Game Night in Smashville and there are storylines galore - a tight playoff race, the return of Peter Forsberg, the addition of a Predator, in front of a sold out Bridge… should be fun.
The Colorado Avalanche, fresh off a 3-1 loss last night in Columbus, are trying desperately to reverse their slumping playoff fortunes. They have lost six straight and eight of their last ten. Forsberg had over 17 minutes of ice time last night, but could not impact the final result.
The Nashville Predators have been floating a bit, going 5-4-1 in their last ten, beating some of the best, losing to some of the worst and fighting continuing injury issues. They are not alone in that as Colorado is listing Tomas Fleischmann, Kyle Cumiskey, TJ Galardi and Kyle Quincey as out, Adam Foote and Craig Anderson are being reported as doubtful for tonight’s game. The Preds list Jordin Tootoo, Matthew Lombardi, Francis Bouillon, Cal O’Reilly and Marek Svatos as out… there is no report on Marcel Goc, his status is unknown for tonight’s game.
Look for the Predators latest acquisition to play between Martin Erat and Sergei Kostitsyn should Goc not be able to go. Mike Fisher arrived in Nashville last night, work visa in hand and ready to go.
Game time is 7pm, coverage on 102.9 the Buzz, no local TV.
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Random Notes
- The Western Conference shuffle continues… The Predators stand second in the division and 6th in the Western Conference, tied with Phoenix but winning the tie-breaker, leading Calgary by one point. Minnesota is one point out of 8th, Los Angeles is tied with Chicago 3 points out, Columbus is five points out, St. Louis seven and Colorado eight point behind the playoff pack
- Islanders / Penguins – 14 fighting majors, 21 misconducts and a total of 346 penalty minutes. BTW, the Islanders won 9-3. Haven’t seen a line brawl in awhile!
- It’s Hockey Day in Canada – Senators/Oilers at 1pm, Maple Leafs/Canadiens at 7pm, Flames/Canucks at 10. NHL Network will carry the first two hours of CBC’s coverage. The only game on NHL Network will be the Leafs/Habs.
- The Heritage Classic is coming together, NHL.com has a webcam to watch progress of the rink building.
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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…
We didn’t have a show this week due to scheduling and broadcast conflicts, but you can get a SlapShot Radio fix at
the SlapShot Radio podcast page.
We are putting the guest list together for next week and will release it soon.
Nashville Predators Blogger •Predators Radio Network • 
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