Nashville is known for its tight defensive play, sizeable defensemen, and, of course, goaltender Pekka Rinne, a Vezina Trophy candidate in each of the last two seasons. One player to have found some success against this tough defensive team is Jeff Carter, who has produced seven goals and 14 points over 12 career games versus the Predators, against whom he has a lifetime 14.9 shooting percentage.
On whether Nashville’s defensive systems are noticeable, compared to other teams’ looks:
“Yeah, they play a tight game. They’ve always been like that under Trotz. They don’t give you a lot, so when you get a chance, you really have to make the most of it.”
On the recent power play success, compared to earlier in the year:
“I don’t really see too much difference. Obviously, we’re trying to get a few more shots to the net and get some bodies in front, but I think a few of our goals have been some lucky bounces here. Sometimes you need those to start going to get the confidence up a little bit. We’ve been working hard at it, so hopefully it keeps coming.”
On what was revealed by Tuesday’s win:
“It’s another step in the right direction. We played a pretty solid road game, I thought. We did a lot of good things. We were getting a lot more pucks to the net, getting some more traffic. We’re going to have to keep going at it.”
On whether this road trip is a good bonding experience:
“Yeah, it is. The majority of guys were away from each other for a while here, so it’s nice to get some road games here. We’ve got a few days off [after tonight] to kind of get together and relax and whatnot, so it should be good for us.”
On whether he expects a defensive battle versus Nashville:
“It usually is. Probably a 2-1 game.”
On his career success against Nashville, and whether he knows anything special about Pekka Rinne:
“Not really. It’s just kind of how it’s gone. Like I said, they play a really defensive game, so any time you get a chance against these guys, you’ve got to make it count.”
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