Nashville Predators: Team Must Improve against Weaker Opponents
By Michael Wade
The Nashville Predators could make next year’s path to the playoffs easier by taking advantage of weaker opposition and gaining consistency.
The most recent postseason provided Nashville Predators fans with excitement, pride, and unprecedented media attention. It’s easy to forget that the regular season was somewhat lackluster at times. Overtime performance and streaky goaltending, for example, raised questions throughout much of the year. Another issue was underwhelming production against weaker opponents.
Fans are well aware that the Predators entered the playoffs as the second wildcard in the Western Conference. They placed fourth in the Central Division and 16th overall in the NHL. This placement in the standings was far below the preseason expectation of the team. The acquisition of P.K. Subban, in addition to the already impressive Nashville Predators roster, brought the team’s hype to a fever pitch.
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Difficulty executing
In my book, any regular season that ends in a playoff berth can be considered successful. However, at times, frustration mounted when the Predators often took fewer than two points from shaky opposition. Among these teams were Detroit and Florida, who the Predators failed to take a single point from in the 2016/17 regular season. Additionally, teams like Carolina, Los Angeles, and Arizona provided more difficulty than expected.
Here’s a look at how many points the Predators were able to grab against each opponent:
| Western Conference | Eastern Conference | |||||||
| Team | Earned | Possible | Percent | Team | Earned | Possible | Percent | |
| *ANA | 3 | 6 | 50% | *BOS | 2 | 4 | 50% | |
| ^ARI | 3 | 6 | 50% | ^BUF | 3 | 4 | 75% | |
| *CLG | 5 | 6 | 83% | CAR | 1 | 4 | 25% | |
| *CHI | 2 | 10 | 20% | *CBJ | 4 | 4 | 100% | |
| ^COL | 10 | 10 | 100% | ^DET | 0 | 4 | 0% | |
| ^DAL | 6 | 10 | 60% | ^FLA | 0 | 4 | 0% | |
| *EDM | 6 | 6 | 100% | *MTL | 1 | 4 | 25% | |
| LAK | 2 | 6 | 33% | ^NJD | 3 | 4 | 75% | |
| *MIN | 5 | 10 | 50% | NYI | 3 | 4 | 75% | |
| *SJS | 4 | 6 | 67% | *NYR | 1 | 4 | 25% | |
| *STL | 6 | 10 | 60% | *OTT | 4 | 4 | 100% | |
| ^VAN | 4 | 6 | 67% | PHI | 2 | 4 | 50% | |
| WPG | 4 | 8 | 50% | *PIT | 2 | 4 | 50% | |
| TBL | 4 | 4 | 100% | |||||
| * = | Playoff | *TOR | 0 | 4 | 0% | |||
| ^= | below .500 | *WSH | 4 | 4 | 100% |
At times, it seemed that the Predators were comfortable matching the quality of their opponents. Teams including Washington, Edmonton, and Columbus saw some of the best performances by Nashville throughout the season. Meanwhile, the Predators often looked sloppy and uninterested against non playoff-bound teams.
Monthly breakdown
The Predators managed to take just over 57% of available points during the 2016/17 regular season. An extremely sluggish start to the season saw the team earn just 5 out of 16 available points in October. November was a much-needed rebound, resulting in a very solid 20 out of 28 points earned. In December we witnessed frequent underperformance, taking 13 out of 28.
Fans will happily remember January and “Fil-bruary,” which marked the late breakout of Filip Forsberg‘s offensive season. In March and April, the Predators grabbed just over 50% of available points to close out the season.
Here’s what the season looked like between October and April:
| Month | Earned | Possible | Percent |
| Oct | 5 | 16 | 31% |
| Nov | 20 | 28 | 71% |
| Dec | 13 | 28 | 46% |
| Jan | 18 | 28 | 64% |
| Feb | 17 | 26 | 65% |
| Mar | 16 | 28 | 57% |
| Apr | 5 | 10 | 50% |
| Total | 94 | 164 | 57% |
Lessons for next season
In 2016/17, the Nashville Predators proved that regular season performance is not an exact indicator of playoff success. However, the team would benefit greatly from taking advantage of more opportunities in the future. Last season was a story of constantly being on the brink of dominance, but remaining inconsistent.
It’s possible that the young core needs to grow mentally in order for that to happen. If the players could maintain their high level of performance against more vulnerable teams, they can certainly hold a spot as one of the league’s elite teams next year.
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The good news is that criticisms of the Nashville Predators is few and far between. On the whole, this team is a force to be reckoned with. Fans should look forward to another season of solid, fast hockey from the Predators, especially if minor issues can be resolved in the offseason.