That’s more like it. After a tough week, the Predators responded going 3-0 and picking up all six points. It’s still early, but the Preds currently sit atop the NHL and have the best goal differential at +17 in the league. It’s usually a winning formula to score more than your opponent, and the Preds have been doing just that. It was a week full of positives for the Preds, so let’s go ahead and check out how the week went for Nashville.
THE RETURN OF PEKKA
You could say that Pekka Rinne had himself a week. On Thursday, the goalie was activated off IR and turned in a 42-save performance for a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. On Saturday, Pekka celebrated his 36th birthday, signed a two-year contract extension, and made 26 saves to shutout the Bruins 1-0. You can’t say enough about this man. Pekka is the heart and soul of this franchise and to see him have so much success is just awesome to watch. The contract extension all but ensures that he will spend his entire career in Nashville, and that’s exactly the way it should be.
SOMEONE ELSE FINALLY SCORED!
The Preds went 3-0 and this week but the most encouraging news moving forward is the JOFA line only had one goal this week. Viktor Arvidsson scored against Vegas, and that was it for JOFA this week. Now, I want Filip Forsberg to keep scoring if he’s finally going to break the 40 goal mark, but we’ve been screaming for someone else to score and the Preds’ depth finally kicked in. Ryan Hartman, Calle Jarnkrok, and Roman Josi all netted two goals this week. Depth scoring will be huge for the Preds as teams start to focus more and more on the top line.
SPECIAL TEAMS STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS
Same story, different week. The Preds power play is struggling, and that’s putting it nicely. They’ve got to figure out a way to generate some scoring. The team is still winning, so Peter Laviolette is content to let them try and figure this out, but if the Preds go on a skid, expect to see some lineup changes once the PP comes. On the flip side, the PK has struggled a bit. They’ll need to tighten up moving forward, but again, as long as the Preds are winning, Lavy will be content with letting the team work through this rough patch.
PREDS THREE STARS OF THE WEEK
First Star – Pekka Rinne – If you thought this would be anybody else, you clearly haven’t been paying attention. Two wins, one goal allowed, one shutout, a brand new contract keeping him in Nashville for his entire career, and a birthday to top it all off.
Second Star – Ryan Hartman – Hartman has been playing really really well this season and it continued this week. Two highlight reel goals against Vegas and some really strong play in the other games has really put Hartman in a good position. He’s playing for a long term deal, and if he keeps this up, he’ll get it.
Third Star – Roman Josi – The Preds’ captain got himself two goals this week, including the game winner against Boston. When the defense is pitching in like this, the Predators are a much more dangerous team.
THE WEEK AHEAD
The Preds start a 5-game road trip out west on Wednesday. It’ll be a rematch of first round opponents from last year as the Preds and Avalanche face off for the first time this season in Denver. Good measuring stick game for both teams and they have both been playing really good hockey. Then it’s off to Dallas for another divisional game on Saturday afternoon. Preds would do well to start putting a little distance between themselves and the rest of the Central.
Be sure to check out the Talking Preds Podcast. New episodes almost weekly. Be sure to follow along on Twitter and Facebook for live tweeting during the games along with something new we’re trying out. For certain games, I’ll be jumping on live during intermissions, pre-game, or post-game with thoughts on the game. Love to have some good hockey discussion so follow along and let me know what you guys think.
Herbie Brooks is the Lead Nashville Predators Analyst for SoBros Network. He knows three things: beating Commies, winning Gold Medals, and having great hair. Follow him on Twitter: @SoBroHerbie_B
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