GDT: Predators @ Blues - 12/17/2006 5pm CST

PredDave · 12-17-2006, 04:23 PM

TONIGHT'S MATCH-UP

WHO: Nashville Predators (21-8-3) vs. St. Louis Blues (7-19-5)

WHEN: 5 p.m. CT

WHERE: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo.

TONIGHT THE PREDS WEAR: White

TELEVISION: no local coverage

RADIO: WGFX 104.5-FM; SATELLITE RADIO: XM Radio Ch. 207; SIRIUS Ch. 146

PredDave · 12-17-2006, 04:24 PM

http://www.nashvillepredators.com/pr...?story_id=1144

GAMEDAY: Predators at Blues, 5 PM

December 17, 2006

One night after defeating the Blues in a shootout at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, the Nashville Predators travel to St. Louis to repeat the matchup tonight. Game time is 5:00 p.m. CT. The action can be heard on WGFX 104.5-FM in the Nashville area.

Saturday night, Paul Kariya scored a shootout goal and goaltender Chris Mason stopped all three shooters he faced as the Nashville Predators overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the St. Louis Blues 3-2.

The win gave the Predators a 21-8-3 record for the season and three straight victories. Nashville retains a three-point lead over the Detroit Red Wings for first place in the Central Division standings.

The victory was Nashville's 10th straight win over the Blues, dating back to April 3, 2004, while St. Louis is currently mired in a 10-game losing streak. The Blues, who have now played three games with new head coach Andy Murray at the helm, came out strong Saturday night and their effort was praised by Predators head coach Barry Trotz at his postgame press conference.

"They're hoping that you make a mistake and they'll counter. If they can get you they come very hard and if they can't they back up. They're playing a smart game that way. They're hoping that they can slow the game down, the pace down. They did. Give them credit. That was their game plan and they did a good job."

With his power-play goal during the second period of Saturday's game, Kariya has tied Steve Sullivan for the team points lead. Kariya now has a three-game point streak, with five points (1g-4a) in that span.

PredDave · 12-17-2006, 04:25 PM

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/preview;...gid=2006121719

The Scottrade Center is hardly a place for Andy Murray and the St. Louis Blues to hide from their struggles, especially with the Nashville Predators following them there.

In Murray's fourth game since taking over as coach, the hapless Blues look to snap a couple of 10-game losing streaks as they conclude a home-and-home series with the first-place Predators on Sunday.

Paul Kariya scored the only goal in a shootout, and Nashville (21-8-3) beat St. Louis 3-2 on Saturday.

The Blues (7-19-5) are now 0-8-2 against the Central Division-leading Predators since a 4-1 win on April 3, 2004. It was also the 10th straight loss overall for St. Louis, which hasn't won since a 3-2 shootout victory at Detroit on Nov. 24.

Murray, meanwhile, remains winless in three games since taking over Tuesday for the fired Mike Kitchen. Two of Murray's losses have been at home, where the Blues have dropped seven straight and are 4-10-3 overall.

"Before you win you sometimes have to play good for a few games and I thought we did that against Nashville," Murray said. "Everybody was involved. We ran four lines and got contributions from a lot of people. I'm disappointed that we didn't win, but I recognize the Predators are a good hockey team. Not that many teams have gotten points off of them this season."

The return of Manny Legace wasn't enough to help St. Louis end its skid. Legace, who played his first game in 11 days after being sidelined with a head injury, had 22 saves.

"I think we were looking for a little bit of an easy game," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "It wasn't one of our better performances, but I don't want to take anything away from the Blues. They clogged up the neutral zone and slowed things down. We had to show patience and grind it out."

Legace struggled in the Blues' first matchup with the Predators this season, making just 12 saves in a 5-4 loss on Nov. 30. He hasn't won in regulation since beating Colorado at home on Nov. 2.

Kariya, who also scored a power-play goal Saturday, beat Legace with a high shot for the game winner. Kariya has five goals and six assists in his last eight games against St. Louis.

Scott Nichol also scored for Nashville, tying the game at 2 with 17 seconds left in the second period. The Predators have outscored opponents 48-18 in the second period.

Steve Sullivan earned an assist on Nichol's goal to keep pace with Kariya for the team lead in points with 31. Martin Erat had an assist on Kariya's goal, and has seven in his last five games.

Nashville's Vernon Fiddler hurt his shoulder in the second period and did not return in the final period. His status for Sunday's game is uncertain.

PredDave · 12-17-2006, 04:27 PM

Gotta love these back-to-back games to breed some good hate between teams...

The Predators are 6-0-1 on the second game of back-to-backs this season... can they keep it up? I'm not sure. The Blues played a pretty stifling defense last night and they will want some serious revenge tonight!

I'll be interested to see how the Preds come out for this one!

PredDave · 12-18-2006, 08:15 AM

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=188870&hubname=nhl

Timonen's marker in OT gives Preds win

Given 11 power-play chances, the Nashville Predators finally cashed in.

Kimmo Timonen scored on a slap shot on a 4-on-3 advantage with 1:49 left in overtime for a 2-1 victory over the sagging St. Louis Blues on Sunday night.

''We felt if we kept working and skating and doing the right things, they were going to come unglued, and they did,'' coach Barry Trotz said. ''They took way too many penalties, and every penalty was deserved.

''When you give us enough power plays, we'll score eventually.''

PredDave · 12-18-2006, 08:23 AM

Radulov only played :47 of this game due to an "upper body injury" after being checked into the boards hard by Dallas Drake.... hmm, I think Drake is a dead man.

Kimmo made NHL.com's 2nd star of the day!

http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?page=Thre...e&service=page

================================================== ===
Given 11 power-play chances, the Nashville Predators finally cashed in.

Kimmo Timonen scored on a slap shot on a 4-on-3 advantage with 1:49 left in overtime for a 2-1 victory over the sagging St. Louis Blues on Sunday night.

''We felt if we kept working and skating and doing the right things, they were going to come unglued, and they did,'' coach Barry Trotz said. ''They took way too many penalties, and every penalty was deserved.

''When you give us enough power plays, we'll score eventually.''

12-17-2006, 04:23 PM	#1 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	GDT: Predators @ Blues - 12/17/2006 5pm CST TONIGHT'S MATCH-UP WHO: Nashville Predators (21-8-3) vs. St. Louis Blues (7-19-5) WHEN: 5 p.m. CT WHERE: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo. TONIGHT THE PREDS WEAR: White TELEVISION: no local coverage RADIO: WGFX 104.5-FM; SATELLITE RADIO: XM Radio Ch. 207; SIRIUS Ch. 146

12-17-2006, 04:24 PM	#2 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	http://www.nashvillepredators.com/pr...?story_id=1144 GAMEDAY: Predators at Blues, 5 PM December 17, 2006 One night after defeating the Blues in a shootout at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, the Nashville Predators travel to St. Louis to repeat the matchup tonight. Game time is 5:00 p.m. CT. The action can be heard on WGFX 104.5-FM in the Nashville area. Saturday night, Paul Kariya scored a shootout goal and goaltender Chris Mason stopped all three shooters he faced as the Nashville Predators overcame a 2-0 deficit to defeat the St. Louis Blues 3-2. The win gave the Predators a 21-8-3 record for the season and three straight victories. Nashville retains a three-point lead over the Detroit Red Wings for first place in the Central Division standings. The victory was Nashville's 10th straight win over the Blues, dating back to April 3, 2004, while St. Louis is currently mired in a 10-game losing streak. The Blues, who have now played three games with new head coach Andy Murray at the helm, came out strong Saturday night and their effort was praised by Predators head coach Barry Trotz at his postgame press conference. "They're hoping that you make a mistake and they'll counter. If they can get you they come very hard and if they can't they back up. They're playing a smart game that way. They're hoping that they can slow the game down, the pace down. They did. Give them credit. That was their game plan and they did a good job." With his power-play goal during the second period of Saturday's game, Kariya has tied Steve Sullivan for the team points lead. Kariya now has a three-game point streak, with five points (1g-4a) in that span.

12-17-2006, 04:25 PM	#3 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/preview;...gid=2006121719 The Scottrade Center is hardly a place for Andy Murray and the St. Louis Blues to hide from their struggles, especially with the Nashville Predators following them there. In Murray's fourth game since taking over as coach, the hapless Blues look to snap a couple of 10-game losing streaks as they conclude a home-and-home series with the first-place Predators on Sunday. Paul Kariya scored the only goal in a shootout, and Nashville (21-8-3) beat St. Louis 3-2 on Saturday. The Blues (7-19-5) are now 0-8-2 against the Central Division-leading Predators since a 4-1 win on April 3, 2004. It was also the 10th straight loss overall for St. Louis, which hasn't won since a 3-2 shootout victory at Detroit on Nov. 24. Murray, meanwhile, remains winless in three games since taking over Tuesday for the fired Mike Kitchen. Two of Murray's losses have been at home, where the Blues have dropped seven straight and are 4-10-3 overall. "Before you win you sometimes have to play good for a few games and I thought we did that against Nashville," Murray said. "Everybody was involved. We ran four lines and got contributions from a lot of people. I'm disappointed that we didn't win, but I recognize the Predators are a good hockey team. Not that many teams have gotten points off of them this season." The return of Manny Legace wasn't enough to help St. Louis end its skid. Legace, who played his first game in 11 days after being sidelined with a head injury, had 22 saves. "I think we were looking for a little bit of an easy game," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "It wasn't one of our better performances, but I don't want to take anything away from the Blues. They clogged up the neutral zone and slowed things down. We had to show patience and grind it out." Legace struggled in the Blues' first matchup with the Predators this season, making just 12 saves in a 5-4 loss on Nov. 30. He hasn't won in regulation since beating Colorado at home on Nov. 2. Kariya, who also scored a power-play goal Saturday, beat Legace with a high shot for the game winner. Kariya has five goals and six assists in his last eight games against St. Louis. Scott Nichol also scored for Nashville, tying the game at 2 with 17 seconds left in the second period. The Predators have outscored opponents 48-18 in the second period. Steve Sullivan earned an assist on Nichol's goal to keep pace with Kariya for the team lead in points with 31. Martin Erat had an assist on Kariya's goal, and has seven in his last five games. Nashville's Vernon Fiddler hurt his shoulder in the second period and did not return in the final period. His status for Sunday's game is uncertain.

12-17-2006, 04:27 PM	#4 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	Gotta love these back-to-back games to breed some good hate between teams... The Predators are 6-0-1 on the second game of back-to-backs this season... can they keep it up? I'm not sure. The Blues played a pretty stifling defense last night and they will want some serious revenge tonight! I'll be interested to see how the Preds come out for this one!

12-18-2006, 08:15 AM	#5 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=188870&hubname=nhl Timonen's marker in OT gives Preds win Given 11 power-play chances, the Nashville Predators finally cashed in. Kimmo Timonen scored on a slap shot on a 4-on-3 advantage with 1:49 left in overtime for a 2-1 victory over the sagging St. Louis Blues on Sunday night. ''We felt if we kept working and skating and doing the right things, they were going to come unglued, and they did,'' coach Barry Trotz said. ''They took way too many penalties, and every penalty was deserved. ''When you give us enough power plays, we'll score eventually.''

12-18-2006, 08:23 AM	#6 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	Radulov only played :47 of this game due to an "upper body injury" after being checked into the boards hard by Dallas Drake.... hmm, I think Drake is a dead man. Kimmo made NHL.com's 2nd star of the day! http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?page=Thre...e&service=page ================================================== === Given 11 power-play chances, the Nashville Predators finally cashed in. Kimmo Timonen scored on a slap shot on a 4-on-3 advantage with 1:49 left in overtime for a 2-1 victory over the sagging St. Louis Blues on Sunday night. ''We felt if we kept working and skating and doing the right things, they were going to come unglued, and they did,'' coach Barry Trotz said. ''They took way too many penalties, and every penalty was deserved. ''When you give us enough power plays, we'll score eventually.''