Got The Trotz

San Jose held on last night for a 3-2 win, pushing their Western Conference quarterfinal series lead to three games to one.

And there's only one man to blame: Head coach Barry Trotz.

The overtly aggressive, borderline illegal forechecking style which made the first two games of the series in Nashville so entertaining was conspicuously absent in the last two contests in San Jose.

Why the switch was made, we might never know until the Sharks win that elusive fourth game and Trotz is left under the harsh truth of the camera eye to explain himself. Nonetheless, the Predators did not attack the puck as they had while garnering a split in the Music City. Instead, it appeared that Nashville tried to play a tentative, puck-control game, hoping to minimize turnovers and takeaways - ignoring the fact that San Jose is the bigger team, and can force turnovers and flip to a strong transition game themselves.

The ultimate result is only three goals scored in 120 minutes of hockey, contrasted with nine goals scored in 148 minutes in the comfort of home ice. The organization should thank its stars that Game 5 switches back to Nashville tomorrow night. The old rule from the 1990's in series with 2,000 miles between host cities used to be a 2-3-2 breakdown instead of a 2-2-1-1-1. If that were the case, Nashville would surely see a quick playoff exit in the Shark Tank. Still, winning that fifth game on the road is not outside the realm of possibility for the hungry Sharks.

Apparently, more than one Sharks player in the post-game noted that the Preds tried to make the game into a "track meet," hockey slang for a style of play which dictates the puck carriers try to freely move the puck up ice by quick passing through all three zones, instead of just clearing in the defensive zone or playing dump-and-chase in the offensive zone. It's a bit of a backhand slap at the opposition, because the accusation frames the Predators as a team less willing to pay the price in the corners and battle for puck possession.

There may be a grain of truth to that, and it speaks to the faults of the coaching game plan.

Coming into this series, my prediction was that Nashville would learn from its mistakes in last year's opening round five-game loss to San Jose, but only outlast the Sharks in a game seven in Nashville. The Preds also had home-ice for that series in a four-five pairing, won the first game, then were systematically separated from the puck in four straight losses. Trotz certainly had a deeper squad this time around with the additions of J.P. Dumont, Jason Arnott, and the trade-deadline deal for Peter Forsberg. However, even without the speedy Steve Sullivan at their disposal, the Sharks shouldn't have had such an easy time these last two games.

Fans in Tennessee's capital are on a steep learning curve, and the fact that a hockey lifer in David Poile is the general manager means that Trotz is on thin ice. Gone is the attachment of Trotz being an idenitifiable face for a brand new franchise. He has presided over the Predators since their first game in 1998, but he now has the albatross of a 4-11 playoff record across his shoulders.

That first series loss to Detroit in 2004 was a novelty, the city flush with the thrill of a "winner" in town, but these last two series with San Jose are doing more to expose Trotz as a mediocre coach than lifting the neutral zone trap from coaching plans ever could.

Yes, I am saying that the players Poile has brought in have done more to boost the team's fortunes than Trotz's coaching skills.

Think about it - where would he be if not for the fortuitous Steve Sullivan deal, Paul Kariya's two-year contract after the cancelled season, Philly's abysmal season which produced Forsberg, and Buffalo's cap problems which netted them J.P. Dumont? Now, from what I have observed over the last two postseasons, it is not the players' collective faults, and it is certainly not for lack of effort or leadership skills.

Every team which pulls itself from the dregs of expansion and hopes to become a contender hits a plateau, and needs something which spurs it to greater heights. For championship teams, it is usually That One Player, or a year in which they suffer a crushing playoff defeat to a bitter rival. Barry Trotz was a good keeper of the flame for the franchise's infancy and childhood.

A superstar like Paul Kariya showed tremendous faith in the new financial system and in the viability of small markets when he chose to step away from Anaheim and Colorado to get a deal done in Nashville two summers ago. The least management can do now is show the fans that they are serious about winning and hire a coach with a better pedigree.

The franchise needs new hands to guide them through the painful adolescent years into full maturity. Otherwise they may be stuck in a never-ending loop of consistent winning seasons without the satisfaction of postseason success - something which we in Philadelphia know all too well.