Monday, April 14, 2008

The prey become the Predator


They are by far the most unheralded collection in this years playoff derby, a team that at one time wasn’t even sure where they were going to call home or who they were going to play with. Off ice turmoil depleted their ranks of familiar players, changed the dynamic of the team and left the Nashville Predators nearly an afterthought for this past season, the only thing is that nobody bothered to tell the team not to bother.

As a team that facing the league champion Detroit Red Wings, weren’t given much of a thought to traveling too far on the playoff highway this year. Once again they seem not inclined to listen.

Here they are, three games in and still a going concern, having put a nasty scare into the Joe Louis crowd over the weekend, the Nashville Predators once at home turned things around in fine form. They put their stamp on the series with a convincing 5-3 victory, coming back once again from a two goal deficit to take over a game, this time taking the actual win as opposed to the usual moral victory.

The fans, who only a few months ago were feeling a little like temporary guardians are once again feeling that this is their team again, going so far as to head off to the local fishing holes to fetch em up a feed of catfish to match the folks in Detroit and their fancy octopus toss.

There’s still a ways to go before they can put away the Red Wings however, and the safe money would say that when it’s all said and done, the Wings will be the ones advancing. But considering Detroit’s occasional lapses in past playoff appearances, letting a team as dogged as the Predators back into the series and seeking the momentum from it could be a dangerous bit of misfortune.

Detroit will need to find a way to put the Preds away, stopping these heart stopping comebacks before they become to common an occurrence. These are Cats that are more than aware of how to make the best out of their nine lives...

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NHL.com-- Stats Pack

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