Powerful Weber gives Predators a scary weapon

Defenseman Shea Weber might be Nashville's most dangerous offensive weapon for one simple reason: He shoots the puck more than 100 miles per hour.

To say the 6-foot-4, 228-pound Weber can pound the puck is an understatement. He hit triple digits during the skills competition at last season's all-star weekend, finishing second to Boston's Zdeno Chara.

"You can argue who's got the hardest shot in the league, but he's got a big threat and a big weapon at the point that we're going to have to try to eliminate or stay close to," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

Defenseman Brent Sopel, who blocks a lot of shots for the Hawks, knows how hard Weber brings it, but that won't stop him from trying to get in the shooting lanes.

"Obviously you know who the shooter is, and everyone in the world knows he can load it up and shoot it," Sopel said. "You have to be aware whenever you're on the ice with him that whenever he is teeing it up to try to get yourself in a good position.

"You have to do what you have to do and it's part of my game. You want to try to take away his time and space, but everyone on the ice is going to have to contribute to that."

Weber's big blasts are not only dangerous to the opposition but to his own teammates.

Last season one of Weber's slap shots broke teammate Jordin Tootoo's foot during a game. Weber also broke teammate Martin Erat's leg when he hit him last season.

And in the next to last game this season, Weber drilled Patric Hornqvist in the side. Hornqvist missed Nashville's final regular-season game and is listed somewhere between questionable and probable for Game 1 of the playoffs against the Blackhawks.

Weber and Ryan Suter form Nashville's top defensive pair and are certain to be matched up against the Hawks' top line of Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp.

"They play well together and are usually going to get the top assignment," Quenneville said of Weber and Suter. "They played well all year and had a great Olympics individually. I'm sure Johnny's line will see a lot of them."

Weber won a gold medal for Canada, while Suter might have been the best defenseman for the silver-medal winning Americans.

Suter is the nephew of former Hawks defenseman Gary Suter.