Alexander Radulov has been criticized by the media for his defensive shortcomings in the second round. Radulov has a minus-three rating in his last two contests. He also has an assist in that span, but his team is down 2-0 in their series against Phoenix. With Nashville's season in serious jeopardy, they need Radulov to step up and be a leader for the team. He did has a significant impact in the first round and he's Nashville's offensive leader in the playoffs.

Alexander Radulov knows their second round series against the Phoenix Coyotes will be a tough one. "They're a good team. They beat Chicago, they have a good goaltender and good defense, they play well as a group," Radulov said. "We have to come up and play hard and play simple and battle hard. It's two even teams over there, we have to do our thing and see what happens. We believe in ourselves and that's it." Radulov was great in the first round, but he'll have to keep that up if the Predators are going to get past the Coyotes.

The Nashville Predators acquisitions of Alexander Radulov, Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad at the trade deadline and afterwards, have been a huge boost in their quest for the Stanley Cup. The moves gave them the equivalent of a new top-two forward line and when you factor in that their defense and goaltending are among the best in the NHL, the formula for winning the Cup could be there. The signing of Radulov from the KHL was a real find as he is a difference maker when it comes to scoring. He had 80 points in 54 games last season with UFA while picking up 63 points in 50 games this season. Radulov played nine games for the Predators at the end of the season, scoring three times and adding four helpers and had a goal and five points in the five games against Detroit in Round 1.

Alexander Radulov scored a goal and registered an assist in a 2-1 victory over Detroit Friday night. Radulov now has a team-leading five points in the postseason. David Legwand netted his second goal and registered his second assist of the playoffs. Gabriel Bourque registered an assist for Nashville. With this victory, the Predators have clinched their first round series against Detroit. Kevin Klein led all defenseman with three points in five games.

Alexander Radulov recorded an assist in Game 3 of Nashville's first round series against Detroit. Radulov now has two assists in three games. That's not bad, but we wouldn't be surprised if he has a breakout performance in an upcoming playoff contest. He had three goals and seven points in nine regular season games with Nashville.

Alexander Radulov registered an assist in Friday's 3-2 loss to Detroit. Radulov was held off the scoresheet in Game 1 on Wednesday. He is one of the Predators most gifted players offensively and we wouldn't be surprised if he has a breakout game before this series is over.

Alexander Radulov will be the guy to watch on Nashville when their first round series starts on Wednesday. Radulov returned from the KHL late into the season to be part of the Predators' playoff run. He lived up to the hype in the regular season, with seven points in nine games, but that won't matter if he falls flat in the playoffs. Nashville needs to get past Detroit after making several trades over the season for short-term assets. With Ryan Suter scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, a long playoff run could go a long way towards convincing him to re-sign.

Alexander Radulov was one of three Nashville Predators on Monday to miss practice for "maintenance" days. Forward Brandon Yip and defenseman Hall Gill also took the day off for "maintenance" reasons. With a few days from the conclusion of the regular season to the playoff opener, it's not uncommon to see guys take an extra day off. Preds coach Barry Trotz expects them to return tomorrow as Nashville has its last practice before it plays the Red Wings on Wednesday.

Alexander Radulov had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win Friday. Radulov now has five points in five games since returning from the KHL. He should be one of the first Nashville Predators players selected in most playoff leagues. Gabriel Bourque, Francis Bouillon, and Shea Weber scored Nashville's other three goals.

Alexander Radulov logged 22:50 minutes in Tuesday's contest. "My No. 1 goal is to get (Radulov) integrated to what we do," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "My No. 2 is giving him as much exposure to the way the game is played over here." The Predators are counting on Radulov to play a big role in the playoffs. It would not surprise us if Radulov led the team in postseason points.