Nashville is obsessed with Jeff Carter’s big stick

Tonight, the Predators host the Kings, and I have no idea how this game will go. Nashville and LA look similar so far: defensively-focused teams with mediocre blue line play right now, two Vezina-nominated goalies looking to get past shaky season starts (SV% – Quick’s .896 vs Rinne’s .887), and forwards averaging about the same amount of goals per game (LA’s 2.14 vs NSH’s 2.17).

Slight advantages are where it’s at for the moment. Thankfully, there’s still time to make at least 500,000 more “Perds” jokes. The Kings are also 3-1-1 in their last five games against the Predators. Most importantly, Jeff Carter’s playing, and he strikes fear into every Nashville heart thanks to how great he is at shaming their goalkeeping.

It probably won’t be free hat night at Bridgestone Arena. Carter’s had three-goal games while playing the Predators during each of the last two seasons.

Look, one of them even happened while he was still part of the Columbus Blue Jackets. That’s just sad. Carter was a hollowed out shell of a person while on that team, and he still showed the Predators up.

A flower struggling to grow in concrete.

There’s no guarantee that career hat trick number six is coming tonight, but point and laugh anyway, because making sure it doesn’t happen is one of Nashville’s biggest offensive concerns.