Nashville Predators
(43-28-6
Minnesota Wild
Hoodies Authentic , second in the Central Division) vs. Pittsburgh
Penguins (42-24-11, third in the Metropolitan Division)Pittsburgh; Friday, 7
p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh into a matchup with
Nashville. He ranks seventh in the league with 94 points, scoring 33 goals and
totaling 61 assists.The Penguins are 21-13-3 at home. Pittsburgh is fourth in
the Eastern Conference averaging 3.4 goals per game, led by Jake Guentzel with
38.The Predators are 20-15-4 on the road. Nashville has scored 31 power-play
goals, converting on 12.7 percent of chances. In their last meeting on March 21,
Pittsburgh won 2-1.TOP PERFORMERS: Guentzel leads the Penguins with 38 goals,
adding 33 assists and collecting 71 points. Phil Kessel has totaled eight
assists over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.LAST 10 GAMES: Predators:
6-3-1
Minnesota Wild Hats
Authentic , averaging 2.3 goals, 3.6 assists, 3.5 penalties and 7.6
penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game with a .923 save
percentage.Penguins: 6-2-2, averaging 2.8 goals, 4.3 assists, 3.5 penalties and
7.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game with a .935 save
percentage.Penguins Injuries: Zachary Aston-Reese: out (lower body), Chad
Ruhwedel: out (upper body), Kris Letang: day to day (upper body).Predators
Injuries: Rocco Grimaldi: day to day (upper body). NEW YORK (AP) — Washington
Capitals forward Tom Wilson’s 20-game suspension for an illegal check to an
opponent’s head in a preseason game was upheld by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman
on Thursday.In a 31-page decision announced a week after Wilson’s nearly 7?-hour
appeal
hearing
Custom
Minnesota Wild Jerseys , Bettman determined that the initial ruling by the
Department of Player Safety on Oct. 3 “was supported by clear and convincing
evidence.”The NHL Players’ Association appealed on Wilson’s behalf, arguing that
his hit did not break a rule and so there should have been no suspension at all
— but that if there were to be one, 20 games was “excessive” and eight would
have been more appropriate.The right winger, who plays on the reigning Stanley
Cup champions’ top line with Alex Ovechkin, can now appeal to a neutral
arbitrator.Wilson was ejected for his hit on St. Louis Blues center Oskar
Sundqvist in the second period of the teams’ exhibition game on Sept. 30,
causing a concussion, cuts to the face and a sprained right shoulder.Wilson’s
fourth ban in less than 13 months is costing him nearly a quarter of the 82-game
regular season — only five NHL players have been suspended longer for on-ice
play — and $1.26 million in salary.The video released earlier this month to
explain the punishment says: “Wilson delivers a high, forceful
hit
www.officialcanadiensprostore.com ,
which makes Sundqvist’s head the main point of contact on a hit where such head
contact was avoidable and causes an injury.” It also admonishes him for taking
“a poor angle of approach.” In the original ruling, the league noted that Wilson
“is considered a repeat offender” — and, indeed, this is hardly the first time
the sixth-year player has been in trouble for the way he has taken out an
opponent. He was suspended twice because of preseason hits a year ago, then had
to sit out three games during the playoffs for a check to the head that broke
Pittsburgh Penguins center Zach Aston-Reese’s jaw and caused a concussion.During
its appeal, the NHLPA contested the characterization of Wilson as a repeat
offender, saying that a preseason ban should be treated the same as a fine, and
that his postseason ban’s duration was “improperly inflated” by “according more
weight to the value of the playoff games missed due to a prior suspension.” The
union also argued that if the hit was
illegal
Montreal
Canadiens T-Shirts Authentic , it was improper “by mere inches.”Bettman
ruled that Sundqvist’s head was the main point of contact and that such contact
was avoidable on the play.“Head checks are a matter of great concern to the
league, our clubs and our players,” Bettman wrote.The Capitals see Wilson as a
vital part of the franchise, and general manager Brian MacLellan — who testified
at the appeal hearing — signed him to a $31 million, six-year contract this
offseason.Wilson doubled his career high with 14 goals and set a new mark with
35 points last season, when he was the only NHL forward with 30-plus points and
90-plus penalty minutes, finishing with 187 and a league-high 41 minors. Then he
contributed 15 points in 21 games during Washington’s run to its first
championship.