Game Night… it’s the home finale for a team that has under achieved at times, over achieved at others, showed a penchant for disappearing at times, showed great resiliency at others. So… what should Pred Nation expect tonight as the Predators welcome the Chicago Blackhawks to town?

Beats the hell out of me…

This team has confounded the experts by being in the thick of this playoff race, by being in control of its’ own destiny. This team has confounded its’ fans by being maddeningly inconsistent in effort and results. This team has frustrated its’ coaching staff by complaining about officiating and letting it get to them. The 2008-2009 Nashville Predators are an enigma… wrapped in a riddle.

One thing can be said… every time this team has been pushed against the wall, it has fought its’ way out. Want examples?

- Early November, the team heads out to the west for a long road trip and promptly drops the first three games, including a bad 1-0 loss to the Avalanche. Then they get it together and pull off the first California sweep in team history, winning at Anaheim, San Jose and LA… all traditional hell holes for the Preds.

- Boxing Day… Nashville beats Detroit at home and seems to stabilize a shaky December… then loses five straight as part of 3-9 stretch that puts the team far out of the playoff picture at the All-Star break. The team comes out of the break on fire, wins four straight as part of a 9-4-1 February (including that 8-0 shellacking of Detroit) that puts playoff hope back into the season.

- Thursday March 26th – Sunday Mar. 29th … three epic comeback wins against San Jose, LA and Detroit (at the Joe no less…)

- Last Saturday night’s come-from-behind shootout win against Columbus

Just a few examples of the joy and pain of this season in Predator hockey.

Tonight? Well… the pre-game show will be at Rippy’s with Greg Pogue, Brandon Felder and me starting at 5pm on SportsRadio 560… the puck will drop at 7:08pm… the Sommet Center will be insane and game coverage will be on 104.5 the Zone and FS Tennessee… that much I do know. Beyond that… it’s anybody’s guess.

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Thanks to Greg Pogue for having me on the WNSR Player Show last night… it was great to talk to rookie winger Cal O’Reilly… a humble young man that really had his clichés down… :)

Seriously, you can see why he is liked by the coaches and the players, he's open to coaching and wants to learn. He has confidence in his ability, but knows he doesn't know it all.

Also... Thanks to Julie Robenhymer for her analysis of the NCAA Frozen Four last night and a huge thank you to Pete Weber for his wit and wisdom on HBR last night...

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I'll be joining Jim "Boomer" Gordon on Sirius/XM's NHL Home Ice tonight at 5:05pm.

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A check of SportsClubStats.com shows that besides the Predator game, there is one other critical one for the Preds… The Phoenix / St. Louis game... get behind those desert dogs… if the results fall right tonight, the Predator’s chances of making the playoffs could increase by as much as 40 points to over 80%.

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The “Where We Stand” Update

The Predators stand tied for 8th in the Western Conference at 86 points with St. Louis, Nashville holds the tie-breaker advantage. The Predators are three points ahead of Edmonton and Minnesota.

The Predators are…

- Two points behind 7th place Anaheim. They have a game in hand on Anaheim who is idle until Friday.

- Four points behind 6th place Columbus. The season series with the Blue Jackets is complete.


Tonight’s Impact Games

- Dallas @ Minnesota - Dallas is officially eliminated from playoff contention, how do they react? Do they relish the role of spoiler and deliver a death blow to the Wild’s playoff chances? Root for the Stars to show up… A Predator win, coupled with a Minnesota loss in regulation eliminates the Wild. Minnesota's "Tragic Number" is 3

- Los Angeles @ Edmonton - The Kings are mailing it in… the Oil is desperate… Edmonton is in the same situation as the Wild… A Predator win, coupled with an Edmonton loss in regulation eliminates the Oilers. Edmonton's "Tragic Number" is 3

- St. Louis @ Phoenix - The “other” big game of the night for Pred Nation… A St. Louis loss doesn’t eliminate the Blues, especially considering the closing back-to-back that the Preds have to contend with… but it sure doesn’t help their cause. St. Louis' "Tragic Number is 6.

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Join Brandon Felder and me for the fastest hour in radio… HockeyBuzz Radio, The shows moves to Wednesday night next week featuring a full playoff preview. Bill Clement will join us to break down the Eastern Conference matchups and our own Pete Weber will break down the Western Conference. Start time is 6pm on SportsRadio 560 WNSR, you can listen online at www.wnsr.com or you can download the podcast of the show at www.hockeybuzzradio.com

Also... don't forget to check out www.hockeybuzzradio.com for updates, links to more hockey and Predators information.

The site has been revamped, featuring a new section called HBRCares, dedicated to fundraising and community activities that HBR and the Preds are involved in.

"Our House" is chock full of pictures from recent games... some on the ice, but mostly of the fans... Be on the lookout for the HBR photographer and webmaster Denise McCann at tonight’s game… Smile pretty, do something crazy, show what makes the Sommet Center special… and you too could be on hockeybuzzradio.com.

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