Preds Pack - How a Brand of New NHL D are Leading the Way in Nashville

The St. Louis Blues season once again ended on a sour note Sunday, as for the first time in Nashville Predators history, the Preds are moving on to the Western Conference Finals. Do they sing about happy occasions in country music...?

Anyway, the music city is a buzz, and good on them for creating one of the better playoff atmosphere's in the game. Much of the credit has to go to goalie Pekka Rinne who's been all world this post season, shutting down skilled offensive teams in Chicago and St. Louis. He's more of a wall than his 6'5" frame would suggest, with a ridiculous .951 Save %. However, if the Beatles taught us nothing else, "I get by with a little help from my friends". The Preds have had timely depth scoring up front, but it's their impressive defensive core that's lead the way thus far.

This D core, shrewdly complied by GM David Poile, has put up big points in pushing the Preds into the Conference Finals and in doing so showed how the game is evolving in today's faster paced NHL. They can hit, shoot, pass and most importantly, skate. This is a blueline that moves the puck. Quickly, and effectively. They can clear the zone with a crisp breakout pass or their speed. Which is impressive, I mean considering all the time Subban spends being a 'clown'...They're not a big group, aside from Mattias Ekholm, but the can check well. PK Subban, Ryan Ellis and Roman Josi can all handle the puck and have heavy shots from the point on the Power Play. This lack of size seems to go against the grain when it comes to conventional wisdom of what blue liners should look like. (Time was they were more akin to Shrek) Josi and Subban are about 6' and Ellis is listed at 5'10". Not exactly the most physically intimidating of guys to battle with in the corner. Fact is, they don't need to be. That's not to say these guys aren't tough or can't handle themselves in a puck battle, (this is the NHL people) but they rely on their speed and deft checking ability with quick sticks and positioning so that they don't need to worry about getting crushed into the boards as much as a slower skater.

This stems from also having skilled guys up front to move the puck to. Filip Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson, Ryan Johansson and co. are great targets to have when trying to get out of your end and alleviate a lot of the pressure on their D core. They also have strong two way guys like captain Mike Fisher looking after their own end as well. That said you still need the ability to get it to them and the Preds have shown they move the puck as well as any defence core in the league. The analytics community has been in love with them this season and their admiration has added up to be full value.

Teams that have hoisted Lord Stanley's mug have been built around tough, physical guys shutting down opponents and being hard to play against. But more recently, with the speed of the game picking up, teams like Pittsburgh and Chicago with a sets of D men possessing similar skills to Nashville's group, have found their way to hockey glory. Guys like Kris Letang and Duncan Keith spearheaded the attack and got the puck out of danger quickly. Many are worried about the Penguins this post season because of Letang's absence, some see the Rangers slower, older D men as a liability, and many see Chichago's lack of depth on D as the reason the Preds swept them aside in round 1 this year. Where would Ottawa be without Erik Karlsson? The Preds have balance in not a true Superstar a collection of really, really solid, all star calibre guys.

Hockey has long had guys that could rush the puck from the back end, from Bobby Orr, to Paul Coffey to Nick Lidstrom and Scott Niedermayer, these guys were key offensive catalysts for their team while keeping opponents from generating much in the offensive zone. That said they were often surrounded by larger, more bruising guys who job was to physically punish opponents for crossing the blue line or standing anywhere near the net, a la Scott Stevens. Now, if you've watched the Preds games this post season you know it sure as hell isn't a pillow fight in front of the net, (Their nickname is Smashville after all) but they're not that kind of group. They fight as hard as any group for position and space but perhaps with the way the NHL is going, this is the type of group you need to have success. The less time the puck is in your zone, the better your odds of winning, (to the best of my limited knowledge), and when you've got guys who can effectively transition the puck and provide offence you're dictating the game, Speed and skill at every position is at a premium and with this group the Preds may have a perfect balance of what they need to go all the way.

Catch 14: What to do with Jordan Eberle

Ah, how one yearns for the good old days. Hero of the World Juniors, a western kid picked in the first round by a Canadian franchise. A highly touted prospect with tons of potential...Such was the life of Jordan Eberle.

He burst onto the national scene with a bang. A clutch perform for his country. Scoring a big goal against the Russian is essentially the Canadian version of being knighted. His much anticipated arrival in Oil country started off with a highlight reel goal against the arch rival Calgary Flames. Life was good. He was going to be part of the rebuild. A cornerstone of an impressive young core that would bring respectability and success back to the 'City of Champions'. I mean technically that's still true but...

As the years have gone by that potential hasn't manifested itself. That success? Only now coming about because of a generational talent and roster overhaul. The glimpses, the flashes in the pan only made the inconsistency that much more frustrating. Kept die hard fans mutter 'if he could just...'

And lets face it. It can't be easy. His name's been floated in trade rumours for years, every deadline day, every off season. The Oilers needed blueline help and he was the one that was thought to be shipped off to get it. He seems to be the poster boy for all their failures, the reason why the team hadn't taken that net step, and now that they have the reason they may not go further. This is reminiscent of Jason Spezza being run out of town in Ottawa. Though to be fair Spezza put up much better numbers. The Oilers were deemed all season to be a one man team, the Connor McDavid show. Given the special talent he is, it's not exactly unfair to hype him up, but other guy needed to step up if this team was going to have success and be taken seriously. Their depth was questioned by many and a lot of that had to do with the lack of production from Eberle.

Eberle has found himself demoted of late, many suggesting he be scratched outright, publicly called out by his coach, demanded more of by fans and the organisation. Part of playing the NHL? Definitely. Does knowing that make it any easier? If I knew I'd actually have to be in the league, so, I can only guess no and we'll go from there.

This is where the Catch 22 comes in. It's not as if he forgot how to play hockey overnight, or stopped caring. The skills that got him to this level didn't suddenly abandon him. He showed flashes of them here and there but consistency eluded him. The age old dilemma to wondering, to quote Blue Rodeo, I want to know where my confidence went. This is the issue. He needs playing time to get going, and get his confidence back but his play hasn't exactly warranted that trust. The fact that he has several years left on this contract and a cap of 6 million per don't exactly make his deal all that palatable if he can't start producing. IN the end the fact is it's got to be up to him to snap out of this, as teams aren't exactly going to be throwing prospects of value at them. They may be stuck and so all you can do is let him play his way out of it. Or wait out the next two years and remember those fleeting glimpses of magic fondly...

Star Struck - Why the NHL Needs to Protect its Superstars

I love a good conspiracy theory. They're full of intrigue, paranoia, nonsense and while perhaps this says more about me than I care to admit, I certainly don't think Matt Niskanen stepped onto the ice in Pittsburgh last night with the intention of concussing Sidney Crosby. That said, he sure as hell didn't shy away given the opportunity.

Lets go back to April 12th. The NHL's been on a pretty good run since the Stanley Cup playoffs started this year. A record 18 games wen to overtime in the first round. You had stunning upsets: The Nashville Predators sweeping the three time champion Chicago Blackhawks. Young guys stepping up in Toronto to put a scare into a number one overall seed. A gritty team in Ottawa refusing to listen to the odds. An emerging Superstar in Edmonton leading his team back to the postseason for the first time in over a decade. There were incredible comebacks, great skilled plays, the games were close and entertaining. You had heat warming stories and great battles. All good. Then to top it off they got a great second round match up between the Caps and Penguins. Crosby and Ovechkin. Bitter rivals who happen to be two of the top teams in the league. This should've been another epic chapter in a solid playoff campaign. Then, Matt Niskanen stepped in,

A little over five minutes into game three, with Pittsburgh up 2-0 in the series, at home with a chance to (yet again) all but put Washington away, Matt Niskanen slammed his stick into Sidney Crosby's head and took him out of the game. We learned today Crosby has a concussion and will be out at for least tomorrow nights game, and one could probably assume with some certainty, given his history of concussions, the foreseeable future. Great. The best player in the game gone. But hey, at least the culprit was swiftly and severely disciplined for his reckless action...oh right. It's the NHL. Apparently five and a game is enough for removing the best player in the game from said sport. That's not to say Niskanen shouldn't have been punished for a hit like this on another player. It doesn't matter who it was, he should've been suspended in my opinion. But the fact that it's a superstar should mean it's taken more seriously. Like it or not.

This is your meal ticket. The face of the league. The sort of guy people pay top dollar to see and why TV networks pay those big dollars.  Matt Niskanen isn't a bad player, overpaid as he is, but 'Average NHL defenceman' is about as eye catching a headline as 'Used Prius for sale'. I can't name a single person who goes to the rink to see the likes of him, maybe not even his family. They're a dime a dozen these depth guys and punishing him should be a no brainer. However, the league seems to have about as much common sense a tourist at an all inclusive Mexican bar. Pierre LeBrun noted on Twitter than he'd polled NHL GM's and only a handful felt he should be suspended. Granted, this may be more pot not wanting to call the kettle black lest they find their own player in a similar situation, However I'd be willing to bet their opinion would be drastically different if it was their star struggling to skate off the ice. Crosby is the best player in the world and the likes of him are protected in other leagues, why isn't the NHL doing more to see to that? That's not to say Sid gives the most dynamic interviews. They tend to run the gamut from generic to mundane, but he carries himself well, represents his league, country and organisation with class and oh yeah, people know who the hell he is!! At a time when the league is struggling in many American markets, you need stars to carry the load, attract eyeballs to the screen, and if they're victim to cheap shots and this old school 'hockey play' mentality, it's no wonder the game won't grow. People need to see thees guys out there. They need to watch them perform something other than a baseline concussion test.

If someone in the NBA had smacked King James on the crown like this, there would've been outrage, a demand for justice by all! The networks would've no doubt called up commissioner Adam Silver looking for some kind of recompense for investing in a league who would allow such a star to be injured. I'm still amazed Lance Stevenson wasn't suspended for blowing in his ear. I mean, what if, God forbid, he'd caught a cold? All star San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey had his leg broken a few years back and the MLB almost immediately changed the rules around blacking the plate to protect catchers. The NFL is inching closer and closer to basically banning contact on the quarterback. I mean if Vaughn Miller had crushed Tom Brady like that, he'd still be suspended. But the NHL and Gary Bettman?

There's a recent history of guys like Crosby taking this kind of abuse. Look at Johnny Gaudreau, Kyle Turris and others who had their fingers broken from slashes. Crosby himself basically lopped off Mark Methot's finger and wasn't punished. So if he received 'special' treatment on that one, why wouldn't he when he was the victim? And it's not the first time. Several of the hits that have left him missing significant time over his career have gone unpunished, from David Steckel to Victor Hedman, Sid has taken more than his share of abuse. Other stars are not immune from such treatment, with guys admittedly going the extra mile to take a shot at them ie: Connor McDavid's injury last season. You never saw the likes of Gretzky or Lemieux take these kinds of hits, or this kind of punishment. Why? Well, the guys policed themselves. Enforcers acted as a barrier against guys taking things too far. There seemed to be a sort of code that you didn't run at another teams meal ticket or your guy was gonna get run. I'm not advocating they turn the league into Slap Shot, entertaining as the movie is, but the onus is on the NHL itself to protect its athletes, especially those who the fans come to see because right now, it seems like a free for all at times. Guys like Brad Marchand and even Alex Ovechkin seem to get away with slew foots and charging, launching at guys around because they're stars. So if you're not going to punish them for that because you don't want to see them out of the lineup, why the hell are you allowing other guys to take liberties that put them out with serious injuries? Crosby was in a vulnerable position (due to an uncalled slash from Ovechkin no less) and Niskanen who was lining him up for a hit slammed his stick into his head like he was trying to crack a melon. Period. He wasn't out there looking to do it but the end result was he did. Simple as that. The fact that many dismiss it as a hockey play saying Crosby was driving the net and the speed of the game blah blah blah is a ton of BS and just justifying a cheap shot. He didn't have to do it and he chose to. He alone was responsible for and in control of those actions. He should be punished for it.

Now no doubt there are people who feel a double standard isn't fair, and that it sends the wrong message. That everyone should be treat the same. We're all in this together etc. etc. We can't have people believe life isn't fair after all. I mean. that just not, true, right...

Best Stanley Cup Final 2017 Matchups

Cue the cliches and bad versions of 'It's the most wonderful time of the year.' I mean, I don't disagree with the sentiment but, lets just move on shall we?

The Stanley Cup Playoffs (mercifully) start tonight and we'll look ahead into the future to rank what I think the most intriguing Stanley Cup Finals match ups would be. This doesn't necessarily mean the best teams playing one another, just those that would be the most compelling to watch for a variety of reasons.

1. Chicago Blackhawks vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

Defending champs vs. three time Cup champions. Crosby vs. Toews. Kane vs, Malkin. The last two winners. Goliath vs...Goliath. This series would have it all. Unfortunately Kris Letang's absence puts a damper on the odds, and would on the series should it materialise. However, these in my mind are still the two best teams in the league and the quality of hockey, not to mention the star power, would be incredible, and have those at NHL offices salivating. The Blackhawks would cement their dynasty, if they haven't already, and the Penguins would secure their own with a third cup in the Crosby/Malkin era. It's one of the few that has the ability to draw national TV attention across the US as well, given the markets and names involved.  

2. Chicago Blackhawks vs. Washington Capitals

The Capitals just can't finish ahead of the Penguins eh? The Caps were the best regular season team in the league again this year winning their second consecutive President's trophy. The Windy City crew had the best record in the west and while this may skew chalk in terms of rooting interest, it would be a great match up nonetheless. For years the 'choking dog' Caps have been, well dogged with the can the Caps finally get over the hump story line? It would no doubt be front and centre. However if ever three was a Caps team built to win, not to mention if they could pull it off against a team with the pedigree of the Blackhawks?  They'd definitely earn the right to shed the choker label. 

3. Edmonton Oilers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

The Oilers make their return to the post season for the first time since 2006 and their superstar Connor McDavid makes his playoff debut, so the odds of this one happening are definitely way less then our first two. However, Corsby vs. McDavid would have instant star power and intrigue written all over. The best in the game vs. the guy likely to take his place in the not to distant future. McDavid plays out west so this would allow fans in the east to see what they've been missing and lets face it, both of these guys are must see TV. Although they won't contribute much in the way of epic playoff beards. Also, it would be funny to watch them tripping over each other in interviews when the go out of their way to complement the other guy and talk about how great he is, what leadership his shows and...enough already.   

4. Chicago Blackhawks vs. Montreal Canadiens/New York Rangers

A good ol' Original Six rivalry if only for, well, old time sake. The Habs and Rangers haven't won since they did so back to back in the early 90's (93/94 respectively) and a return to glory would be huge for either hockey mad city. The Rangers star goalie Henrik Lundqvist won't have too many more opportunities to capture that elusive Stanley Cup Championship and Montreal's Carey Price is the best in the world and this can only add to that label. The intensity of these rivalries likely wouldn't compare to the others (thus the lower ranking) but would make for a great match up either way. All three cities care about their franchise (at least they have the last decade in Chicago) so it's natural that it would make for a great finals. The Habs and Rangers don't play an exciting brand of hockey but lets face it. teams don't win the Stanley Cup scoring five goals a game anyway. 

5. San Jose Sharks vs. Washington Capitals

Someone would have to win, right? This would be the ultimate talented teams who have failed to capitalise (no pun intended) battle. At least in recent vintage. The Sharks and Capitals have been really good to great regular season teams for years now and the Sharks made it to the finals last year only adding to their desire to get to the top of the mountain. They have ageing stars in Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau whose days in San Jose and at cup contention may be numbered so it adds that to the mix. The Capitals as mentioned have a (well earned) reputation of choking in the post season (see basically every Caps series ever) but are possibly the deepest they've ever been and have a Vezina winning goalie in Braydon Holtby who's capable of getting the job done. One of them would finally get to shed that underachiever label and take home hockey's Holy Grail. 

Best/Worst Story Line: The Maple Leafs make the Cup Final...

Pump the brakes Leafs nation. This isn't going to happen. I'm just saying. The Leafs surprised everyone by making the playoffs this year, (aided by a lackluster Atlantic Division: Thanks Florida teams) and draw the President's Trophy winning Capitals in round one. All this means is they're likely going to play the role of 'carcass on the side of the road' as the Caps cruise into round two. However, should the improbable happen and the young buds somehow blossom before our eyes and reach the finals, the insufferable lot that comprise Leafs Nation would become that much more loathsome. That said the Leafs are a talented young team who play an entertaining brand of hockey, as structure and discipline seem not yet in their vocabulary. They'll undoubtedly be a more legitimate threat before long but it would never have the same magical feeling if they did it when it wasn't expected of them. That said, magic makes as much sense as believing they'll actually win a round, let alone make a run. 

Windy City Winners?

The Stanley Cup Playoffs get under way Wednesday (insert tears of joy) and we in the great white north are happy ecstatic to have five Canadian based teams actually make the playoffs. Especially seeing as a whopping 0 qualified last year. Seriously, it's like you could hear Here Comes the Sun blaring when they started securing spots this season.


That said, it shall be exciting, if short lived for most as the powers that be still reside south of the border, specifically in Chicago. The Habs and Oilers had the best record among Canadian squads but have tough first round matchups and in Edmonton's case may have forgotten what playoffs are. (Tongue in cheek Oil Country, we love you) Connor McDavid should be the league MVP and leads his team against the defending western conference champion San Jose Sharks. The Sharks are banged up but still a veteran squad who will give the young Oilers a quick introduction to what it takes to win this time of year.


In Montreal the Habs face original six rival the New York Rangers and if they can get by the Broadway Blueshirts their path to the East final is much easier than the vaunted Metropolitan Division. The Habs have Caery Price in net and will go as far as he, well, carries them. They don't score a ton of goals but this isn't likely to be that kind of series anyway.


That other Canadian original six city, the Toronto Maple Leafs surprised, well, pretty much anyone who has even seen a hockey game and qualified for the playoffs with an incredibly young and inexperienced roster. In fact nine Leafs will be making their post season debut against the regular seasons best team two years running, the Washington Capitals. The young buds have been impressive (enough for a Sens fan to admit it) but don't seem ready to bloom against a very potent and experienced Caps team. Top to bottom Washington has more depth and talent and should make quick work of a team that ought to be just happy the rest of the Atlantic Division was so terrible (Looking at you Florida/Tampa) so they could get in. However, the Caps don't exactly inspire confidence come the spring (See every Caps post season ever). That said, they look poised to make a run this year, particularly with Pittsburg being so banged up on the back end.


In the other national Capital the Sens take on the Bruins in what seems like an very evenly matched series that ought to go 6 or 7 games. Injuries on the back end for both teams (Methot and Krug) will play a big part in who gets the upper hand. If Ottawa can get off to a good start at home they should win but the Bruins have veteran guys who have won a Cup still playing a key role, and of course Brad Marchand's antics can only add to the intrigue/Sens fans ire.


Back out west, in what may be one of the most contentious, series the Flames look to take out the Anaheim Ducks. This would however require they win at the Honda Center which is like asking Lanny McDonald to throw on the flaming C again. The Flames haven't won there in the regular season in over 20 games and the Ducks will not go quietly with the likes of Kesler and Getzlaf up front. However Cam Fowler being injured hurts the Ducks and since it was on a hit by Calgary captain Mark Giordano, they'll certainly look to settle the score. Star Calgary rookie Matthew Tkachuk will no doubt look to continue mixing it up, employing his own version of Duck Hunt, but with the size of the Ducks, be careful what you wish for. Johnny Hockey Gaudreau


The defending Stanley Cup chaps had a solid campaign, mostly while being decimated by injury on the blueline. All Star Kris Letang is out for the year and this will no doubt hurt the Pens chances of repeating. They match up with the Columbus Blue Jackets who have little to no use for the champs and this is one of the more true rival matchups. Brandon Dubinski will no doubt try to get under Sidney Crosby's skin, as he continues to prove himself the heel, but few seem more willing to ply the role.The Blue Jackets had a great season and their reward: The toughest first round match up ever in terms of combined points. That NHL playoff system eh?


The Blackhawks continue to look like the team to beat and with good reason. The west isn't what it was a few years ago as St Louis has played well but seem in flux with the unproven thought talented Jake Allen in net. After a strong start Minnesota has fallen off the rails for which Bruce Boudreau seems to have escaped the blame he deserves. Seriously, is there a more overrated coach in the league? Not that he'd admit that's his fault either..They Blackhawks still have their core guys together and performing at a high level. The rest of this plug and play lineup seems to always fit in perfectly or contribute just enough to continually keep them at the top. In my eyes they're the best team in the league and have the depth and experience to take home a fourth cup in the last decade, cementing what is possibly already a dynasty. We'll know for sure when the puck drops, and it doesn't get any better than that.

Sens of Accomplishment

April Fools day has past, so this must be for real...The Ottawa Senators have completed their historic run and qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, needing all 82 games to get in. The Sens miraculous run began in February when both Craig Anderson and Robyn Lehner were out with injuries and so the Sens were forced to call up Andrew 'The Hamburglar' Hammond from their farm team. A so called 'borderline ECHL goalie' by some more well known blogs, (PuckDaddy) Hammond's numbers were hardly spectacular in the AHL this season (7-13-2) so sufficed to say not much was expected. (While I'm not making him out to be Patrick Roy, this kind of run could hardly be considered a fluke.) The fan base conceding that this was a young team and they were where many, myself included, thought they would be, fighting for a playoff spot but ultimately falling short. And that's when it happened...

Hammond came in and whatever they were putting in those burgers seemed to hit the spot. He went on a run for the ages, tying former Boston Bruin Frank Brimsek's 76 year or record for most consecutive starts without allowing more than 2 goals to start a career, (Ironically it was the Bruins who ended this run) and gave his team the confidence they hand't had with spotty goaltending earlier in the season. He made save after save after save and gave his team a chance to win every night. And that's exactly what they did...The Sens have the best record in the league over the last two months and that is in large part due to the play of Hammond. Had he not missed several games due to injury his numbers may have been even more stellar. His 20-1-2 record propelled if not dragged the Sens into playoff contention and has the rival Montreal Canadiens looking at a very dangerous team in round #1. That said it hasn't been all Burgers and no fries.

The Sens young core has stepped up and delivered when it's counted most winning many of these contests in overtime or shootout. Captain Erik Karlsson has lead the way along with the like of Kyle Turris, the line of JG Pageau, Eric Condra and Curtis Lazar and possible (though should be definite) rookie of the year candidate Mark Stone who came up clutch time and time again ending the season with a Sens rookie record nine game point streak including several game winning goals. This young energy has infused the Sens and their fans with a new sense of optimism and may well spell the end for veteran players like Chris Phillips and Chris Neil who have been out with injuries.

Now the Sens run couldn't have happened with the like of the Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins faltering at the worst possible time but the amount of ground Ottawa made up is incredible. Statistics show that with the amount of parody and number of three point games in the NHL these days that making up a six point deficit after the Christmas break is a ling shot, let alone more than twice that amount. The Sens were at one point 14 points out of a playoff spot! This turn around coincided with the team playing sound defensively and getting timely saves and if they can continue to play that way they may well keep the train rolling.