Pred Nation wakes up to a grey, overcast day in Music City… fitting as the first game seven in Nashville Predators franchise history will have to wait as the Predators could not hold onto another first period lead, eventually dropping a 4-3 decision to the Chicago Blackhawks and giving Chicago a 4-2 series win. Chicago now waits for the winner of the St. Louis / Minnesota series.
A tip of the hat to the Chicago Blackhawks, their experience was a real key to this series, a lot of adversity was thrown their way… inconsistent goaltending being the biggest one, but they found a way to win a series where they led for less than 45 minutes of total game play. Their experience and guile got them through, but they have some real issues defensively that have to be settled if they hope to continue their run past the second round.
You saw this Predators team grow up in this series. Young players like Seth Jones, Mattias Ekolm and Filip Forsberg getting their first taste of playoff hockey, going from wide eyed rookies to grizzled vets in just a few short games. The experience gained will last longer than the pain of losing a series that they know in their hearts was there for the taking, and that is the hell of playoff hockey.
The team flies back to Nashville today and in the upcoming days they will have their final meetings and clean out day. We will find out who was injured and how extensively… we will finally find out how long Shea Weber will take to recover from his rumored knew injury. After all that, the attention will turn to who stays and who goes. The Predators have six UFA’s on the roster, Mike Fisher, Matt Cullen, Mke Santorelli, Mike Ribeiro, Cody Franson and Anton Volchenkov. They also have five RFA’s in Colin Wilson, Craig Smith, Gabriel Bourque, Calle Jarnkrok and Taylor Beck.
It's a grey day for Nashville hockey fans, but hope does spring eternal. You can look on this series as a necessary growth step. Very rarely does a team go from doormat to champion, there is a process to go through... and today is a necessary piece of that process.
----------------------------------------
A couple of personal notes
I am blessed to be involved in such a wonderful group. An organization that cares fiercely for doing the right thing by its season ticket holders, its fans and the people that work for the organization. The Nashville Predators have built a family and I am so glad to be a small part of it. I will miss being at Bridgestone Arena over the next few months, but I can't wait to take the mic again in September and welcome Pred Nation back to another season.
On another point... and I now this is going to aggravate some folks and there is a reason why it does… however, it needs to be said…
It was a pleasure to talk to and get to know a lot of great Chicago fans over this series, I got to talk to folks wearing well-worn Tony Esposito and Chris Chelios jerseys, folks that actually know how to pronounce Eric Daze’s last name. These are the fans that experienced the bad old days of pre-2008 Chicago hockey, being part of the small but hardy band that continued to go to games, when the rest of the city didn’t show up. The days when sellouts at the United Center and Chicago Stadium were rare and no home games were on local TV. These fans deserve to relish these good days, because they know they won’t last forever.
I raise a glass to you… You have restored my shaken faith in the Chicago hockey fan and I thank you for it… enjoy the ride, for you have earned it.
--------------------------------------
Random Notes
- If you haven’t been keeping up with John Jaeckel’s coverage, well, you need to… he’s been writing some great stuff about this series, continue to follow him for great insight on the Hawks.
- James Neal came up big last night, kudos to him and nice to know we’ve got him for two more seasons.
- There is a lot of “future is bright” stuff going around, and I do agree with it… plenty of talent in the pipeline, we will go deeper into this as the offseason progresses, but this Predators team does need some size and a little more sandpaper.
- April showers bring… excellent playoff performances from the Detroit Red Wings, they are poised for a HUGE upset of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
- Congrats to the Calgary Flames… the “C of Red” was in full effect last night as the Flames took down the Canucks. Anaheim / Calgary will be a fascinating matchup.
- The Minnesota Wild is in the same position as the Blackhawks were last night… desperate to avoid a game seven… should be a good one today.
- The Montreal / Ottawa series has gotten very interesting, does Ottawa have any magic left? We will find out tonight…
- Word is al;ready filtering out of Pittsburgh that the head coach and GM will be staying on… a tad surprising.
Two games in the NHL today… both could be series deciders
St. Louis @ Minnesota – MIN leads 3-2 – 2pm CDT faceoff – NBC, SN
Montreal @ Ottawa – MTL leads 3-2 – 5pm CDT faceoff – NBCSN, CBC
--------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
The Predators may be done, but SlapShot Radio is not, we continue our playoff coverage all the way through to the awarding of the Stanley Cup. We are on every Wednesday at 7pm on 102.5 the Game (or 94.9 Game 2) and the SlapShot Radio Network… Our premier, day one sponsor is
Dr. Jane Bacon at Hermitage Family and Cosmetic Dentistry … make your appointment at 615-872-7762.
You can also keep up with all the goings on with SlapShot Radio by following the show on Twitter @SlapShotRadio1 … Also... make sure to "like" SlapShot Radio on Facebook... here's the
link.
We’ve got room for your business to be part of the SlapShot Radio family with effective and affordable playoff advertising packages for every budget. Advertisers… reach out to me to access our activated listener base via email at paul(@)slapshotradio(dot)com
Radio station owners/programmers, join the SlapShot Radio Network, the perfect companion to hockey play-by-play… it helps to not only entertain, but deepen your listeners knowledge and enhances their enjoyment of the game… contact me using the email above to carry SlapShot Radio on your station, we are satellite delivered every week via SkyView on the SlapShot Radio Network. Each show contains two full breaks for your usage.
Our podcasts are posted…
-------------------------------------
KINDLE USERS: Please subscribe to Predators Buzz, a one-stop feed for all things Predators-related on HockeyBuzz. Your subscription includes a free 14-day trial and is just 99 cents per month thereafter. For more information,
click here.
Nashville Predators Blogger •Predators Radio Network • 
Join the Discussion:
»