Living and Dying on Dirty Goals
Cole Smith and his linemates Michael McCarron and Ozzy Wiesblatt are setting the tone early for the Nashville Predators
Cole Smith was the first star of the game Thursday night as the Nashville Predators defeated the Vancouver Canucks in a 2-1 nail-biter. And for good reason. Not only did Smith scored the game-winning goal—the slowest goal we’ve seen dribble in behind a goalie so far this season—but the power play unit drove play all night long.
Smith, of course, is a fixture on the penalty kill unit that found itself fighting off five penalties, including 90 seconds of desperate 3-on-5 play. Seems important to mention that the Preds first goal came while short-handed by way of Ryan O’Reilly. On a team that seems to be struggling on the other side of the special teams equation (the power play is ranked dead-last in the NHL), it makes sense that the gritty, hard-chargers of the 4th line are leading the way.
I’ve never hidden the fact that I’m a die-hard fan of the 3rd pairing defenders, but it makes sense to add the 4th line to that list. Smith has been almost continuously on a line with Michael McCarron for a few seasons now and the two seem to have found their third musketeer in Ozzy Wiesblatt.
For lack of a better term, Wiesblatt plays like a wrecking ball—skates hard, goes to the hard areas, and seems to be willing to mix it up with any and all takers. Wiesblatt seems to relish planting himself in the crease after a whistle and is happy to face the onslaught of opponents who seek to remove him. Combined with McCarron’s size and notoriety for dropping the gloves, this 4th line is one fans love and opponents hate. If that doesn’t sounds like a recipe for success, you may not appreciate the role of the 4th line.
After the game on Thursday night, we had an opportunity to talk to Smith. When asked about his line producing a goal (even if it was a “dirty” goal), he replied, “we’re gonna live and die on dirty goals.”
When asked about his line’s style of play, he commented, “when we’re playing well, we’re very stingy. We’re making the right plays. What you saw tonight is how we have to play to win games.”
Smith had a lot of praise for Wiesblatt as well, “he’s forming to our identity. He’s a gritty player. He’s going to play hard every night. That’s what we love about him. If he’s going to make a mistake, he’s going hard and we can live with that all night long.”
Head Coach Andrew Brunette, however, had praise for the entire line. “since I’ve been here, Big Mac and Smitty…and now they’ve got Ozzy, they’re kind of the identity line of our team,” Brunette started, “they’re a little bit of the driver, especially when they’re playing like they did tonight and for most of the year.”
Brunette explained that their line set the tone in the 3rd period from the first shift. He praised the line again, “they were really good tonight and they’ve been really good all year. It’s nice to see them get rewarded. They get so many chances and it was nice to see one go in for them.”
For a team that’s struggling to establish an identity, getting behind this line is a great way to start building toward one for the entire team. I’m looking forward to seeing the chemistry develop with Wiesblatt. With his introduction to the 4th line, I think the dynamic duo of Smith and McCarron may have found a kindred spirit.
Cole Smith and his linemates will have a chance to get gritty again on Saturday against the Los Angeles Kings.
-images courtesy of Nashville Predators/John Russell