Nashville Predators: Turris Has Brought the Playoff Predators Back

Ever since his arrival on November 11th, Kyle Turris has brought the 2017 playoff Nashville Predators back.

On November 5th, the Nashville Predators made a blockbuster three-way trade with the Colorado Avalanche and the Ottawa Senators. After more than a year of speculation about a trade for Matt Duchene, the Predators made a deal. However, the deal didn’t send Duchene to Nashville.

Nashville sent Samuel Girard, Vladislav Kamenev, and a 2018 2nd round pick to Colorado. Colorado sent Duchene to Ottawa, and they, in turn, sent Kyle Turris to Nashville.

Since his debut on November 11th, the Predators have been red hot. Turris has been a huge part of that run and has been a major boost to a Stanley Cup contender.

The Predators in November

This month, Nashville is 10-2-1, for a total of 21 points. They currently sit two points behind St. Louis for 1st in the Western Conference. The Predators have a +14 goal differential this month and are 6-0 at home.

Turris debuted on November 11th, and since then the Predators are 7-1-1, have a +11 goal differential, goals per game is up by 1.21, and power play percentage is up 16%.

Those numbers speak for themselves. Turris has been a huge offensive boost for Nashville since this trade. He has been anchoring the second line with Kevin Fiala and Craig Smith. Fiala has looked sharper, faster, and more confident. He also has 7 points in the last 9 games with Turris. Smith has gotten more shots, been more physical, and has also recorded 7 points in 9 games with Turris.

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The numbers don’t lie. Fiala and Smith both have been significantly better since Turris arrived. Bonino is a good center, but not for them. Fiala and Smith play faster than Bonino, which made it harder for them to perform. With Turris though, they are skating with a faster, more equally skilled center.

Turris with the Predators

Turris started his Predators career with a boom. In his debut against Pittsburgh, Turris tallied a goal and an assist en route to a 5-4 win. Turris has been seeing about 17 minutes on ice per game, down from his Ottawa average of 19. The extra rest has benefitted him well, as his Corsi stats are up. Nashville and Turris have more chances, Rinne makes more saves, shots go in more often, and the defense faces fewer shots.

All positives when Turris is on the ice.

Turris has 7 points in 9 games with Nashville so far. The only visible struggle for Turris right now is his faceoffs. His win percentage is down roughly 20%. He is winning 40.9% of his faceoffs in Nashville, a drop from the 61.1% he was winning in Ottawa.

Faceoff wins can change quickly though so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Also, he was facing significantly worse competition in the Atlantic, the worst division in the NHL right now.

Turris has seemed to bring back the Predators that we saw in the playoffs last year. This team is playing with a swagger that we rarely see. They are firing on all cylinders, and seem to be forming into a great, very dangerous team. Turris has been a key part to that recent success.

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Everything is heading in the right direction in Nashville right now. The offense is on fire, the defense is lights out, and Rinne is a brick wall. They are 2nd in the Western Conference, 10-2-1 in November, and closing out the month at home versus the Canucks on Thursday night. Turris is a huge part of the current success.