Two big games on the schedule today...
| Visitor | Home | Series | Time (Central) / Network |
| St. Louis Blues | Los Angeles Kings | 3-0 LAK | 2:00 NBC |
| Philadelphia Flyers | New Jersey Devils | 2-1 NJD | 6:30 NBC Sports |
Will the Kings knock off another top team in convincing fashion, after booting Vancouver in the first round? Can the Devils take advantage of home ice to secure a 3-1 series lead over Philadelphia?
As they prepare for Game 5 tonight in Phoenix (9:00 p.m. Central on NBC Sports), the Nashville Predators hope to get back to their winning ways by icing their best possible lineup. The late-night party monsters are back in action, while the Coyotes will miss one of their regular defensemen. Phoenix may also be distracted somewhat be a major franchise announcement later today, too.
Follow after the jump for your morning hockey notes, which include Barry Trotz setting the tone for his team...
Nashville Predators' Andrei Kostitsyn guarantees better offense | The Tennessean
AK46 speaks!
Nashville Predators plan more lineup changes | The Tennessean
So who will sit now that Kostitsyn and Radulov are expected to play? Not Colin Wilson, apparently.
Nashville, Phoenix goalies among most capable with the puck | Nashville City Paper
Put a leash on Pekka, and forecheck the daylights out of Smith.
Needing to win three in a row, Predators focus on one at a time | Nashville City Paper
If they give 110% and just believe in themselves, they can't be intimidated. They're playing for pride. There, that was easy.
Emotionally Distraught: A Jumble of Joy and Sorrow - Predlines
The goals have been few and far between, so Caroline covers Games 3 & 4 in one post.
Smashville 24/7 - Three reasons why the Preds can, can’t come back
Reasons for hope, and despair.
Gunnar Nordström's blog - Hockey Express
Run this through Google Translate, but the basic idea here is that even if they're knocked out of the playoffs tomorrow, Patric Hornqvist and Anders Lindback aren't expected to play in the World Championships for Sweden.
Bad memories for ex-Leafs - Toronto Sun
Steve Simmons shares a tale of how a night out partying during the 2002 playoffs led to a divided Toronto Maple Leafs locker room. The lesson here? We likely won't hear anything candid in a public forum about this Preds team and their collective mood for a long while, if ever.
Armchair GM — Ryan Flynn | Admirals Roundtable
Pondering which Admirals should return, and which should move on.
Lastly, listen to Barry Trotz after yesterday's practice talking about his lineup decisions heading into tonight. To me, the most interesting bit comes about 4:30 in. Teresa Walker asks about whether or not Rostislav Klesla's suspension will have a major impact on the Coyotes. He ends his response with "we're focused on ourselves right now... for the first time in the series." This encourages me - quit focusing on matching up with Phoenix, and put the best Preds team on the ice tonight.
Blues coming home, not bringing Kings with them. - St. Louis Game Time
The Blues' rags-to-riches story came to a sudden end, as L.A. completed their sweep.
New Jersey Devils Swarm Philadelphia Flyers in 4-2 Win; Lead Series 3-1 - In Lou We Trust
How about them Devils?
WCSF: Nashville Predators @ Phoenix Coyotes: Time To Finish This - Five For Howling
The Coyotes smell blood.
Report: Bettman to announce tentative Coyotes deal Monday - TSN
I say we get Alex & Andrei to take the whole Coyotes team out to celebrate.
Watch Ilya Kovalchuk’s soccer-style ‘head pass’ attempt vs. Flyers in Game 4 (VIDEO) | Puck Daddy
This is tremendous.
Claude Giroux’s hit to the head of Dainius Zubrus of Devils: minor penalty or more? (VIDEO) | Puck Daddy
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Rangers look for way around Caps' shot blockers - NHL.com
The fine art of avoiding a blocked shot.
Larry Brooks on blocked shots creating less scoring opportunities for New York Rangers, Washington Capitals in playoffs - NYPOST.com
Brooks complains that blocked shots are ruining the game.
Shop NHL's marketing strategy angers fans | Puck Drunk Love
BAM!
Leaf Personnel on The Move - The Spin
It looks like Rick Dudley is moving from Toronto to Montreal as an assistant GM.
Tea with Ms. Conduct: Rethinking Expectations | Backhand Shelf
Sometimes the cries of "overpaid!" obscure the genuine value of a player.
Brutal head shot in IIHF game between Kazakhstan, France under review for suspension (VIDEO) | Puck Daddy
Sacre bleu!
IIHF Worlds Recap: Small Swedish Crowds Cause Price Slashing - Puck Worlds
There's a huge difference in what European crowds are willing to pay to see live hockey compared to the NHLmarket.
Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Rostislav Klesla has been suspended for Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinal by the NHL for boarding Nashville's Matt Halischuk in the 1st period of Game 4 Friday night. Halischuk was able to return to the game, but was clearly shaken up on the play. I'll have to be honest, I'm a little surprised at the call, as Klesla was given just a two-minute penalty on the play, doesn't have a particularly nasty history, and Halischuk didn't appear to be injured.
Brendan Shanahan's ruling follows:
This has been a Nashville Predators team unlike any other, so hopefully they can buck the franchise trend as they face elimination tomorrow night at Phoenix in Game Five. In previous playoff runs, the Preds have put up a 1-6 record when on the ropes.
Follow after the jump as we walk through the Preds' history with their backs up against the wall...
April 17, 2004: Nashville's first trip to the playoffs paired them up with the Detroit Red Wings, and the Preds gave a good accounting for themselves. After dropping the first two games of the series at Joe Louis Arena, the Predators responded with two wins on home ice. They lost Game 5 at Detroit by a 4-1 score, pushing them to the brink when they returned home for Game Six, in which they fell 2-0.
April 30, 2006: The Predators came back after the Great Lockout and put together a 106-point season, earning the #4 seed in the West and home-ice advantage over the San Jose Sharks. After taking the opening game of the series 4-3, the wheels came off Nashville's wagon, The Sharks won Game Two, then took Games 3 & 4 back in San Jose, before coming back to Nashville to finish off the Preds in Game 5 by a 2-1 score.
April 20, 2007: Nashville's best regular-season team (110 points) was hamstrung by injuries to several key players, leading to a repeat five-game loss to the San Jose Sharks. The final contest took place once again in Nashville, where the Preds succumbed 3-2.
April 20, 2008: After having made an improbable run just to make the playoffs after the Great Fire Sale and franchise sale of 2007, the Predators found themselves matched up once again with the Red Wings. This one played out very similarly to 2004, with Detroit taking the 2-0 lead at home, and the Preds fighting back to make it 2-2, before the Red Wings pulled away. In Game Six the Predators had their last chance, again in front of the home fans, and went down to defeat 3-0. Right on cue, elements of the media pounced on the franchise's woes.
April 26, 2010: The Preds and their fans took a collective punch in the gut in the horrific Game Five loss at Chicago, which set up a Game Six elimination in Nashville. The Preds came back from a 3-1 deficit to tie this game and ignite the home crowd, but the good vibes last just 24 seconds before Jonathan Toews scored what would ultimately be the winning goal as the Blackhawks moved on, 5-3.
May 7, 2011: Finally, a victory! The Preds were riding a wave of confidence after earning their first playoff series win over Anaheim, and gave Vancouver a genuine fight in the second round. They did fall behind 3-1, however, which pushed the Predators to the brink in Game 5 at Vancouver. Two goals each from David Legwand and Joel Ward saved the day, however, as the Preds kept hope alive.
May 9, 2011: Returning home for a Game Six, the Predators had fans buzzing with the hope that if they could eke out a win at Bridgestone Arena, anything might be possible. The Canucks took a 2-0 lead in the first period, however, and hung on for a 2-1 win which finished off Nashville's best playoff run to date.
So how will the next chapter in this tale be written? Like I said, this team is quite unlike previous editions of the Preds, so therein lies the hope that this 1-6 record can be overcome.
A good discussion here, so I'm moving it to the front page - Dirk
I have been going back and forth with several of you regarding Friday night's game. I have read and reread most of the posts concerning Radulov and Kostitsyn and I am still at a loss as to why Trotz made the decision to sit those two. Lets look at several things that make this decision a troublesome one. My hope is that this will help explain where I am coming from. I think this was a terrible decision and is going to hurt this franchise in more ways than one.
Game 3 Corsi - Jordin Tootoo= -4 Nick Spalling= -4 Brandon Yip=-2 Matt Halischuk= -2
Game 4 Corsi - Jordin Tootoo= -7 Nick Spalling= -4 Brandon Yip= -3 Matt Halischuk= -2
What is troubling about that you ask? They are bottom line guys that eat up minutes right? Right? The troubling thing is this:
Game 2 Corsi - Radulov = +3
That's right +3. The same game that NBC ripped him for being "lazy" he was the second most productive forward on the team. Yip meanwhile..........
wait for it........
-14!!!!!!! The worst corsi of any forward on the team. Spalling was a modest -6 for the game.
Radulov, who was being ripped on national television, was by far more productive in a loss than any of the other players above were in a win. Not to mention how much more productive he was than Yip in the same game.
Radulov = 1 G 5 A +2 in 7 games
A Kostitsyn = 3 G 1 A +3 in 7 games
These are two of the top scorers for this team in the playoffs. Now lets look first at the players above, and then at the players playing in front of them .
Yip = 1G 1A -1 in 9 games
Spalling = 0G 3A +4 in 9 games
Halischuk = 0G 1A +1 in 5 games
Tootoo = 0G 0A 0 in 3 games
Looking at those numbers, the only player that has a case to even stay on the ice is Spalling. There is, again, no statistical eveidence that Yip, Halischuk, or Tootoo should be on the ice in favor of Radulov or Kostitsyn.
Fisher = 1G 3A -2 in 9 games
S. Kostitsyn = 1G 1A -3 in 9 games
Erat = 1G 3A -1 in 9 games
Although Erat has carried play at times, the top line has been effectively shut down the entire playoffs. Borque, a rookie, has more points than anyone on his line. Radulov and A.Kostitsyn have as many points as this line has combined.
Sitting Rad's and AK would be similar to Philadelphia sitting Giroux and Vorachek for Zolnierczyk and Wellwood. It makes absolutely no sense. He was not the reason we lost those first two games.
"Our team is doing very good right now, and hopefully we can go and get that piece we might need for the playoffs."
Now how well do you think it is going to sit with one of our top players that "that piece", or in this case pieces, was sitting on the bench so that Tootoo, Yip, Spalling, or Halischuk could play????? I can venture a guess. He is not very happy staring at elimination after a shutout loss that saw two of the best offensive players in the press-box.
The argument could be made that who cares what Suter thinks he was going to leave anyway. I would counter that with this is exactly why he is going to leave, and why players like Wilson will leave as well. We are more concerned about doing things the "Predator Way" than we are with winning. It is one thing to have a system and stick to it. It is totally another to sit your top producers on the bench to carry a point. What is that you say? Trotz didn't do it to just carry a point. Well... If I see it that way, here is betting that several others see it that way to.
"I don't think I have to defend it," Trotz said of his decision to not dress Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn for a second straight game. "The guys had chances, we created chances. ... You could say the 'What's ifs?' Maybe they could have made a difference. We'll never know that.
Trotz has earned a lot of leeway in my opinion. I do want to take issue with this stance though. This team has never made it out of the second round. He just sat the top two point producers for an additional game, and now he wants to opt out of answering for it. I do not think so. This decision could have gone well for him and he would have looked like the Jedi master most of think he is. When it goes south you cannot duck it. You need to step up, be a leader, and face the music. He has to defend it to us and the team. He is right about one thing. We will never know what might have happened with two of the top offensive players on the ice that night.
This is total B.S. in my opinion. Let me say that again. IN MY OPINION. This is not high school. This is not church league. This is not college. They are not trying to teach life lessons here. They are trying to win hockey games. Radulov and AK stepped out of line. They received a one game punishment for their transgression. That is it. Move on. Play Hockey.
This is yet another place where I think Trotz and Poile dropped the ball. (By the way... am I the only one that noticed that Poile dished out the suspension, and then left Trotz out there on an island with enough rope to hang himself?) This could have been avoided by simply saying they were going to be suspended indefinitely, suspended 2 games, whatever they wanted. The problem, as I see it, is that they said one game and then sat them another. This opened them up to the criticism. I think Trotz was stubborn and went back to the well on Friday Night. The problem was that Pekka emptied it bailing them out on Wednesday night.
Go ahead and blast away in the comments below. We don't have to agree on this. I just wanted to get one post out there explaining where I was coming from.
How did you deal with a disappointing shutout loss by the Preds in Game Four? For me, the formula was youth baseball, a feast with the family, and a good movie. That, and filing the day's hockey notes about 12 hours late...
Predators desperately need duo back for Game 5 | The Tennessean
Apparently David Climer would rather see Radulov & Kostitsyn suspended indefinitely for their moral crimes, but dire need calls for their return.
Coyotes score after knocking down Gill | The Tennessean
The lone goal was a pure power forward type of play by Shane Doan.
Gaustad: Despite Game 4 Loss, Predators Have "Character" To Win | PuckScene.com
I just wish we would have seen more of Goose in the third period, winning some draws in the offensive end of the ice.
Matt Halischuk given another rough ride in Game 4 - Nashville Predators Examiner
Halischuk's taken a heap of abuse in this series.
Hornqvist has hard-luck game | The Tennessean
Horny did everything but actually score last night. That sounds more like we're talking about a frustrated teenager than a hockey player.
Paul McCann - Great Party... Not-So-Great Game - Exclusive Photos
Paul doesn't buy any of the criticism of Barry Trotz.
Smashville 24/7 - Smashville On The Glass Podcast – Round 2 Roundtable
Catch a quartet of Preds bloggers commiserating over the Game 4 loss.
Inside Smashville " The morning after: Predators, on the brink of elimination, need fast starts moving forward
Seth takes a logical stab at which two Preds will sit in favor of Radulov and AK46.
Postgame ponderings - Predators Insider
Coop can't blame Trotz for his lineup decision.
Recap: Capitals 3, Rangers 2 - Japers' Rink
The big guns came through for Washington.
Klesla hearing set for Sunday - NHL.com
The Phoenix defenseman will hear from Brendan Shanahan for his hit on Matt Halischuk.
Defining the NHL Replacement Player - Fear The Fin
Now here's an interesting exercise.
Down Goes Brown: 2012 World Championships preview
You'll dig the Team Sweden bit.
Jack Johnson’s overtime winner gives U.S. victory over Canada at World Championships (VIDEO) | Puck Daddy
USA! USA! USA! Didn't I tell you Jack Johnson would make a great captain??? Oh, wait...
Alex Burrows suffers head injury against Slovakia - Pass It To Bulis
Every NHL team's nightmare... seeing a player get hurt at the World Championships.
Captain Dustin Brown sets the tone for Kings - NHL.com
It's too bad L.A. stepped back from actually trading Brown back in February.
The Future of John Madden: End of the Line or a New Beginning? - Litter Box Cats
He's got to be done, right?
Racist tweets about Joel Ward lead to student punishment in New England | Puck Daddy
Consequences, people.
Moyes assails NHL over Coyotes’ operations - The Globe and Mail
Like a bony hand reaching out of the grave... Jerry Moyes is back!
In defence of the Russians - The Globe and Mail
The Little Professor speaks up, and when he does, you best listen.
Modern pharmaceuticals becoming part of the culture in the NHL - The Globe and Mail
This is a story which has been going on for decades.
NHL advertising within "Draw Something". Smart decision? - Puck Drunk Love
Dang smart, I'd say.
Senators re-sign Regin to one-year, one-way deal - Silver Seven
Can Regin stay healthy and earn a longer contract next year?
The NHL's shot blocking era - The Globe and Mail
While I'm not in favor of a rule change in this area, it's not a great trend for the game.
Probably the most exciting blog project I've ever been involved in started a couple months ago, with the debut of SB Nation on YouTube. OTF is one of several SBN blogs contributing Team Reports, but the truly impressive work is being done centrally, where a variety of shows are pushing the world of sports blogging in a new direction.
As an example, here's the latest episode of Full Nelson, with host Amy K. Nelson profiling former major leaguer Willie Mays Aikens, and his journey to hell & back:
After the jump, we'll walk you through the regular offerings you can find as part of this new (and growing) venture. What, you thought you could be productive this afternoon while waiting for Game Four of Predators/Coyotes?
Subscribe to On The Forecheck's YouTube channel!
Video has come to SB Nation. We launched SB Nation's official Youtube channel on March 1st with some pretty large ambitions: let's try something new. Across the entire network, we approach the world of sports from a different angle. The passion, expertise, and first-rate analysis and discussion that takes place every day on our sites is something to beproud of and we didn't want to ruin that with a bunch of talking heads insuits and ties with no game-footage rights.
We've got humor, expert analysis, weirdness, video gifs, and incredible storytelling all in one place and we're really proud of what this thing has become. Right now, we're producing over 30 new original videos every single week. Be sure to subscribe to not miss anything. Here's a rundown of the offerings:
Shutdown Fullback
(College Football meets Tim & Eric -- New episodes every Friday): If you've ever wondered what it would look like to see a video version of threads on EDSBS.com, well here you go. Simultaneously a college football talk show and unintentional postmodern art project, I personally guarantee Spencer Hall and Jason Kirk will make you laugh (or else they've duff'd it).
Essential Viewing: Bobby Petrino Fired episode with hot blonde assistant - http://youtu.be/k6inSsQpI2E
Bomani & Jones
(All sports; opinion and commentary -- New episodes Monday and Thursday): Around the Horn contributor and known Twitter user Bomani Jones is Bomani & Jones: sketches and commentary with no excuses. Think Chapelle's Show for the internet and the sports world.
Essential Viewing: Oklahoma Thunder are the Rolling Stones: http://youtu.be/DGfsuOtPZtI
Full Nelson
(All sports; Outside the Lines with a sense of humor -- Newepisodes every Wednesday): Athletes, Access, and Culture. Full Nelson takes an inside look at the most interesting stories from the world of sports in a beautiful, different, and always interesting package. Host Amy K. Nelson joined SB Nation after years of reporting for ESPN and regular appearances on OTL and First Take, and Full Nelson offers something new every week.
Bonus points to Full Nelson for having the most-viewed video of our whole channel with Amy's perilous tour of a Duke bar during the Duke/UNC matchup.
Check it out here: http://youtu.be/qyY6EBygUWw
The Sporting Gentlemen
(All sports, comedy; sketches, tours, behind-the-scenes, interviews -- new episodes daily): The all-encompassing daily video series The Sporting Gentlemen, featuring Dan Rubenstein and Matt
Ufford, features unique (read: weird and occasionally threatening) reactions to the day's biggest stories, plus remote, generally participatory segments out in the field defined primarily by a general lack of athleticism, coordination, and respect.An example of an ongoing segment that has taken the world by stormis "Bro vs Douchebag," which promises to be the authority on determining how athletes should be filed and categorized as humans. Heavy stuff.
Essential viewing: Bro vs Douchebag ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dv1nIUxm5TY&feature=plcp. Welcome to New York, Tim Tebow... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asD5xsFlyxU. RGIII Pre-Draft Interview ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFm_9n7-PJ8&feature=plcp
Rob's Mailbag
(Baseball -- New episodes on Wednesday): Get smarter about baseball with Baseball Nation's Rob Neyer. In Rob's Mailbag, Rob takes questions from viewers every week and breaks them down in absurd (and extremely entertaining) detail.
Essential viewing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fgs-9mqspW4
The Core of Sports
(All sports, epic -- new episodes monthly): The Core of Sports is our answer to Sports Science, taking you inside the mind of elite athletes in the most cinematic way possible.
Essential viewing: UFC Fighter Brian Stann's Epic Training: http://youtu.be/wh0apFY3ewM
The Petey and Lomo Show
(Baseball; comedy): It's our first reality show, and we followed Miami Marlins players Bryan Petersen and Logan Morrison (Petey and LoMo, to the initiated) as they tried to find ways to fill the boredom that is Spring Training in South Florida.
Essential viewing: Marlins Off The Hook (i.e. Master-baiters): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqRwu8VyUv0&feature=plcp
News from the Studio
(All sports; analysis, breakdowns, experts -- new videos every day): We're not just doing sketches... we're all over breaking news, using experts from around SB Nation to weigh in on the latest news from their respective homes, workplaces, and law offices. Some of our biggest communities are represented here regularly... what about yours?
Essential viewing: Ben Golliver breaks down Lamar Odom's departure: http://youtu.be/WFCYSx2aApA
Extra fun stuff
We'll also be doing one off series and videos and undertaking big projects from time to time. Check out these draft profiles we made for every single first-round prospect (complete with whimsical narration and the finest animation money can buy):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVskxCKhYPY&list=UUeil3VBekFxA9AwBx7JXzPA&feature=plcp
Also, this wouldn't be YouTube without some fun viral videos. Check out Dolphinception (http://youtu.be/CrptLxy35V0), Epic High Five with VernonDavis (http://youtu.be/rshc4RxIwSc), and 8-Bit Petrino Accident (http://youtu.be/NwqBEuJBhhs).
