The Nashville Predators arrived home this morning from the desert to find a winter wonderland. The team returns after a 2-2 road trip with a date to play the Ducks at a sold out 501 Broadway Saturday night.

Last night's 3-2 loss to a desperate Coyote team was not necessarily disturbing as the hockey gods found their way to Jobing.com Arena and were certainly smiling on the Coyotes. This, along with Tuesday's loss to the Avalanche are the first back to back losses for the Preds since early December.

It's hard to lay this one at the feet of Tomas Vokoun, he appeared solid for most of the game. The Preds were playing very loose with the puck and again seemed to be looking for the "perfect play" rather than throwing the puck at the net looking for garbage. Two of the three goals Vokoun gave up were re-directs and the 1st goal was a combination of the blueline not protecting the puck and a great shot from Jeremy Roenick.

The stage is set for Saturday night's showdown with the Ducks.

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Pred Fans... You can show your buying impact today. Today is the day the Hardee's is donating a portion of their proceeds to the Predators Foundation. Get out and get lunch or dinner at Hardee's. You can help out the community and show in REAL dollars the impact that Predator fans have. This is something that you can do to prove to Nashville area businesses that supporting the Predators is good for their bottom line.

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It's Friday... and you know what that means... high school hockey night! All 18 teams in GNASH are in action tonight for the final regular season game. Playoff positions are still up in the air.

The current GNASH standings going into tonight's play

01. Mt. Juliet 14-01-1 29 pts.
02. Mont. Bell Acad 12-01-3 27 pts.
03. Ravenwood 12-02-2 26 pts.
04. John Paul 2 13-02-0 26 pts.
05. Hendersonville 11-04-1 23 pts.
06. Battle Grd Acad 10-04-2 22 pts.
07. Independence 10-05-1 21 pts.
08. Beech 10-04-2 20 pts.
09. Father Ryan 09-07-0 18 pts.
10. Hillsboro 06-07-3 15 pts.
11. Blackman 07-09-0 14 pts.

12. Brentwood 06-10-0 12 pts.
13. Franklin 05-11-0 10 pts.
14. Station Camp 04-12-0 08 pts.
15. Centennial 02-12-2 06 pts.
16. Brentwood Acad 03-12-0 06 pts.
17. Franklin Rd Acad 01-15-0 02 pts.
18. LaVergne 00-15-1 01 pts.

The top twelve teams make the GNASH double elimination tournament. The teams listed in bold have clinched spots. The teams listed in italics are mathematically eliminated from the tournament. The top four teams have clinched a bye in the first round of the tournament.

Tonight's Games

At Sportsplex...

7:00 pm - A showdown between top powerhouse teams in GNASH, the Hendersonville Commandos take on the Knights of John Paul II. John Paul II needs a win to stay in contention for the top seed in the tournament.
8:40 pm - The surprising Beech Buccaneers take on the top ranked Mt Juliet Bears. With a win Mt. Juliet clinches top seed in the tournament.
10:20 pm - Hillsboro Burros look to lock down the 10 seed in the tournament as they take on the Father Ryan Irish. The Irish have already clinched the 9th tournament seed.

At Southern Ice... Rink 1

5:10 pm - Franklin Road Academy look to end their season on a high note by taking on the streaking Battle Ground Academy team that wants to keep building momentum.
6:50 pm - Another great matchup as the Big Red of Montgomery Bell Academy makes it's case for the number one seed with their tilt against the Eagles of Independence.
8:30 pm - The defending GNASH champion Ravenwood Raptors play the Blackman Blaze in a matchup of two playoff teams.

At Southern Ice... Rink 2

6:25 pm - The Brentwood Academy Eagles and the Centennial Cougars look to finish their seasons with a win.
8:05 pm - Brentwood High School can clinch the final playoff seed with a win over the improving Staion Camp Bison
9:45 pm - Franklin High needs a win over LaVergne to stay alive in the playoff chase, however they do need help to get into the tournament.

The quality of play in GNASH has taken another leap forward this season. Get out and support youth hockey in Middle Tennessee.

The championship tournament begins on Wednesday night, February 7th. It all drives up to the Predators Cup which will be played at 501 Broadway this year on March 17th.

Congratulation to the Collierville Dragons... they captured the Memphis High School championship on Wednesday night.

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