The Buzzer: Pastrnak's third hat trick; Big games for DeAngelo, Rinne
1. Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators. An incredible night for Rinne as he stopped 29 shots against the Chicago Blackhawks then scored the first goal of his career. What a way for new coach John Hynes to get his first win with the team. Rinne is just the 12th different goalie in NHL history to score a goal during a game. Read more about it here.
2. Tony DeAngelo, New York Rangers. He continued his breakout season with one of the most productive individual performances by a defenseman in NHL history. He finished with three goals, two assists, seven shots on goal, was a plus-3, and was on the ice for all six of the Rangers' goals in a 6-3 win over their top rivals, the New Jersey Devils. Read all about his game and just how rare it is right here.
3. David Pastrnak Boston Bruins. The Pastrnak show continues to roll on in Boston. He recorded his third hat trick of the season (and his seventh since the start of the 2018-19 season) to open up a four-goal lead over Auston Matthews in the race for the Rocket Richard Award. He already has 35 goals in his first 45 games this season and is just three goals away from his career high which he set a year ago (in only 66 games). Since the start of the 2018-19 season he has 73 goals in 111 regular season games. That is a 54-goal pace over 82 games. He is currently on pace for 64 goals this season. If he can maintain that it would be the most since Alex Ovechkin scored 65 goals during the 2007-08 season.
Other notable performances on Thursday
Nikita Kucherov scored two goals for the Tampa Bay Lightning as they extended their winning streak to nine games. Read more about it here.
On the other end of the spectrum, the Montreal Canadiens have now lost eight games in a row after giving up four consecutive goals to the Edmonton Oilers.
Noel Acciari continued his stunning season in Florida with two more goals (he now has 17 in 41 games this season) in a 5-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
Alexander Steen scored his first two goals of the season as the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues crushed the Buffalo Sabres.
Cam Talbot stopped 42 out of 43 shots and Johnny Gaudreau scored his 12th goal of the season to lead the Calgary Flames to a huge win over the Minnesota Wild.
Alec Martinez scored his first goal of the season and Jack Campbell stopped 44 out of 46 shots as the Los Angeles Kings stunned the Vegas Golden Knights.
Ben Bishop stopped all 27 shots he faced for the Dallas Stars as they shut out the Anaheim Ducks. They have now won six games in a row.
In their first game without injured forward Logan Couture the Sharks were able to pick up a 3-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets thanks to goals from Kevin Labanc, Joe Thornton, and Brent Burns. The Blue Jackets have just two regulation losses over their past 16 games. Both of those losses have been against the Sharks.
Of course we have to start with Pekka Rinne's first career goal.
Look at this set-up by Jonathan Huberdeau as he fakes out the Canucks on this highlight reel play.
It did not get his team a win but Kyle Connor scores a beauty of a goal.
Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins made this save lot more difficult than he needed to.
Anze Kopitar recorded his 600th career assist for the Kings on Thursday night. [NHL PR]
With 60 points, Artemi Panarin has more points through the first 43 games of a season than any Rangers player in franchise history, topping the mark previously held by Wayne Gretzky. [NHL PR]
Connor McDavid reaches the 70 point mark in just his 46th game of the season for the second year in a row. It is the first time an NHL player has reached the 70-point mark in 46 games or fewer in consecutive seasons since Jaromir Jagr reached it for the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 1998-99 and 1999-00 seasons. [NHL PR]
Boston Bruins 5, Winnipeg Jets 4
Edmonton Oilers 4, Montreal Canadiens 2
Tampa Bay Lightning 4, Arizona Coyotes 0
Florida Panthers 5, Vancouver Canucks 2
New York Rangers 6, New Jersey Devils 3
St. Louis Blues 5, Buffalo Sabres 1
Nashville Predators 5, Chicago Blackhawks 2
Calgary Flames 2, Minnesota Wild 1
Dallas Stars 3, Anaheim Ducks 0
Los Angeles Kings 5, Vegas Golden Knights 2
San Jose Sharks 3, Columbus Blue Jackets 1
Tags: Alec Martinez, Alexander Steen, Anaheim Ducks, Anze Kopitar, Arizona Coyotes, Artemi Panarin, Ben Bishop, Boston Bruins, Brent Burns, Buffalo Sabres, Calgary Flames, Cam Talbot, Chicago Blackhawks, Chris Tanev, Columbus Blue Jackets, Connor McDavid, Dallas Stars, David Pastrnak, Edmonton Oilers, Elvis Merzlikins, Florida Panthers, Jack Campbell, Joe Thornton, Johnny Gaudreau, Jonathan Huberdeau, Kevin Labanc, Kyle Connor, Logan Couture, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Nikita Kucherov, Noel Acciari, Pekka Rinne, San Jose Sharks, St. Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning, The Buzzer, Tony Deangelo, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights, Winnipeg Jets, Alec Martinez, Alex Ovechkin, Alexander Steen, Anze Kopitar, Artemi Panarin, Auston Matthews, Ben Bishop, Brent Burns, Cam Talbot, Connor McDavid, David Pastrnak, Elvis Merzlikins, Jack Campbell, Joe Thornton, Johnny Gaudreau, Jonathan Huberdeau, Kevin Labanc, Kyle Connor, Logan Couture, Nikita Kucherov, Noel Acciari, Pekka Rinne, Tony DeAngelo
NHL on NBCSN: Can Hynes, Predators warm up against hot Blackhawks?
By James O'BrienJan 9, 2020, 11:34 AM EST
NBCSN's coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season continues with Thursday's matchup between the Chicago Blackhawks and Nashville Predators. Coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.
The Blackhawks and Predators both find themselves out of the playoffs, but their stories have been very different lately.
While injuries pile up, Chicago is hot by recent standards. The Blackhawks are keeping their shaky playoff hopes alive with wins in six of their last nine games, scoring enough to offset problems. Their overall record sits at 19-19-6 (44 points in 44 games).
Meanwhile, the Predators keep grasping for answers.
Predators, Hynes running out of time
Nashville fans looking for an instant success were out of luck in Hynes' Predators debut. The Bruins dispatched the Predators by an unsettling score of 6-2.
The larger recent picture looks dim. Nashville only won once in its last five games, and that was a win against the lowly Los Angeles Kings. The Predators head into Thursday with a mediocre 19-16-7 record (45 points in 42 games).
While games in hand matter, the Predators also realize that they need to stop squandering them.
"We've been [saying] the same stuff over and over again," Rinne said shortly after the Predators fired Peter Laviolette and hired Hynes. "[There's] a lot of time, a lot of time, a lot of time. But time is running out. You've got to change the way you do things. The bottom line is enough talking, we've got to start playing."
[Our Line Starts: Is Hynes for Predators?]
Early impressions
Of course, in Rinne's case, it would help to … you know, get some stops.
Hynes endured terrible goaltending with the Devils. Rinne and Juuse Saros disappointed wildly so far in 2019-20, and the first game under Hynes didn't provide meaningful changes on the scoreboard.
Then again, the Bruins rank as one of the league's toughest opponents, and that first game was a rushed process. Even with that in mind, Hynes made some early impressions on the Predators. While Craig Smith pointed to some excessive complexity during Laviolette's latter days, Matt Duchene and others describe Hynes' message as "crystal clear."
"It was simple and easy to grasp," Austin Watson said of Hynes's practice, via the team website. "I'm sure we'll make adjustments as we go forward or add some different tweaks, but for today, I thought it was great. You back it up with some video and then go on the ice and just try to get better today."
[Discussing some changes Hynes can make in replacing Laviolette]
Rinne mentioned that the Predators are running out of time. They're also running out of excuses. While the Blackhawks are finding ways to win, Nashville cannot lose games like these. Thursday figures to be a significant test for the Predators and their new coach.
Brendan Burke and Pierre McGuire will call the action from United Center in Chicago. Paul Burmeister will anchor Thursday night's studio coverage with Keith Jones and Mike Johnson.
Tags: Austin Watson, Chicago Blackhawks, Craig Smith, David Poile, John Hynes, Juuse Saros, Matt Duchene, Nashville Predators, Pekka Rinne, Peter Laviolette, Austin Watson, Craig Smith, Juuse Saros, Matt Duchene
Can Hynes succeed with Predators where Laviolette failed?
By James O'BrienJan 7, 2020, 5:31 PM EST
The Nashville Predators actually did it. They fired Peter Laviolette, and then hired John Hynes in a dizzying span.
The dream is that Hynes can sculpt this lump of underachieving clay back into contending shape. How well do such imaginings line up with reality, though? Let's consider the way things might or might not change for the Predators.
Good Cop/Bad Cop?
In sports, teams sometimes opt to rotate approaches. First, you hire a "yeller" to scream out the procrastinators. Then you soothe various wounds with a "player-friendly" coach … or vice versa.
The Predators might be aiming for such a dynamic.
While plenty (including Babcock-blasting Mike Commodore) showed fondness for Laviolette over the years, the word "intense" comes up over and over in describing the coach. The Tennessean's Joe Rexrode summed up some of that intensity in a May 2017 column:
This is a man whose default setting is "cold glare" when he enters a room. A seemingly humorless man, a professional sourpuss, a coach who can detect bad intentions in the most harmless of questions.
When Hynes was fired, it was striking to see just how many people went out of their ways to support him. The praise ranged from players including Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier to former front office members.
On John Hynes – the coach and more importantly, the person: pic.twitter.com/3lR2iQoazO
— Rachel Doerrie (@racheldoerrie) December 3, 2019
Affixing Hynes with a white hat and Laviolette with a twirly villain's mustache would, again, be a bit extreme. Laviolette showed a sense of humor in being the butt of a joke, after all, while some wonder if Hynes favored veterans over younger players in New Jersey.
Still, in a broad, "macro" sense, you could argue that the Predators shifted from a stern to a gentler touch.
Hynes upgrading offense after it wilted under Laviolette?
After hiring Laviolette, Predators GM David Poile (understandably) hyped Laviolette's "aggressive offensive philosophy."
Laviolette justified such claims — for a time. After all, a franchise that once spent first-round picks to land Paul Gaustad was now emphasizing offensive acquisitions from Filip Forsberg to Ryan Johansen to Matt Duchene.
Whatever happened along the way — maybe the message faded, perhaps the league passed Laviolette by — the Predators' offense plummeted. This thread from Micah Blake McCurdy argues that Hynes may improve Nashville's system, even just by default.
John Hynes is a good choice (at least, among those with nhl experience) to replace Laviolette, he should improve the 5v5 defence without harming the 5v5 offence like Laviolette did. pic.twitter.com/LUFBKCcqAm
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) January 7, 2020
Hynes provides a clean slate for those who fell in Laviolette's doghouse
Following Sunday's uglier-than-it-seemed shootout loss to the Ducks (which may have been the final straw for Lavy, depending upon whom you ask), Preds winger Craig Smith implied that Nashville's system became bogged down by details.
"Sometimes maybe we overthink our system and play a little (lax) and sit back on our heels," Smith said, via The Tennessean's Paul Skrbina. "In the third (period Sunday) I think we just said eff it; let's get after it a little bit. Read and react. Just play hockey, making hockey plays. That's what we did."
Could Hynes help them just play hockey? Maybe, maybe not.
In a fascinating discussion of Hynes' Devils days, CJ Turtoro told On the Forecheck that Hynes' system could also get too complicated.
Turtoro: One weakness for this particular team seemed to be complexity. As I mentioned, his system aims to create space, but that can create chaos that makes it difficult for players to support one another if they're not on the same page, or not where they're supposed to be …
The dream would be for Hynes to boost the Predators' offense without taking away too much defense. Basically, the fantasy would parallel Craig Berube finding the right mix for the Blues after Mike Yeo leaned too defense-heavy. File that under easier said than done, of course.
Either way, the Predators may simply get a boost from Kyle Turris and others getting a clean slate.
Personally, I get the impression that Turris has paid for past sins. He struggled last season, injuries or not, but there's compelling evidence that he shouldn't have been a healthy scratch. Certainly not a frequent one.
Don't underestimate the power of getting out of the doghouse.
Plenty of work to do
It's kind of cruel that Hynes is going from one of the worst goalie duos to one of the league's other terrible tandems.
If nothing else, it's far more surprising to see Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros struggle that it was to see the Devils' motley crue produce dismal results. So maybe Hynes can help them achieve more, particularly behind a far, far superior defense than the one he deployed in New Jersey?
Hynes and the Predators don't have much of a margin for error, so this should be interesting to watch.
Tags: Barry Trotz, Craig Berube, Craig Smith, David Poile, John Hynes, Juuse Saros, Mike Yeo, Nashville Predators, New Jersey Devils, Nico Hischier, Pekka Rinne, Peter Laviolette, St. Louis Blues, Taylor Hall, Craig Smith, Filip Forsberg, Juuse Saros, Kyle Turris, Matt Duchene, Nico Hischier, Pekka Rinne, Ryan Johansen, Taylor Hall
Ducks dominate, but Predators steal a point
By James O'BrienJan 6, 2020, 1:22 AM EST
The Nashville Predators had no business being in much of Sunday's game against the Anaheim Ducks. Despite a terrible start and an ugly middle, the Predators salvaged a point, though, falling 5-4 to Anaheim via a shootout.
To reiterate: this was a pretty putrid Predators performance. That said, squeezing charity points (or more?) out of clunkers like these might make the difference between Nashville making or missing the playoffs.
Plenty to chew on for Predators fans who want Laviolette gone
Peter Laviolette's critics may circle this game, even if the result could have been worse for Nashville.
The Ducks generated a lopsided 21-4 shots on goal advantage during the first period, yet Juuse Saros bailed Laviolette & Co. out. Remarkably, the game entered the first intermission tied 1-1.
It seemed like some of those bounces balanced out during the middle frame. After Craig Smith gave the Predators a head-shaking 2-1 lead, the Ducks scored three goals in a row to go up 4-2 to end the second period. Nashville's opening 40 minutes felt like a referendum on what's been wrong with this team, aside from the notion that their goalie (largely) saved the day.
(For most of 2019-20, Saros and Pekka Rinne have been a big part of the problem, however critics felt about Laviolette.)
The Predators hung in there, though, even if it was rarely pretty.
A few heroes steal that point for Predators
Laviolette should thank a handful of guys for helping him save face.
Again, Saros made the biggest difference. Maybe this performance will help the Predators' smaller Finnish goalie to turn things around, as 2019-20 has not been kind to him?
Laviolette should also thank the Predators' penalty kill. With the score tied 4-4 late in the third, the Predators were whistled for a too many men on the ice penalty. Imagine how ugly the discussion would be around Lavi if that was the way Nashville lost?
Smith scored two goals. The winger ranks as one of the team's most underrated players once you start digging into advanced stats.
Rocco Grimaldi scored the game-tying goal and also generated an assist. The undersized winger loomed large in overtime, generating a golden overtime breakaway opportunity and crashing into the Ducks' net on another chance.
Grimaldi couldn't score, however, thanks to a spectacular save by John Gibson:
OH. MY. GIBSON! 👀 pic.twitter.com/QlAKniwzGn
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) January 6, 2020
Getzlaf makes the difference
Ryan Getzlaf entered Sunday's game suffering through a brutal slump.
Failing to score in eight consecutive games was bad enough. Getzlaf also absorbed a -10 rating during that span. Plus/minus stinks as a broader stat, but it can tell a different story sometimes: that things just hadn't been going well for Getzlaf and his team.
The big center dominated the Predators, though. Getzlaf generated three assists, and he also scored the shootout-deciding goal. Gibson and Getzlaf ended up making the ultimate difference, and Nashville is lucky it went as far as a shootout.
Tags: Anaheim Ducks, Craig Smith, John Gibson, Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators, Pekka Rinne, Peter Laviolette, Rocco Grimaldi, Ryan Getzlaf, Craig Smith, John Gibson, Juuse Saros, Pekka Rinne, Rocco Grimaldi, Ryan Getzlaf
NHL on NBCSN: Time for Predators to make their move
By Adam GretzJan 5, 2020, 1:48 PM EST
NBCSN's coverage of the 2019-20 NHL season continues with Sunday's matchup between the Nashville Predators and Anaheim Ducks. Coverage begins at 10 p.m. ET on NBCSN. You can watch the game online and on the NBC Sports app by clicking here.
This season has not gone as planned for the Nashville Predators.
They enter Sunday's game against the Anaheim Ducks (10 p.m. ET, NBCSN) in 10th place in the Western Conference, four points out of a playoff spot, and in the middle an ugly stretch that has seen them lose three out of their previous four games.
It is all very unfamiliar territory for the Predators. After being one of the league's best teams over the previous five years but always falling just short of climbing to the top of the NHL mountain, they tried to shake things up this season. They dealt from their depth on defense by jettisoning P.K. Subban's contract to create salary cap space to add another impact player at forward. Matt Duchene ended up being that player.
On paper, the roster looks like a contender. They still have a deep defense even without Subban thanks to the presence of Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, and Ryan Ellis. And while they may not have a superstar forward, but they are very deep and have seen their offense dramatically improve from where it was a year ago. They are sixth in the league in goals per game, and even though the power play is still not very good, it is not as historically inept as it was a year ago.
The two big issues that have held them back are a lack of a consistency, a struggling penalty kill, and a shocking decline in their goaltending.
The latter issue is no doubt a big driving factor in the first two.
Entering play on Sunday the duo of Pekka Rinne and Jusse Saraos has the second-worst all-situations save percentage in the NHL, ahead of only the Detroit Red Wings' duo of Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Bernier. In no situation are they worse than on the PK where they have stopped just 79 percent of the shots they have faced, a mark that is by far the worst in the NHL and well below the league average.
Goaltending is always going to be the one position that makes-or-breaks team's season, and it's not a stretch to suggest that if Rinne and Saros had spent the first half playing up to their normal levels that the Predators would be in a dramatically different in the standings. That's also something that should give Predators fans optimism that this season isn't yet lost. Even though they find themselves on the outside of the playoff picture at the halfway point and a few points back, they still have games in hand and have a lot of key ingredients in place to win. This is a team that is probably significantly better than its record indicates. If their goaltending can ever get itself back in track in the second half this is a team that may not go away quietly given the improved offense.
Now would be a pretty good time for that to start happening.
A four-point deficit in the playoff race may not seem like a huge gap to make up, but only about 20 percent of the teams facing such a deficit at this point in the season actually end up overcoming it. Points are hard to make up in the standings, and games in hand don't necessarily equate to "wins" in hand. So it's time for the Predators to try and build on Saturday's big win in Los Angeles and try to stack some wins together to begin making up that ground, and the schedule certainly creates quite an opportunity for that.
Starting with Sunday's game in Anaheim, seven of the Predators' next 10 games for the rest of January are against teams that currently reside in the bottom half of the league standings.
If they are going to get back in the playoff picture and gives themselves a chance to make some noise, that process has to start now.
Tags: Anaheim Ducks, Juuse Saros, Matt Duchene, Mattias Ekholm, Nashville Predators, P.K. Subban, Pekka Rinne, Ryan Ellis, Jimmy Howard, Jonathan Bernier, Matt Duchene, Mattias Ekholm, P.K. Subban, Pekka Rinne, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis
The Buzzer: Pastrnak's third hat trick; Big games for DeAngelo, Rinne January 10, 2020 1:26 am EST NHL on NBCSN: Can Hynes, Predators warm up against hot Blackhawks? January 9, 2020 11:34 am EST Can Hynes succeed with Predators where Laviolette failed? January 7, 2020 5:31 pm EST Ducks dominate, but Predators steal a point January 6, 2020 1:22 am EST NHL on NBCSN: Time for Predators to make their move January 5, 2020 1:48 pm EST The Buzzer: Hat trick for Rantanen; Hutchinson shines for Maple Leafs January 5, 2020 1:57 am EST Stars rally to win 2020 Winter Classic, leave Predators in peril January 1, 2020 5:03 pm EST Stars' Corey Perry ejected for elbowing Predators' Ryan Ellis January 1, 2020 2:57 pm EST PHT Morning Skate: Worst signings of decade; Preds' goalie transition December 30, 2019 8:15 am EST NHL Power Rankings: Metropolitan Division dominance December 9, 2019 2:57 pm EST NHL on NBCSN: Goaltending, special teams driving Predators' early struggles December 3, 2019 10:22 am EST The Buzzer: Avs keep winning thanks to MacKinnon November 30, 2019 1:03 am EST Tkachuk tricks buzzer, treats Flames to comeback win October 31, 2019 11:37 pm EDT Rask, Rinne, Fleury are NHL's hottest goalies so far October 30, 2019 2:32 pm EDT PHT Morning Skate: Kane on ref criticism; Rinne on future October 8, 2019 9:00 am EDT Previewing the 2019-20 Nashville Predators September 17, 2019 10:21 am EDT Golden questions for Nashville Predators August 17, 2019 5:50 pm EDT Will Laviolette bring out best of Predators? August 17, 2019 4:01 pm EDT The Playoff Buzzer: Stars dump Predators; Hurricanes push Caps to Game 7 April 23, 2019 1:55 am EDT Net gains: Andersen, Grubauer, Rinne stepping up in playoffs April 17, 2019 1:00 pm EDT Granlund's goal the difference as Predators edge Stars in Game 3 April 16, 2019 12:37 am EDT John Gibson deserves to be Vezina candidate, if not the winner March 30, 2019 11:30 am EDT NHL on NBCSN: Age not getting in the way of Pekka Rinne December 18, 2018 10:45 am EST The Buzzer: Gibson – Rinne trumps Kesler – Johansen November 13, 2018 2:30 am EST Predators, Rinne sign two-year, $10 million extension November 3, 2018 7:06 pm EDT Jets' Connor goes off, pushes Predators to the brink May 6, 2018 12:19 am EDT Predators' Fiala notches winner in double overtime to even series with Jets April 29, 2018 11:19 pm EDT MacKinnon, Avalanche continue home success in Game 3 win April 17, 2018 1:03 am EDT Rinne, Predators hand Blues their sixth straight loss in 4-0 win February 25, 2018 3:05 pm EST The Buzzer: Tuukka Time isn't running out February 20, 2018 12:52 am EST The top 15 saves of 2017 (PHT Year in Review) December 27, 2017 12:20 pm EST The Buzzer: McDavid leads Oilers; Rinne celebrates birthday with win November 4, 2017 12:49 am EDT EA Sports unveils NHL 16's top 10 goaltenders August 29, 2015 4:30 pm EDT Capitals' biggest question: Is this finally the year? August 20, 2015 12:49 pm EDT Nashville Predators '15-16 Outlook August 16, 2015 5:20 pm EDT Preds' biggest question: Are they strong enough at center? August 16, 2015 2:20 pm EDT It's Nashville Predators day at PHT August 16, 2015 9:00 am EDT Sabres hire Allen to replace Irbe as goalie coach July 10, 2015 12:21 pm EDT Bishop Effect: 6-foot-9 goalie 'trying to make a name for myself' at Vancouver's prospect camp July 6, 2015 4:29 pm EDT PHT Morning Skate: Departing John Scott jokingly takes jab at Sharks June 26, 2015 8:10 am EDT