Nashville Predators: March Awards for Predators
By Steve Cook
Worst Predators Game: March 31 vs. Buffalo Sabres (7-4 loss)
I felt like something was amiss early in the evening. Chris Mason was talking about how you can’t overlook the Sabres. He was talking about Buffalo holding victories over some of the East’s best teams. I think he knew that the Predators were overlooking the Sabres.
It would have been natural. It was the first night of a back to back, and the second game was going to be in Tampa against one of the Eastern Conference’s best teams. Human nature would be to slack off against a team lower in the standings in your home arena. You’d think you could handle that on cruise control while saving your best for the next night’s opponent.
The Predators thought wrong. The Sabres scored their first goal forty-three seconds into the game. Nashville scored the next three, but it was all downhill from there. Buffalo scored four power-play goals including three on one caused by Scott Hartnell attempting to cripple Victor Antipin. Pekka Rinne was benched after two periods.
It was easily one of the Predators’ worst performances of the season, even if you want to say the Sabres are better than their record indicates. You have to win games like that at this time of the year. Leaving points on the table is a good way to spend more time on the road in the postseason.