Five Reasons Nashville Predators Will Find Playoff Success
The Nashville Predators have punched their playoff ticket, and we give you FIVE reasons why they can win in the postseason.
The Nashville Predators have achieved what each of the 30 NHL franchises hopes to achieve at the onset of the regular season- securing an appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. At the conclusion of Game 82 the Preds will be in the same position as 16 other teams in the league: 16 wins away from a championship.
Having qualified for the second year straight under head coach Peter Laviolette, the Predators are hoping to do something never before done in franchise history- move beyond the second round of postseason competition. This season’s Predators are poised, perhaps better than any roster before in Nashville’s 17 season history, to make the deep run beyond the franchise mark and to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Here are 5 reasons why:
Next: Scorers are Scoring
Snipers are Sniping
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For only the 2
nd
time in franchise history, the Predators are boasting a pair of 30 goal scorers. Snipers
and
each have 31 on the season and are both Top-4 in terms of
in Nashville franchise history.
Forsberg has done most of his work down the back half of the season after a slow start, meaning his game has been refined and is ready to unload in the postseason (see: last year’s hat-trick dropped on Chicago). His form has been found on the 2nd forward line alongside 20-goal scorer Craig Smith and veteran assist-machine Mike Ribeiro– a trio which spent the better part of a month, not all too long ago, torching nets and looking like arguably the best line in the sport.
The reason why all this 2nd line scoring is possible? Simple:
Next: Stronger Up the Middle
The Number One Center Effect
For what is widely considered the first time in franchise history, a true number-one center pulled on the gold jersey after Nashville traded for Ryan Johansen midway through the season. The effect of this move rippled well beyond the top line he centers- it calibrated the offense.
Last year, the Predators gave the eventual Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks a good, tough run in the first round- but with all due respect, Mike Ribeiro is not the guy you want lining up across from Jonathan Toews. Just as Mike Fisher’s game is not best applied when trying to generate scoring from the 2nd line.
Johansen’s ability to take on the top-center role aligned the core of the team and allows the roster talent to play against competition which favors the Predators. This is the roster philosophy that enabled Nashville to achieve a franchise record point streak late in the season as RyJo began meshing with his new teammates.
Oh, and the player himself? Over the past 10 games, Johansen has notched 11 points while displaying a sparking connection with linemate James Neal. The duo has combined for a smoking 25 points over that stretch, serving as the team’s source of shining offensive consistency throughout the current 4 game losing skid.
Another big reason:
Next: You Need Depth in the Playoffs
Forward Depth, Grit, and Options
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a grueling affair. To compete and win against the league’s elite night after night requires each line to execute their role. If the top two lines gel into the scoring forces they’ve proved they’re capable of being, the Predators may just carry the most lethal top-six the franchise has ever put on postseason ice. But it’s the bottom-six which holds the most intriguing decisions for the Nashville coaching staff.
A slew of rookies have impacted the Predators fortune this season, most of whom gained their opportunity by stepping in for injured veterans. Well, now the veterans are healthy, and Nashville is sitting with a wealth of legitimate bottom six options.
Center Mike Fisher and rookie winger Viktor Arvidsson seem to be the third line mainstays amidst a swirling lineup that has seen even last year’s 20-goal scorer Colin Wilson recently taking a healthy scratch. That being said, Wilson will most likely be lacing up for playoff action, seeing as he notched 5 goals in 6 games last postseason- a threat Nashville would love to see re-emerge from the depths of the lineup.
The fourth line litany of prospects- rookie grinders like Miikka Salomaki, Austin Watson, Colton Sissons, and experienced veterans Paul Gaustad, Eric Nystrom, and Cody Bass– all have logged their share of ice time. Even Gabriel Bourque is rumored to still play hockey, and in the case of drastic injury it’s worth bringing up the name Kevin Fiala– the Milwaukee Admiral’s leading scorer spent a few games as a Predator top-line winger earlier this season, and even got himself a little taste of playoff experience last year.
The Predators are in an enviable position for an NHL team- they have the ability to address injuries without having to throw an overly green skater onto the ice, effectively limiting any potential drop-off in play. It’ll be interesting to see what combinations Laviolette plays with as we approach the bracket.
Maybe the best reason of all:
Next: The Puck Stops Here
The Smashville Staple: Defense
Most teams in the NHL would be okay with having Roman Josi and Shea Weber as their top defensive duo. All they are is the number one scoring defensive pair in the league- one of whom ranks 4th in scoring defensemen and the other wields a 108 mph slapshot.
As illustrated in this article, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis could serve as top-pair blueliners for a good portion of the league’s teams- and these numbers are coming with Nashville producing scoring with their forwards, allowing the defense to play a more defensively-oriented game. Ellis, who recently suffered an upper-body injury (puck to the head), was skating before last Saturday’s game, as was injured defender Anthony Bitetto. This bodes well for the Predators, as the two returning from injury before the postseason begins remains critical to the team’s success.
The defense is rounded out by rookie Petter Granberg and veteran Barret Jackman. The former performed admirably in a sixth defender role during the Predator’s franchise record point streak, and either man is a serviceable sixth/seventh option- again expanding Nashville’s depth beyond their active roster.
And our Fifth Reason:
Next: A Playoff Difference
Stats, Stats, and Anything Happens in the Playoffs
There was an interesting article done over at HockeyBuzz that analyzes postseason matchups, and it hypothesized some results that Predator fans might like to look over.
Take Nashville’s first round opponent options, the Anaheim Ducks, and Los Angeles Kings. The Preds dropped only 1 of 6 games during regulation against the two teams during the season- and let’s keep in mind the glorious fact that 3 on 3 overtime hockey doesn’t exist in the playoffs.
At home, the Predators are 7-1-4 in their last 12 (did you get where 3 vs. 3 doesn’t exist in the playoffs?). It’s going to be tough for visiting teams to get wins out of Smashville.
Also, one more statistic Nashville fans will be happy to hear- there is no 3 on 3 overtime in the playoffs. That’s something to raise your fangs to.
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The Predators aren’t a team who the media like to bring up when talking Cup contenders, but neither were the Carolina Hurricanes when they won everything in 2006- and, remind me again, who was their head coach? Peter Laviolette knows how to get the most from a small market team, and if All-Star goaltender Pekka Rinne stabilizes and performs at the All-Star level which he is capable of, the Predators are a threat to each and every team that steps onto the ice with them.