The atmosphere at Bridgestone Arena was energetic for a Tuesday night as the Nashville Predators returned to the ice after their last two home games were postponed due to flooding at the Arena. While the 2-1 overtime win over a struggling Anaheim Ducks team may appear underwhelming according to the scoreboard, there was a lot to like from the Predators' performance.
Saros and Gibson played well in net.
Tonight's game may have belonged to the goaltenders. Juuse Saros finished with 34 saves on 35 shots in his 63:50 in net, resulting in a .971 save percentage for the evening. The Ducks weren't without their chances in regulation. Saros came up big for the team with saves on breakaways and a two on one.
Saros' steady performance in net came as no surprise to teammate Matt Duchene who credited Saros for his play and pointed out that the Preds' net minder is stingy in practices, too.
Duchene also pointed out that Nashville faced a really good goaltender in John Gibson.
"They got good goaltending," Duchene said after the game. "It seems like we get a lot of really good goaltending efforts these days."
Gibson finished with 39 saves on 41 shots, frustrating a buzzing Predators offense through much of the game.
Nashville needs to play 60 minutes of hockey.
Nashville dominated the first two periods of the game tonight, generating 31 shots in the first two periods to Anaheim's 17 in the same 40 minutes. While the Preds ran into a hot goalie in Gibson, the game was kept close because the Preds sat back too much in the third period. The Ducks more than doubled Nashville's shots in the final twenty minute of regulation and were able to tie the game up with the extended offensive pressure.
The momentum swing in the third period was something head coach John Hynes addressed post game.
While there are natural ebbs and flows to most games, Nashville should have won this game in regulation. Instead, they took their foot off the gas and allowed the Ducks to hang around long enough to capitalize on those extra chances. That is not a mistake this team can make against top teams in the league.
The scoreboard versus the statistics.
A lot about this game - except the score - is reminiscent of the game against the Detroit Red Wings on November 23. While the scoreboard read one set of numbers, the advanced stats tell a different story.
Not only did the Predators outshoot the Ducks, but they generated more high danger chances in this game as well (NSH: 16, ANA: 11, Natural Stat Trick). Nashville finished the game with a higher expected goals for as well.
That is a nice looking shot map for Nashville, but the scoreboard only read 2-1 when the game ended. As the Predators enter a very difficult December schedule against Central Division rivals and some of the top teams across the league, they are going to have to find ways to cash in on the solid statistics they generate on paper.
Tonight may not have been the statement win Predators fans were hoping for, but it was a game in which Nashville played well and ultimately earned two valuable points. It remains to be seen if a performance similar to tonight's can be enough against a team like the New Jersey Devils who the Predators will face off against on Thursday.
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