Nashville Predators Insider Chat: Predlines Predictions
The Nashville Predators are in town, and the Predlines staff are here to break down their game for us:
Welcome to Arizona, Predators!
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The Nashville Predators aren’t exactly known for being the strongest team when they head to the desert; these cats have had trouble handling the heat in an overwhelming 17-8-3 record for the Coyotes when playing host.
A healthy — and surprisingly strong — Pekka Rinne is paired with one of this season’s dark horse teams, though — if the Coyotes finally get that elusive home victory, it’s not going to be easy.
We sat down with Mark Harris from over at the Fansided Nashville Predators site, Predlines. We chatted about the game, who to look out for, and what he thinks about any potential roster moves out of Tennessee this winter.
To check out more from Mark, find him on Twitter.
HH: Not many people expected you guys to come out this season so strong… and even after you did, everyone still kept waiting for things to finally start slowing down. Looks like that’s not going to happen — why do you think things are going so much better than anyone thought they would?
PL: Honestly I think everyone forgot how great of a goalie Pekka Rinne is when of course healthy. Rinne has been absolutely dominant this season. He has the most wins in the NHL with 18 and has posted an astounding .934 save percentage. As long as Rinne is playing even close to the level he has been playing this season the Preds won’t regress, at least not as much people expect, anytime soon.
2 . Filip Forsberg has been one of the most exciting players to watch this season; so much that a lot of the other players contributing to Nashville’s success are kind of getting overlooked. Obviously, guys like Ribeiro and Neal are playing like… well, Ribeiro and Neal… and Pekka Rinne seems to be gunning for a Vezina. Who else should we be crediting with great play — and who should Arizona be most worried about tonight?
Well I think the obvious answer here would be Shea Weber. Weber has not lit the lamp in eight games nor recorded a point so far this month, so he is a bit over due. With that being said a guy Yotes fans should take notice of is Colin Wilson. Wilson has had simply underachieved over the past few seasons but has looked very good,especially as of late, under Laviolette. He’s got eight points in his last ten games.
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I think the biggest difference in the situation in Arizona last year compared to his time here in Nashville is is his line mates. Forsberg and Neal ‘push’ Ribeiro. His line mates are pushing him. It’s a great mix of a young phenom (Forsberg), a sniper (Neal), and the disher (Ribeiro). That may sound like a bit of a cliche answer, but Ribeiro has said he enjoys coming to work this season. Forsberg especially is going to keep him on his toes and having fun out there on the ice. The entire line is a highlight waiting to happen.
4. Not many people realize this, but Nashville has ten natural centers on the roster this season (and no right wings, oddly enough). There are a couple of teams that are making it pretty clear that they’re desperate to make some additions up the middle on offense… do you think that Nashville could be willing to sell if the price is right? For example… what if Edmonton offers one of their highly-touted wingers for one of your centers? Would you be willing to strike a deal?
Oh absolutely. A move is inevitable, but the question is when and with who.
Derek Roy is one of the veteran centers that could be moved around the trade deadline to either a playoff fringe team that needs a little bottom six help up the middle of the ice. If I am Edmonton, however, and I call up the Predators, I ask for a defenseman i.e. Mattias Ekholm. Ekholm has been great this season and I don’t think the Predators deal any of their d-men anytime soon. Olli Jokinen could also be one of those centers that could be dealt. General Manager David Poile is going to make one of those crazy moves like he did with Martin Erat for Filip Forsberg a couple of seasons ago and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s with the Oilers.
HH: YOUR prediction for the game, and why. (We gave ours over on the Predlines site earlier this afternoon):
PL: The Predators and Coyotes matchups are always pretty great. I think with the Coyotes coming off of a four day break, they’ll be flying around the ice.
I think it will be a high scoring affair. It’s still unknown if Carter Hutton or Pekka Rinne will be in net. So, if Hutton’s in net I see a Predators 4-3 OT win. If Rinne is in net I see a Predators 4-2 win.
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