Nashville Predators’ Filip Forsberg Ripped One!
The Nashville Predators defeated the red-hot St. Louis Blues 2-1 on Saturday evening in St. Louis, clearly strengthening their place as one of the top clubs in the Central Division, if not all the NHL.
James Neal and Filip Forsberg each had a goal and an assist on the evening, and their goals and assists, coupled together with a stout defense, were enough offensively to take the victory and put a halt to the Blues’ seven-game win streak.
Perhaps I have a strange sense of humor, but during Neal’s post-game interview, he said something that struck me rather funny.
"I just came in behind Filip and he made a good pass to drop it. It was funny, I told him earlier that I came in behind him and he ripped one. When I came in behind him the second time, he dropped it."
I know what Neal meant upon a closer read, but when Neal said that earlier he had come in “behind him [Forsberg] and he [Forsberg] ripped one”, that struck me funny! Do I need to smell it out? Oops, spell it out?
Again, I have an odd sense of humor, but I’m sure I’m not the only one who felt like he had to pardon Neal’s French.
Okay, enough of that. I really do have a straight face now.
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Forsberg has been ripping a great deal lately, and I mean with the puck! He has five goals in the last give games, and Forsberg strengthens his bid for Rookie of the Year with each game. His 15 points and 9 assists leads all rookies in the NHL, and he just keeps getting better.
Defensively, the game changer for the Predators this year has clearly been net tender Pekka Rinne. With 28 saves for the Predators against the Blues, and he increased his numbers to a sub-two 1.81 GAA and a .935 SV%.
It’s not just his numbers though, as Rinne clearly has increased his net awareness, and is doing a better job these days anticipating shots on goal.
As for the Blues, the feeling from the team was that they just didn’t play the way they needed to keep their streak alive.
Blues’ net tender Brian Elliot was good with 33 saves, but not good enough on the night, and the amazing Vladimir Tarasenko saw his four game goal scoring streak come to an abrupt end.
It was a superb and timely win for the Predators, who now sit back in first place in the Central Division.
The Predators will return home to Nashville for their next game against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday evening, November 11, 2017, at 7:00 PM. This will be their second meeting of the season, as the Predators took the win 4-1 on their first meeting back on October 29th.