My oh my how things can change in just days. Well, I have some good news friends. It appears I am no longer moving out of state. What does this mean for you? Well, it means I actually get to go to more than a handful of games this year. While I still won't be going to every one of them, I do plan on attending around 24 regular season games (plus playoffs *if necessary). That's a much higher number than I had anticipated. I'm very happy about this and truly feel that God has kept me here in Tennessee for a reason….
With that said, moving on to business. There's a hockey game tonight and I plan on being there and covering it the same way I always do. The Carolina Hurricanes come to town and bring quite a few of their veterans to play in this first pre-season game for Nashville. For a full list of the rosters for both teams check out Paul McCann's blog today.
It is just pre-season so I tend to not watch the team with as critical an eye this early, however there will be a few things I give a close look. Here's my list of what to watch for tonight:
- How will Mark Dekanich fare against the veteran lineup of the Hurricanes? This is a big test for Dex and a great chance for him to place himself as the frontrunner for the seat to play as Pekka Rinne's backup. If I had to guess, the backup this season will either be Dekanich or Anders Lindback unless they both play poorly all pre-season.
- Will the man advantage have a different (and successful) scheme? Predators Head Coach Barry Trotz has said he personally will take a more involved role in this special teams unit. It's NEVER too early to start judging the man advantage considering the lack of success in the past few seasons. All I ask is that they maintain a 20% (or higher) PP unit. That alone could make this team deadly.
- Which forwards rise to the occasion and take that surprising roster spot? You can't help but watch some of the forwards in tonight's game that are getting very close or are already NHL-ready. I have them separated into two pools in my head from tonight's roster. The first pool consists of Sergei Kostitsyn, Cal O'Reilly, Nick Spaling, and Andreas Thuresson. The second pool is the more interesting one to me. It consists of Jonas Andersson, Taylor Beck, Blake Geoffrion, and Kelsey Wilson.
I've heard some really solid things about Beck the last week (including an interesting story about Beck's role model that can be found here:
Predlines.com) Of course Geoffrion's first game in Bridgestone Arena as a pro is a significant storyline. All in all, those players listed above all have something to prove: that they should play at the NHL level. Some already have while others are trying to get their first crack at the big league.
- Lastly, the most fascinating part of tonight's roster to me is the defenseman. Cody Franson, Ryan Parent, Alex Sulzer, Teemu Laakso, Jon Blum, and Ryan Ellis will all take the ice. I love the competition within this group. I envision it being Franson v Parent, Sulzer v Laakso, and Blum v Ellis to prove who should be ranked higher than whom within the organization's depth chart. Of course, I'm most intrigued by Blum and Ellis. To see their development and which player is ahead of the other could prove to be the most competitive battle within the team. I can't wait to watch these two out there tonight.
Feel free to add which battles and players you are excited about seeing tonight in the comments section. That's all I have for this mini-preview of tonight's pre-season game. As always I'll be along the wall under the 311/310 sign during intermissions and would love to talk hockey with you. See you at the rink.
Till tonight, take care.
Questions, comments, and criticisms can be sent to [email protected] if you wish to contact me personally.
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