Penaltypalooza: 12/9/08: Nasvhille vs. Vancouver
 

:nashville vs. :nucks

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Previous Meetings:
11/4/2008: Vancouver 4 vs. Nashville 0

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Nashville Predators (14-11-2, 30pts, 3nd Central, 8th West)

Last Game: Last Game: St. Louis 6 vs. Nashville 3
Last Ten Games: 5-4-1
Home Record: 7-3-1
OT/Shootout Record: 5-2
Record vs. Vancouver: 0-1-0
Goals For: 77
Goals Against: 85
Power Play Ranking: 14.2%, 24th
Home Power Play Ranking: 14.8%, 21st
Penalty Kill Ranking: 79.9%, 20th
Home Penalty Kill Ranking: 82.1%, 18th
Minor Penalties: 152 (3rd in NHL)

Nashville Team Leaders
Goals: Jason Arnott, 13
Assists: Jean-Pierre DUmont, 20
Points: Dumont, 27 (7g+20a)
Power Play Goals: Shea Weber, Arnott, 4
Power Play Scoring: Dumont, 8 (1g+7a)
Short-Handed Goals: Five Tied at 1
Short-Handed Scoring: Scott Nichol, 3 (0g+3a)
Shots: Weber, 90
Shooting Percentage: Arnott 18.1%
Plus-Minus: Weber, +11
Penalty Minutes: Jordin Tootoo, 56
Hits: Weber, 60
Blocked Shots: Greg Zanon, 74
Giveaways: Dumont, 20
Takeaways: Dan Hamhuis, David Legwand, 20
Turnover Differential: Joel Ward, +10
Faceoffs Won: Radek Bonk, 168-102
Faceoff Percentage: Bonk, 62.2%
Time On Ice: Weber, 23:58
Wins: Dan Ellis, 8-10-2
Minutes Played: Ellis, 1177
Goals Against Average: Rinne, 2.60
Save Percentage: Rinne, .903
Shutouts: Rinne, 2

Nashville Fun Fact: The Predators have shown an ability to come out on top in tight situations. The Preds are 8-2-2 in one goal games.

Nashville Player to Watch: JP Dumont has finally started finding the back of the net, which makes him all the more dangerous. Dumont has two goals in his last two games and will look to extend the streak tonight.

Nashville Reason to Worry: The Predators have the league's 3rd highest minor penalty count at 152, behind only Vancouver (155) and Anaheim (172).

Nashville Injury Report
Ville Koistinen (Cranial-Rectal Inversion, Doubtful)
Martin Erat (Radim Vrbata Syndrome, Questionable)
Greg De Vries*

Nashville Projected Lineup
Ward-Arnott-Dumont
Pihlström-Legwand-Erat
Smithson-Bonk-Tootoo
Peverley-Nichol-Belak

Weber-Suter
Hamhuis-Zanon
De Vries-Klein

Ellis

*Note: De Vries is being formally charged with reckless endangerment and reckless abandonment, after events taking place on Monday, December 8, 2008.

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Vancouver Canucks (15-10-3, 33pts, 2nd Northwest, 4th West)

Last Game: Colorado 5 vs. Vancouver 4 (Shootout)
Last Ten Games: 5-4-1
Away Record: 8-7-2
OT/Shootout Record: 4-3
Record vs. Nashville: 1-0-0
Goals For: 86
Goals Against: 74
Power Play Ranking: 18.6%, 14th
Away Power Play Ranking: 20.3%, 11th
Penalty Kill Ranking: 81.3%, 15th
Away Penalty Ranking: 79.3%, 20th
Minor Penalties: 155 (2nd in NHL)

Team Leaders
Goals: Daniel Sedin, 12
Assists: Henrik Sedin, 22
Points: D. Sedin, 27 (12g+15a)
Power Play Goals: Kyle Wellwood, 6
Power Play Scoring: H. Sedin, 10 (0g+10a)
Short-Handed Goals: Alexandre Burrows, 2
Short-Handed Scoring: Burrows, 2 (2g+0a)
Shots: D. Sedin, 93
Shooting Percentage: Wellwood, 36.7%
Plus-Minus: Mattias Ohlund, Willie Mitchell, +10
Penalty Minutes: Shane O'Brien, 78
Hits: Steve Bernier, 54
Blocked Shots: Ohlund, 53
Giveaways: H. Sedi, 18
Takeaways: Burrows, 24
Turnover Differential: Ryan Kesler, +19
Faceoffs Won: Kesler, 267-224
Faceoff Percentage: Wellwood, 56.7%
Time On Ice: Kevin Bieksa, 24:17
Wins: Roberto Luongo, 11-5-2
Minutes Played: Luongo, 1,076
Goals Against Average: Luongo, 2.17
Save Percentage: Luongo, .928
Shutouts: Luongo, 5

Fun Fact: Vancouver are one of four teams to have yet to concede an goal in overtime, along with Boston, Colorado, and Nashville. The Canucks are 3-0 in the mini-stanza.

Player to Watch: Defenseman Kevin Bieksa has fifteen points in his last sixteen games, enough to lead all Canucks defensemen despite missing nine games with a pair of injuries.

Reason to Worry: With Luongo out and Schneider struggling in Vancouver's 5-4 SO loss to the Avalanche, the Canucks are almost forced to start veteran Curtis Sanford, who gave up 6 goals on 33 shots in 46 minutes against Detroit in his last start. Sanford has been hit or miss this season, going 3-3-0 with a 3.14 GAA, .900 save percentage, and a pair of shutouts.

Injuries
Roberto Luongo (Groin, Out)
Sami Salo (Groin, Doubtful)
Ryan Johnson (Broken Finger, IR)
Rick Rypien (Hernia, IR)
Darcy Hordichuk (Hairline Leg Fracture, Probable)

Projected Lineup
D. Sedin-H. Sedin-Demitra
Burrows-Kesler-Bernier
Pyatt-Raymond-Wellwood
Hordichuk-Jaffray-Hansen

Bieksa-Mitchell
Ohlund-Edler
Nycholat-O'Brien

Sanford

Media Coverage: Tonight's game will be available on SportsNet Pacific (in HD) and Team 1040 in Vancouver. For Preds fans, tonight's game is radio only, with Pete and Terry calling the action on 104.5 "The Zone."

Only one rule tonight and that is NO STUPID PENALTIES.

The rule is actually don't take penalties while already down a man :banghead: :rant:

Well, with the way we are playing, 1 five on three powerplay goal against is a given, two is not out of the question.

I have been pleasantly surprised by Ward's play with Arnott and Dumont. I have been ready all season to knock him (although I said early I was pleased) for not really being a top two line NHLer, focusing on speed. But he's skates well enough, has good balance, and he seems to have a knack for hanging on to the puck. When he gets it on his stick there's often an offensive chance coming up. He just weaves around at a steady speed into some open ice and finally gets off a pass. Seems like some of our other forwards can't ever get it into the zone without turning it over, so they always dump it in. I like lines that don't turn it over a ton. Sure, it's a bit sad he's on our number one, but at least it's better than I thought it would be.

And the Legwand line has been improved by Pihlstom. Hopefully with more time together they'll start picking up points at a good clip. I'm optimistic about that line. The two lines are going to have to be very consistent at both ends since we don't go three deep and neither line is going to overwhelm you with offense. I think they can do it.

On last nights game...

Klein! Nice goal!

Erat! OOOOPS! Try to keep the puck on the stick, especially in front of the goal.

Rinne seemed really "go behind the net to stop the puck" happy. Several times it wasn't needed and in fact his outlet was picked off a couple times when if he'd let the defensive man get to it we'd have had a better shot at clearing.

The one that INFURIATED me was right after they went up 4-3. Hamhuis (I think it was) went to the end boards to intercept a loose puck. It was CLEAR that he'd get to it easily. Yet when he went to skate behind the net with the puck he had to stop, because Rinne was standing there. After eyeballing each other for about five minutes (either neither guy can skate backwards, turn around, or else they were just discussing where to go grab a bite to eat after the game) a St. Louis guy came in and caused the turnover, which of course they easily kept until they scored again.

What a sad third period. St. Louis' puck control in our end was sickening. I could have taken a shower a couple times and still not missed our rushes.

if we couldnt beat Stl last night then I have no high hopes for this game.

That's a great way to go into a game if I've ever heard one...

Actually might be a positive that we play again today without time to really harp on the mistakes from last night. I'm sure that the players were told to learn from those mistakes, remember that sickening feeling in the pit of your stomach, and come to the rink this morning ready to move on a better player for it.

Now, whether or not that happens...

Will be interesting to see which line we match against the Sedins having last line change. Usually we see the Bonk line go against the opponents top line if they have a big center, but the emphasis for that line is more on speed which would more play into Legwand's strength than Bonk. Could just go head to head with Arnott's line and try to make Vancouver play defense, but that line would get burned bad in transition...

"If you just stepped in horse ****, get back on the horse quickly". Tex Winthrop, Jr., cowboy/rancher/rodeo clown/ one-time candidate for parks commissioner in the great state of Wyoming.

[QUOTE=SLake;16724007]That's a great way to go into a game if I've ever heard one...

QUOTE]

well it is what it is..I just dont feel great about this one tonight.

Believe me, I really hope I am wrong and will be the first to admit that I was if we dominate tonight.

7 minute pp?! how did that happen?

What a penalty kill. Nice job!!

Peverley got into a fight with Jaffray? :biglaugh:

Burrows (I think) left his feet on a hit he delivered to Dumont and Arnott went crazy on Burrows. Huge scuffle similar to the one in the first period. Not sure how the penalties shook out exactly.

Believe it or not, it was actually a great scrap.

Good job Weber standing up to Kesler's bad hit!

Kesler 5 minute boarding major.
Weber gets 4 for roughing. So 1 minute PP after 4 minutes.

Dumont is back on the ice. There was some concern on whether or not he would return.

Arnott got 2, 5, and 10 and Burrows got nothing. O'Brien got 10, though.

Well I knew the Canucks had a couple of embellishers (see the Sedins), but I didn't expect to see Kesler get called for a dive.

Since when are the Sedins divers? Kesler and Burrows are the only players who dive on the Canucks.

Nashville needs to learn how to work a pp, that was a great opportunity in the third and they did nothing.

Watch 2 games of the Canucks and a Sedin will dive. I'm not overly critical of divers, but it is pretty obvious to any non-Canuck fan that they dive to draw penalties on a relatively consistent basis.

Tough loss to take. Still, you have to love our team sticking up for each other. I think this could be a turning point (for good) for this team.

They fall down quick easily at the slightest nudge. It only started last season though, before that they did not seem to do it as much.

Nashville has a good cycling play, but your defence just looked jittery on the back there when ever they were in the offensive zone.

Great game guys, you obviously got the worse side of the calls but worked hard throughout the game. Next game will be a killer.

**** whoever picked this game to not be on tv.