Johnny Cash » fought off two match points and evened it at 5-5 wit

With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up are the Nashville Predators, looking at a new approach, with a new coach, for the first time since their inaugural season. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Central GM: David Poile Head Coach: Peter Laviolette 2013-14: 38-32-12 (6th in Central) Playoffs: Did not qualify Goals For: 216 (19th) Goals Against: 242 (23rd) Powerplay: 19.2% (12th) Penalty Kill: 80.2% (25th) That Was Then: The Predators 2013-14 season got off to a bad start when less than three weeks into the campaign goaltender Pekka Rinne was found to have an infection in his surgically repaired hip. The infection forced Rinne to miss four months of the season leaving the Predators to turn to Carter Hutton and Marek Mazanec between the pipes. Hutton and Mazanec were then given unenviable task of playing behind a defence that, though led by veteran Shea Weber, lacked experience. That inexperienced defence core featured 23-year-olds Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm and a€“ after a mid-season trade a€“ Michael Del Zotto all playing with 19-year-old first-round draft pick Seth Jones. Hutton posted a 20-11-4 record with a 2.62 goals against average and a .910 save percentage in 40 games. While Mazanec fared worse, posting a 8-10-4 record with a 2.80 GAA and .902 save percentage. The low point for the Predators came in November, when the team dropped consecutive games to the Winnipeg Jets, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins and were outscored 17-2 in the process. Rinne returned to the lineup in March, but he was unable to regain his usual form. He posted a career-worst .902 save percentage and 2.77 GAA. The Finnish netminder finished the season with a 10-10-3 record in 24 games. The team was on the outside looking in for a playoff spot once Rinne returned and despite earning at least a point in 11 of their final 12 games, the Predators finished three points behind the Dallas Stars for the final wild card playoff spot. Following the season, the Predators fired their lone coach in franchise history; Barry Trotz, who spent 15 seasons at the teama€?s helm. Scott Cullens Analytics Predators 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 2.45 3.15 6.2% .906 47.6% .500 21-41 2.57 2.95 6.8% .920 48.3% .500 42-62 2.52 3.14 7.6% .904 51.5% .500 63-82 3.45 2.60 11.3% .910 50.1% .600 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: A good power play helped Predators tread water despite below-average numbers across the board. Games 21-41: Carter Hutton had a decent stretch in net, but Predators still struggling. Games 42-62: Goaltending fell off, but possession improved notably, especially for D Seth Jones and RW Craig Smith. Games 63-82: Line of Matt Cullen, Mike Fisher and Patric Hornqvist led late-season scoring surge. Key 2014 Additions: C Olli Jokinen, RW James Neal, C Mike Ribeiro, C Derek Roy, D Anton Volchenkov Key 2014 Subtractions: D Michael Del Zotto, RW Patrick Eaves, RW Patric Hornqvist, C Nick Spaling This Is Now: The Predators enter the 2014 season with plenty of new faces, starting behind the bench with head coach Peter Laviolette. Laviolette is back in the league after being fired three games into the 2013-14 season as his Philadelphia Flyers started the year winless. He spent four seasons with the Flyers, missing the playoffs only once. Laviolette won the Stanley Cup as the head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. Along with Laviolette, Mike Ribeiro, Olli Jokinen, Derek Roy, Anton Volchenkov and James Neal are all new to Music City. Neal was acquired in the Predators biggest move of the off-season; a trade made during the first round of the NHL Draft which sent Neal to Nashville from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for forwards Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling. Hornqvist was one of four Predators to crack the 20-goal mark in 2013-14. With Neal comes the threat of a breakout scorer for the Predators, something that was sorely missing last season. Craig Smith led the Predators with 24 goals, while Weber was next-best with 23 from the blue line in 2013-14. Neal scored 27 goals in 59 games with the Penguins last season. Ribeiro, Jokinen and Roy fight for centre duties with Predators, a position race which is wide open due to the injury to Mike Fisher. The 34-year-old Fisher will miss the at least the beginning of the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon, suffered in July. The three free agent signees will fight for centre spots along with young guns Calle Jarnkrok and Filip Forsberg as well as the returning vet Paul Gaustad. Volchenkov adds experience to the still-developing majority of the Predators defence behind Weber and Roman Josi. However, the return of Rinne - who enters this season in full health - may provide the biggest boost for the Predators as they attempt to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2012. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Colin Wilson Mike Ribeiro James Neal Matt Cullen Olli Jokinen Craig Smith Gabriel Bourque Derek Roy Paul Gaustad Eric Nystrom Calle Jarnkrok Viktor Stalberg Filip Forsberg Austin Watson Richard Clune Taylor Beck Mike Fisher Colton Sissons Defence Left Right Roman Josi Shea Weber Mattias Ekholm Seth Jones Anton Volchenkov Ryan Ellis Victor Bartley Joe Piskula Anthony Bitetto Johan Alm Goaltenders Pekka Rinne Carter Hutton Marek Mazanec Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Filip Forsberg Filip has a combination of skill, power and intensity. The skill is evidenced with an excellent shot and release. He gets himself into scoring positions and challenges goaltenders. If the shot is closed down he can create a scoring chance with a very good sense of where other opportunities may be for his teammates. With quickness and agility in his skating, he is very difficult to defend. He utilizes his size to win battles for the puck and gain advantages along the boards and around the net. Filip has an undeniable determination in his game. From the tops of the circles down in the offensive zone he will not allow himself to be negated. He is determined to make a difference for his team and have a positive impact on winning. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - James Neal Over the past three seasons, only four players (Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, Corey Perry and Phil Kessel) have more goals than James Neals 88, but a lot of that has come while riding shotgun on Evgeni Malkins win in Pittsburgh. Moving to Nashville, Neal is a marquee offensive acquisition for the Predators, but doesnt have a playmaking centre anywhere near Malkins calibre feeding him the puck, so its going to be difficult to generate as many scoring chances as he did with the Penguins. Given the change in circumstances, its difficult to fathom Neal returning to the 40-goal pace that hes maintained over the past three seasons, but the question is how far will his numbers drop? In a healthy season, its possible that Neal could still score 30 goals and thats only happened four times in Nashville history, most recently in 2009-10 by Patric Hornqvist (who was part of the Neal trade this summer). Paul Pogba France Jersey . He chirped to the caddie of Brandt Snedeker about their money game, a Mickelson tradition at the majors. Lefty was in good spirits Monday at the British Open, except for having to return the claret jug. Steven Nzonzi France Jersey . - Jayden Hart scored once and set up two more as the Prince Albert Raiders downed the host Red Deer Rebels 5-3 on Tuesday to clinch the final Western Hockey League playoff berth. http://www.nationalfrancesoccer.com/djibril-sidibe-france-jersey/ .com) - The Winnipeg Jets placed defenceman Paul Postma on injured reserve Tuesday. Zinedine Zidane France Jersey . Trailing 5-4 in the third set, the 12th-ranked Isner fought off two match points and evened it at 5-5 with consecutive aces. The former University of Georgia star had his only service break of the match to go up 6-5 before firing the last four of his 30 aces to close out Ginepri, an Atlanta resident ranked 281st. Benjamin Mendy France Jersey . - Playing a road game against a division rival raises the intensity for linebacker Clay Matthews.MINNEAPOLIS - The game between the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins on Sunday has been postponed because of rain. No makeup date has been set. Detroit leads the AL Central, with Minneesota a game back.dddddddddddd Justin Verlander had been scheduled to start for the Tigers in the series finale. Kyle Gibson was to have pitched for the Twins. ' ' '