• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • Atlantic Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Metropolitan Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Pacific Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • NHL Rumors
  • THW Podcast
  • NHL Prospects
  • Columns
  • NWHL
  • More…
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • Long Read
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
    • Fantasy Hockey
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Resources
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • Atlantic Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Metropolitan Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Pacific Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • NHL Rumors
  • THW Podcast
  • NHL Prospects
  • Columns
  • NWHL
  • More…
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • Long Read
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
    • Fantasy Hockey
Home
Nashville Predators

Nashville Predators Breakdown: Winning Hides Many Faults

By Michael Finazzo December 20th, 2011

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

(Icon SMI)

In an article last week I broke down what I thought was ailing the Nashville Predators.  At the time of publication the team was 14-11-4 and mired in the bottom half of the Western Conference.  Although the team had won 2 straight, it appeared as if often stagnant offense was a virus that had also infected the defense and goalie.  Since publication of that article, the Predators have won 3 more games (running their current win streak to 5) and are back in 7th place of the Western Conference (based off playoff seeding, they now have more points than division leading San José).  In 2 out of the last 3 games, the Predators have beaten perennial Central Division powerhouse Red Wings and red-hot St. Louis Blues who have been almost unstoppable under Ken Hitchcock .  Winning can hide many faults of a team; however, the Predators still have plenty.

During the recent 5 game winning streak the Predators have played 2 teams over .500.  In addition to playing below .500 teams, 2 of their opponents are the Western Conference, basement dwelling, Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks.  The schedule is the schedule, and Nashville deserves credit for handling their business against teams they should beat, while also beating Detroit and St. Louis.  The problem has not been necessarily who the Predators have beaten, but rather how they have beaten them.  There have been some disturbing trends in those games.

  1. The Predators have continued to be uninspiring on offense.  In the 3 wins of the last week the Predators scored more than 2 goals in a game only once.  Nashville already has 16 games on the season in which they’ve scored 2 or fewer goals.  The continued pressure of the offense not being productive adds extra pressure on the defense and goalie to perform at extremely high levels.
  2. Puck control has haunted the Predators even during their 5 game win streak.  They have averaged 9.8 give aways per game.  Turning the puck over 10 times per game creates many odd man chances and only further limits your offensive chances.  If the Predators had better puck control it would create more offensive opportunities for them while reducing their opponents.
  3. The Predators continue to give up an exorbitant amount of shots per game.  Nashville ranks 28th in the league in shots allowed per game (31.8), a number which has sadly gone up in their last 3 games.  Calgary had 36 shots on goal, while both Detroit and St. Louis had 40.  The peppering that Rinne continues to take in the net only makes his work during the win streak more impressive.

The good news is that Pekka Rinne appears to have returned to the form he showed during last year’s campaign.  He has been every bit of the brick wall Nashville has needed to put together this 5 game run.  His G.A.A. during the 5 game win streak has been 2.00.  He also kept St. Louis out of the net entirely during the shoot out on Saturday night.  In the last 3 games Rinne’s save percentage has been 97%, 93% and 98% against Calgary, Detroit and St. Louis, respectively.  Pekka Rinne has been the glue that has kept this team together, when they’ve needed him the most.  He continues to be the band-aid that’s covering up poor play from both the offense and defense.  It appears that as he goes, the team will as well.  While a large burden for one man to carry, Rinne is currently proving he’s Super Man enough for the job.

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Facebook Comments

Our Hockey Podcast
hockey podcast
Bruce’s Picks
2019 NHL Trade Deadline: Deal Tracker

2019 NHL Trade Deadline: Deal Tracker

2177
Recent Posts
Feb 21st 6:51 PM
New York Rangers

Rangers Should Rebuild Around Zibanejad

Feb 21st 6:35 PM
Carolina Hurricanes

Will Hurricanes’ Staal Slide in Seamlessly?

Feb 21st 6:20 PM
Philadelphia Flyers

Pennsylvania Hockey: A Long, Proud History

Feb 21st 5:45 PM
Boston Bruins

NHL News & Notes: Hagelin, Kadri & More

Feb 21st 4:51 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Should Anyone Actually Expect Oilers Deadline Moves?

Feb 21st 4:20 PM
New Jersey Devils

Rooney Earning His Role in the NHL

Feb 21st 4:05 PM
Long Read

Predators’ Trade Deadline Targets: Columbus Blue Jackets

Feb 21st 2:45 PM
Edmonton Oilers

NHL Rumors: Islanders, Blackhawks, Bruins, Oilers, More

Feb 21st 1:59 PM
NHL Rumors

THW Podcast – Ep. 12 – NHL Trade Deadline and Making Goalie Masks

Feb 21st 1:02 PM
Los Angeles Kings

Hagelin Traded to Capitals

Stay in Touch
Contact Us

Via our Newsletters
RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Our Partners
HFBoards

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

Join over 18 000 Subscribers of our free bi-weekly Newsletter.

© The Hockey Writers 2018. All rights reserved.
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • Search THW
  • NHL Rumors
  • The Goalie Page
  • Atlantic Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
  • Metropolitan Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Dallas Stars
    • Minnesota Wild
    • Nashville Predators
    • St Louis Blues
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • Pacific Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Vegas Golden Knights
    • Vancouver Canucks
  • Selections From Our Archives
  • Podcast
  • Prospects
  • NHL Salary Cap Information
  • Join Our Team