Nashville Predators vs. Winnipeg Jets: Road Trips Begin

The Nashville Predators (2-0-1) will hope to get back on track after a hiccup against the Calgary Flames, as they take to the road for the first time this season and face the Winnipeg Jets.

The Predators are now 2-0-1 early in the season, and have played well. They also played well against the Flames in a 3-2 loss that went to overtime and ended in a shootout. I didn’t think their approach in the shootout was anything to woo-hoo about, but they played very well in regulation.

I’m reading too many opine that the Predators are coming out flat early, but the fact that they have scored very little early in these first three games of the season has zero to do with being flat.

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They have NOT been flat at all, but are playing with this new up-tempo approach, and still learning how best to do that. Their setups and shots on goal have been as good as any opponent faced so far, they are doing well with most of the face-offs (except against Calgary), and Pekka Rinne is net tending well.

It always takes time to gel into a new offense with a new coach and new teammates, and I’m confident this Nashville Predators team will learn and get better with each outing.

Unlike the Predators, the Winnipeg Jets started out on the road, and started rough. The Jets 1-2-0 record three games into the season shouldn’t lead fans to assume this will be an easy outing for the Predators. The Jets are a good team, and in this preview, we’ll take a look at some key points in this matchup.

A Loud Welcome

The MTS Centre in Winnipeg is one of the loudest hockey arenas in the NHL, and the Predators will get a raucous welcome tonight. They’ll need to play within themselves and stay focused against a team hungry for another win, and happy to be back home.

The Jets haven’t exactly tore it up while playing at home either. The Jets has their inaugural year as a club in Winnipeg in the 2011-12 season, and kept the fans happy with a 23-13-5 record at the MTS Centre. It’s been sort of a downhill skate since, where the Jets have played above .500 at home in the last two season, but just barely.

The Jets are not at all used to playing a Predators team that come at you like Phil Laviolette’s team, so there’s no guarantee that home-rink advantage will be a factor here, as long as the Predators stay focused.

No Pucks Past Pekka

Predators’ Net Minder Pekka Rinne has been really good since returning from the health issues he suffered last season, and looks to be at 100% so far.

The Jets have only seen Rinne one time in the past three seasons, and Rinne is putting up the kind of numbers he was doing prior to his injury. With a 1.62 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage so far this year in 3 games, and the Jets not overly familiar with his net minding tendencies, it could take the Jets some time in this game to figure him out.

Rinne just needs to keep being Rinne

No Jokinen! – Olli’s Back!

Could Nashville Predator Olli Jokinen have any kind of impact against his former team?

Jokinen played two seasons with the Winnipeg Jets before they off-loaded him in favor of Mathieu Perreault. Will that mean that Olli will be fired up to let the Jets know they made a mistake?

Jokinen anchors the 2nd line for the Predators, and so he doesn’t see a ton of playing time (or hasn’t yet), and the 6 foot 2 inch, 210 pound center has just 9 shots this year, but zero points.

Sometimes even a 2nd liner returns to a former team though, gets an opportunity to make a difference, and does just that.

Power Play vs. Penalty Kill

The Jets are a perfect 14 for 14 on penalty kills this season, and put simply that means that the Predators will need to really be on task with power play opportunities against the Jets.

The Predators haven’t exactly been, well, overpowering on their power play chances this year, but finding a new way to attack, switching things up, or finding any way to do things differently against the Jets could go a long way toward success against a team that always shuts down opponents on the power play.

The Predators have allowed 2 goals on 9 penalty kill opportunities this year, which is not bad either, and currently ranks 19th in the league.

As good as both the Jets and Predators have been at the kill, they are both sorely lacking on the power play, and will need to try and find ways of making the most of their opportunities.

Final Truth

The Predators have played better than the Jets this season, but the Jets are better than they have played. They may have a slight edge playing at home while the Predators take to the road for the first time this season, but I give the Predators a slight edge on the strength of their new attack.

In the end, it could come down to something as simple as who actually wins out on penalty kills and and power plays, and on whether the Predators can stay focused in the loud MTS Centre.

My Prediction? Predators take this one, 3-1. 

Game Time: 7:00 PM CST