In front of 16,135 at Bridgestone Arena, the hometown team gave the fans their money’s worth. Four goals, a lopsided fight and even a moment rookie forward  Craig Smith will want to forget for a long time.

Pekka Rinne turned aside 38 of 39 Toronto shots, improving to 10-4-3. The Kempele, Finland native hasn’t lost a game in regulation since October 25 against San Jose.

Rinne has allowed just nine pucks to get past him in the month of November.

With just over 5:00 gone, the Predators took the early lead. Martin Erat scored his third goal in four games after banging home a rebound in front of Ben Scrivens.

Despite the 1-0 lead headed into the locker room, the period wasn’t owned by Nashville. They only mustered three shots on goal.

“We created virtually nothing offensively, other than the miscue by Scrivens,” Head Coach Barry Trotz said.

The Leafs tied it up in the middle frame when John-Michael Liles put the perfect wrist shot past Rinne’s blocker from the opposite face-off circle. The perfect shot was just what Toronto needed to wrestle the momentum back from the home team. Just minutes earlier, Scrivens made maybe the save of the month on a Mike Fisher one-timer. The save got the Leafs fans (in section 109) who drove down from Ontario back into it.

They would be silenced just 2:00 later, however, when Ryan Suter noticed Fisher screening Scrivens. The Madison, Wisconsin native dumped an innocent shot on net and it found its way through to take back the one goal lead.

Erat scored his second of the game, and fifth of the season, when he blasted a one-timer past Scrivens. Fisher’s backhand pass was flawless as it went tape-to-tape to give the Preds the 3-1 lead.

“The last few games we’ll played a lot better,” Fisher said of Sergei Kostitsyn and Erat. “Both my wingers are playing real well and that makes it easy for me.”

Smith had the chance at an empty netter but tried to get cute. While standing in the crease, he went to roof the puck but, instead of scoring, he put it up and over the glass.

“He won’t hear the end of that one, that’s for sure,” Fisher recalled, laughing.

Trotz, however, was not laughing.

“We talk about being detailed. Right there (if he scores), it’s game set match. Instead, he kept them in it. He’ll learn from that and he’ll be in a few highlight films — or lowlight films — but it’s something I’m sure he’ll never do again.”

Matt Halischuk would end up getting the empty netter a minute later to seal this one for Nashville.

Nashville will finally be able to play against an opponent in their own conference as the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets come to town on Saturday night. Columbus, the worst team in the league having won just three games, will try to build off of their shootout loss to the Boston Bruins tonight.

Puck drops at 7:00pm Central.

LEFTOVER THOUGHTS:
* This is the second straight game Scrivens has given up a goal on the first shot he’s faced.
* Kostitsyn assisted on every Preds goal, sans the empty netter. Although, ironically, he would have if Smith didn’t get cute on his attempt.
* Suter and Shea Weber were each a plus-4 on the night.
* Not a single Maple Leaf skater finished with a plus-rating. Star forwards Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul finished a minus-4 each.
* Former Predator Matthew Lombardi left the game with an injury after logging only 7:50 of ice time.
* Another former Pred, Cody Franson, played 16:22 but failed to register a shot.
* The Predators were just 33% in the face-off dot.
* Brian McGrattan went toe-to-toe with Jay Rosehill and it was zero contest. After “Big Ern’s” decisive victory, he put a little cherry on the sundae by extending his arms in celebration of a job well done. (He also got a 10 minute game misconduct for doing it too.)

MY THREE STARS (as voted on with 7:20 left in regulation):
1) Pekka Rinne (NSH)
2) Sergei Kostitsyn (NSH)
3) Martin Erat (NSH)

THE THREE STARS OF THE GAME:
1) Martin Erat (NSH)
2) Sergei Kostitsyn (NSH)
3) Mike Fisher (NSH)

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PHOTO CREDIT: Jeremy K. Gover // section303.com

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If you missed yesterday’s post featuring Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, CLICK HERE.

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PROJECTED PAIRING #2 || Jon Blum – Kevin Klein
Jon Blum was among those in the first round of training camp cuts last summer. Things did not look good for the former first round pick. But, after starting the AHL season with 34 points in 54 games, the Long Beach, California native earned himself a call-up. Once he got to Nashville he never looked back. He played sound, safe defense in his first three NHL contests and then found the scoresheet for the first time (via a go-ahead goal) on February 27. He would go onto record three goals and five assists but, more importantly, he would catch the attention of the coaching staff. Head Coach Barry Trotz even projected Blum as the team’s number three blueliner shortly after the season ended. And that was before Cody Franson was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs. With a full NHL training camp in store for “Blummer,” his contributions should only improve and that’s good news for a Predators organization who really needs one of the younger defensemen to step up right now. Depending on which prospects make the big club out of camp, Blum should see an expanded role on the second powerplay unit as well, having shown decent production at every level he’s played at.
2011-12 PREDICTION: 23 points

Kevin Klein is the only Nashville Predator defenseman signed after this year. Chew on that for a minute. Klein catches the ire of Preds fans everywhere on a regular basis. But, curiously, sometimes he can become their greatest hero. Like when he stuck up for Marcel Goc after he was boarded from behind by Dan Carcillo. Or, in the playoffs, when Corey Perry took two too many shots at Pekka Rinne’s glove. You can’t deny he’s a team player. Matter of fact, it might be his best attribute. With Shane O’Brien gone and Francis Bouillon a huge question mark due to concussion issues, Klein might have to be the tough guy in the Nashville end. Either way, Klein had a career year in the production department last season. His 18 points were his most at any level since recorded a whopping 42 with the Milwaukee Admirals back in 2005-06. If Klein can continue to improve on the scoresheet and mentor a young Jon Blum, the second defensive pairing should be good to go. Klein will have to keep his mistakes to a minimum, however.
2011-12 PREDICTION: 17 points

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PHOTO CREDIT: Bridget Samuels

James Mirtle of The Globe and Mail is reporting that the Nashville Predators have bought out veteran defenseman Brett Lebda.

The 29-year old Buffalo Grove, Illinois native was recently acquired in a trade that sent young blueliner Cody Franson and concussed center Matthew Lombardi to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Minor league left wing Robert Slaney also came over from Toronto.

When a blog uses ALL CAPS in it’s headline, you know they’re excited about something. So, needless to say, when the trade went down and this tweet/blog was published by our good friends over at Pension Plan Puppets, Predators fans knew all they needed to know about Lebda.

Let’s face it, Lebda was never going to make this hockey club anyway. At best, he was playing with the AHL-affiliate Milwaukee Admirals this season. This buyout gives him a chance to go where he may have a shot at playing time, and that includes over in Europe.

So while this does, technically speaking, make the July 3 trade read as “Franson and Lombardi for a minor league winger,” don’t rely on what you see on paper. Think about it critically and realize that it was a necessary move to unload Lombardi’s contract and risk. And while trading Franson hurts, it only stings because of the depth of the blueline in the system. In a way, the Preds could “afford” to cut Franson loose given talented guys like Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm and Roman Josi are waiting in the wings.

FUN FACT: Nashville had never bought out a player before this summer but now, in the past 41 days, they’ve bought out two. JP Dumont was no longer worth the $4.5 million was slated to get next season so General Manager David Poile did the right thing by buying him out on June 30.

FUN FACT #2: While Lebda was a Predator for just 38 days, it’s centerman Eric Belanger who still holds the record for shortest amount of time as a Predator. Belanger was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes on February 9, 2007 for Josef Vasicek but then flipped and traded to the Atlanta Thrashers for Vitaly Vishnevsky on February 10.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Gosha Images // Flickr (used with permission)

Does Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm or Roman Josi have an inside track for Franson’s vacated defensive spot? Does the Franson trade mean a big name forward is on his way into Music City or does it just mean the Preds can now offer Shea Weber top money? Was buying out JP Dumont the right decision? All that and more in today’s episode!

As always, we encourage you to follow us on Twitter and subscribe, rate and review the show on iTunes.

CREDITS:
Music: Seven Nation Army (The White Stripes), Salute Your Solution (The Raconteurs), Blow (Ke$ha), Last Friday Night (Katy Perry), All I Do is Win (DJ Khaled)

Staff: Kent Harris (voice over), Wingate Media Group (consulting)

Injured forward Matthew Lombardi, along with defenseman Cody Franson, has been shipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs for stay-at-home (and much-maligned) defenseman Brett Lebda and minor leaguer Robert Slaney.

Since Lombardi was weighing down the available cap space while he was on the shelf, and Franson was a full-time player in Music City, this trade can only be seen as a move to clear cap space and a set up move for another trade and/or signing.

General Manager David Poile is up to something. That is undeniable.

Franson is an offensive defenseman who seemed to be “protected” a lot of the time. Head Coach Barry Trotz rarely put Franson on the ice against other teams’ top forwards. That being said, you can’t discount his importance to the power play. He may have only registered six power play points during the regular season last year but he could always be counted on to put the puck on net. Something Nashville has always struggled with. Franson’s 156 shots were fourth most on the club and second among blueliners, behind only captain Shea Weber. Furthermore, he was second on the Preds in power play scoring during the playoffs (three points).

Essentially what the Maple Leafs are getting is a young power play quarterback and an injured top six forward. The forward may never see the ice again (in which case the Preds would give Toronto a fourth round pick in 2013, by the way) but the defenseman they’re getting will be a key piece to the blueline for years to come. The only question mark with Franson is whether he’ll be able to handle the Canadian media on a daily basis. Especially if going against top competition exposes some faults.

The Preds, on the other hand, are getting a guy who apparently is the butt of all jokes in Ontario. When word of the trade hit Twitter, our good friends over at Pension Plan Puppets tweeted THIS. Not a good sign for Nashville. But, because the Preds aren’t necessarily looking for defensemen thanks to the depth in the system (Ryan Ellis, Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm, etc.), Lebda could very easily be headed for the waiver wire en route to the Milwaukee Admirals.

As for Slaney, he’s a left winger who’s never seen time at the NHL level. Matter of fact, his entire pro career has been split between the Leafs’ ECHL and AHL affiliates, the Reading Royals and Toronto Marlies, respectively. He did have semi-impressive seasons in junior, however. His 81 points in 2008-09 was tops on his Cape Breton Screaming Eagles club of the QMJHL. But make no mistake, Slaney is a depth forward for Milwaukee.

Franson will be missed and it’s disappointing that Poile didn’t get more mileage out of Lombardi but this transaction is absolutely a set-up move for something else. So hang onto your seats, Preds fans. Any moment now, they’re going to blow you away.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Bridget Samuels // special to section303.com (used with permission)

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To help bridge the gap between now and the regular season, we will be doing a series called Three Minutes With. Every installment will be with a different member of the Nashville Predators family. Could be players. Could be coaches. Could even be fans. In the first installment we have Preds defenseman Cody Franson. After getting the call-up from the Milwaukee Admirals last year, the 23-year old blueliner posted impressive numbers. So impressive that, projected onto a full season of action, he would’ve finished in the top three in scoring among NHL rookie defensemen.

Jeremy K. Gover: How good does it feel to have that contract done?
Cody Franson: It’s great. I’m very happy with how things turned out and I’m excited about being here for the next two years, and hopefully longer after that so I’m excited to get things going. I’m just happy to be here.

JG: Talk a little bit about the path you’ve taken to this point in your career.
CF: You know, it’s been a long process. Those two years in Milwaukee were good and I was obviously hoping to see some time (in the NHL) in those two years but that’s just the way it goes. You know, I got a chance last year and I tried to take advantage of it as best I could and, fortunately enough for me, it worked out in my favor.

JG: You’re a puck shooting defenseman, at least that’s what we saw last year here in Nashville. Is that your style or is that something the coaches told you to focus on once you got here?
CF: No no, that’s my style. Coming through junior and through Milwaukee and stuff, that’s always been my go-to. You know, get shots through and create opportunities through that so that’s something I take pride in.

JG: How’d you spend your summer?
CF: I was in Kelowna, just training down there. I was just relaxing and seeing my family a bit. I played some golf, went out on the lake a few times and just tried not to think about (the contract situation) all that much and let my agents handle it for the most part.

JG: What’s it like to be on the ice with your teammates again, even though it’s an informal skate?
CF: It’s great. You know, we all spend about eight or nine months together every year and we separate for the summer but it’s always fun to get back to see everybody. We have a lot of fun together and we’ve got a good group of guys so it’s something you look forward to getting back to.

JG: Lastly, is the informal skate a way to get your legs back under you or is it more so to develop camaraderie with the guys?
CF: A little bit of both, actually. You know, the guys come in early to get ready for camp and prepare themselves. But it’s fun at the same time. Everybody comes in early to hang out a little bit and see how everybody’s summers went and stuff like that so it’s good in both aspects.

JG: Thank you so much.
CF: No problem.

According to Joshua Cooper, the new Predators beat writer for The Tennessean, the Nashville Predators have finally re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Cody Franson, putting all Predators players under contract heading into training camp on Friday, September 17.

The former third round pick of the Preds inked a deal worth $1.6 million over two years.

The blueliner tallied an impressive 21 points in just 61 NHL games last year, good for fourth in scoring among rookie defensemen. Projected out into a full season, Franson would’ve finished third in the scoring race among first year blueliners.

One thing that makes Franson very attractive is his effectiveness on the power play. The 23-year old is never afraid to shoot the puck from any angle and, with Patric Hornqvist willing to set up shop in the crease, that’s invaluable on a team who always seems to favor the pass. His 90 shots were the most among defensemen not named Shea Weber, Ryan Suter or Dan Hamhuis, which is impressive considering he played 20 less games than Francis Bouillon and Kevin Klein.

If the Predators don’t pick up a verteran defenseman before the season starts, Franson appears to be a lock in the second defensive pairing. Weber and Suter will obviously skate together again this season and then, given their chemistry last year, it would probably fall to Bouillon and Franson on the second pairing. Klein, after a miserable season where he posted a team low minus-13 rating, appears destined for the bottom pairing.

And, to be honest, I’m not really sure where Ryan Parent fits in.

Franson has scored at least 50 points in a season at every level he’s played at. He tallied 55 points in 2005-06 with the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League, he posted 51 points the season after and then bagged 52 points on the AHL level in 2008-09 with the Admirals. Preds fans hope that trend continues in the coming years.

UPDATE (11:23am): Preds make it official through press release.

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PHOTO CREDIT: Frederick Breedon // Getty Images North America

Well, if games were only 40 minutes long.

The San Jose Sharks beat the visiting Nashville Predators 8-5 in a wild one that saw convincing leads by both clubs, 13 goals and 80 shots on goal.

Patric Hornqvist and JP Dumont each scored twice but the Preds couldn’t stop the onslaught once the third period started. Nashville outshot the Sharks 34-11 and led by a score of 4-2 going into the second intermission. But then it became the Joe Pavelski show.

Of the six – count ‘em SIX – San Jose goals in the third period, Pavelski had a hand in four of them, finishing the game with two goals and two assists.

The Preds didn’t exactly dominate the opening two periods but they did excel in all facets of the game. They applied constant pressure on the power play, they were throwing pucks at the net and they even got consistent traffic in front of Evgeni Nabokov, all of which directly led to their 4-2 lead going into the third.

The loss reminded many Preds fans of the game this past Sunday afternoon when the Preds squandered a 2-1 lead in the third period to the Vancouver Canucks. In a game they had no business winning, Nashville let them climb back in it and get some timely goal scoring for the victory.

Thursday night’s game out in Northern California had the same feel. A very confident Preds team doing everything right through the opening 40 minutes and then a total train derailment in the final 20.

Barry Trotz’s club, fortunately, won’t get much time to dwell on how this got away from them as they play the Anaheim Ducks Friday night at the Honda Center.

GAME NOTES:
* With the goal and assist, rookie Colin Wilson bagged his first multi-point game in the NHL. He also has a two-game goal scoring streak and a three-game point streak.
* When Hornqvist scored in the first period, it was his first goal since February 4 against Colorado.
* David Legwand – one of the team’s highest paid players – still hasn’t scored a goal since January 2.
* Defenseman Shea Weber returned to the lineup tonight, only to find an unflattering minus-5 rating waiting for him.
* Ryan Suter, Weber’s defensive partner, didn’t fare any better. He posted a minus-6.
* The back-up for the evening, Pekka Rinne, got some action toward the end of the game. Dan Ellis surrendered a soft goal just after the Preds tied it up in the third period, prompting Trotz to call on Rinne.
* With his second goal of the night, Dumont tallied his 500th NHL point.

Translation: Rookie center Colin Wilson and AHL veteran defenseman Nolan Yonkman have been recalled from the Predators minor league affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals.

Wilson makes sense. Marcel Goc is out and Wilson can fill the void there. Not to mention he’s been a tear lately at the AHL level, prompting Preds fans to ask for his recall by the gross. Yonkman, however, is a completely different story and one that should raise some questions. Namely about Predators defenseman Dan Hamhuis.

The Predators official statement says that defenseman Cody Franson has been put on injured reserve but they’re already functioning with six blueliners in Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, Hamhuis, Kevin Klein, Francis Bouillon and Alexander Sulzer. Yonkman makes seven healthy defensemen on the NHL roster around a time where trades need to be made before the final playoff push.

The future of the Nashville blueline rests on the shoulders of Jonathon Blum, Teemu Laakso and Ryan Ellis, so one would natually assume that one of those three would be recalled. Blum may have 25 points for the Admirals so far this season but he still needs to get bigger and faster. Laakso, who actually spent seven games with the Preds last season, has only played in 18 games this year for Milwaukee and is nowhere close to ready for prime time NHL minutes. Ellis is still with his junior team, the Windsor Spitfires, and isn’t available for call-up until their season is over.

Milwaukee Admirals captain Nolan Yonkman while playing for the Washington Capitals back in 2006.

Enter Yonkman.

He has three NHL seasons under his belt—- let me rephrase: he has 50 NHL games under his belt. He’s played most of his professional career at the AHL level where he’s logged 384 games, including being the Admirals team captain. If this was a band-aid move, the Preds would be more likely to call up a guy like Blum or even Robert Dietrich, both of whom have a more offensive upside than Yonkman. But that’s not the case. Nashville is going for experience with this transaction, which leads to the only logical conclusion: a trade has been made or is really close.

Enter Hamhuis.

The 27-year old defensemen already has 458 NHL games on his resume and is considered to be a top 2 blueliner on most teams around the league. Of course, he’s also about to become a UFA on July 1 and, therefore, has become the focus of trade gossip over the past few weeks. When at his best, Hamhuis provides a stable, veteran, physical presence in his own end. Yonkman is the best defenseman in the Nashville system that fits that mold.

A mold Nashville would only need to fill were Hamhuis to be out of their lineup for any reason.

The official Nashville Predators twitter account mentioned that Hamhuis’ wife is about to deliver a child and, because the team is on the road during questionable weather conditions, Yonkman has been called up as a precaution. While that’s a logical scenario, one would still wonder why Blum or Dietrich wasn’t recalled instead. Especially if it’s “just a precaution” and they don’t expect to the recalled defenseman to actually play.

The trade deadline of March 3 is fast approaching but, as we’ve seen over the past two weeks, teams are motivated to get deals done before the Olympic Roster Freeze takes effect on February 12. General Manager David Poile knows that the Preds need scoring. He also knows Hamhuis won’t be back next season and thus is forced to deal him in order to get something in return.

If and when Yonkman plays in a game, it will be the first time he’s worn a Predators sweater in an NHL game.

Of course, he also has a two-game point scoring streak on the line as well. (He had three assists in his last two NHL games that took place back in April of 2006).

So, instead of putting up a blog of our own (like some bloggers have), we prefer to direct you straight to the people who were physically in the building for the event.

* John Glennon’s post-game blog.

* Rachel’s post-game blog.

Those are the only two Predators media members whose words you need to read regarding the game in Los Angeles from Saturday afternoon.

The Good News

Patric Hornqvist has redeemed himself from last year’s disappointing start.  “Horn Dog,” as he’s known in 303, has amassed more points than Legwand, Erat, Sullivan, Smithson, and Ward… combined.  It’s exciting to see that we have a young talent that’s starting to shine in Nashville, and I can only hope this production continues.  Away from the puck, Hornqvist is always crashing the net.  Keeping the goalie on his heels is going to pay off, although it will also cause Hornqvist to become a target as he gets anywhere near the crease.  As excited as I am about Hornqvist, I’m not running to the pro shop to buy a #27 jersey just yet (sorry Jeremy).

Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Cody Franson have shown that they are willing to put offensive production on their shoulders, and try their best to carry this team.  Weber/Suter are currently breaking even on plus/minus, and both players currently have six points.  Cody Franson, since his call-up, has shown that he’s NHL-ready with some great play on both sides of the ice.

The Bad News

We’re 3-6-1, including a 1-3 record at home.  Seats are going to remain empty, when you can’t win at home.

Jason Arnott is still out of the lineup.  Say what you will, but we need him in the lineup.

The “Not Even Worth It With a Bag On Her Head” Ugly News

Only one team in the NHL has scored less goals than the Nashville Predators, and that’s the winless Toronto Maple Leafs.  I’m sure Boston’s foaming at the mouth for the #1 draft pick.

The Nashville Predators are 5 points out of the playoffs, only ahead of the Craig Leipold-owned Minnesota Wild.

David Legwand and Martin Erat, where do we begin?  These players have a plus-minus of -8, as well as only 1 point each.  The argument can be made that this duo (along with Santorelli at -5) were part of a ‘shutdown’ line, but it’s hard to justify such an expense on the books when they’re not producing.

Speaking of not producing, how about the dismal play of Kevin Klein and Dan Hamhuis?  Kevin Klein, in ten games of action, currently holds a -8 plus/minus, and the ridicule of everyone in Nashville.  Dan Hamhuis (currently out of the lineup) is boasting a -7 in only six games played.  Nashville is a team that’s always had defensive depth to rely on, the track record of these two players doesn’t hold true to that claim.

Our dismal power play (or as Brandon Felder refers to it, the “man advantage.”)  Nashville is currently 30th (that’s dead last) in the NHL with an 8.3% success rate.  Nashville has had 36 opportunities to put the puck in the net on the man advantage, and only managed to do so three times.  This statistic is consistent with Nashville, and begs the question of when something will be done to change it.

Conclusion

Nashville’s woes are evident, and I’m glad we’ve only seen four games at home during this stretch.  There are building blocks that the team can improve on, but they’re very small.  Leadership needs to step up and get pissed about the performance on the ice (aka, J.P. Dumont’s five-point night in Ottawa), and our depth players have to contribute.  The 09-10 season is still very young, but a repeat of last year’s polar opposites [before and after All-Star break] simply will not be acceptable.

Let’s Go Predators…. I’m serious, let’s GO already.

All was not lost, however. Nashville finally showed the resiliency that Head Coach Barry Trotz has been preaching from the start of their slump by battling back to force overtime – and then a shootout – only to lose 3-2.

But, to battle back, a team must fall behind first. And that’s exactly what happened.

Despite getting two straight breakaways while killing off the Wade Belak penalty, it was Washington who scored first during the Predators’ second penalty kill. Continuing his pace for 50-in-50, Alexander Ovechkin netted his first of two goals while Jerred Smithson was sitting in the penalty box.

Ovechkin scored again with less than two minutes left in the opening period and Pred fans everywhere whispered “Here we go again.”

With just over five miutes left in the second stanza, however, the long awaited breakthrough happened. Patric Hornqvist carried into the offensive zone and dropped a pass for the trailing Shea Weber who blasted one past Caps goalie Semyon Varlamov for his first of the season. Then, just a few minutes later, a break goes the Preds’ way as opposed to the other way around, as it has been all week.

JP Dumont fired a harmless shot on net from the corner. With Cal O’Reilly distracting Varlamov’s attention at the near post, the puck slid across the length of the end line, bounced off the goalie’s skate and in.

Going into the third period, the Predators had accomplished three major obstacles they hadn’t accomplished in the last four games: They had overcome more than a one-goal deficit, they had scored more than a single goal and they had a tie score going into the third period. Then, once the third period was over, they had accomplished something else: they earned a point in the standings.

With that precious point, the Preds earned some much-needed confidence and carried it into the extra session, forcing a shootout in which neither Steve Sullivan, David Legwand or Martin Erat could convert. Ovechkin scored on Washington’s second attempt, proving the difference maker once it was all over.

So, at least early on in the season, there’s a formula developing: Nashville Predators + shootout - Mike Santorelli = loss.

The good news for Nashville is that, if you hadn’t seen or known about the previous three games, you wouldn’t know anything had been wrong with them. They played a solid game overall, matching one of the league’s best teams blow-for-blow and Dan Ellis turned in another outstanding performance. They even got goals from two players that had yet to tally a score, which they were in desperate need of.

All good signs looking ahead to a really tough road trip.

With the subtraction of role playing forwards like Vern Fiddler (Phoenix), Radek Bonk (KHL, but has since been released), Scott Nichol (San Jose) and Antti Philstrom (Sweden), Nashville was looking for some of the younger guys to step up and take their shot at an NHL roster spot. Veteran NHLers like Marcel Goc (San Jose), Ben Guite (Colorado), Peter Olvecky (Minnesota) and Ben Eaves (Finland) were all signed to two-way contracts but were meant to boost competition in training camp. Creative rookie center Cal O’Reilly had signed a two-way deal as well but was considered the lead candidate for the third line center position. And we haven’t even mentioned rookies Colin Wilson, Nick Spaling and Mike Santorelli yet.

There. We just did.

All of these players were fighting for roughly five open roster spots on head coach Barry Trotz’s club. Well today, we found out just who made the cut.

O’Reilly had a rough start and never really showed much until the final week of camp, which was too little too late. He cleared waivers and was sent down to Milwaukee. Trotz has said that he will have another chance to earn a call-up though. Frankly, if he can find his game again, he’s too valuable of a player to spend the entire year in the AHL.

As for Santorelli, he didn’t disapoint after being approached with the idea of moving to wing alongside David Legwand and Martin Erat. He ended up scoring five points in five games during the pre-season and made the coaching staff look like genius’s with their impromptu request.

Last years bust became this years homerun when Patric Hornqvist ended up leading the Preds in pre-season scoring. The much-maligned Swede who hadn’t scored a goal on NHL ice since last October netted two in the regular season tune-up sessions, both against as close to NHL rosters as possible: vs. Carolina on September 26 and at Columbus a day later. While he was basically handed the first line wing position last season, he outright earned his spot this year.

Of the veteran centers that had a realistic opportunity to start the 09-10 season in Nashville, only Goc and Guite stuck. Goc had an overly impressive camp and showed that he has plenty of offensive upside for a guy who will man the bottom of the roster throughout the season. Guite, a true role player in every sense of the word, earned a spot with his second NHL team thanks to his determination and work ethic. If anyone’s hard work could be coined “the Predator way,” Guite is that guy.

The defense had quite a battle of their own coming into camp after watching Greg Zanon and Ville Koistinen sign elsewhere. Former third round pick Cody Franson didn’t make the cut despite leading all Milwaukee blueliners in scoring last year. He was the odds-on favorite for one of the two open spots but a nose injury ate into his ice time with the team and, ultimately, the inactivity gave him a one-way ticket back to the Preds’ AHL affiliate.

Predators fans might remember Alexander Sulzer from last year. Unless, of course, they blinked. The 6’1″ German only saw three and a half periods worth of NHL action last year due to a shoulder injury. He may have been signed to a one-way deal over the summer but he never really stood out in training camp and finished with an even rating despite starting the pre-season a plus-4 in the first two games.

Teemu Laakso, considered by most to be third in the three-horse race for one of the two open spots, ended up being the lead horse. Laakso will most likely be paired with free agent signee, Francis Bouillon.

“The Cube,” as he’s affectionately known, missed the last half of the season last year due to an abdominal injury. He did manage to play one game for Montreal in the playoffs last year but, for all intents and purposes, he’s been out since February. He certainly came back with a bang though. Not known as a goal scorer, Bouillon netted the game-winner against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the final pre-season game of 2009. He also finished that game with a plus-2 rating. Not bad for missing most of training camp, eh?

Veterans Jason Arnott, JP Dumont, Steve Sullivan, Legwand and Erat will be counted on to lead the way up front, with guys like Goc, Santorelli, Hornqvist and Ryan Jones chipping in. Future Preds Wilson and O’Reilly will get their chance at the NHL level as well, it just might take them a little longer than most thought.

The blueline is anchored by Norris Trophy candidate Shea Weber along with Ryan Suter, Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Klein. Bouillon and Laakso will most likely fill out the bottom defensive pairing, despite the coaching staff on record saying Bouillon and Klein will rotate as the fourth defenseman as needed.

So, in summary: Today, officially, O’Reilly cleared waivers, Franson was sent down and Joel Ward and Wilson were both placed on injured reserve, putting the Nashville Predators roster at 21 as follows (in alphabetical order):

FORWARDS: Arnott, Wade Belak, Dumont, Erat, Goc, Guite, Hornqvist, Jones, Legwand, Santorelli, Jerred Smithson, Sullivan and Jordin Tootoo.

DEFENSEMEN: Bouillon, Hamhuis, Klein, Laakso, Suter and Weber.

GOALTENDERS: Dan Ellis and Pekka Rinne.

By the way, it’s anyone’s guess what forward lines three and four will look like. Just sayin’.

* As expected, Captain Jason Arnott and newly appointed alternate captain Steve Sullivan spent most of their time playing with JP Dumont. It was the only forward line that was consistent throughout.

* Dan Hamhuis was paired with leading rookie candidate Cody Franson for most of the day. Seeing as how most other players were in a constant rotation, it’s very obvious the coaching staff was looking to see what the combo of Hamhuis-Franson would look like.

* During the second half of Group A’s practice, JP Dumont went wide enough to run into the line of players on the boards and seemed to favor his right leg immediately after. Then, after returning without a hitch, Dumont caught a rut in the ice behind the net during 2-on-2′s and fell on top of the net. Obviously all minor things but today was not a good day for Dumont.

* Newcomer Marcel Goc skated well with Joel Ward and Jarred Smithson in seperate drills. Ward and Smithson also skated well together in their own pairing so look for that to be an early line come pre-season: Ward-Smithson-Goc.

* Remember this: off-season acquisition Ben Eaves loves to shoot the puck. That is all.

* Ryan Suter, a player not exactly trying to make the team, was livid at himself after a bad breakout pass early on, taking his stick and slapshoting a puck nearby against the boards. His attitude is already in the right place and it’s only the second day of on-ice activity. Could be a great indictation of things to come this season for him.

* Dan Ellis made an absolute highlight reel-calibur save on a wrist shot by Cal O’Reilly in the first half of Group B’s session. A rebound came right on the tape to O’Reilly while Ellis was clear on the other side of the crease. Ellis dove across and snatched the wrister out of mid-air. The crowd gave him a well-earned rousing ovation as a result.

* Jordin Tootoo is making no secret about the fact that he’s in a contract year. He was toe-dragging the puck and stick-handling all over the place. He even tried to duplicate this move by Pavel Bure but Ellis said no. All of his creative endevours didn’t find much success though. Obviously it’s only day two so it stands to reason that he’ll improve as he goes along but it’s very interesting to see what he thinks he’s going to bring to the table this year.

* David Legwand skated pretty consistently with his regular season linemate Martin Erat as well as center-turned-wing Mike Santorelli. Legwand, however, looked out of sorts quite a bit. He needs to get his legs back under him in time for the season otherwise it’ll be another slow start for the Preds first ever draft choice.

* Good news for Preds fans: Erat looks poised to return to his prime. He skated extremely well today and scored two amazingly precise goals on Ellis during the 2-on-2 drills.

* A name you won’t hear much (unless you’re in Milwaukee) is Andreas Thuresson. It’s worth noting that he displayed a wicked wrist shot in day two. Unfortunately, that’s about all he put on display.

* As far as the rookie group goes (Group C), there isn’t much to report other than 2009 1st round pick Ryan Ellis scored a great goal that showed a veteran sense of patience. During the 2-on-2 drills, he carried in from the blue line and wound up. Using the other player as a decoy, he held his wind-up until he was roughly a yard in front of goaltender Jeremy Smith. Both defensive players had cheated to the decoy so he finally put his stick down and slid it by the near post for a goal. The crowd offered up their 2nd, and final, cheer of the day.

DAY 2 STANDOUTS:

Returning Preds – Jarred Smithson, Joel Ward (when skating with Smithson), Dan Hamhuis, Dan Ellis and Martin Erat.

New Preds – Marcel Goc and Ben Eaves.

DAY 2 DUDS:

David Legwand and Cal O’Reilly.