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5 Years Removed From Cup Final Appearance, Predators Return to Playoffs

The Nashville Predators lock up their eighth straight playoff appearance

By Clyde E. DawkinsPublished 2 years ago 4 min read
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A wild Tuesday evening in the National Hockey League saw 13 games played, and so much to be decided. This included all of the final three playoff spots--all in the Western Conference. The Nashville Predators entered Tuesday's action with many ways to get in the playoffs, but the simplest way was a regulation win. Their game against the Calgary Flames was back and forth, but the Preds were up 4-3 late, and it looked like victory was going to come in the minimum 60 minutes.

Then Matthew Tkachuk happened.

For the 2nd time in three nights we saw a buzzer-beating game tying goal, and it was Matthew Tkachuk who put it in and forced OT. Elias Lindholm won it for the Flames in the extra period, meaning that Nashville had to look to the pivotal Golden Knights/Stars game for help getting in. That game went to overtime and then to a shootout, which lasted seven rounds and saw no goals until Miro Heiskanen put one in. Jake Oettinger stopped Vegas' 7th attempt, and it was party time in Nashville.

The Predators are in the playoffs for the eighth straight year, which is tied with the Washington Capitals for the 2nd-longest current playoff streak in the NHL. It was the Predators' debut in 1998 that started a small wave of expansion that crossed over into the 21st century. It took them six seasons to get their first taste of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the last eight years have been fruitful for the team. The centerpiece of their streak was the 2016-17 season, which saw them go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history, falling just two wins short of winning the Cup. Since then, however, the Predators haven't come close to that spectacular run: a Game 7 loss in Round 2 (2018), a six game opening round loss (2019), losing the Qualifying Round to--of all teams--the Arizona Coyotes (2020), and another six game Round 1 loss (2021).

Roman Josi leads the Predators in points this season

Let's talk about Roman Josi, shall we? If Roman Reigns is the "Head of the Table" in WWE, then Roman Josi appears to be just that for the Predators. It seemed the Swiss Superman's best days were behind him, but this year, Josi has turned back the clock. How is he doing so far? 22 goals, 71 assists, 93 points. He is leading the Predators in helpers and points this season, and it has led many wanting his name on the Norris Trophy this year (not this Avalanche fan, though; I'm leading the "All Hail Cale" campaign).

Nashville's top line: Mikael Granlund, Filip Forsberg, and Matt Duchene

Filip Forsberg is my favorite player on the Predators, and no, it's not because of the surname. He's been shining on that team for a number of years now, and this year is no different: 42 goals, 40 assists, 82 points total. Forsberg is tied for the team lead in goals with his linemate, Matt Duchene, who has 42 of each for a grand total of 84 points. The third member of that Predators' top line is Mikael Granlund, and he has 61 points (10 G/51 A), though his Plus/Minus (-11) is quite suspect. Ryan Johansen also has 61 points (24 G/37 A), and rookie Tanner Jeannot has 24 goals of his own, enough to make a case for him to possibly win the Calder Trophy.

Regarding offensive numbers, the Predators are 12th in the league with an average of 3.18 goals. The Preds' PP is fifth in the league with a percentage of 24.6, but their penalty kill is troubling: 78.9%, which is 19th in the league. That's definitely troubling because the Predators lead the league in penalty minutes: they have over a thousand of them! They also have only two shorthanded goals, which is tied with the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild for the fewest this season.

Is Juuse Saros Vezina worthy?

Juuse Saros' story has been interesting. He had served as the main backup for the Predators' longtime reliable goalie, Pekka Rinne, but once Rinne's age started to show in net, Saros received more and more starts. Rinne's retirement following the shortened 2020-21 season placed Saros in the spotlight for this season, and he has definitely lived up to expectations. His numbers: 38-25-3, 2.64 GAA, .918 SV%, and four shutouts. Only Sergei Bobrovsky (FLA) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (TB) have more wins than Saros. David Rittich serves as Saros' backup, and he is 5-3-4 with a 3.56 GAA and a .883 SV%. Yikes. Numbers like that are why Rittich can't stay with a team recently, and it was Rittich in net during the game against his former team, the Calgary Flames. Nashville's GAA of 2.95 is tied for 15th in the league, and that number is a problem. Giving up three goals per game puts pressure on the offense to keep them in the game, and while the numbers say that they can do so, it shouldn't be a habit.

The Predators will be one of the Western Conference's two Wild Cards, as the Central Division's Top 3 have been set in stone. This means that they will face either of the West's two division winners; either the Colorado Avalanche or the Calgary Flames. Either matchup should be very interesting for the Preds, who are looking to repeat the same run they had five years prior, with a better result, of course.

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About the Creator

Clyde E. Dawkins

I am an avid fan of sports and wrestling, and I've been a fan of female villains since the age of eight. Also into film and TV, especially Simpsons and Family Guy.

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