GDT #61: 2/23/12 > Blues @ Preds > 7:00 PM > FSMW/KMOX

[dmiles2186]

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Nashville Predators coach Barry Trotz doesn’t feel at ease with his team’s spot in the Western Conference standings, but at least the club has plenty of upcoming home games to help make its postseason push.

The St. Louis Blues don’t have that luxury.

The Predators go for their first 10-game home point streak in five seasons on Thursday night when they try to win their fifth straight this season over the Blues, who open a road-heavy portion of their schedule.

Despite Nashville (35-19-6) maintaining a three-point edge over sixth-place Chicago with Tuesday’s 3-1 victory over Northwest Division-leading Vancouver, Trotz is far from comforted by his team’s position. Eighth-place Los Angeles is just 10 points back.
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“We’re at home here, and you’ve got to get some points,” Trotz said following the opener of the four-game stretch at Bridgestone Arena. “… we’ve got a little bit of separation from eight place, but it’s not enough.”

Playing six of its next eight on home ice could help Nashville create that separation.

The Predators have lost just three times in their last 18 at Bridgestone Arena.

Their 8-0-1 run at home is their best since a 9-0-3 stretch from Oct. 14-Dec. 16, 2006.

Led by a goal and two assists from Martin Erat and 42 saves from Pekka Rinne, Nashville pushed its winning streak in this Central Division series to four with a 3-1 home victory on Feb. 4.

The Predators trail fourth-place St. Louis (36-17-7) by just three points.

“Bottom line is we need to start racking up some points against teams that are ahead of us,” rookie center Craig Smith said.

The Blues were hoping to make their third and final regular-season visit to Nashville in 2011-12 on the heels of a franchise-record 22-game home point streak, but that surge ended with Wednesday’s 4-2 loss to Boston.

“I thought we played really well that whole second period,” said coach Ken Hitchcock, who is 0-11-6 with a tie in his last 18 games in Nashville. “We just couldn’t get that (game-tying) goal even when we had all the play in their zone.”

The Blues will try to avoid their first three-game skid since Dec. 27-31 as they open a stretch of 14 of 18 away from home.

St. Louis has scored two goals or fewer while losing nine of 13 on the road.

The Blues could begin this stretch of six straight outside St. Louis with Jaroslav Halak in net after Brian Elliott, the league leader with a 1.65 goals-against average, lost his second consecutive start on Wednesday.

Halak, who has been fighting a bout of the flu, is 0-2-2 with a 1.69 GAA while starting all four games versus Nashville in 2011-12.

Rinne, the league leader with 33 wins, has stopped 147 of 152 shots in those contests.

He is 15-2-1 with a 2.19 GAA in his last 18 home starts, which includes a 39-save effort on Dec. 17 in a 2-1 shootout victory over St. Louis.

Predators center Mike Fisher has six goals - tied with Sergei Kostitsyn - and a team-best 15 points during the Predators’ home point streak. Fisher scored in the Blues’ last visit.

Nashville is 11-0-3 when Fisher finds the back of the net.

[cardsfan04]

This isn't exactly a must win, but dropping to 0-5 against the preds while diminishing our lead to 1 point over them would be bad. I'm not in panic mode. But, the thought of a skid has started to enter my head especially since we start a 6 game road trip tonight.

[thedoc]

This isn't exactly a must win,

I would really hate to see your definition of what is.

[ohio BLUES]

A win tonight would cure several ailments. Hope Halak will be back in form and ready for what the Sexual Predators throw at him. Blues 3, Preds 1.

[DaDitka]

Sorry, I have a sinking feeling when we return home to face the Hawks on March 6th we'll be looking up at both them and the Preds in the standings.


Hope I'm wrong...and Stewie's strong game last night could change that...but between going on the road, Oshie and DPs recent play, Jacks stating to fade, no definite date for Steen's return........

You saw what happens when our goal tending looks human.

If we can't get one or two of these forwards 'hot' on this road trip I could see us coming home with only 4 or 5 points out of this six game road trip.

All that said...if they can come out and put three or four in the nest against Rinne.....and who knows where that boost in confidence could take this team.

[cardsfan04]

This isn't exactly a must win,

I would really hate to see your definition of what is.

If we lose tonight, there are plenty of scenarios where the team is in good shape going into the playoffs. Ergo, not a must win. Still a very important game.

[thedoc]

This isn't exactly a must win,

I would really hate to see your definition of what is.

If we lose tonight, there are plenty of scenarios where the team is in good shape going into the playoffs. Ergo, not a must win. Still a very important game.

Do you wake up every morning with the thought of "what can I do today to irritate this man"?

[cardsfan04]

This isn't exactly a must win,

I would really hate to see your definition of what is.

If we lose tonight, there are plenty of scenarios where the team is in good shape going into the playoffs. Ergo, not a must win. Still a very important game.

Do you wake up every morning with the thought of "what can I do today to irritate this man"?

I actually have a database full of numbered ideas. I then use a RNG to determine which method I will employ that day.

[kodos]

This isn't exactly a must win,

I would really hate to see your definition of what is.

A must win is a game that can end your season if you lose.

This isn't one of those.

[gaijin]

Second of back-to-back games, this one on the road, facing one of the best goalies in the league, and only 3 points ahead of them in the standings. Oy.

Let's hope this is one of those games where the Blues defy all conventional wisdom and somehow those factors seem to have no effect.

[cardsfan04]

Sorry, I have a sinking feeling when we return home to face the Hawks on March 6th we'll be looking up at both them and the Preds in the standings.


Hope I'm wrong...and Stewie's strong game last night could change that...but between going on the road, Oshie and DPs recent play, Jacks stating to fade, no definite date for Steen's return........

You saw what happens when our goal tending looks human.

If we can't get one or two of these forwards 'hot' on this road trip I could see us coming home with only 4 or 5 points out of this six game road trip.

All that said...if they can come out and put three or four in the nest against Rinne.....and who knows where that boost in confidence could take this team.

I had the same sinking feeling this morning driving to work. Chicago appears to be getting hot. I think Nashville is going to stay consistent. And, it would be so easy for the Blues to go into a skid right now. Injuries are starting to pile up a little (although AMac is back), we haven't played all that great since the ASG IMO, and now we start a heavy road schedule including 6 straight.

[philco_3]

Hello 3 game losing streak, good bye high seed playoff spot.

[Gaijin Flyer]

You can make an argument that the 6th seed is preferred to 4th or 5th. We match up better against SJS and have been totally handled by the Preds.

I'd prefer that we get on a run and Detroit implodes in a black hole. But I see the chances of the Blues slipping more likely than averaging .25 pts/game more than Detroit for the final 21 games.

[kodos]

I think hoping for certain opponents is a fools game.

At this point the team would have to absolutely implode to not make it into the playoffs, so I think what we can hope for is that they are healthy going into the postseason and riding a wave of confidence. If they are going to slump, the sooner the better. The last thing you want to do is limp into the playoffs.

The playoffs are a whole different ballgame. It's been so long for most of us, but most of these stupid ups and downs of the regular season don't matter one lick when you are a team who is consistently playoff bound.

[cardsfan04]

I think hoping for certain opponents is a fools game.

At this point the team would have to absolutely implode to not make it into the playoffs, so I think what we can hope for is that they are healthy going into the postseason and riding a wave of confidence. If they are going to slump, the sooner the better. The last thing you want to do is limp into the playoffs.

The playoffs are a whole different ballgame. It's been so long for most of us, but most of these stupid ups and downs of the regular season don't matter one lick when you are a team who is consistently playoff bound.

Agreed. I can see why people want to play the Sharks instead of NAS/CHI, but I'd rather not limp into the playoffs.

[AlsWoodenStick]

It also doesn't help when we're missing an ENTIRE 2nd/3rd line in Lang-Steen-Dags... I think we get this one done though.

Blues 2 (A Mac, Backes)
Molesters 1

[STLADOGG]

The Blues need to get pumped up for this game...they need to watch a couple of the episodes of To Catch a Predator.

[WaukeeBlues]

Hell yes. HUGE WIN. We really needed that.

Very good, very simple moves by both Oshie and McDonald. They made it look easy. Great patience, got Rinne to bite just enough (for Oshie) and then just pinpoint accuracy from McDonald on the 5 hole. Awesome.

[cardsfan04]

Even in a 3 point game, HUGE win.

I didn't see a ton of the game, but Stewart looked good again tonight from what I saw.

[STLADOGG]

2 goals in a shootout??? But for real I think a good line right now would be Stewy Bergy and Arny