Nashville Predators Fans’ Christmas Wish List
The Nashville Predators are sitting just one point away from first place, but it hasn’t been all smooth. Here’s what fans’ Christmas wish list should be.
After a scorching hot month of November, the Predators find themselves knocking on the door of first place. They’re being closely chased by several Western Conference teams, including the last wildcard team, the Ducks.
Fans have rightfully come to expect more from their beloved Nashville Predators. The team has become a mainstay in the playoffs and regular 90-point club. Many fans of other teams would gladly switch spots with Predators fans and the success they’ve enjoyed recently.
Hoisting a Stanley Cup will always be the ultimate goal, and the Predators came up just two wins short of doing that last season. The roster has since been somewhat overhauled, but arguably is even more lethal. The Predators are already halfway to their point total of 94 from last season. They still have six more games before officially reaching the halfway point.
Let’s look over the Christmas wish list fans should have heading into the second half of the season.
Win the Central Division
It’s hard to fathom that the Nashville Predators have never won a division title. The Predators came up five points short of the Blues in the 2014-15 season of winning their first division crown.
Winning the division doesn’t win Stanley Cups, but it makes the path a lot easier. That’s especially true when you consider the distinct home-ice advantage the Predators enjoy. For the Predators to continue to build their brand and become more nationally respected, raising banners is important. How much of a relief would it be knowing that the Predators have home ice advantage?
The Blues are the biggest obstacle to this wish coming true. They’re a balanced team full of high-caliber scorers and defenders. They’re just as hungry for a Stanley Cup as anyone. They’re not going to slow down. The Jets are surprising contenders for the division at this point, and I wouldn’t count out the Blackhawks sneaking back into the conversations.
This wish would be very nice to see come true, but a lot of things have to fall into place if it’s going to happen. It starts with their first game after Christmas as they’ll be in St.Louis.
A Players Award
The Predators have a few players, starting with Pekka Rinne, that could end up winning a season award. Rinne will need to keep playing solid to remain in the hunt for a Vezina Trophy. There are so many great goaltenders, and Rinne is certainly making a strong case. His last outing against the Hurricanes hopefully was just a fluke as he was yanked after giving up four goals in the early portion of the first period.
Rinne’s numbers remain formidable. His three shutouts are extremely impressive to go along with a .923 save percentage and 2.5 goals against average. He’s the most likely Predators to make this wish come to fruition.
However, there’s an outside chance that P.K. Subban or Roman Josi make a push for consideration for the Norris Trophy. There’s a lot of great defenseman ahead of them, but Subban is rather quietly having a great year. He’s piling up the assists and is setting up a lot of scoring chances. Subban has honorable mention from Hockey News on their early season front-runners list.
If the Predators rally to win the division, Peter Laviolette has a favorable chance to win the Jack Adams Trophy for Coach of the Year. Afraid to say the list ends there for the Predators unless someone really catches fire after Christmas.
Winning the Presidents’ Trophy
Again, this isn’t to distract from the main goal of a Stanley Cup. We know that most Presidents’ Trophy winners fall short of making any kind of real impact in the postseason. What’s not to say that the Predators can’t break that trend?
There’s a lot of contenders, mostly in the West, that have a realistic shot at finishing with the most points. The Lightning, out East, are the front-runners, and I don’t see anyone catching them. The Western Conference will keep beating each other up while Tampa keeps padding its lead in the standings. The Predators are at 47 points, while Tampa is sitting comfortably at 54 points. They’re loaded with talent.
This is a far-fetched wish for the Predators to finish with the most points. There are so many good teams. However, I will be less shocked if the Predators finish atop the Western Conference. I just don’t see them catching Tampa, who I believe is the team to beat in the entire league.
Sweeping Chicago, Again
The sky would be falling in Chicago if the Nashville Predators managed another sweep of their beloved Blackhawks. They already mostly think it was a fluke and that they’re God’s gift to hockey. They’ll most likely never respect the Predators, but sweeping them two-straight years would be an outstanding gift to hockey fans everywhere.
This is another long shot to happen, mainly because it’s no guarantee that the Blackhawks will even make the field. They’ve taken an obvious step back, and are no longer the class of the Western Conference. If they do sneak in as a wildcard, it’s conceivable that the Predators would draw them with home-ice advantage.
As much disdain as I have for the Blackhawks, sweeping them again is unlikely. I would at least give them two wins in a seven-game series if they played today. However, why not hope for the very best? Here’s to hoping Santa brings another broom to Smashville to sweep the Blackhawks into oblivion.
Stop the Penalties!
This penalty debacle is getting out of control. Nothing is more frustrating than watching a supremely talented team waste it by constantly putting themselves at a disadvantage. Their most recent loss to the Stars was the latest example of the Predators making it harder on themselves than it has to be.
What’s scary is the Predators are managing to win games despite the lack of discipline. Just look at this ugly stat that deserves a lump of coal, from Adam Vingan:
Predators opponents have had at least four power-play chances in 26 of Nashville's 35 games. I don't know where that ranks league-wide, but that's a lot.
— Adam Vingan (@AdamVingan) December 24, 2017
Next: The Annual Airing of Grievances
I’m a firm believer that if the Nashville Predators decrease the bad penalties they’re taking, they’ll start winning games by bigger margins. If this Christmas wish comes true, all of the others will have a better chance of happening. Find some team discipline for Christmas and this team will be just fine and have a great chance to make a return trip to the Stanley Cup.