The Nashville Predators welcomed in the Washington Capitals last night. What ensued was a thriller that saw Nashville score six goals.
Last night was one of the most exciting games the Predators have played so far this season. The Predators were riding a four game win streak, and they were hosting former Head Coach, Barry Trotz and his Washington Capitals. Washington was hot coming into this one, also. The Capitals had won five of their last six games, rapidly picking up steam in the Eastern Conference. Two really good teams collided last night, and what we got was some extremely entertaining hockey.
Offensive Juggernauts
The Nashville Predators scored six goals on Braden Holtby last night. Holtby is widely regarded as one of the best goalies in the league. Furthering that narrative is the fact that last night was only the second time in his career he has ever allowed six goals. Nashville has found their groove, and last night was just further proof. What made it even more impressive was that there were six different goal scorers. Craig Smith got everything started midway through the first and the Predators never looked back.
The addition of Kyle Turris seems to have really jolted this offense. It is still early and he has only played in two games but Nashville has scored five and six goals in those games. The second line is now just as threatening as the JOFA line. Nashville finally has the center depth they have always wanted and the Predators look like a real dangerous team. It is not just the same people scoring anymore. Everyone is finding the back of the net and last night’s game is a prime example of how well-balanced Nashville is on offense.
Five in a Row!
Don’t look now but Nashville has won five games in a row. To put into perspective, last season the most games the Predators won consecutively, not including the playoffs, was four. The combination of how well Pekka Rinne is playing and the offense coming alive has done wonders for Nashville. If they keep playing this way, there really is no telling how long this win streak can go. Nashville will travel to Minnesota on Thursday and then return for three straight home games, where the Predators are virtually unbeatable. No matter what happens moving forward, five in a row is no easy task in the NHL. It has been an exciting run and it will be just as exciting to see how long it can last.
Treigh’s Three Stars
#3 Pekka Rinne
It is pretty clear that Pekka Rinne didn’t have one of his best games last night. While this might be true he still played pretty dang good. It is no easy task to play goalie against the Capitals, but Rinne did his part to ensure his team won. Yes, he allowed three goals but he still made 26 saves and kept his team in the game. It definitely wasn’t a stellar performance, but it was still good enough to be my third star of the night.
#2 Mattias Ekholm
When it came to the defensive side of the game last night, I don’t think anyone played a better game than Mattias Ekholm. He was all over the ice in the defensive zone, and made his presence felt on offense. He had an assist on the game winning goal and then scored nine minutes later to close out the second period. Ekholm also finished the night with a +2 rating. Ekholm played great and is worthy of the number two spot.
#1 Kevin Fiala
He did it, he finally did it! Kevin Fiala scored his first goal of the season last night off of a deflection. Not only that, but his goal wound up being the game winner. On top of that he also had an assist on Craig Smith’s goal to open all the scoring. Fiala was everywhere last night, he was generating scoring chances and was second among forwards with four shots. We have all known that Fiala was capable of playing at this level, and now that he has finally put a tally on the scoresheet hopefully this will continue.
Next: Predators moving up in Power Rankings
The Predators make a quick trek up to Minnesota to face the Wild for the first time this season. Last season, the two teams split their four games, with both teams winning one game on the road. It is a match-up of the two hottest teams in the Western Conference. The Predators look to extend their win streak to six, while snapping the Wild’s three game streak at the same time. Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:00 PM on Thursday night.