*UPDATE*
Not a shocking announcement, but Connor Ingram will be in net for Game 2. This is the time of year where the unknowns shine, so let's get it going!
From the opening faceoff in Denver on Tuesday night the Preds were punched in the face, and, instead of fighting back, just went into the turtle position. I was hoping that my extreme pessimism going into Game 1 would turn into a bit of reverse psychology and the Preds would come out swinging against the undoubtable favorites to win the Cup. Unfortunately, that was not the case. However, the good thing about this time of the year is the team could have lost 100-0 or in 4OT and they are in the exact same position. Game 1 is over, to never be spoken of again, and Game 2 is to begin in only a few hours. Just look at what happened last night in Game 2 across the league. Edmonton dominated LA 6-0 after a 4-3 loss in Game 1, the Wild came out strong to go up 4-0 early to win 6-2 after an embarrassing performance at home in Game 1 losing 4-0, and again Tampa took Game 2 5-3 on the road after being abused by the Leafs in Game 1 losing 5-0. It may be somewhat of a false comparison due to the fact that the Avs are massive favorites against the Preds in this series, but the point I’m trying to make is this time of year the important fact is that a team takes each game in stride, not looking back, nor looking forward.
Game 2 Musts
First and foremost, the Preds need to come out strong and play super heavy against this quick Avs team. We cannot match up directly in the skill category across the lineup, nor can we match the impeccable speed that the Avs have. Where we can match up and even dominate is the physicality aspect of the game. The common mantra in Game 1 and the last months of the season was that the Preds are the most penalized team in the league this season and the Preds must stay out of the box. I second this idea if the penalties are stupid and lazy. This was the case for the most part in Game 1, which enabled the Avs PP to capitalize almost immediately. McCarron’s high sticking was a nail in the coffin before the first goal when every Pred’s fan had their heart sink immediately knowing what was to likely follow. But if penalties come from pure brute force and physicality, those are things that I can live with. Of course, being in the box will not result in offensive success and still places the PK in a precarious position, but I want physicality. Put the Avs in their place. They are flying on Cloud 9 thinking that they can steamroll this team. Game 1 proved them right. I have never seen Jeannot get rocked so many times and lose one-on-one battles in the corner. This needs to change. The Jeannot-Sissons-Trenin line sets the tone, and they were absent in the areas that were needed to erupt a fire in the belly of the team. Every other game has had wild scrums and chippiness, Game 1 was utterly lacking in any kind of grit until the very end.
There’s really not much else to discuss from Game 1 or in setting up Game 2. I’m not going to add onto the numerous prognosticators in blaming player X or player Y. The whole team was horrendous and lacking in one area of the game will expose significant issues elsewhere. In short, Tuesday night was the result of: The lack of physicality enabled the Avs to utilize their speed and the entire ice, this speed led to a breakdown defensively because we simply cannot keep up which is why physicality is needed to slow the game down, the breakdown defensively led to odd man exposure highlighting the difficult situation that is the current goaltending deliemma, and then the lack of speed and physicality again led to the Avs taking more chances limiting the Preds offensive abilities and lack of any true shots (other than a few dump ins) until later in the game after it was 5-0. Once the first few goals went in early, the team broke down with players seeking to take matters into their own hands via individual skill, something that may work in pewee hockey but not against NHL players, let alone a team that can match you skill for skill, or even outmatch you.
The game plan for tonight is quite simple. If I have not already made it abundantly clear, physicality is an absolute must. Drive their defense into the boards on every forecheck, clog the middle of the ice and force the Avs to the outside. They have much greater speed, so it is imperative to put a body on them every single chance you get. Make them hurt, knowing when they line up against you that pain is coming. This will ideally slow the game down creating space for our skilled players to take advantage of the opened-up lanes. Kuemper was decent in net, but was he really challenged? People say he may be the goalie to help get this Avs team over the hump. Well, let’s make him prove it.
It's another late one tonight for the 8:30pm CST start. Let’s hope that the game is a game from the start, making the late-night worth it. Embarrassment goes a long way, and this team was unbelievably embarrassed on Tuesday night. Everyone is already writing this team off, so this could be the perfect storm that the room needed. As the often-quoted Mike Tyson saying goes, “everyone has a plan until their punched in the face.” Well, the Preds were punched hard and left the game bloodied. Maybe Game 2 calls for ear biting.
Nashville Predators Blogger • 
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