I Watched This Game: All the Action You Can Handle

Last night, the Nashville Predators had their home opener in which they would raise their first banner as last year's Western Conference Champions. There was no shortage of excitement and suspense on the evening from beginning to end. I watched this game.

• Before the Predators took on the Philadelphia Flyers, there was the matter of raising a banner to rafters, with former captain Mike Fisher and current captain Roman Josi meeting at the banner to help raise it.
• Josi was scratched from the game due to injury, meaning Samuel Girard was making his NHL debut.
• The much maligned power play, at least to start the season, gets off the schneid for the Predators, as Craig Smith was able to put one away. He will need to return to 20-goal status if the Preds hope for something more than just a Conference title this season.
• Smith's goal was all the scoring in the first period, and he also took a two minute minor for slashing late in the period.
• The Predators look like they're going to pull away, as Scott Hartnell and Nick Bonino score to make it 3-0 midway through the second period.
• No, it isn't going to be a blowout, as before Yannick Weber's penalty gets killed off, the Flyers get on the board thanks to Andrew MacDonald.
• Nolan Patrick follows it up with his first NHL goal to cut the lead to one. I like Nolan Patrick and think he another great player from the Brandon Wheat Kings system.
• PK Subban goes to the box for two, but the Preds kill it off. Unfortunately, they're caught for having too many men on the ice, and have to kill that off, too. Valtteri Filppula ties it up, and with that, it is game on after two periods, with the teams tied at 3.
• Travis Konecny speeds down the ice and puts the Flyers ahead.
• A questionable Hartnell penalty leads to another Filppula goal to make it 5-3 Flyers.
• Don't look now, but the Predators just woke up, as Filip Forsberg scored to make it 5-4 Flyers. 
• Dale Weise and MacDonald get two minutes each, making it a 5 on 3 power play for Nashville. Hartnell takes full advantage, and ties it up, or does he?
• The Flyers challenge that the play was offside, but get victimized by the Mike Sullivan Rule, and not only have the goal count, thus tying the game at 5, but also have to deal with the indignity of taking a 2 minute delay of game penalty. It's still 5 on 3, though one of the original penalties gets taken off because of the goal.
• Forsberg plays hero, as he nets the final tally of the game, as Nashville caps off a momentous evening with a 6-5 win.

The Predators haven't made things easy in the first three games of the season thus far, but getting that win, particularly in the way they did, should serve as a confidence booster for the rest of the season. No Josi for the game, and no Ryan Ellis until January meant the Predators have to still figure out their blue line situation. The good news is that Girard looks like another potential keeper for a team that just comes out with quality blue liners left and right.