GDT: Blues @ Predators - 12/16/2006 7pm CST

PredDave · 12-16-2006, 01:44 PM

TONIGHT'S MATCH-UP

WHO: Nashville Predators (20-8-3) vs. St. Louis Blues (7-19-4)

TICKETS: Still available!! Order online, call (615) 770-PUCK or visit any Ticketmaster outlet

WHEN: 7 p.m. CT

WHERE: Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, TN

TONIGHT THE PREDS WEAR: Blue

TONIGHT'S ANTHEM PERFORMER: Crystal Hoyt

TONIGHT'S INTERMISSION BAND: Small Time Rock Stars

TELEVISION: no local coverage

RADIO: WNSR 560-AM; SATELLITE RADIO: XM Radio Ch. 208

PredDave · 12-16-2006, 01:46 PM

Game Preview: Predators vs. Blues

Who: Predators vs. St. Louis Blues.

Where: Gaylord Entertainment Center.

When: 7 p.m.

TV: None.

Radio: 560-AM

Season series: Predators lead 1-0.

Blues storyline: St. Louis has lost nine straight games following Wednesday's defeat in Colorado. … The Blues have the fewest points (18) and goals (68) in the NHL. … St. Louis is playing its third game with Coach Andy Murray. … The Blues outshot the Preds 42-17 on Nov. 30 in a 5-4 loss to Nashville. … Left wing Keith Tkachuk leads the Blues with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists), while right wing Bill Guerin has a team-best 12 goals.

Predators storyline: Nashville is 8-0-3 at home since losing its season opener here to Chicago. … The Predators have nine straight victories over the Blues. … Right wing J.P. Dumont has five assists in his last two games and left wing Paul Kariya has four assists in his last two. … Rookie right wing Alexander Radulov has three goals in his last four games and is second on the team with 10 goals overall.

Blues injuries: G Curtis Sanford (groin) and RW Vladimir Orszagh (knee) are out; G Manny Legace (head) is questionable.

Predators injuries: RW Scottie Upshall (groin) and G Tomas Vokoun (thumb) are out; RW Jordin Tootoo (illness) is questionable.

PredDave · 12-16-2006, 01:48 PM

http://tsn.ca/nhl/scores/preview/?id=7435

The St. Louis Blues will try again to win their first game under Andy Murray when they visit the Nashville Predators at Gaylord Entertainment Center in the opener of a home-and-home series.

The Blues are 0-2 under Murray, who took over head coaching duties from the fired Mike Kitchen earlier this week. St. Louis has dropped nine straight overall, going 0-8-1 during that stretch.

St. Louis' most recent setback came Wednesday evening in Colorado, as Peter Budaj made 25 saves and the Avalanche scored four unanswered goals to defeat the Blues, 4-1, at the Pepsi Center.

Jamal Mayers scored the lone goal for the slumping Blues, who also lost Murray's debut Tuesday night against visiting Chicago.

St. Louis goaltender Jason Bacashihua allowed four goals on 45 shots and was replaced by rookie Marek Schwarz near the end of the second period. Schwarz finished the game with one save as Bacashihua re-entered the contest at the start of the third.

Meanwhile, Nashville leads the Central Division with 43 points, 25 more points than last-place St. Louis.

The Predators have won two straight and three of their last four contests. They are coming off Wednesday's impressive 6-0 triumph over the Ottawa Senators. Steve Sullivan's sixth career hat trick, his third as a Predator, led Nashville to the drubbing in Music City.

Scott Hartnell scored twice, while J.P. Dumont and Paul Kariya registered three assists each for the Predators.

Jason Arnott returned to Nashville after missing 11 games following knee surgery and contributed a pair of assists. Martin Erat also picked up two helpers and Alexander Radulov added a goal.

Chris Mason made 22 saves on the night to pick up his second shutout of the year.

Nashville has dominated the Blues since the lockout, having won all eight meetings between the clubs last season and posting a 5-4 victory in St. Louis on November 30. The Blues haven't beaten the Predators since earning a 4-1 decision at the Gaylord Entertainment Center on April 3, 2004.

The Central Division foes will meet again Sunday in St. Louis.

PredDave · 12-17-2006, 01:47 AM

This was an exciting game to attend! The Preds came out looking pretty flat, but really turned it around in the 2nd and especially the 3rd period.

Early in the game, the Blues led 2-0 and were outshooting the Preds 10-2. It looked like it would be one of those days where we just couldn't do anything right.

Great goal by Kariya from the point! Paul had been so snakebit lately (not scoring in 7 games).

Tomorrow we get to play the Blues again in St.Louis -- this should be pretty chippy!

PredDave · 12-17-2006, 01:48 AM

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=188744&hubname=nhl

Preds hand Blues tenth straight loss

A new coach for the St. Louis Blues didn't change their luck against the Nashville Predators.

St. Louis had fallen to Nashville nine straight times, but at first it looked as if things were going to change with Andy Murray behind the Blues' bench.

The Predators broke with form in falling behind after giving up two first-period goals, but Paul Kariya scored on a power play in regulation and had the only goal in a shootout to help Nashville continue its domination with a 3-2 victory over St. Louis on Saturday night.

It was the 10th straight loss for the Blues, and the third for Murray in as many games since taking over.

PredDave · 12-17-2006, 01:52 AM

Kariya gives Preds shootout win over Blues

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs..../61216014/1028

On most occasions this season, the Predators have jumped ahead of their opponents first and piled on later.

On Saturday, they did the things the hard way.

The Predators rallied from a two-goal, first-period deficit against St. Louis, finally earning a 3-2 shootout victory.

It was the Predators’ 10th straight win over the Blues, and Nashville will have a chance to extend that streak to 11 when the teams meet tonight at 5 in St. Louis.

Paul Kariya scored the only shootout goal for the Predators, while Chris Mason stopped Martin Rucinsky, Keith Tkachuk and Doug Weight.

================================================

Notes: Nashville's Martin Erat has seven assists in his last five games. ... Tkachuk's goal was only his second in the last 12 games. ... Legace was playing his first game in 11 days for St. Louis after being sidelined with a head injury. ... Nashville's Steve Sullivan earned an assist on Nichol's goal to keep him tied with Kariya for the team lead in points. ... Nashville's Vernon Fiddler hurt his shoulder in the second period and did not return in the final period. ... Martin Rucinsky skated in his 900th game.

12-16-2006, 01:44 PM	#1 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	GDT: Blues @ Predators - 12/16/2006 7pm CST TONIGHT'S MATCH-UP WHO: Nashville Predators (20-8-3) vs. St. Louis Blues (7-19-4) TICKETS: Still available!! Order online, call (615) 770-PUCK or visit any Ticketmaster outlet WHEN: 7 p.m. CT WHERE: Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, TN TONIGHT THE PREDS WEAR: Blue TONIGHT'S ANTHEM PERFORMER: Crystal Hoyt TONIGHT'S INTERMISSION BAND: Small Time Rock Stars TELEVISION: no local coverage RADIO: WNSR 560-AM; SATELLITE RADIO: XM Radio Ch. 208

12-16-2006, 01:46 PM	#2 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	Game Preview: Predators vs. Blues Who: Predators vs. St. Louis Blues. Where: Gaylord Entertainment Center. When: 7 p.m. TV: None. Radio: 560-AM Season series: Predators lead 1-0. Blues storyline: St. Louis has lost nine straight games following Wednesday's defeat in Colorado. … The Blues have the fewest points (18) and goals (68) in the NHL. … St. Louis is playing its third game with Coach Andy Murray. … The Blues outshot the Preds 42-17 on Nov. 30 in a 5-4 loss to Nashville. … Left wing Keith Tkachuk leads the Blues with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists), while right wing Bill Guerin has a team-best 12 goals. Predators storyline: Nashville is 8-0-3 at home since losing its season opener here to Chicago. … The Predators have nine straight victories over the Blues. … Right wing J.P. Dumont has five assists in his last two games and left wing Paul Kariya has four assists in his last two. … Rookie right wing Alexander Radulov has three goals in his last four games and is second on the team with 10 goals overall. Blues injuries: G Curtis Sanford (groin) and RW Vladimir Orszagh (knee) are out; G Manny Legace (head) is questionable. Predators injuries: RW Scottie Upshall (groin) and G Tomas Vokoun (thumb) are out; RW Jordin Tootoo (illness) is questionable.

12-16-2006, 01:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	http://tsn.ca/nhl/scores/preview/?id=7435 The St. Louis Blues will try again to win their first game under Andy Murray when they visit the Nashville Predators at Gaylord Entertainment Center in the opener of a home-and-home series. The Blues are 0-2 under Murray, who took over head coaching duties from the fired Mike Kitchen earlier this week. St. Louis has dropped nine straight overall, going 0-8-1 during that stretch. St. Louis' most recent setback came Wednesday evening in Colorado, as Peter Budaj made 25 saves and the Avalanche scored four unanswered goals to defeat the Blues, 4-1, at the Pepsi Center. Jamal Mayers scored the lone goal for the slumping Blues, who also lost Murray's debut Tuesday night against visiting Chicago. St. Louis goaltender Jason Bacashihua allowed four goals on 45 shots and was replaced by rookie Marek Schwarz near the end of the second period. Schwarz finished the game with one save as Bacashihua re-entered the contest at the start of the third. Meanwhile, Nashville leads the Central Division with 43 points, 25 more points than last-place St. Louis. The Predators have won two straight and three of their last four contests. They are coming off Wednesday's impressive 6-0 triumph over the Ottawa Senators. Steve Sullivan's sixth career hat trick, his third as a Predator, led Nashville to the drubbing in Music City. Scott Hartnell scored twice, while J.P. Dumont and Paul Kariya registered three assists each for the Predators. Jason Arnott returned to Nashville after missing 11 games following knee surgery and contributed a pair of assists. Martin Erat also picked up two helpers and Alexander Radulov added a goal. Chris Mason made 22 saves on the night to pick up his second shutout of the year. Nashville has dominated the Blues since the lockout, having won all eight meetings between the clubs last season and posting a 5-4 victory in St. Louis on November 30. The Blues haven't beaten the Predators since earning a 4-1 decision at the Gaylord Entertainment Center on April 3, 2004. The Central Division foes will meet again Sunday in St. Louis.

12-17-2006, 01:47 AM	#4 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	This was an exciting game to attend! The Preds came out looking pretty flat, but really turned it around in the 2nd and especially the 3rd period. Early in the game, the Blues led 2-0 and were outshooting the Preds 10-2. It looked like it would be one of those days where we just couldn't do anything right. Great goal by Kariya from the point! Paul had been so snakebit lately (not scoring in 7 games). Tomorrow we get to play the Blues again in St.Louis -- this should be pretty chippy!

12-17-2006, 01:48 AM	#5 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=188744&hubname=nhl Preds hand Blues tenth straight loss A new coach for the St. Louis Blues didn't change their luck against the Nashville Predators. St. Louis had fallen to Nashville nine straight times, but at first it looked as if things were going to change with Andy Murray behind the Blues' bench. The Predators broke with form in falling behind after giving up two first-period goals, but Paul Kariya scored on a power play in regulation and had the only goal in a shootout to help Nashville continue its domination with a 3-2 victory over St. Louis on Saturday night. It was the 10th straight loss for the Blues, and the third for Murray in as many games since taking over.

12-17-2006, 01:52 AM	#6 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	Kariya gives Preds shootout win over Blues http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs..../61216014/1028 On most occasions this season, the Predators have jumped ahead of their opponents first and piled on later. On Saturday, they did the things the hard way. The Predators rallied from a two-goal, first-period deficit against St. Louis, finally earning a 3-2 shootout victory. It was the Predators’ 10th straight win over the Blues, and Nashville will have a chance to extend that streak to 11 when the teams meet tonight at 5 in St. Louis. Paul Kariya scored the only shootout goal for the Predators, while Chris Mason stopped Martin Rucinsky, Keith Tkachuk and Doug Weight. ================================================ Notes: Nashville's Martin Erat has seven assists in his last five games. ... Tkachuk's goal was only his second in the last 12 games. ... Legace was playing his first game in 11 days for St. Louis after being sidelined with a head injury. ... Nashville's Steve Sullivan earned an assist on Nichol's goal to keep him tied with Kariya for the team lead in points. ... Nashville's Vernon Fiddler hurt his shoulder in the second period and did not return in the final period. ... Martin Rucinsky skated in his 900th game.