When the Vancouver Canucks take the ice tonight at Sommet Center, they'll do so after having played a game in Chicago and flown to Nashville in the past 24 hours.
Playing back-to-back games is by no means a new concept in the NHL, but the Predators have seemingly benefited this season from getting more than half their opponents on the back end of back-to-back games.
Heading into tonight, the Preds are 9-3-1 when playing teams that have played the night before, 4-7-1 against teams that have had at least a night's rest.
The Predators, on the other hand, have only played in two sets of back-to-back games this season, winning one back-end game and losing the other. Things will change later this month, when Nashville will play three sets of back-to-backs during a 10-day stretch.
"It's just a scheduling quirk right now, and I'm sure there will be a time in the schedule where we'll be the tired team,'' Predators Coach Barry Trotz said. "But it's probably an overrated (concept) anyway. Sometimes you lose that first game and you're more desperate in the second game and you play better.''
Advantage of rest
There are a few obvious advantages to playing a team that played the night before:
? The opponent has almost always had to travel, since teams almost never play back-to-back contests at home.
? The opponent has had less than 24 hours to recover from any bumps, bruises and serious injuries suffered in that game.
? Often the opponent will give the starting goalie a night off in the second game, especially if he had a heavy workload in the first game or is prone to injury.
For instance, there's a chance the Predators would face back-up Vancouver keeper Curtis Sanford tonight, as opposed to starter Roberto Luongo. Considering Luongo was recently named the NHL's first star of the week, while Sanford has a 1-3 record against Nashville, it might make a difference.
"Maybe in the goaltending department there's an advantage because sometimes you don't see the No. 1,'' Trotz said. "But it seems like we have still been seeing the No. 1 most of the time, so you can't really say that.''
Matters of flow
Some Predators believe teams playing for the second time in as many nights actually have advantages.
Captain Jason Arnott said it's easier for the team that played the previous night to get into the flow of a game, as opposed to a team that might have to work itself into a rhythm.
"For me, playing in the second half of back-to-back games, you always feel looser,'' Arnott said. "You might feel a little more tired as the game goes on. But at the start, you're warm and loose and ready to go because you played the night before.''
Said goalie Chris Mason: "I'd rather play back-to-back than have four days off between games.''
The Predators certainly seemed to enjoy playing in the second half of back-to-back games last season. They went 13-3-3 in those games. Go figure.
"We did have a good record, but it's still tough,'' Arnott said.
Playing back-to-back games is by no means a new concept in the NHL, but the Predators have seemingly benefited this season from getting more than half their opponents on the back end of back-to-back games.
Heading into tonight, the Preds are 9-3-1 when playing teams that have played the night before, 4-7-1 against teams that have had at least a night's rest.
The Predators, on the other hand, have only played in two sets of back-to-back games this season, winning one back-end game and losing the other. Things will change later this month, when Nashville will play three sets of back-to-backs during a 10-day stretch.
"It's just a scheduling quirk right now, and I'm sure there will be a time in the schedule where we'll be the tired team,'' Predators Coach Barry Trotz said. "But it's probably an overrated (concept) anyway. Sometimes you lose that first game and you're more desperate in the second game and you play better.''
Advantage of rest
There are a few obvious advantages to playing a team that played the night before:
? The opponent has almost always had to travel, since teams almost never play back-to-back contests at home.
? The opponent has had less than 24 hours to recover from any bumps, bruises and serious injuries suffered in that game.
? Often the opponent will give the starting goalie a night off in the second game, especially if he had a heavy workload in the first game or is prone to injury.
For instance, there's a chance the Predators would face back-up Vancouver keeper Curtis Sanford tonight, as opposed to starter Roberto Luongo. Considering Luongo was recently named the NHL's first star of the week, while Sanford has a 1-3 record against Nashville, it might make a difference.
"Maybe in the goaltending department there's an advantage because sometimes you don't see the No. 1,'' Trotz said. "But it seems like we have still been seeing the No. 1 most of the time, so you can't really say that.''
Matters of flow
Some Predators believe teams playing for the second time in as many nights actually have advantages.
Captain Jason Arnott said it's easier for the team that played the previous night to get into the flow of a game, as opposed to a team that might have to work itself into a rhythm.
"For me, playing in the second half of back-to-back games, you always feel looser,'' Arnott said. "You might feel a little more tired as the game goes on. But at the start, you're warm and loose and ready to go because you played the night before.''
Said goalie Chris Mason: "I'd rather play back-to-back than have four days off between games.''
The Predators certainly seemed to enjoy playing in the second half of back-to-back games last season. They went 13-3-3 in those games. Go figure.
"We did have a good record, but it's still tough,'' Arnott said.
