Vokoun Steadies Preds - NHL Hockey News, Tips And Picks

Vokoun Steadies Preds
By Rich Carlson
Posted: 4:00 am PDT 2006-11-07

The Nashville Predators' 2005-06 playoff hopes were dashed when starting goaltender Tomas Vokoun was ruled out of postseason play with a blood disorder. Vokoun is completely healthy this season and is the main reason why the Predators are currently tied for first place in the Central Division. Vokoun has posted a sparkling 7-2 record this season and has won 7 of his past 8 starts.

The Predators currently own a 9-3-1 record and have gone 9-0-1 in their past 10 games. What is most impressive about the Predators' fast start is their 7-2-0 record in road games. Nashville's 3.46 goals per game average is third best in the NHL, and its offensive attack is one of the most balanced units in the league. The Predators have three players with 5 or more goals (Jason Arnott, Scott Hartnell and Steve Sullivan) and 12 players who have scored two or more goals this season. If there is one area of concern for Nashville fans it is the team's inability to kill off power plays effectively, as the Predators currently rank 27th in the NHL with a 78.7% penalty kill rate.

With a healthy Vokoun between the pipes and a balanced offensive attack, the Predators should remain near the top of the Central standings and could make some noise in the playoffs.

Burnin' Down The House
San Jose G Vesa Toskala has posted a 7-1 record with a stellar 2.12 goals against average and .922 save percentage this season.... After a slow start, Tampa Bay C Vincent Lecavalier has found his scoring touch and currently ranks 3rd in the NHL with 19 points, including 7 points in his last two games.... New York Rangers LW Brendan Shanahan is tied for the league lead in goals with 12.

Cold As Ice
Phoenix G Curtis Joseph has a 2-6 record this season with a 4.40 GAA and .859 save percentage.... The Philadelphia Flyers are 2-8-0 in their last 10 games, while the Columbus Blue Jackets are 3-7-0 in their last 10.... There are three NHL teams with a power-play conversion rate of less than 10%: division-leading Detroit (9.2%), Philadelphia (8.9%) and Ottawa (8.5%).

Significant Transactions
No significant transactions to report.

Injury Report
Buffalo RW Maxim Afinogenov left Saturday night's game with Toronto with an apparent separated shoulder and is out up to 3 weeks. Afinogenov currently ranks 3rd in the NHL with 19 points, and his absence will definitely put a damper on the Sabres' red-hot start. ... Rangers fans should be concerned that RW Jaromir Jagr appeared to tweak his injured shoulder in the later stages of the Rangers' loss to Buffalo on Sunday. Losing Jagr for any period of time would be devastating to the Rangers, so NHL betting fans should keep a close eye on Jagr's health.... Calgary C Stephane Yelle was placed on injured reserve with a leg injury and will be out until at least early December.

Betting Odds Update
Many NHL betting fans were surprised that Nashville started off the year as a +2500 favorite to win the Stanley Cup. The Predators' fast start has caused many sportsbooks to lower their odds on Nashville winning the Cup to between +1200 and +1500

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