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The Nashville Predators are in an unfamiliar position: looking up at the top eight. You have to go all the way back to the 2008-2009 season to find the last time that the Predators finished outside of the playoffs. They're in 13th place right now with 38 points, and are two games under .500. They haven't gotten the super tight defense that they're known for, Pekka Rinne hasn't gotten nearly enough support, and goals are at a premium.
But damn, that Martin Erat for Filip Forsberg trade really is going to work out for the Preds in the future, so maybe they just write this season off, get another good pick in this year's draft, and look forward to next year.
Naah. This is a Barry Trotz coached team. They're going to play tough hockey until the end of the year, and the Blues better be prepared for that tonight. It won't be a 6-1 loss like the last time these two teams met, because Brian Elliott is actually playing hockey again instead of doing whatever in the heck he was doing before.
Enjoy some hockey tonkin' tonight, and check back later today for a game preview, some road music, and the game day thread. Remember: April hockey's way more fun than April baseball; watch the Blues tonight, dammit.