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Back in Business: Preds take Game 3

Just a few things that caught my eye:

  • So ... the catfish hit the ice with Craig Smith's third-period goal. I'd hate to have been sitting beside the guy with that smelly thing taped to his body or shoved in his pants. That guy better stay away from the local feral cat colony as he walks home. Peee-yew.
  • Zero. Ziltch. Nada. That's the number of shots by 87 and 71, combined. I don't think I remember a playoff game where that happened. Until now.

  • Jake Guentzel is now one goal from tying HOFer Dino Ciccarelli's NHL rookie record for snipes (14). He's already ahead of Maurice Richard (12). Guentzel clearly has a nose for the net, but I think I'll withhold judgement on his talent for at least a few more years.
  • Pekka Rinne was still sloppy in the net, but his athleticism kept him in plays. But I know you held your breath, just like me, after the second shot of the game found twine.
  • Viktor Arvidsson scored 31 goals in the regular season, but hasn't sniped in 15 games. Can the Preds win if he and Filip Forsberg can't score? Forsberg has no goals this series.
  • Matt Murray would like the James Neal goal back, but the rest were the result of screens. But it looks like the Preds may have found his Kryptonite. Shelf blocker, then shelf glove. Hmmmm ...
  • Matt Irwin was only getting a few shifts in at the end of the game when Phil Kessel assaulted him. Kessel might have been suspended if it was the regular season.
  • Roman Josi clearly hit reboot after two bad games in Pittsburgh. His first two games were forgetable. But that second period was sublime.
  • Gnash has to be one of the best mascots in the NHL. But the dude is an injury waiting to happen. It's not smart to stand on the top of a 20-foot stepladder, waving a flag, on any day. But inside a giant furry head?
  • Is this the beginning of the turnaround? The Preds have been the better team for all but about 10 minutes of this series, but are still down 2-1.