Good vs. Bad, Hockey Style

I went to the Nashville Predators game 6 hockey game against Chicago last Monday and saw perhaps one of the most agonizing games of hockey ever. I watched the Preds blow a game that they could have easily won, and until this weekend, was trying to understand how. This led me to discover the true difference between good and bad hockey. Watching the San Jose Sharks play the Detroit Red Wings defined my definition of good hockey: precise defensemen, aggressive forwards, and outstanding goalies. The Preds lack these three items. Pekka Rinne is okay at best, shining only at times. I can't call him good after I saw him misread a puck sent in from the red line by Patrick Kane, going to the side of the net to play it and then watching it blow right into the net. Although Ryan Suter and Shea Webber are high-end defensemen, they are inconsistent in accuracy. If you watch Brian Rafalski and Nick Lidstrom, you will see two flawless defensemen who rarely ever miss the net with a slapshot. Finally, it was agonizing to see pass after pass after pass by the Preds' forwards, most of which kept getting intercepted. San Jose's Joe Pavelski and Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk are agressive, and although sometimes guess wrong, score way more often than pass-happy Steve Sullivan. Also, when San Jose's goalie gave up a rebound, there were about 3 Sharks there to slap it away from a second chance opportunity. The Preds were plagued by second chance opportunities, and it was commonplace to see 3 Blackhawks in front of Rinne rather than Preds. Hockey played at an imperfect level will get teams like the Preds eaten up, and it was a miracle that they challenged the Blackhawks like they did.