Scoring up, but results same for Preds

LOS ANGELES - While the NHL takes its All-Star break this season here a few games past the actual half-way point in the season, it is time for the Nashville Predators to spend the next four days resting, recuperating and re-evaluating.

So far it has been an unexpected season for the Predators who may be playing better in its fourth season than the franchise ever has but may have less to show for it at the end of the season in terms of their record, points and standing in the Western Conference.

The Predators have found a way to score more goals this season making them a more exciting team to watch. Youngsters like rookie Martin Erat, Denis Arkhipov, Scott Hartnell, David Legwand and newcomer Andy Delmore have made the net more accessible for the Predators. All of this is encouraging for the future, and it is safe to say the future is not now.

Erat and Arkhipov have been streaky scorers, though both will get better with age. Arkhipov, with his height and weight, should one day be major force on the ice.

Legwand, who shows signs of the skating and shooting skills that made him the franchise's No. 1 draft pick on some nights, only to slip into the background for extended periods, is admitted still young, but should be making more strides to become the leader he is expected to be.

Hartnell, even younger than Legwand, has shown a higher skill level than many experts might have once expected of him. He has also not been afraid to mix it up with the opposition. His skills and grit are gaining him a strong reputation around the league. It will be interesting to see the comments Friday night when both Hartnell and Legwand will be on display here in the first ever YoungStars Game at the Staples Center as part pf All-Star Weekend festivities. The general consensus around the league is that Hartnell's rep is better than Legwand's. When Predators captain Tom Fitzgerald one day takes the "C" off of his jersey don't be surprised if it is given to Hartnell.

Despite the youth movement, it has to be noted that Cliff Ronning, the diminutive veteran, leads the team in most offensive categories. Where would this team be without "The Rat."

The Predators are known for their skating speed and general finesse on the ice. To make it to the next level, i.e. the playoffs, they have to be more physical. General manager David Poile knows the team needs a couple of bulky players with some skills, but finding them is another matter.

Just how much the Predators need some muscle has been evident in the way the team has been pushed around with Scott Walker and enforce Stu Grimson sidelined with post-concussion problems. Don't expect to see either one in a game this season, though if the luck for both players changes they may get another month out of the season.

Many have felt Grimson didn't live up to his hype, but he was on a different team with the Predators. Instead of fighting with abandon, he was told by the coaches to make sure that if he want to the penalty box that his sparring partner went with him. Grimson, in some cases, didn't have to throw a fist to be effective. His reputation was enough to keep many of the enforcers around the league sleepless the nights before they had to play him.

Goaltenders Mike Dunham And Tomas Vokoun have been solid goaltenders this season with both bordering on outstanding at times while also struggling on occasion. Chat room talk has Dunham going to Boston possibly, but that's all it is at this stage...talk. The Predators have a backlog of goalies that is going to get even deeper once Brian Finley completely recovers from his groin woes. A goaltender might be moved as part of a package for a scorer with some size but don't expect Dunham to be in the mix.

Defensively, the Predators have made life for Dunham and Vokoun a tougher in several games. Veteran Bill Houlder, often maligned by fans, is the team leader in plus-minus ratings this season. Kimmo Timonen continues to be a force while Karlis Skrastins sacrifices his body to block shots. Delmore has surpassed anyone's expectations and will soon break the record for most goals scored by a Predators defenseman. He still is working on his defensive skills and has not been quite the liability he was sometimes with the Philadelphia Flyers.

At the break this is a team that could still be in the playoff hunt if only it could find some consistency. Home success has been snuffed by road struggles and a short spurt of solid play on the road at Carolina and Philadelphia faded into one of the more dismal home performances of the season last Saturday against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

What Coach Barry Trotz said earlier this season remains true. This is a better team and a more exciting team because it is younger. And it is worst team and more frustrating team at time because it is younger.

Only time will make up for many of the defiencies of this team. It is simply a matter of how long everyone is willing to wait.