It’s been a while, but we’re back. After the Christmas break that we all took, it’s nice to get back into the swing of things. A lot has happened since Christmas, so let’s jump right in.
Of course, the big news is Filip Forsberg going on IR. All reports seem to indicate he has a fracture in either his wrist or hand and will be out 4-6 weeks. Luckily for the Predators, the yearly bye week is coming up along with the All-Star break, so the games he’ll miss will hopefully be minimal. The Preds also learned that they’ll have at least two representatives at the All-Star Game, with P.K. Subban being named Captain of the Central Divsion team for the second straight season and Peter Laviolette being named coach of the Central Division team. Congrats to both!
As far as the standings go, the Preds have hit a little bit of a skid. They are currently in third place in the Central behind the Winnipeg Jets and the St. Louis Blues. The Jets sit atop the division with 57 points in 43 games, with the Blues in second with 55 points in 45 games and the Preds right behind them with 54 points in only 41 games. Those games in hand will come into play big time as the season progresses.
The Preds started off the new year with their first ever trip to Vegas to take on the Golden Knights, and it’s a trip they’ll likely want to forget. Vegas has been nearly unbeatable at home and that trend continued when the Preds came to town. Marc-Andre Fleury was outstanding this game, blanking the Preds. This was just one of those games where the Preds couldn’t get anything going. They would drop this one 3-0, but at least James Neal didn’t score in this one. Maybe there’s something to this Vegas flu thing?
It was then onto Arizona to take on the Coyotes. This was a game the Preds should have dominated, but just couldn’t get any offense going. They had plenty of chances, but the pucks just weren’t finding the back of the net. Finally, with just seconds left in the 2nd period, Ryan Ellis would sneak one past Antti Raanta to tie the game. Craig Smith then scored just seconds into the 3rd to give the Preds a 2-1 lead. All the momentum seemed to be on the Predators side until late in the game. After a penalty by Austin Watson, the Coyotes would tie it all up and send the game to OT where they would eventually win after a really ugly extra period by the Preds. At least the Preds got a point, but you can’t help but think they should have gotten out with two.
After two less than stellar games, the Preds were set to take on the LA Kings. The Preds and Kings always seem to play tough games against each other and this was no different. Unfortunately, I missed the game as I was still celebrating the Titans’ playoff victory. From what I was able to see, Watson had himself a game. The Preds left LA and ended the road trip with a huge 4-3 victory.
PREDS THREE STARS OF THE WEEK
First Star – Ryan Ellis – After missing the first half of the season recovering from off-season surgery, Ellis made his season debut this week. He picked up right were he left off last season getting a goal and an assist this week.
Second Star – Austin Watson – After taking a bad penalty that allowed the Coyotes to tie the game up late, Watson redeemed himself by picking up two goals against the Kings. With Forsberg out, the Preds need players like Watson to pick up the offense.
Third Star – P.K. Subban – Subban was named Captain of the Central Division All-Stars for the second straight season. Subban also picked up two assists this week and is now second on the team in points with 31. P.K. is also on pace for one of his best offensive seasons of his career. I’d say he’s fitting in pretty well in Smashville.
Light week coming up for Nashville. Only one game this week against the Oilers on Tuesday night at Bridgestone. After that, the Preds will get their bye week and some much needed rest. Hopefully, they can use the bye week to get healthy and figure out how to tweak the lineup to adjust for the absence of Forsberg.
Herbie Brooks is the Lead Hockey Analyst for SoBros Network. He knows three things: beating Commies, winning Gold Medals, and having great hair. Follow him on Twitter: @SoBroHerbie_B
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