The Madness Hits Music City: Canucks-Predators Preview
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 8, 2009 12:16 AM PST
in Game Preview
47 comments
Canucks (16-13-0) vs Predators (16-11-2)
GAME TIME: 5:00 PST
TV: Sportsnet
THE OPPOSITION: On The Forecheck
Update: 11:45 PST: If the Canucks beat the Preds in regulation and the Stars beat the Ducks tonight, Dallas will hold 7th spot and the Canucks will be in 8th in the West. The Coyotes Predators would fall out of a playoff spot. Just adding a little more fuel to the fire.
Update: 9:38 PST: Preds coach Barry "Melon" Trotz would have benched nearly his whole team last game if it was possible. After his team's 5-3 loss to the Wild he is threatening lineup changes. (The City Paper via Dirk Hoag @ On The Forecheck)
Update 9:24 PST: Martin Erat is heating up. He has 2 goals and 4 points in his last 3 games, and has 4 goals and 6 assists in his last 11 games against the Canucks.(Sportsnet Preview)
****************************
The Canucks really didn't want two days off before playing in Nashville.
"It’s almost maddening now that we have this little break before we go play," Ryan Johnson told the Province. "If we had our choice we’d have been playing [Sunday] night to get back and be able to erase this [loss to the Hurricanes]." Well you won't have to worry about that for a while, Ryan. The Canucks play every second night until the 22nd. No more Canucks hockey starvation until XmasTurkey Dinner.
Now, the Canucks have to beat the Predators to make their 4 game road trip a "respectful" 3-1 record. A win over Nashville (who are in 7th spot) in regulation will finally vault them into the top 8 of the Western Conference. Has that even happened yet this season? I can't even remember.
So how are those Predators doing lately?
6-3-1 in their last 10. They have lost 3 of their last 5
and 4 of their last 6. Prior to the 3-1 loss to the Blues 6 games ago, the Preds had won 7 in a row. They won 9 of 13 games in November after winning only 6 of 13 in October. Their last game was a 5-3 loss, where the wheels fell off early. They had 4 consecutive power plays in the first period but were outshot 10-7 and outscored 2-1. The Wild blew it wide open in the 2nd, scoring 3 consecutive goals, out-shooting Nashville 18-9, and never looked back.
Nashville ranks 28th in the NHL in goals per game average. If you look at their team stats you can see why that is. That being said, it appears players beyond the top 6 can strike occasionally as well.
With low-scoring issues, the Preds have to limit the goals against, obviously. They rank 11th in the League in that category.
More intriguing Preds stats: they rank 26th in the NHL for power play efficiency, about the same as the Canucks on the PK (23rd), and about the same as Vancouver in shots for and against average per game. Vancouver ranks higher than Nashville in all these stats but still sits 11th in the West! Scratch my back with a f*cking hacksaw! What gives?
Oh, irony, fate, and no overtime losses! Just think: the Stars, who are 2 points of the Canucks and hold the 8th spot in the West, have 8 overtime/shootout losses. The Avalanche, who are 6 points ahead of the Canucks and hold 5th spot in the West, have 6 of them. Vancouver has to win more games and get the close games that they are losing into overtime more often. They are now officially the only team in the NHL who has ZERO OTL points.
So much madness abounds. Who would have thought that they Canucks would go 4-for-5 on the power play in 1 game after Daniel Sedin returned to the lineup and then 0-for-19 in the 6 other games? There may be a reason or two for that. Here's a big one.
You'll see most of the Predators sporting mustaches tonight. They have made a pledge to grow out their 'staches until December 15th in order to honor of global awareness for testicular and prostate cancer.
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“dang it, drunk again”
Sometimes country music hits the nail on the head.
'Nucks Misconduct - Housing Swedish Millionaires Since 2000.
by Yankee Canuck on Dec 8, 2009 5:19 AM PST up reply actions
Now that I look at it again, I should have put a mickey of spiced rum in his hand…
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 8, 2009 10:55 AM PST up reply actions
Got to counterfeit your prediction Sean…4-3, with Ripper getting the winner…
The earliest use of the word with the spelling we recognize today is found in "L'Acadie: or Seven Years' Exploration in British America" by James Edward Alexander, published in 1849:
We also met a lusty fellow in a forest road with a keg of whisky slung round him who called to us 'Come boys and have some grog, I'm what you call a canuck"
No worries. Damn, we all suck at predicting. Hasn’t been very many points going out lately.
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 8, 2009 10:54 AM PST up reply actions
A quick perusal of the Canucks’ season so far:
Most common number of winning goals, in order:
1) 5
2) 3
3) 2
4) 4
5) 7
6) 1, 6, 8
Most common number of losing goals, in order:
1) 1
2) 2
3) 3
4) 0
5) 4
Most common winning scores, in order:
1) 5-3, 2-1
2) 3-0, 3-1, 5-2
3) 4-1
4) all others
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
You know, I was thinking about doing a post about that, but you just saved me the time! Appreciated, casual!
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 8, 2009 10:53 AM PST up reply actions
you and I are battling for the tie-breaker right now! Game on!
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 8, 2009 11:09 AM PST up reply actions
Should be a good game
Preds coach Barry “Melon” Trotz would have benched nearly his whole team last game if it was possible. After his team’s 5-3 loss to the Wild he is threatening lineup changes.
So their coach is ticked, and the Canucks as a whole are ticked. Should be a good battle.
on top of that.. check out the ramifications to this game in the post update.
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 8, 2009 11:47 AM PST up reply actions
4-3 canucks. kesler with the winner.
"If you ever lose your way in the dark, a good thing to find in your pocket would be Mathieu Schneider's teeth." Kurtenbloggers
"If Chuck Norris was up against 7 Rangers, he'd call Ryan Kesler." random commentor at yahoo
GO CANUCKS GO!
hey, you’ve already done it to me, so quit complaining :P
besides, my algorithm outputted 3.7-2.9.
at least i picked someone else for the gwg
"If you ever lose your way in the dark, a good thing to find in your pocket would be Mathieu Schneider's teeth." Kurtenbloggers
"If Chuck Norris was up against 7 Rangers, he'd call Ryan Kesler." random commentor at yahoo
GO CANUCKS GO!
And it’s Kesler with .7 of a goal! missy wins! missy wins!
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
line-up report:
luongo is back in net, otherwise no changes
"If you ever lose your way in the dark, a good thing to find in your pocket would be Mathieu Schneider's teeth." Kurtenbloggers
"If Chuck Norris was up against 7 Rangers, he'd call Ryan Kesler." random commentor at yahoo
GO CANUCKS GO!
btw, sean you have a mistake up there. phoenix can’t drop to 9th tonight, because they’re 3 points ahead of dallas and nashville.
also, if we win tonight and anaheim beats dallas, then vancouver, dallas and nashville are tied for 7th with 34 points and 30 games, and since we have more wins, we get 7th. better than 8th, eh?
"If you ever lose your way in the dark, a good thing to find in your pocket would be Mathieu Schneider's teeth." Kurtenbloggers
"If Chuck Norris was up against 7 Rangers, he'd call Ryan Kesler." random commentor at yahoo
GO CANUCKS GO!
Damn! I have Coyotes on the brain…I meant Nashville. Thanks for the heads up!
by Sean Zandberg on Dec 8, 2009 1:18 PM PST up reply actions
and anaheim beats dallas
yeah, I just provided one scenario. The Ducks are stinking it up though. Think they can beat Dallas?
Thanks to the awesomeness of the OT/SO loser point and the brilliance of Mr. Bettman, no NHL team is ever really out of the playoff race!
Yay false parity!!
Well, it would be cool if the Canucks could finish on top of their division without the help of any loser point. Wouldn’t that be something?
Los Angeles, CA
It would, actually. I am learning to hate the loser point.
The opposite of serious is not funny; the opposite of serious is unserious.
I was in disbelief last night seing the Flames lose to the Kings and not picking up any extra points. It almost felt like a Canucks victory.
Los Angeles, CA
Is it sad that the FIRST thing I check for when I look at the Flames/Oilers/etc. losses is whether or not it is in OT?
The Flamers deserved to lose that game….and Millions is worse of a homer than Shorty is!
They didn’t even get the puck over the blue line with a minute left and an empty net.
I do check for the loser point all the time too…hated that the Oil got one last night.
Oh well, I still believe by Game 82 the Canucks will win the NW Div.
The earliest use of the word with the spelling we recognize today is found in "L'Acadie: or Seven Years' Exploration in British America" by James Edward Alexander, published in 1849:
We also met a lusty fellow in a forest road with a keg of whisky slung round him who called to us 'Come boys and have some grog, I'm what you call a canuck"
4 - 1 Canucks
Nashville is a lousy team we should cream them. Edler with the winner.
by Temujin on Dec 8, 2009 3:32 PM PST via mobile reply actions
Bieksa with the winner since he’s in my pool. And he needs to score more dammit.
by Beantown Canuck on Dec 8, 2009 4:55 PM PST up reply actions
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