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Apr 1, 2019/vol. 72, issue 13
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
THE MOST SUCCESSFUL period in the Preds’ 20-season history continues. They nabbed their first berth in the Cup final in 2016-17 and their first Presidents’ Trophy in 2017-18.
This season marks their first five-year playoff streak. Few teams have a more consistent and defined identity. We know the many things they do well and the few things they don’t.
Defense remains the hallmark. The team boasts one of the five lowest goals-against averages for a second straight year and still ices the NHL’s best top four on ‘D.’ No one can trump Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis plus Mattias Ekholm and P.K. Subban.
The quartet is so dominant that even its least flashy guy, Ekholm, has a strong Norris Trophy case, swallowing up opposing forwards with his massive wingspan and generating surprising offense for a big shutdown defender.
The Predators usually get great regular-season goaltending from starter Pekka Rinne, the reigning Vezina winner, and backup Juuse Saros, but Rinne’s playoff implosions have become the stuff of legend. He was pulled three times in Nashville’s Round 2 loss to Winnipeg last year, including at home in Game 7.
The Preds lessened Rinne’s workload this season in hopes of keeping him fresher for the playoffs at 36. By mid-March he’d started two-thirds of their games, his smallest piece of the pie in a healthy year since 2009-10.
If the Preds get good, not even elite, netminding in the playoffs, they’re a serious Cup threat.
Viktor Arvidsson is trending toward star status, and Filip Forsberg is a reliable 30-goal producer, but Nashville’s forward group remains a collection of water pistols compared to the bazookas Winnipeg, Tampa Bay, Washington and Toronto bring to the fight.
The Preds’ next 40-goal scorer will be the first in their history. GM David Poile added Mikael Granlund and Wayne Simmonds at the trade deadline to help.