Nashville Predators
Man! That was fun. The 2016-17 season for the Nashville Predators was the best in team history. Okay. So, it is tied for seventh in wins, and eighth in points. However, it was the first appearance in the Conference Finals. And it brought the Stanley Cup Final to Nashville. The party was unreal.
Yes, Blackhawk fans! We know. You won six cups. You still lost seven!! Let us enjoy our moment. Now, get back under the rug where we swept you.
Okay. All humor aside, beating your rival and making to the Final are pinnacle moments for the Predators. At least for now.
The power of the team is in their balance. All players on the ice contribute. The defensemen score and the forwards are block pucks. And, Pekka Rinne can be a great wall in front of the net.
Still, there are holes. The Predators rely on two-time Cup winner Nick Bonino to bring influence and maturity to a young offense. And, they must rely on their youth to fill the void left by James Neal and Colin Wilson’s departures.
But, opponents know there is a new attitude with the Predators. The line of Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg, and Viktor Arvidsson are one of the best in the game. It is not longer defense, it is balance.
It is not longer the prey. They are the Predators.