Defense needs to step up again

Defense is Nashville's model for winning games. When the Predators are keeping the puck out of the net, they're tough to beat. When they're letting it in, they have some trouble. Since the All-Star break, the Predators have turned into a porous defensive unit, allowing more than three goals in four of five games. It happened again Thursday when the Ottawa Senators defeated Nashville 4-3.

In five games before the All-Star break, the Predators allowed seven goals -- that's good for less than one per game. In the five games since the break, they've more than doubled that total with 16 goals.

It is a long season, but Nashville is falling back into some bad habits. In four of those five contests, Nashville's opposition has scored first. When Nashville trails first, it has just a .357 winning percentage.

Granted, it's not like the Predators are not getting points. Nashville is 2-2-1 since the All-Star break, a respectable mark for a team in a slump. But the Predators have some lofty goals of catching Detroit in the Central, and possibly finishing atop the Western Conference. The Predators will have to limit this cold stretch in order to keep pace with the rest of the top teams in the West.

It won't get any easier Saturday when Nashville takes on the Boston Bruins. The defending Stanley Cup champs have the type of big, strong lineup that gives the Predators problems.

Copyright (C) 2012 The Sports Xchange. All Rights Reserved.