Pittsburgh vs. Nashville - 2/14/10 - Game Preview

Pittsburgh Penguins Overall: 36-22-3-75
Home: 18-10-2-38

Nashville Predators
Overall: 32-23-5-69
Road: 16-12-3-35

Pittsburgh Penguins (36-22-3-75) vs. Nashville Predators (32-23-5-69)

Where: Mellon Arena
When: Sunday, February 14, 1 p.m.
Radio: WXDX Radio, FM 105.9
TV: FSN Pittsburgh, the game will be broadcast in HD, available on Armstrong 179, Atlantic Broadband 782, Citizen 737, Comcast 226/774, DISH 428, DirecTV 659 and Verizon Fios 576.

Nashville is a perennial playoff contender despite playing in one of the National Hockey League’s smallest markets. Before missing the postseason last year, when they slipped to fifth-place in the Central Division, the Predators had qualified for the playoffs in four straight seasons. They are back on pace to make the postseason field this year, as they currently sit in seventh place in the Western Conference despite losing nine of their previous 12 games.

This will mark the only meeting in 2009-10 between the Penguins and Nashville Predators. These two teams squared off once last season, with the Predators storming back from a 3-0 second-period deficit to defeat the Penguins, 5-3, in Nashville. David Legwand and Martin Erat each tallied a goal and an assist for the Predators, while Sidney Crosby picked up two assists for Pittsburgh.

	PIT	NSH		PIT	NSH
G	Crosby (41)	Hornqvist (23)	PP	Crosby (11)	Hornqvist (8)
A	Malkin (43)	Dumont (25)	SH	Staal/Malkin (2)	Smithson (2)
PTS	Crosby (76)	Hornqvist (37)	W/L	Fleury (29-16-3)	Rinne (20-12-4)
PIM	Cooke (79)	Smithson (50)	GAA	Fleury (2.64)	Ellis (2.58)
+/-	Staal (+16)	Hornqvist/Franson (+11)	SVP	Johnson (.912)	Ellis (.913)

Pounce on a Struggling Squad: Much like the New York Rangers on Friday, Nashville enters Sunday’s contest a struggling hockey team – losers of nine of their past 12 contests. After the Penguins allowed the Rangers to skate away with a 3-2 overtime victory, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby said Pittsburgh “probably got what we deserved.” Don’t expect the Penguins to make the same mistake twice.

Puck Management: The Penguins have talked repeatedly over the past month how they want to be a better team managing the puck. Turnovers will be huge against the Predators, who rank fourth in the league with 510 takeaways. Nashville might not be the highest scoring team in the league, but if the Penguins give them quality chances from high-percentage areas, the Predators do have their share of guys who can make Pittsburgh pay for those turnovers.

Forwards
Kunitz-Crosby-Guerin
Dupuis-Malkin-Fedotenko
Cooke-Staal-Kennedy
Rupp-Letestu-Adams

Defense
Gonchar-Eaton
Orpik-Letang
McKee-Goligoski

Netminder
Fleury

	F Eric Godard, groin (2-4 weeks) F Maxime Talbot, undisclosed (day-to-day)

	F Marcel Goc, upper body (day-to-day) D Cody Franson, broken rib (injured reserve)

Sergei Gonchar Pittsburgh’s top-scoring defenseman has notched 13 points (3G-13A) over his past 16 games, including assists in three of his past four games.	Joel Ward Nashville’s emerging power forward has picked up five points (4G-1A) over his last seven games, including tallies in three straight from Feb. 4-9.

Last Meeting: Jan. 8, 2009
NSH 5 - PIT 3

Game Highli ghts

AP Recap

Penguins-Predators Game Notes

Penguins Report: 2/13/10 Practice

Shero Has Fond Memories of Time in Nashville
Pittsburgh Penguins Roster
Nashville Predators Roster

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Sergei Gonchar

Joel Ward