GDT: Blue Jackets @ Predators - 3/10/2007 - 7:00pm CST

PredDave · 03-10-2007, 07:49 AM

Game Preview: Predators vs. Blue Jackets - Nashville, Tennessee - Saturday, 03/10/07 - Tennessean.com

Game Preview: Predators vs. Blue Jackets

PREDATORS VS. BLUE JACKETS

Where: Nashville Arena

When: 7 p.m.

TV: Fox Sports Net.

Radio: 104.5-FM.

Season series: Predators lead 7-0.

Blue Jackets story line: Columbus' three-game winning streak ended with Friday's 3-0 loss to Dallas. Columbus is 5-4-2 in its last 11 outings. … The Blue Jackets are 20-2-5 when scoring first, 7-32-2 when opponents score first. … David Vyborny leads with 58 points (16 goals, 42 assists) in 68 games while left wing Rick Nash has 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) in 61 games.

Predators story line: Nashville has outscored the Blue Jackets 26-11 in seven wins this season. … The Predators have earned a point in at least nine straight games while posting a 6-0-3 record. … Defenseman Shea Weber has four goals in his last four games. … Defenseman Kimmo Timonen has an eight-game point streak, with nine points (one goal, eight assists) in those games.

Blue Jackets injuries: D Duvie Westcott (concussion), D Bryan Berard (back), C Dan Fritsche (wrist), G Pascal Leclaire (knee) are out; D Adam Foote (ankle) is doubtful; C Alexander Svitov (upper body) is questionable.

Predators injuries: LW Steve Sullivan (back), LW Scott Hartnell (foot), C Scott Nichol (thumb) are out; C Peter Forsberg (upper body) is doubtful; D Marek Zidlicky (upper body) is probable.

PredDave · 03-10-2007, 04:33 PM

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

GAMEDAY: Preds host Columbus, 7PM

March 10, 2007

TONIGHT'S MATCH-UP

WHO: Nashville Predators (45-18-6) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (27-34-7)

WHEN: 7 p.m. CT

WHERE: Nashville Arena, Nashville, TN

PROMOTION: All fans receive a Predators Car Flag courtesy of Sport Seasons; bring new or gently used books for Predators Foundation Book Drive

TONIGHT THE PREDS WEAR: Blue

TONIGHT'S ANTHEM PERFORMER: Carter Stout

TONIGHT'S INTERMISSION BAND: Small Time Rock Stars

TELEVISION: FSN South (Comcast cable Ch. 28 in Davidson and Williamson counties, DISH Network Ch. 451, DirecTV Ch. 664); pregame show begins 6:30 p.m.

RADIO: WGFX 104.5-FM; SATELLITE RADIO: XM Radio Ch. 208

The Nashville Predators take on their Central Division rivals the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight for the eighth and final time this season. The Predators have gone 7-0-0 vs. the Blue Jackets this season and have outscored Columbus by a combined score of 26-11. Paul Kariya (4g-4a) and David Legwand (3g-5a) lead Nashville with eight points each vs. the Blue Jackets this season.

Game time is 7:00 p.m. CT. The match will be televised locally on FSN South and broadcast on WGFX 104.5-FM. All fans in attendance will receive a free Predators Car Flag courtesy of Sport Seasons. Fans are also encouraged to bring a new or gently used book for the Predators Foundation book drive. Representatives will be collecting books for children of all ages at the arena doors, and donors will receive an exclusive discount ticket voucher for a future game. A few favorite children's book characters will be in attendance as well.

Columbus (27-34-7), which begins a four-game road trip with tonight's tilt in Nashville, had a three-game win streak snapped last night by the visiting Dallas Stars. Still, the Blue Jackets are 4-2-1 over their last seven games. Forward David Vyborny continues to pace Columbus, a club currently ranked fourth in the Central Division with 61 points.

Meanwhile, Nashville (45-18-6) will be looking to pad its current one-point lead over the Detroit Red Wings for the top spot in the league. The Predators are 6-0-3 in their last nine games despite a rash of injuries, and captain Kimmo Timonen is in the midst of a seven-game point/assist streak (1g-9a=10pts), which ties his longest career streak. Timonen, a defenseman who ranks seventh on the Predators in scoring, is now just one assist away from matching his career high (39) and needs just two points to match his career high point total (50).

According to comments made by head coach Barry Trotz at Friday's team practice, Peter Forsberg is doubtful for tonight's game while Marek Zidlicky is eligible to return to the lineup. Both Forsberg and Steve Sullivan skated during yesterday's practice, though Sullivan only participated in part of the on-ice session.

Predators Notes

Nashville is 24-5-4 at home this season… J.P. Dumont continued his hot hand vs. the Flames, extending his point streak to four games (2g-4a-6pts) with two assists. Dumont, who ranks third on the club in scoring (18g-39a-57pts), has 13 points (6g-7a) in his last 10 games… Paul Kariya is on a four-game point streak (2g-3a-5pts) and has nine points (5g-4a) in his last seven contests… Chris Mason stopped 28 shots on Thursday to record his third straight win. The netminder leads the NHL in save percentage (.926) and also ranks among league leaders in goals-against average (2.37) and shutouts (5)… Ramzi Abid scored his first goal as a Predator vs. the Flames… Jordin Tootoo, who leads the team in penalty minutes, posted an assist, three hits and was named the game's third star on Thursday night… Rookie Alexander Radulov has a goal, three assists and two shootout goals (including the game-deciding shootout goal on Sunday at Columbus) in his last six games.

Starting out strong: The Predators have scored more first-period goals this season than any other team in the NHL. Nashville has outscored opponents 84-50 in the opening frame. The team with the second-most first period goals this season is Ottawa with 71. Buffalo (102) in the only team to score more second-period tallies than Nashville (87).

No sophomore slump for Weber: Shea Weber tallied his third two-goal game in his last 12 contests on Thursday night. The second-year blueliner leads Nashville d-men in goals (15) and, entering last night's contests, was one of five NHL defensemen with 15-or-more markers. Weber, who has six points (4g-2a) in his last five games, is only the second defenseman in franchise history to record 15 goals in a season. Andy Delmore had 18 goals in 2002-03 and 16 in 2001-02.

Back to form: After missing two games with the flu, Jason Arnott has returned with three goals and an assist in two games. Arnott returned to the lineup with a goal vs. Detroit on Tuesday before scoring two goals and adding an assist on Thursday vs. Calgary. Arnott leads the club in goals (24), power-play goals (11) and game-winning goals (6). Thursday's game was Arnott's fifth two-goal game of the season.

LemaireisGOD · 03-10-2007, 09:08 PM

KARIYA!!! 1-1 now...

LemaireisGOD · 03-10-2007, 09:09 PM

Legwand!!! 2-1 Predators!!!

PredDave · 03-12-2007, 12:08 PM

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap;_y...031027&prov=ap

Nashville 2, Columbus 1

he Nashville Predators, dealing with the loss of four of their top offensive players, needed Paul Kariya and David Legwand against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Both responded with a goal and an assist as the Predators prevailed 2-1 on Saturday night.

Peter Forsberg has missed the past four games with an "upper-body" injury. Steve Sullivan has missed eight games with back spasms. Scott Hartnell is out with a broken foot and Scott Nichol is out with a broken thumb.

"When we needed someone to jump-start us Paul Kariya and David Legwand stepped in scored two goals," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "It's important that we are able to win without those players. You find out a lot about players who are able to dig down and play well. I thought as I went down the lineup that everyone contributed in some way or some form."

Columbus took a 1-0 lead when Gilbert Brule took a shot that bounced off the pads of Nashville goaltender Tomas Vokoun. Brule came in from the left side of the crease, diving head-first as he popped the rebound between the post and the outstretched skate of Vokoun at 1:17 of the first period.

The Predators' tying goal was also the result of hard work around the net. Legwand took a shot that bounced off Columbus goaltender Fredrik Norrena. Kariya tapped in the rebound as he skated in close from the right side of the net at 4:25.

Legwand gave the Predators a 2-1 first-period lead, again working close to the net. Dan Hamhuis took a shot from midway in the slot. The rebound off Norrena's pads bounced around in front of the net. Legwand skated across the crease, picked up the rebound and wrapped a shot around Norrena at 13:45.

"They scored a goal on their second shift of the game, so I thought we responded really well and played outstanding in the first period," Trotz said.

The Predators couldn't beat Norrena again after the first period.

"We came out a little bit flat in the second," Trotz said. "Then we started to get it going and drew some penalties just by starting to skate and work."

Despite the win, Trotz had one message for his team.

"We had them on the ropes and we couldn't put them away," Trotz said. "We had a chance to bury them a little bit and we didn't. We couldn't get rid of them."

The Predators closed out the series with Columbus with an 8-0 record.

"It is always difficult to win eight games in a row against a team, no matter who you are playing," Vokoun said. "I think it's a good achievement, especially since there is so much talk about the rivalry between us and Columbus. They always play hard against us. We have had some close games."

03-10-2007, 07:49 AM	#1 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	GDT: Blue Jackets @ Predators - 3/10/2007 - 7:00pm CST Game Preview: Predators vs. Blue Jackets - Nashville, Tennessee - Saturday, 03/10/07 - Tennessean.com Game Preview: Predators vs. Blue Jackets PREDATORS VS. BLUE JACKETS Where: Nashville Arena When: 7 p.m. TV: Fox Sports Net. Radio: 104.5-FM. Season series: Predators lead 7-0. Blue Jackets story line: Columbus' three-game winning streak ended with Friday's 3-0 loss to Dallas. Columbus is 5-4-2 in its last 11 outings. … The Blue Jackets are 20-2-5 when scoring first, 7-32-2 when opponents score first. … David Vyborny leads with 58 points (16 goals, 42 assists) in 68 games while left wing Rick Nash has 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) in 61 games. Predators story line: Nashville has outscored the Blue Jackets 26-11 in seven wins this season. … The Predators have earned a point in at least nine straight games while posting a 6-0-3 record. … Defenseman Shea Weber has four goals in his last four games. … Defenseman Kimmo Timonen has an eight-game point streak, with nine points (one goal, eight assists) in those games. Blue Jackets injuries: D Duvie Westcott (concussion), D Bryan Berard (back), C Dan Fritsche (wrist), G Pascal Leclaire (knee) are out; D Adam Foote (ankle) is doubtful; C Alexander Svitov (upper body) is questionable. Predators injuries: LW Steve Sullivan (back), LW Scott Hartnell (foot), C Scott Nichol (thumb) are out; C Peter Forsberg (upper body) is doubtful; D Marek Zidlicky (upper body) is probable.

03-10-2007, 09:08 PM	#3 (permalink)
LemaireisGOD Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 504	KARIYA!!! 1-1 now... __________________ "Why mess around with PT Boats when you can have a Destroyer?" ~ Al Strachan (Hockey Night in Canada)

03-10-2007, 09:09 PM	#4 (permalink)
LemaireisGOD Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 504	Legwand!!! 2-1 Predators!!! __________________ "Why mess around with PT Boats when you can have a Destroyer?" ~ Al Strachan (Hockey Night in Canada)

03-10-2007, 04:33 PM	#2 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	News - GAMEDAY: Preds host Columbus, 7PM - Nashville Predators GAMEDAY: Preds host Columbus, 7PM March 10, 2007 TONIGHT'S MATCH-UP WHO: Nashville Predators (45-18-6) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (27-34-7) WHEN: 7 p.m. CT WHERE: Nashville Arena, Nashville, TN PROMOTION: All fans receive a Predators Car Flag courtesy of Sport Seasons; bring new or gently used books for Predators Foundation Book Drive TONIGHT THE PREDS WEAR: Blue TONIGHT'S ANTHEM PERFORMER: Carter Stout TONIGHT'S INTERMISSION BAND: Small Time Rock Stars TELEVISION: FSN South (Comcast cable Ch. 28 in Davidson and Williamson counties, DISH Network Ch. 451, DirecTV Ch. 664); pregame show begins 6:30 p.m. RADIO: WGFX 104.5-FM; SATELLITE RADIO: XM Radio Ch. 208 The Nashville Predators take on their Central Division rivals the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight for the eighth and final time this season. The Predators have gone 7-0-0 vs. the Blue Jackets this season and have outscored Columbus by a combined score of 26-11. Paul Kariya (4g-4a) and David Legwand (3g-5a) lead Nashville with eight points each vs. the Blue Jackets this season. Game time is 7:00 p.m. CT. The match will be televised locally on FSN South and broadcast on WGFX 104.5-FM. All fans in attendance will receive a free Predators Car Flag courtesy of Sport Seasons. Fans are also encouraged to bring a new or gently used book for the Predators Foundation book drive. Representatives will be collecting books for children of all ages at the arena doors, and donors will receive an exclusive discount ticket voucher for a future game. A few favorite children's book characters will be in attendance as well. Columbus (27-34-7), which begins a four-game road trip with tonight's tilt in Nashville, had a three-game win streak snapped last night by the visiting Dallas Stars. Still, the Blue Jackets are 4-2-1 over their last seven games. Forward David Vyborny continues to pace Columbus, a club currently ranked fourth in the Central Division with 61 points. Meanwhile, Nashville (45-18-6) will be looking to pad its current one-point lead over the Detroit Red Wings for the top spot in the league. The Predators are 6-0-3 in their last nine games despite a rash of injuries, and captain Kimmo Timonen is in the midst of a seven-game point/assist streak (1g-9a=10pts), which ties his longest career streak. Timonen, a defenseman who ranks seventh on the Predators in scoring, is now just one assist away from matching his career high (39) and needs just two points to match his career high point total (50). According to comments made by head coach Barry Trotz at Friday's team practice, Peter Forsberg is doubtful for tonight's game while Marek Zidlicky is eligible to return to the lineup. Both Forsberg and Steve Sullivan skated during yesterday's practice, though Sullivan only participated in part of the on-ice session. Predators Notes Nashville is 24-5-4 at home this season… J.P. Dumont continued his hot hand vs. the Flames, extending his point streak to four games (2g-4a-6pts) with two assists. Dumont, who ranks third on the club in scoring (18g-39a-57pts), has 13 points (6g-7a) in his last 10 games… Paul Kariya is on a four-game point streak (2g-3a-5pts) and has nine points (5g-4a) in his last seven contests… Chris Mason stopped 28 shots on Thursday to record his third straight win. The netminder leads the NHL in save percentage (.926) and also ranks among league leaders in goals-against average (2.37) and shutouts (5)… Ramzi Abid scored his first goal as a Predator vs. the Flames… Jordin Tootoo, who leads the team in penalty minutes, posted an assist, three hits and was named the game's third star on Thursday night… Rookie Alexander Radulov has a goal, three assists and two shootout goals (including the game-deciding shootout goal on Sunday at Columbus) in his last six games. Starting out strong: The Predators have scored more first-period goals this season than any other team in the NHL. Nashville has outscored opponents 84-50 in the opening frame. The team with the second-most first period goals this season is Ottawa with 71. Buffalo (102) in the only team to score more second-period tallies than Nashville (87). No sophomore slump for Weber: Shea Weber tallied his third two-goal game in his last 12 contests on Thursday night. The second-year blueliner leads Nashville d-men in goals (15) and, entering last night's contests, was one of five NHL defensemen with 15-or-more markers. Weber, who has six points (4g-2a) in his last five games, is only the second defenseman in franchise history to record 15 goals in a season. Andy Delmore had 18 goals in 2002-03 and 16 in 2001-02. Back to form: After missing two games with the flu, Jason Arnott has returned with three goals and an assist in two games. Arnott returned to the lineup with a goal vs. Detroit on Tuesday before scoring two goals and adding an assist on Thursday vs. Calgary. Arnott leads the club in goals (24), power-play goals (11) and game-winning goals (6). Thursday's game was Arnott's fifth two-goal game of the season.

03-12-2007, 12:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap;_y...031027&prov=ap Nashville 2, Columbus 1 he Nashville Predators, dealing with the loss of four of their top offensive players, needed Paul Kariya and David Legwand against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Both responded with a goal and an assist as the Predators prevailed 2-1 on Saturday night. Peter Forsberg has missed the past four games with an "upper-body" injury. Steve Sullivan has missed eight games with back spasms. Scott Hartnell is out with a broken foot and Scott Nichol is out with a broken thumb. "When we needed someone to jump-start us Paul Kariya and David Legwand stepped in scored two goals," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "It's important that we are able to win without those players. You find out a lot about players who are able to dig down and play well. I thought as I went down the lineup that everyone contributed in some way or some form." Columbus took a 1-0 lead when Gilbert Brule took a shot that bounced off the pads of Nashville goaltender Tomas Vokoun. Brule came in from the left side of the crease, diving head-first as he popped the rebound between the post and the outstretched skate of Vokoun at 1:17 of the first period. The Predators' tying goal was also the result of hard work around the net. Legwand took a shot that bounced off Columbus goaltender Fredrik Norrena. Kariya tapped in the rebound as he skated in close from the right side of the net at 4:25. Legwand gave the Predators a 2-1 first-period lead, again working close to the net. Dan Hamhuis took a shot from midway in the slot. The rebound off Norrena's pads bounced around in front of the net. Legwand skated across the crease, picked up the rebound and wrapped a shot around Norrena at 13:45. "They scored a goal on their second shift of the game, so I thought we responded really well and played outstanding in the first period," Trotz said. The Predators couldn't beat Norrena again after the first period. "We came out a little bit flat in the second," Trotz said. "Then we started to get it going and drew some penalties just by starting to skate and work." Despite the win, Trotz had one message for his team. "We had them on the ropes and we couldn't put them away," Trotz said. "We had a chance to bury them a little bit and we didn't. We couldn't get rid of them." The Predators closed out the series with Columbus with an 8-0 record. "It is always difficult to win eight games in a row against a team, no matter who you are playing," Vokoun said. "I think it's a good achievement, especially since there is so much talk about the rivalry between us and Columbus. They always play hard against us. We have had some close games."