Now that’s the way to head into the Christmas break. The Nashville Predators beat a good team at home last night, posting a 3-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes… a team that has given Nashville fits over the last few seasons. The Predators came home after an outstanding road trip that saw the team give the kind of effort their fans were looking for and their coach called them out on.
Questions were swirling in Pred Nation regarding Peter Laviolette, the biggest one being… Has he “lost the room?” I think we can consider that one answered with an emphatic no. His team reacted in a way that any coach would be proud of, ripping off 7 of a possible 8 points and bring the kind of investment the bench boss was looking for.
But that was on the road… the last time the Preds were in Smashville, well… let’s just say it wasn’t good.
The Preds were pushing from the jump, pouring shot after shot on Arizona netminder Antti Raanta… who single handedly kept the Coyotes in the game after facing 21 shots in the first period alone… he stopped 38 of 41 shots overall on the match and is the only reason the Coyotes were in sniffing distance in this one.
Speaking of good performances, it was nice to see one from Pekka Rinne. He looked more comfortable between the pipes than he has been for a few weeks. Economical in movement, flashing the leather… all vintage Rinne as he posted his 354th career win and moved into 20th place in all-time wins in NHL history.
Speaking of spectacular performances, the NHL’s 2nd star of the week continued the tear he has been on as Roman Josi had a goal and an assist last night, pushing his goal scoring streak to a franchise record five games… over those five games the captain has seven goals and two assists.
The win pulls the team within one point of a wild card slot and two points behind Winnipeg for third in the division, with games in hand over all the teams they are chasing. If you look at points % vs. just points you find the Preds in the 5th slot in the Western Conference.
The NHL Christmas break begins today, all rinks are dark for the next three days… something that I love about this league. The fact that the league goes dark so players and all team employees can enjoy the holiday.
On a personal note… today is one of my favorite days of the year. The preparation frenzy reaches it’s zenith and then, the stores close, the pressure releases and the world slows down as families gather to enjoy the holiday.
Tonight, Denise and I will be blessed to have our entire family around us as we go to church, then gather for a meal, some games and an exchange of presents. But all of the material things fade as the love we have for each other surrounds us and takes us to a very special place. The memories of the Christmases we have had together are so special and I look forward to making more of them tonight.
I thank each and every one of you for the gifts you give me… the gift of your time in reading this blog over these last 14+ years… the gift of your feedback when I write something stupid… the gift of your friendship… I am so grateful for all of that and more.
I wish each and every one of you the joy, peace and grace of this holiday season.
Merry Christmas!
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Random Notes – Presented by
- Viktor Arvidsson’s slapper was a nasty one last night… Raanta got about 97% of the shot… but it was so hard, it wasn’t enough.
- The Preds got well against a tough part of the schedule… the next two are flat out nasty… a home and home with Pittsburgh…
- When the Predators return from the Christmas break, they start a difficult part of their season. Two of their next nine after the break are at home, seven on the road including the Winter Classic in Dallas, then a trip to California for the Kings and Ducks, before travelling back to the Central time zone for a home game with Boston, then back on the road to Chicago, Winnipeg and Edmonton. Nasty…
- St. Louis is threatening to run away with the division and Colorado is trying to keep up. The Preds dreams of a third straight division title are fading fast, but this run they have been on puts them solidly back in the playoff mix.
- Tonight’s games – The NHL is dark until 12/27.
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