The Predators picked up four points in 22 hours over the weekend. A rather strange set of back-to-back games on the road had the Preds finishing their 1-0 win over Dallas at around 10pm CDT, being delayed at DFW, arriving in Tampa at around 3am EDT then having an early 6pm EDT faceoff with the red hot Tampa Bay Lightning, jumping on them early, then hanging on for a thrilling 4-3 win. Wins over two division leaders in 22 hours… not bad at all. Nashville remains the only NHL team without a regulation time loss this season, leading the central Division and the Western Conference as I write this.

It is clear to this observer that the goaltending situation in Nashville is a good one. Pekka Rinne was a known entity in net, the lone question for him was... can he handle the responsibilities of a number one goaltender? Early results indicate he can handle it very well.

Backup goaltender Anders Lindback is a revelation. After being thrown into the deep end of the pool, Lindback has performed well beyond any reasonable expectation, going 3-0-1 in his four starts so far and filling in capably when Rinne went down. Rinne got the shutout Saturday night, Lindback was named third star of the night on nhl.com for his performance on Sunday. As we stand right now, net questions answered.

It is also clear to this observer that the Central Division is emerging as the toughest conference in the league so far this young season. Current Western Conference standings has all five Central teams in the top eight, going 5-0-2 against the East so far, 3-1-3 against the Northwest Division, 8-2-1 against the Pacific. The only place the Central has struggled so far, has been against each other, Chicago is 2-4-0 inside the division, St. Louis 1-1-1, Columbus 1-1-0. So far Detroit and Nashville are undefeated inside the division but have only played three divisional games between them.

After a difficult three game in four day stretch, the team can recharge a bit as their next game is Thursday night against the Blues. This before heading out on their infamous early November CMA road trip, as country stars take over the Bridge for the annual CMA Awards held at the facility on November 10th.

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I would like to thank the Predators for being the unquestioned bright spot in what was, for this sports fan, an awful weekend for my personal rooting interests. :-)

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Hockey Fans Held Hostage – Day 18

Fox Sports continues to draw every hockey fans into their battle with DISH Network by not allowing teams to lift Center Ice and Game Center Live blackouts. The NHL needs to realize that while they market these two products as “Out-of-Market” products, there are many, many fans that purchase the product to see games of their favorite team that may not be covered by their home market’s carrier. This may cause fans to not purchase these products, at least until Fox and DISH figure out that the pie is pretty big, and fighting over who gets the biggest piece sometimes makes the pie smaller.

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You are invited to follow me on Twitter. Search for PredPAPaul… Not only will I be updating when I get news or updates, but we are having a bit of fun by getting your input on Gnash introductions, weigh in on Twitter and who knows, we may use your introduction for the best mascot in the NHL at the next Preds game!

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COMING UP ON THE NEXT SLAPSHOT RADIO…

SlapShot Radio has a great show planned for Wednesday night, welcoming St. Louis TV analyst and former NHL goaltender Darren Pang, Behind the Bench features Pred head coach Barry Trotz.

SlapShot Radio, SportsRadio 560 WNSR, every Wednesday at 6pm… listen online or on podcast at www.slapshotradio.com...

For the most updated guest information go to the SlapShot Radio website.

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