Predators coach rips forwards

CALGARY, Alberta — Predators Coach Barry Trotz ripped the effort of his forwards after Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Calgary Flames, saying he didn't think he got enough from some of them.

"The guys who should be our workers and our energy guys didn't give us much tonight," Trotz said. "For me that was a big disappointment."

One player who escaped Trotz's wrath was forward Martin Erat, who scored a goal and added an assist on Ryan Suter's tally. Erat has four points in his last four games.

"I thought Marty Erat had an exceptional game for us," Trotz said.

Despite the multi-point performance, Erat was less than enthused with the result.

"It doesn't matter if I score five goals or one," Erat said. "It doesn't do anything for us. It was a big game, and it hurts right now."

Dueling Finns: One of Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne's main strengths is his ability to keep his emotions in check.

But ask Rinne whether playing fellow Finn and Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff motivates Rinne a little bit more and he agrees.

"Yeah, I think so," Rinne said. "Obviously he's one of the top goalies. I guess I try not to think about it. You always want to win those games and be up for the challenge."

Kiprusoff is considered the biggest name in Finnish goaltending. He won the 2006 Vezina Trophy, awarded to the NHL's best goalie. He also led the Flames to the 2004 Stanley Cup finals.

"I think he's probably the first Finnish superstar goalie," Rinne said. "That has a lot to do with it, that '04 run."

Rinne had 33 saves Sunday, and Kiprusoff had 21.

Dumont scratched: http://predators.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8464957">J.P. Dumont was scratched for the fourth straight game. Despite not inserting him in the lineup, Trotz praised Dumont's handling of not playing every night.

"He's been a really good pro. I try to talk to him a little bit. He knows the situation game by game and he's probably not happy with the decision, and I understand that," Trotz said. "He's a proud guy and a terrific guy with our team, and he's involved in the community. Those are always tough decisions."

Iggy consistency: Jarome Iginla's penalty-shot goal in the second period was his 30th of the season. With the score he became the 10th player in NHL history to have scored 30 or more goals in 10 straight seasons.

Gelinas enjoys management: It makes sense that Martin Gelinas has been with the Predators every step of this trip through western Canada. The Predators' director of player development lives in Calgary and has ties with every team here.

He won a Stanley Cup with Edmonton in 1990, and he went to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals with Vancouver in 1994 and Calgary in 2004.

"Any time you win and go far, especially in a Canadian market, they embrace their hockey," Gelinas said.

Gelinas finished his NHL playing career with the Predators in 2007-08 and is in his second year in his management role. His duties include traveling around North America to talk to and provide updates on Predators prospects.

"They're still young people, and they'll need some mentoring. They'll need someone to talk to, sometimes outside of their junior team or college," Gelinas said. "I'm there for them. It's to assess their progress."