Well, that was an up and down week. The Nashville Predators started off the week with a bang, lost a close one, laid an egg, then finished things off with a good ole fashioned beat down. The Preds are now tied in points with the Avalanche for first place in the Central but hold the tie breaker by having more wins. This next month will really test the Preds, as the injuries are starting to pile up. If they can just tread water while they’re getting healthy, you gotta like their chances to finish strong. First things first though, they have to get healthy.
INJURY BUG IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE
News broke just before the game on Saturday night that star forward Filip Forsberg will miss a few weeks with a hand injury. Forsberg is just the latest in a long list of Predators that are on the shelf right now. He joins Viktor Arvidsson, who will be out until at least January, Kyle Turris, and PK Subban on the IR. The Preds depth is REALLY being tested right now. Players like Kevin Fiala, Ryan Hartman, Calle Jarnkrok, and Craig Smith are going to be leaned on heavily for the next several weeks. If the Preds want to keep pace in the West, they are going to need several players to step it up.
WHAT’S UP WITH ARIZONA?
Let’s just get this out of the way early, the Preds are clearly a better team than the Arizona Coyotes. I think we can all agree on that. So why does Nashville always seem to lay an egg against Arizona? There’s always that one team that seems to have your number, and it seems to be the Coyotes for the Preds. The game on Thursday night was just plain ugly. No one was into it, and even the fans seemed flat. It was a game the Preds had no business losing, but nothing you can do about it now. At least the team was able to rebound quickly and put it behind them with a strong showing against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.
GOALVANEN
The Predators’ number one prospect got the call up with the injury to Forsberg, and even though it’s only been one game, Eeli Tolvanen has made the most of it so far. After struggling a bit last season, Tolvanen finally got his first career goal against the Blackhawks, and it was a thing of beauty. There wasn’t much space for him to get the backhand shot off, but he did and went top shelf to beat Cam Ward. Later in the game, Tolvanen also picked up his first assist for a two point night. The skill has always been there, hopefully the young prospect has started figuring things out at the NHL level.
PREDS THREE STARS OF THE WEEK
First Star – Eeli Tolvanen – Though he only played in one game, Tolvanen picked up his first career goal and later added his first career assist. Congrats on the first of what Preds fans hope is many many goals.
Second Star – Kevin Fiala – Fiala had bit of a rough start this season, but he’s quietly been putting together some solid games lately. He finished this week with two goals and an assist. The Preds really need him to keep producing while they fight through these injuries.
Third Star – Craig Smith – Smith had an assist and a PP goal this week. Good to seem him get going as well. You have to wonder how he’ll fare while Turris is out. So far, so good. Preds will need points out of him as well over the next several weeks.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Three games this week. One at home then the team will hit the road for a quick trip to Western Canada. The Preds will get things started tonight against the surprising Buffalo Sabres. Jack Eichel and noted Preds killer, Jeff Skinner are tearing it up right now. Thursday night, the Preds will face off against the Vancouver Canucks for the first time this season before wrapping things up on Saturday with a game in Calgary against the Flames.
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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