The Nashville Predators had a chip on their shoulder last night, and it cost them a 4-1 loss at the hands of the Dallas Stars. While all the right things were said before and after the game, it was obvious to this observer that they were looking for a little payback for Dallas blueliner Mark Fistric’s unpunished, concussion causing elbow.
Pred fans didn’t have to wait long as Jordin Tootoo stood up for his captain just 1:46 into the game, taking on Mark Fistric and slamming him to the ice in a move that looked like it would fit into a Monday Night Raw show. Unfortunately for the Predators, that didn’t seem to have the intended effect. Dallas went about its’ business and Nashville couldn’t seem to settle down enough to match well with the Stars.
As has been pointed out in quite a few different places, the team went away from the things that got them a 3-1 record while their captain was on the sidelines. Giveaways and unforced errors were the name of the game and the Stars made the most of their opportunities.
Two pieces of good news came out of last night’s activities… first was a franchise record seventh consecutive sellout. Another indicator of this franchise’s success in making the kind of inroads that previous leadership was unable or unwilling to make. Looking at the home schedule over the rest of the month, there is a very good possibility that the team could bring this streak into February.
The second was Gabriel Bourque’s first NHL goal, a sweet little conversion of a Jordin Tootoo feed that was behind Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen before he knew a shot was coming. Pred Nation gave Bourque a standing ovation on the announcement of the goal… nice touch!
The team is back in action Saturday night against the Hurricanes, limited seats remain for the 7pm tilt at Bridgestone Arena.
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Random Notes
- Mike Ribiero was up to his normal “Pred-Killer” ways last night, scoring two including a simply sick goal to get things started.
- The 9-0 shellacking Calgary took last night may drive some big changes.
- Congratulations to Team Sweden on winning gold last night in the WJC, their first in 30 years.
- The Hockey News’ Adam Proteau, never a fan of the NHL front office, is now turning his ire to Brendan Shanahan, calling out inconsistencies and generally saying that nothing has changed. I understand his point, but disagree with the premise.
- Another injury for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Mark Letestu broke his hand in last night’s loss to the San Jose Sharks.
- According to NBCSports.com’s Pro Hockey Talk, the University of Michigan has been contacted about hosting the 2013 Winter Classic. It would be cool, but as a friend of mine (a Detroit native) said, it could be perceived as a slap in the face to the city of Detroit
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