GDT: Flames @ Predators - 3/8/2007 - 7:00pm CST

PredDave · 03-08-2007, 08:17 AM

Game Preview: Predators vs. Flames

Where: Nashville Arena

When: 7 p.m.

TV: Fox Sports Net.

Radio: 104.5 FM.

Season series: Predators lead 2-0.

Flames story line: Calgary has won five in a row, outscoring opponents 22-11, but the Flames rank 27th in the NHL with a 9-15-8 road record. … F Jarome Iginla is 12th in the league with 76 points (31 goals, 45 assists). … F Alex Tanguay is second in the NHL with a 22.9 shooting percentage. … G Miikka Kiprusoff is tied for second in the NHL with six shutouts.

Predators story line: Nashville has earned 13 of a possible 16 points in its last eight games, averaging four goals a game. … Five of the last six games have gone into overtime. … C Jason Arnott has scored three goals in two games against Calgary this season. … G Tomas Vokoun was in net for both the wins over Calgary.

Flames injuries: D Richie Regehr (concussion) and RW Darren McCarty (sports hernia) are out.

Predators injuries: F Scott Hartnell (foot) and C Scott Nichol (thumb) are out; C Peter Forsberg (upper body injury) and F Steve Sullivan (back) are doubtful; D Marek Zidlicky (upper body injury) is questionable.

PredDave · 03-08-2007, 08:31 AM

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/preview;...gid=2007030827

Calgary (36-21-9) at Nashville (44-18-6)

Coming off a successful road trip, the banged-up Nashville Predators look to increase their lead in the Central Division when they take on the surging Calgary Flames on Thursday.

Despite playing without some of its top offensive players at times, Nashville (44-18-6) went 3-0-2 on a season high-tying five-game road trip.

With Peter Forsberg and second-leading scorer Steve Sullivan out, the Predators lost in a shootout for the second straight game Tuesday, 4-3 at Detroit. They are still one point up on the Red Wings for the division and Western Conference lead.

Among the best home teams in the NHL at 25-5-4, Nashville should have an advantage by playing nine of its final 14 games at home, including two against Detroit.

Five of Nashville's last seven contests have gone to shootouts. The Predators are 4-0-3 in those games.

"We've had a lot of close games like this lately," said goalie Tomas Vokoun, who has won his last seven starts against Calgary and has a 2.03 goals-against average in 17 games against the Flames. "It's been kind of like the playoffs -- a lot of closer scores as the season goes on."

Nashville has won seven straight over Calgary, including two meetings this season, but the Flames are tied for sixth in the Western Conference and will be looking to match a season high with their sixth straight win. They'll also be trying for a third consecutive victory on the road after losing seven in a row.

Even though Nashville was without Forsberg (upper body injury) for the second straight game and Sullivan (back) for a sixth game in a row, Nashville managed to earn a point for the eighth consecutive contest.

"It was a good point," Predators forward J.P. Dumont said. "We've been short-handed the whole road trip, but guys have showed a lot of character. I'm real happy with our team right now."

Predators coach Barry Trotz does not know the expected return date for Forsberg, who has one goal and five assists in seven games since being traded to Nashville from Philadelphia. He had 11 goals and 29 assists in 40 games with the Flyers this season.

PredDave · 03-08-2007, 04:40 PM

News - GAMEDAY: Preds host Flames, 7PM - Nashville Predators

GAMEDAY: Preds host Flames, 7PM

March 8, 2007

TONIGHT'S MATCH-UP

WHO: Nashville Predators (44-18-6) vs. Calgary Flames (36-21-9)

WHEN: 7 p.m. CT

WHERE: Nashville Arena, Nashville, TN

TONIGHT THE PREDS WEAR: Gold

TONIGHT'S ANTHEM PERFORMER: Quadra Sound (U.S.), Nancy Good (Canada)

TONIGHT'S INTERMISSION BAND: Mia Jones

TELEVISION: FSN South (Comcast cable Ch. 28 in Davidson and Williamson counties, DirecTV Ch. 664, Dish Network Ch. 448), FSN South HD (Comcast cable Ch. 206)

RADIO: WGFX 104.5-FM; SATELLITE RADIO: XM Radio Ch. 206, Sirius Radio Ch. 147

The Nashville Predators host the Northwest Division's Calgary Flames tonight in Music City for the third of four meetings between the clubs this season. The Predators will visit the Flames in Calgary on March 22 to close out the season series.

Nashville has held the edge over Calgary in recent history, having gone unbeaten in the last eight games of the all-time series and in the last six in Nashville. The two clubs squared off twice previously this season, with the Predators taking a 3-2 decision over the Flames at the Pengrowth Saddledome on October 28 and a 5-3 victory in Nashville on January 15. The Predators are 17-8-6 all-time vs. the Flames.

The Predators, who have earned at least a point in eight straight games (5-0-3), are coming off a five-game road trip in which they went 3-0-2. Nashville enters tonight’s contest one point ahead of Detroit for the lead in both the Central Division and Western Conference. Detroit does not play tonight but will host Los Angeles at Joe Louis Arena on Friday night.

The Flames (81 points) enter tonight’s contest seventh in the Western Conference and are battling for the Northwest Division title with Vancouver (83 points) and Minnesota (79 points).
Predators Notes

Paul Kariya is on a three-game point streak (2g-2a-4pts) and has eight points (5g-3a) in his last six games. Kariya leads the team in points (22g-45a-67pts), assists and shots (188). Nashville is 18-1-0 this season when he scores… Martin Erat posted a goal and an assist on Tuesday at Detroit and now has 22 points (8g-14a) in his last 26 contests… Shea Weber leads Nashville d-men in goals (13) and ranks second among club blueliners in scoring (13g-21a-34pts). Entering last night’s games, the second-year blueliner was one of six NHL defensemen with 13-or-more goals… Greg Zanon scored a goal and blocked a team-high six shots on Tuesday night. Zanon leads Nashville and ranks among NHL leaders with 148 blocked shots… After missing two games with the flu, Jason Arnott returned vs. Detroit and tallied his 22nd goal of the season, tying him for the team lead with Kariya, Steve Sullivan, David Legwand and Scott Hartnell… J.P. Dumont is on a three-game point streak (2g-2a) and has 11 points (6g-5a) in his last nine games. Dumont skated in his 500th NHL contest on Saturday at Los Angeles… Tomas Vokoun is 3-0-3 in his last six games… Chris Mason leads the NHL in save percentage (.927) and ranks among league leaders in goals-against average (2.35) and shutouts (5).

CAPTAIN CONTINUES STREAK
Kimmo Timonen enters tonight’s contest on a six-game point streak (1g-7a-8pts). Timonen leads club d-men in scoring and ranks among league leaders with 47 points (10g-37a) from the blue line. The Nashville captain is currently two assists shy of his career-high (39) and three points shy of his career-high (50).

CAREER YEARS
- David Legwand established a career-high in assists (32) with a helper at Detroit on Tuesday. Legwand, who leads the team (and ranks among NHL leaders) with a +31 rating, has now hit career-highs in goals (22), assists (32) and points (53) this season.
- Martin Erat has established career-highs in assists (40) and points (55).
- Shea Weber has posted single-season career-highs in games played (64), goals (13), assists (21) and points (34).
- J.P. Dumont has notched career-highs in assists (37) and points (55).
- Ryan Suter has registered career-highs in goals (6) and points (21) and has tied his career-high in assists (15).
- Vern Fiddler has hit career-highs in games played (57), goals (9), assists (10) and points (19).
- Chris Mason has more wins (23) this season than he had combined in his entire NHL career prior to 2006-07.

PredDave · 03-08-2007, 04:43 PM

This should be a real barn burner! The Flames & Predators seem to always have hard-hitting, exciting games. The hatred between Vokoun & Iginla is evident.

If Nashville can solve Kipper and contain Huselius / Iginla, the Preds might be able to steal 2 points tonight.

This is the first home game back after a 5 game roadtrip, so the Preds will more than likely begin the game sluggish.

Go Preds!

PredDave · 03-09-2007, 08:50 AM

What a whale of a game!

Great to see the Preds earn at least a point for the 9th straight game...

Lots of energy and excitement at the Nashville Arena tonight!
(formerly known as the Gaylord Entertainment Center --- I always hated that name)

PredDave · 03-09-2007, 08:50 AM

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap;_y...030827&prov=ap

Coach Barry Trotz asked Jason Arnott to carry the banged-up Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

The veteran center couldn't have responded much better.

Arnott had two goals and an assist, and the Predators never trailed in beating the Calgary Flames 6-3 to pad their lead atop the NHL by three points over Buffalo and Detroit.

"Obviously, Arnie stepped up and had a couple of big goals," Trotz said. "He could've had five goals today. He got to tee it up a few times."

The Predators earned at least a point for a ninth straight game. But they played without Peter Forsberg for a third straight game. Steve Sullivan (back spasms), Scott Nichol (broken thumb) and defenseman Marek Zidlicky (upper body injury) also were out.

Arnott, who scored his 299th and 300th NHL goals, had five shots and won 19 faceoffs. He helped wake up the Predators midway through the first period when he set up the first goal with an assist and scored himself 23 seconds later.

"Getting the win was huge for us. Milestones come and go," Arnott said. "We want to make sure we are playing well down the stretch here, especially in our own rink and especially against a good team like Calgary. They've been on a roll. It was a solid game."

Shea Weber added two power-play goals, Ryan Suter and Ramzi Abid also scored, and Chris Mason stopped 28 shots.

03-08-2007, 08:17 AM	#1 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	GDT: Flames @ Predators - 3/8/2007 - 7:00pm CST Game Preview: Predators vs. Flames Where: Nashville Arena When: 7 p.m. TV: Fox Sports Net. Radio: 104.5 FM. Season series: Predators lead 2-0. Flames story line: Calgary has won five in a row, outscoring opponents 22-11, but the Flames rank 27th in the NHL with a 9-15-8 road record. … F Jarome Iginla is 12th in the league with 76 points (31 goals, 45 assists). … F Alex Tanguay is second in the NHL with a 22.9 shooting percentage. … G Miikka Kiprusoff is tied for second in the NHL with six shutouts. Predators story line: Nashville has earned 13 of a possible 16 points in its last eight games, averaging four goals a game. … Five of the last six games have gone into overtime. … C Jason Arnott has scored three goals in two games against Calgary this season. … G Tomas Vokoun was in net for both the wins over Calgary. Flames injuries: D Richie Regehr (concussion) and RW Darren McCarty (sports hernia) are out. Predators injuries: F Scott Hartnell (foot) and C Scott Nichol (thumb) are out; C Peter Forsberg (upper body injury) and F Steve Sullivan (back) are doubtful; D Marek Zidlicky (upper body injury) is questionable.

03-08-2007, 08:31 AM	#2 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/preview;...gid=2007030827 Calgary (36-21-9) at Nashville (44-18-6) Coming off a successful road trip, the banged-up Nashville Predators look to increase their lead in the Central Division when they take on the surging Calgary Flames on Thursday. Despite playing without some of its top offensive players at times, Nashville (44-18-6) went 3-0-2 on a season high-tying five-game road trip. With Peter Forsberg and second-leading scorer Steve Sullivan out, the Predators lost in a shootout for the second straight game Tuesday, 4-3 at Detroit. They are still one point up on the Red Wings for the division and Western Conference lead. Among the best home teams in the NHL at 25-5-4, Nashville should have an advantage by playing nine of its final 14 games at home, including two against Detroit. Five of Nashville's last seven contests have gone to shootouts. The Predators are 4-0-3 in those games. "We've had a lot of close games like this lately," said goalie Tomas Vokoun, who has won his last seven starts against Calgary and has a 2.03 goals-against average in 17 games against the Flames. "It's been kind of like the playoffs -- a lot of closer scores as the season goes on." Nashville has won seven straight over Calgary, including two meetings this season, but the Flames are tied for sixth in the Western Conference and will be looking to match a season high with their sixth straight win. They'll also be trying for a third consecutive victory on the road after losing seven in a row. Even though Nashville was without Forsberg (upper body injury) for the second straight game and Sullivan (back) for a sixth game in a row, Nashville managed to earn a point for the eighth consecutive contest. "It was a good point," Predators forward J.P. Dumont said. "We've been short-handed the whole road trip, but guys have showed a lot of character. I'm real happy with our team right now." Predators coach Barry Trotz does not know the expected return date for Forsberg, who has one goal and five assists in seven games since being traded to Nashville from Philadelphia. He had 11 goals and 29 assists in 40 games with the Flyers this season.

03-08-2007, 04:40 PM	#3 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	News - GAMEDAY: Preds host Flames, 7PM - Nashville Predators GAMEDAY: Preds host Flames, 7PM March 8, 2007 TONIGHT'S MATCH-UP WHO: Nashville Predators (44-18-6) vs. Calgary Flames (36-21-9) WHEN: 7 p.m. CT WHERE: Nashville Arena, Nashville, TN TONIGHT THE PREDS WEAR: Gold TONIGHT'S ANTHEM PERFORMER: Quadra Sound (U.S.), Nancy Good (Canada) TONIGHT'S INTERMISSION BAND: Mia Jones TELEVISION: FSN South (Comcast cable Ch. 28 in Davidson and Williamson counties, DirecTV Ch. 664, Dish Network Ch. 448), FSN South HD (Comcast cable Ch. 206) RADIO: WGFX 104.5-FM; SATELLITE RADIO: XM Radio Ch. 206, Sirius Radio Ch. 147 The Nashville Predators host the Northwest Division's Calgary Flames tonight in Music City for the third of four meetings between the clubs this season. The Predators will visit the Flames in Calgary on March 22 to close out the season series. Nashville has held the edge over Calgary in recent history, having gone unbeaten in the last eight games of the all-time series and in the last six in Nashville. The two clubs squared off twice previously this season, with the Predators taking a 3-2 decision over the Flames at the Pengrowth Saddledome on October 28 and a 5-3 victory in Nashville on January 15. The Predators are 17-8-6 all-time vs. the Flames. The Predators, who have earned at least a point in eight straight games (5-0-3), are coming off a five-game road trip in which they went 3-0-2. Nashville enters tonight’s contest one point ahead of Detroit for the lead in both the Central Division and Western Conference. Detroit does not play tonight but will host Los Angeles at Joe Louis Arena on Friday night. The Flames (81 points) enter tonight’s contest seventh in the Western Conference and are battling for the Northwest Division title with Vancouver (83 points) and Minnesota (79 points). Predators Notes Paul Kariya is on a three-game point streak (2g-2a-4pts) and has eight points (5g-3a) in his last six games. Kariya leads the team in points (22g-45a-67pts), assists and shots (188). Nashville is 18-1-0 this season when he scores… Martin Erat posted a goal and an assist on Tuesday at Detroit and now has 22 points (8g-14a) in his last 26 contests… Shea Weber leads Nashville d-men in goals (13) and ranks second among club blueliners in scoring (13g-21a-34pts). Entering last night’s games, the second-year blueliner was one of six NHL defensemen with 13-or-more goals… Greg Zanon scored a goal and blocked a team-high six shots on Tuesday night. Zanon leads Nashville and ranks among NHL leaders with 148 blocked shots… After missing two games with the flu, Jason Arnott returned vs. Detroit and tallied his 22nd goal of the season, tying him for the team lead with Kariya, Steve Sullivan, David Legwand and Scott Hartnell… J.P. Dumont is on a three-game point streak (2g-2a) and has 11 points (6g-5a) in his last nine games. Dumont skated in his 500th NHL contest on Saturday at Los Angeles… Tomas Vokoun is 3-0-3 in his last six games… Chris Mason leads the NHL in save percentage (.927) and ranks among league leaders in goals-against average (2.35) and shutouts (5). CAPTAIN CONTINUES STREAK Kimmo Timonen enters tonight’s contest on a six-game point streak (1g-7a-8pts). Timonen leads club d-men in scoring and ranks among league leaders with 47 points (10g-37a) from the blue line. The Nashville captain is currently two assists shy of his career-high (39) and three points shy of his career-high (50). CAREER YEARS - David Legwand established a career-high in assists (32) with a helper at Detroit on Tuesday. Legwand, who leads the team (and ranks among NHL leaders) with a +31 rating, has now hit career-highs in goals (22), assists (32) and points (53) this season. - Martin Erat has established career-highs in assists (40) and points (55). - Shea Weber has posted single-season career-highs in games played (64), goals (13), assists (21) and points (34). - J.P. Dumont has notched career-highs in assists (37) and points (55). - Ryan Suter has registered career-highs in goals (6) and points (21) and has tied his career-high in assists (15). - Vern Fiddler has hit career-highs in games played (57), goals (9), assists (10) and points (19). - Chris Mason has more wins (23) this season than he had combined in his entire NHL career prior to 2006-07.

03-08-2007, 04:43 PM	#4 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	This should be a real barn burner! The Flames & Predators seem to always have hard-hitting, exciting games. The hatred between Vokoun & Iginla is evident. If Nashville can solve Kipper and contain Huselius / Iginla, the Preds might be able to steal 2 points tonight. This is the first home game back after a 5 game roadtrip, so the Preds will more than likely begin the game sluggish. Go Preds!

03-09-2007, 08:50 AM	#5 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	What a whale of a game! Great to see the Preds earn at least a point for the 9th straight game... Lots of energy and excitement at the Nashville Arena tonight! (formerly known as the Gaylord Entertainment Center --- I always hated that name)

03-09-2007, 08:50 AM	#6 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap;_y...030827&prov=ap Coach Barry Trotz asked Jason Arnott to carry the banged-up Nashville Predators on Thursday night. The veteran center couldn't have responded much better. Arnott had two goals and an assist, and the Predators never trailed in beating the Calgary Flames 6-3 to pad their lead atop the NHL by three points over Buffalo and Detroit. "Obviously, Arnie stepped up and had a couple of big goals," Trotz said. "He could've had five goals today. He got to tee it up a few times." The Predators earned at least a point for a ninth straight game. But they played without Peter Forsberg for a third straight game. Steve Sullivan (back spasms), Scott Nichol (broken thumb) and defenseman Marek Zidlicky (upper body injury) also were out. Arnott, who scored his 299th and 300th NHL goals, had five shots and won 19 faceoffs. He helped wake up the Predators midway through the first period when he set up the first goal with an assist and scored himself 23 seconds later. "Getting the win was huge for us. Milestones come and go," Arnott said. "We want to make sure we are playing well down the stretch here, especially in our own rink and especially against a good team like Calgary. They've been on a roll. It was a solid game." Shea Weber added two power-play goals, Ryan Suter and Ramzi Abid also scored, and Chris Mason stopped 28 shots.