wasn't enough for Florida.
2012 NHL Playoffs: Rangers Headed To The Second Round! Matchup With Washington Capitals - Blueshirt Banter The Rangers held on to a late lead despite furious pressure from Ottawa in Game Seven.
NHL has let rough stuff trump skill since the Canucks-Bruins rematch in January - The Province Tony Gallagher has a good long cry.
Breaking Down The Carnage Part 1 | Bobby Holik - Holik on Hockey Holik examines some of the fallen favorites.
Roberto Luongo asks Canucks for trade; list will reportedly include Maple Leafs, Lightning | Puck Daddy This will be an interesting story to follow over the next few weeks.
Ilya Bryzgalov & The Lessons Of Big Dollar Goaltender Contracts - The Copper & Blue This deal could have an impact on Philly's ability to keep its promising young talent.
We don't really care about NHL concussions, and that needs to change - Broad Street Hockey I'd say the onus is on the players, through the NHLPA and the upcoming CBA negotiations, to make this a priority. It's not really a fan issue.
The anatomy of three hits - The Globe and Mail Ken Dryden evokes memories of Gordie Howe in a discussion on toughness in the modern game.
Eaves Improving — On the Wings Patrick Eaves is slowly recovering from the slap shot he took the jaw from Roman Josi months ago.
NHL-size arena gets go ahead north of Toronto - The Globe and Mail Start the speculation...
Study Finds Bad Guys Wear Black in Hockey, Too - Wired.com An update on a story we've heard before.
NHL Playoff Beard Watch: Who was that masked man? Admiring the goalie beard | Puck Daddy Even Pekka's working the scruff.
Brodeur is a Fraud: Two of the Closest Series Ever This is pretty amazing stuff when you think about it.
It's a double-dose of Game Seven goodness tonight...
Visitor
Home
Series
Time (Central) / Network
Ottawa Senators
New York Rangers
3-3
6:00 NBC Sports
New Jersey Devils
Florida Panthers
3-3
7:30 NHL Network
2012 NHL Playoffs: It All Comes Down To This...Game Seven - Blueshirt Banter Will the home-ice advantage the Rangers worked so hard to gain prove critical tonight?
2012 NHL Playoff Preview: Devils Visit Panthers, Game Seven - Litter Box Cats Sure, they're nervous, but if you told Panthers fans they'd be hosting a Game Seven before the start of the season, they'd gladly take that.
Last night was one of ups and downs for past and future Nashville Predators. In Washington, ex-Pred Joel Ward earned himself a permanent place in the hearts of Capitals fans by scoring the OT winner in Game 7 against Boston, while the Milwaukee Admirals were swept out of the Calder Cup playoffs.
REMINDER: The Predators are hosting an open practice at 11:00 a.m. over at Centennial Sportsplex, so stop on by and check them out before they fly to Phoenix for Game One Friday night.
All this and a lot more after the jump...
Nashville Predators News
While reading this morning, listen to your Vezina Trophy finalist, as he joined the Sports Revolution yesterday afternoon:
Pekka Rinne on 1025 2012-04-25 (mp3)
Hockey Night in Nashville: Nashville vs. Phoenix: Who has the edge? Robby sees the two teams as quite similar, but with the Preds building on superior depth and experience.
Rinne walks in similar footsteps to Hasek - sportsnet.ca Other than being uber-competitive (how many top goalies aren't?), I really can't think of anything that Pekka Rinne has in common with Dominik Hasek, other than working with Mitch Korn. If he can carve out a similar career path, though, that would be dynamite.
Talking 'Tenders - Nashville Predators Tom Callahan, a goalie himself, has lots to look forward to in this series.
Nashville Predators' Shea Weber lends voice to You Can Play project | The Tennessean Josh Cooper talks to Shea about the project.
Unheralded names could decide Coyotes-Predators - NHL.com Given how these two teams are generally unheralded, I'd say this is a safe bet.
WCSF: Phoenix Coyotes vs Nashville Predators Series Preview: The Goalies - Five For Howling Basically a draw, right?
WCSF: Phoenix Coyotes vs Nashville Predators Series Preview: The Defensemen - Five For Howling Even Coyotes fans concede the Preds have the advantage here.
WCSF: Phoenix Coyotes vs. Nashville Predators Series Preview: The Regular Season Review - Five For Howling Jordan takes a look at how those games played out from the Phoenix side.
The 'im-Pekka-ble' story behind Nashville's Rinne - NHL.com Another profile of the Vezina finalist.
Admirals season comes to an end - JSOnline The Ads couldn't stand the Heat, getting swept in three games.
The Grand Curtain — Heat Sweep Admirals | Admirals Roundtable Ryan signals out a pair of Jon Blum boarding penalties as keeping the Ads from getting on a roll last night.
Lastly, take in the media scrum with Barry Trotz at practice yesterday:
Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey
Recap: Caps 2, Bruins 1 (OT) - Japers' Rink Wardo with the winner!
Joel Ward Targeted On Twitter After Game-Winning Goal - SBNation.com This is just disgusting. Be warned, repulsive language here.
GIF: Braden Holtby Doesn't Have Time For Rich Peverley's Antics - SBNation.com This, however, is hilarious.
Washington Capitals dump-and-chase their way to victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 7 | Edmonton Journal The dump & chase can work well if the chasers are actually chasing.
Luongo trade talk + 30 Thoughts | Hockey | CBC Sports Elliotte Friedman argues that it may not be so difficult to move Bobby Lu after all.
The View from 111: The NHL's Television Problem Mark's concerned about what all these upstarts could mean for the NHL's TV ratings in the weeks ahead.
Sean Burke's a keeper at mentoring goalies - Vancouver Province Phoenix digs their goalie coach, too.
Phoenix Coyotes' Doan savors success at last | The Tennessean The Coyotes captain is going to be on a mission.
Something Magic | Backhand Shelf E beholds the Grail.
For Dynamo, a Stunning Comeback - NYTimes.com The 2012 Gagarin Cup goes to Dynamo Moscow, after coming back from being down 3-1 in the series against Avangard Omsk.
Scottish hockey player barred from joining his team for championship after wearing a plush bear costume | Puck Daddy Well, naturally.
Why We Dive | Backhand Shelf It's a despised act, but oh-so-common.
The Player Mailbag: Bounty system in NHL; gay player acceptance; does media know hockey? | Puck Daddy Interesting insights here from an anonymous player.
The magical fourth year: 10 players you want to draft for next season! | The Hockey Writers Something to keep in mind when preparing for fantasy hockey drafts in the fall.
Coming Down the Pipe!: Record setting night in USHL Pretty neat stuff here, as a guy scores three shorthanded goals in one game.
Eulogy: Remembering the 2011-12 Chicago Blackhawks | Puck Daddy Here's the Hawks post-mortem.
Marc-Andre Fleury: Mediocre Goalie With Undeserved Reputation - The Copper & Blue That Stanley Cup glow can linger for quite a while.
Following in the footsteps of his goalie, Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber is heading back to Las Vegas as a finalist for the 2012 Norris Trophy, which goes to the blueliner who "demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position", as voted upon by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Like Pekka Rinne, this is Weber's second year in a row as a contender for a major NHL award. In 2011, Weber lost out to Detroit's Nicklas Lidstrom.
I laid out my case for Weber back in early March, and the same arguments still apply. Honestly, I could see this award going to any one of these finalists, even if I'd give Weber the edge in "all-around ability".
Shea Weber
#6 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators
6-4
232
Aug 14, 1985
Why He'll Win: Does it all - defends, scores & plays physically.
Why He Won't: Only 6th in NHL D scoring, which is where many voters look first.
GP
G
A
P
+/-
PIM
PPG
SHG
GWG
SOG
PCT
2011 - Shea Weber
78
19
30
49
+21
46
10
2
1
230
8.3
The other finalists are...
Zdeno Chara
#33 / Defenseman / Boston Bruins
6-9
255
Mar 18, 1977
Why He'll Win: Suffocating defender, has won before (2009)
Why He Won't: Will writers in the East split between he & Karlsson?
GP
G
A
P
+/-
PIM
PPG
SHG
GWG
SOG
PCT
2011 - Zdeno Chara
79
12
40
52
+33
86
8
0
0
224
5.4
Erik Karlsson
#65 / Defenseman / Ottawa Senators
6-0
175
May 31, 1990
Why He'll Win: Eye-popping assists
Why He Won't: Just 0:33 of PK ice time per game, not a stopper
The Western Conference Semifinal between the Nashville Predators and Phoenix Coyotes will get underway Friday evening with Game 1 at Jobing.com Arena, as the NHL just announced. From here on, all games will be carried by the NBC group of channels (NBC, NBC Sports & CNBC), so the good news is, no more searching around for which alternate SportsSouth channel is carrying the game!
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Date
Location
Time / Network
Friday, April 27
Jobing.com Arena
TBA
Sunday, April 29
Jobing.com Arena
TBA
Wednesday, May 02
Bridgestone Arena
TBA
Friday, May 04
Bridgestone Arena
TBA
TBA
Jobing.com Arena
TBA
TBA
Bridgestone Arena
TBA
TBA
Jobing.com Arena
TBA
Check our partners at TiqIQ for tickets to all these games, whether in Nashville or Phoenix!
This table will get updated as further information becomes available.
As we continue creeping towards a full preview of the Nashville Predators/Phoenix Coyotes series, I wanted to share on article which I know people were looking for when it popped up on ESPN Insider recently. Rob Vollman and Jonathan Willis also published their stats-savvy analysis of the Preds' Stanley Cup chances over at Hockey Prospectus, and it's worth going through a few of their arguments here.
Aside from their view of the Preds, however, this article did trigger a pet peeve of mine...
Allow Me To Vent About Zone Starts
(if you don't care about this bit, head on down to the next major heading for the Nashville/Phoenix talk)
The bit which got me rolling came when Willis talks about the burden taken on by Shea Weber & Ryan Suter:
For most of the series against Detroit, Weber and Suter were taking two out of every three shifts in the defensive zone, and when they weren't seeing Pavel Datsyuk bearing down on them, they were seeing Henrik Zetterberg.
The stat he's referring to in the text which I bolded is Zone Starts, found at Behind the Net. You'll see that OPCT figure of 34.5% for Weber, which lends itself to the idea that these guys are starting shifts in the defensive zone most of the time (100% - 34.5% = 65.5%), right?
Wrong.
I'm picking a bit on Willis here, but this is a common characterization that people use when talking about Zone Starts, that the percentage figure found at Behind the Net represents the fraction of shifts that a given player starts in the offensive zone.
In actuality, that percentage is just the portion of non-neutral-zone faceoffs that a player is on the ice for in 5-on-5 play. So even if we just look at total faceoffs (see table below), Suter has been out there in the defensive zone 37% of the time (33/89), and Weber 41% (38/92).
That's not even close to "two out of every three".
In addition, there are many shifts for a given player which don't start with a faceoff, due to changes on the fly. The Zone Start stat doesn't take these into consideration at all. The "Total Shifts" column in the table below (representing the playoffs so far) includes PP and PK work for Suter & Weber, but it's safe to say that even if we knocked it down to 5-on-5 (removing 4-7 shifts per game depending on the number of penalties called), there were probably another 30-40 shifts that they started while the play was ongoing, and only under the rarest conditions would such a change take place in the defensive zone.
Player
OPCT
Off FO
Def FO
Neu FO
Total FO
Total Shifts
Ryan Suter
40.0
22
33
34
89
156
Shea Weber
34.5
20
38
34
92
159
At most, then, Suter & Weber are starting 25-30% of their shifts in the defensive zone in 5-on-5 play.
Now, I know why neutral zone faceoffs are ignored in reporting Zone Starts - whoever wins those draws doesn't really get much of a significant advantage in generating the next shot on goal, so in terms of Corsi they're largely irrelevant. On the fly changes would open up another can of worms in terms of data handling, and probably not offer much insight. So the stat hones in on the imbalance of offensive- vs. defensive-zone faceoffs, which is where the Shots For & Against can be impacted.
Zone Starts are an important piece of the statistical puzzle, giving us context to understand how given players are being used. I'd just like to see them expressed more accurately for the general reader. I know that guys like Willis and Vollman understand the mechanics of these metrics and how to handle them, but to leave the impression that Suter & Weber spent the Detroit series scrambling around in their own end most of the time is just wrong.
We need some better lingo here, folks.
What Vollman & Willis Say About the Preds
Sorry for the long tangent there, but the analysis over at this article is well worth the read regardless of my quibbling. Vollman takes the skeptical view:
Outshot 160-116, Nashville indeed managed to get by Detroit despite allowing almost 40 percent more shots than they took, but they can't count on that continuing to work indefinitely. Their own 2007-08 performance and Colorado's 2009-10 series against San Jose stand as the only other modern examples of playoff teams playing with the puck 40 percent of the game or less -- and neither of those teams even got out of the first round.
Indeed, banking on Pekka Rinne to maintain something like a .940 save percentage isn't going to cut it. Yes, that's what Tim Thomas did last year, but that's what made his performance so exceptional. The Preds have to do a better job of balancing the flow of play.
The good news for Nashville is that they're not facing a puck possession monster like Detroit in this round. Phoenix is more middle-of-the-pack in that regard, as are the Eastern Conference teams remaining in the playoffs. St. Louis and L.A., however? They would pose a challenge if Nashville can make the Western Conferen Finals.
Willis sees hope on the puck possession front with the return of You-Know-Who, relieving some of the burden placed on Rinne:
Radulov gives the Predators exactly the sort of offensive game-breaker they have been lacking. Long the KHL's best player, Radulov can set up goals or score them himself with equal ability. In just nine games with the Predators over the course of the regular season, Radulov recorded a 2.2 GVT, a total that projects to a GVT of 20.0 over a full season -- a mark that would have ranked him among the league's top 10 skaters. For a team that entered the postseason without a 60-point scorer, Radulov's ability to put points on the board is a game-changer.
For my money, I'll be very interested to see how Hal Gill plays once he's back in the lineup. If he can shore things up defensively and relieve Ryan Suter of some PK/defensive zone responsibilities, that could pay off handsomely in the rest of the action. It's not like I expect Gill to put up stellar numbers, but his presence can help others to do so.
To get the full scoop, skip over to Hockey Prospectus and take in both sides of the argument for yourself.
Tonight is one of those nights which can draw the marginal sports fan in the wondrous world of the NHL. We have the first of three Game Sevens this week, with the defending Stanley Cup champs hosting an upstart opponent with a big-name star in Alex Ovechkin:
There's just one game on the NHL schedule this evening...
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Home
Series
Time (Central) / Network
Florida Panthers
New Jersey Devils
FLA 3-2
6:30 NBC Sports
2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Game Six Preview - Panthers Visit Devils - Litter Box Cats Scott Clemmensen will get the start tonight as Florida seeks to cast out the Devils.
2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Game 6 Preview: New Jersey Devils vs. Florida Panthers - In Lou We Trust From the New Jersey side, it's time for that buzzword, "desperation".
David Poile talks GM of the Year, Playoffs
While waiting for the action to start, listen in to this interview with Nashville Predators GM David Poile did with The Sports Revolution on 102.5 The Game this afternoon:
As the Western Conference prepares to move to the Conference Semifinal round, the talk today is all about goaltending. All four teams which are still alive owe much to the work of their keepers, while the conference's highest-paid netminder may hit the trade market this summer.
All this and more Predators TV rating news after the jump...
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Nashville Predators News
Red Wings/Predators Sets CNBC High on Friday " Puck The Media 543,000 watched the Preds close out Detroit in Game 5.
Paul McCann - Finally... an opponent. Paul takes his first look at the upcoming series.
The Intel on the Coyotes - Predlines Dan looks forward to a worthy opponent.
Smashville 24/7 - Series preview: Predators vs. Coyotes Ryan sees the Preds as the hungrier team.
Smashville 24/7 - Smashville On The Glass Podcast – First round recap Buddy's back in the saddle.
Poile thinks Predators are primed for long run - NHL.com Head here for video from Poile's media session this morning after his GM of the Year nomination was announced.
Weekend leftovers - JSOnline Dave Boehler shares a number of items from Milwaukee's opening playoff losses. They are down 2-0 to Abbotsford in a best-of-five series.
Slowing Down Krys Kolanos | Admirals Roundtable Is this even possible?
Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey
Luongo willing to waive no-trade clause - The Globe and Mail Will Vancouver find a taker for an excellent goalie (who takes far too much of the blame in Vancouver), but is on a 12-year contract?
Brophy on Quick: The man behind the mask - sportsnet.ca In L.A., we've been hearing for it seems like forever that Jonathan Bernier would be their goalie of the future, but Jonathan Quick has seized the moment.
Western Conference playoff winners show power of goaltending - Puck Drunk Love The question is, which goalies will fall back to earth first? These guys aren't going to cruise above the .940 mark for long, no matter how good they are.
Los Angeles Kings Are Now Favorite In Western Conference - St. Louis Game Time Ken Hitchcock makes a laughably poor attempt at portraying his Blues as an underdog.
Down Goes Brown: Behind the scenes at the Raffi Torres suspension hearing "1:17 p.m. - To ease the tension, everyone has good laugh about how much the window-washer working on the outside of the building looks like Shea Weber, since he's tall and he has a beard and his "squeegee" is Henrik Zetterberg's face."
SLAM! Sports - Former NHLer opens up about battle with Parkinson's Steve Ludzik comes forward with news of his disease, after a decade of keeping it quiet.
Masterton Trophy Finalists: Daniel Alfredsson vs. Joffrey Lupul vs. Max Pacioretty | Puck Daddy Here you go...
NHL General Manager of the Year: Why Paul Holmgren deserved to be a finalist - Broad Street Hockey You can certainly make a good argument here.
On composure, momentum and crafting a narrative around playoff hockey - Broad Street Hockey Especially at playoff time, writers can make a mountain out of a proverbial molehill.
A changing of the guard in the NHL - The Globe and Mail The times, they are a-changin'.
Eulogy: Remembering the 2011-12 Pittsburgh Penguins | Puck Daddy More Philly/Pittsburgh hate.
Should the Stars consider changing team colors? - The Dallas Morning News For a franchise which is launching a fresh start, it wouldn't be the worst idea.
While the Western Conference worked through the first round in short order, over in the East they're dragging out the drama. An overtime winner by Travis Zajac clinched Game 6 for the New Jersey Devils, who will face the Florida Panthers in a Game 7 on Thursday.
Follow on for your morning hockey notes, which include more on this game, lots of Preds/Coyotes discussion, as well as rumination over what went wrong for teams which have recently been knocked out of the playoffs...
Nashville Predators News
Growin’ Up | Predators AJenda AJ builds off a locker-room encounter with Tom Cigarran to discuss the long journey the Preds have taken to get to this point, where the possibilities ahead are wide open.
104-5 The Zone: Podcasts Check here, as there are three different Preds-related segments from yesterday. David Poile talked with the 3HL, Grantland's Katie Baker talked her recent trip to Smashville, and Josh Cooper talked about the upcoming playoff series on the Wake Up Zone.
Phoenix-Nashville: Bettman vindicated? - CBC Sports Especially in Canada, they can't help noting how the Commish saved both these teams from Jim Balsillie.
Preds On The Glass: Pre-series primer for the Predators and Coyotes Buddy provides a handy reference.
Nashville VS Phoenix – A Battle Between Two Identical Teams | The Predatorial Kristopher sees a major advantage for the Preds on the blueline.
How to Beat the Goalie: Mike Smith - Fang Fiction The skinny here says... go blocker.
Predators expect more physicality in series with Phoenix - Nashville Predators Examiner Choppy waters ahead.
Poile sees similarities between Predators and next playoff opponent | Nashville City Paper What 2007 was to the Preds, that's been the last three years for Phoenix.
Nashville Predators stack up well vs. Phoenix Coyotes | The Tennessean Josh feels very confident in the Preds' chances.
Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey
Travis Zajac OT Winner Gives New Jersey Devils a Game 7 Against Florida Panthers - In Lou We Trust This makes three different Eastern Conference series which are headed to a Game Seven, which should be good news for the TV ratings.
NJ Devils fan gets suite revenge after Panthers COO Michael Yormark’s Twitter ridicule | Puck Daddy The Devils took up for a fan who called out the Florida exec on Twitter.
Concept designs of Edmonton’s new arena: "This is what it could look like" Pt. 1 | Edmonton Journal Where #1 overall draft picks will play for decades to come.
The Masterton Trophy is Bullcrap - Battle of California An eloquent endorsement of Tommy Wingels.
Mikhail Grabovski on Maple Leafs: ‘We slumped physically and psychologically’ | Puck Daddy Grabo says nice things about the Brostitsyns.
Gillis, Hodgson and Advanced Stats | CanucksArmy Did the Canucks put Cody Hodgson in favorable situations in order to prop up his trade value? It's a compelling story, but perhaps not really true.
Luongo's the answer to Leafs' net woes - Toronto Sun Yeah, this would be about the worst thing Toronto could do. They need to go out and get 2-3 penalty killing specialists and make that unit priority #1 over the summer. A decent PK could make just about any goalie look better.
Left-wing options remain open " LA Kings Insider The Kings may do some line shuffling before facing St. Louis in Game One.
The Czech Republic Hockey Program | Bobby Holik - Holik on Hockey Once upon a time, the Czechs were a world power.
So, about those goalies: The importance of goalie coaching - Raw Charge It's only the most important position on the ice, right?
The NHL's Most Interesting Name Final Bracket: (1) Reto Von Arx vs. (4) Zarley Zalapski - Arctic Ice Hockey ZZ's gotta be the favorite, right?
Buffalo Sabres Season Recap: The Ugly - Die By The Blade Remember those heady days last summer, when Buffalo fans welcomed their new owner and his free-spending ways?
Wilson takes responsibility for plan not working, Marleau on waiving no-trade clause, list of injuries | Working the Corners The Sharks have plenty to muse over this summer.
Shero staying sensible after Pens' loss - The Globe and Mail Pittsburgh will be back, don't worry about that.
Will Lidstrom retire or return? He won't say - NHL.com Why can't people just wait for an answer on this?
FHS Awards Show - Biggest Breakout - Fantasy Hockey Scouts Celebrating the biggest surprise contributors to your fantasy hockey team.
KuklasKorner : The Malik Report : Good CBA news from…Pittsburgh? Well, this is nice...
Philadelphia Flyers fire T-shirt cannons with Nickelback, as if they couldn’t get any cooler | Puck Daddy Um, OK.
Don't expect a scoring frenzy in Western Conference - The Globe and Mail Wouldn't it be hilarious to see one of the Western series start off with a Philly/Pittsburgh-style blowout?
