Nashville Predators: January Awards For Predators
The Nashville Predators had some time off in January. When they were active, they took advantage of the opportunities but were not immune to the lows.
When you consider the obstacles the Nashville Predators faced in January, you have to say they had an outstanding month. An eight-game point streak kept Nashville among the best teams in the Central Division & in good position for the playoffs. The Predators’ 6-2-2 record was good for seventh-best in the National Hockey League.
The only problem was that everybody else in the Central had a productive month. That 6-2-2 record was only the fourth-best among Central teams. The Colorado Avalanche came out of nowhere to post a ten-game winning streak & went 8-2-1 in January. The Winnipeg Jets won one more game than Nashville to maintain first place. The Minnesota Wild tied Winnipeg while the St. Louis Blues added the same number of points to their total that Nashville did.
Ten points separates six teams in the Central Division. The Chicago Blackhawks might be in seventh right now, but their win in Nashville to close the month shows they aren’t dead yet. The good news for the Predators: They’ve played three fewer games than Winnipeg & four fewer than St. Louis.
We’ve got a crazy couple of months in front of us. Before that, let’s look back at the month that was.
Best Month To Be Without Filip Forsberg: January 2018
If the Nashville Predators had to be without the services of their top offensive player for a month of the season, this was the best month for it. January featured two extended breaks for Nashville hockey. One of the Predators’ NHL week-long vacations fell on January 10-15, and the All-Star break took January 26-29 off the schedule.
Nashville fans only got to enjoy ten Predators games in January. Business is going to pick up fast. The Predators have fourteen games in February & a whopping sixteen games in March. They won’t get more than two straight days off for the rest of the regular season.
The Predators had a successful month without Forsberg. Had they played more games & further tested the team’s offensive depth, it might have been a different story.
Best Predators All-Star Game Moment: Pekka Rinne Robs Connor McDavid
The Central Division All-Stars played well & shut down the Pacific while Pekka Rinne was in the crease. Things went downhill once Connor Hellebuyck entered the game, & his five goals given up doomed the Central to defeat. Rinne still shone during his half, including an incredible save that kept the NHL’s golden boy Connor McDavid out of the goal column.
Usually it’s offensive players that shine during All-Star Games, but Nashville’s veteran goalie definitely left his mark on the proceedings.
Most Welcome Predators Return: Ryan Ellis
It’s no secret that Ryan Ellis is one of the Nashville Predators’ most respected leaders. The defensive corps is deep enough to feel relatively confident without him in the lineup, but his presence makes things all the better. When Mattias Ekholm is in your third pairing, you’ve got a heck of a group.
Ellis isn’t at a hundred percent yet, but he hasn’t shown too much rust. He scored three goals in January. His ice time seemingly increases with each passing game. If January Ryan Ellis is an appetizer of things to come, other NHL teams will be in big trouble.
Most Emotional Predators Goodbye: Cody McLeod
5:27 was the amount of ice time Cody McLeod saw in the month of January. The first game of the month was the last time McLeod donned a Nashville Predators uniform for game action. He was a healthy scratch for the rest of Nashville’s games until he was waived on January 24.
McLeod will return to Nashville soon enough. He’ll be in Bridgestone Arena Saturday night alongside his new teammates on the New York Rangers. Rangers fans should appreciate McLeod’s lunch-bucket mentality & his tendency to get in fights whenever he’s on the ice.
I was a McLeod fan. That put me in a distinct minority among Internet writers. Enforcers have been an important part of the game for generations. It’s tough to ignore the trends, though. The days of guys only being on the ice to get in fights & protect their teammates are waning. Offensive players have to bring more to the table than ever.
McLeod was fairly active in October & November, but December & January saw his icetime dwindle to nothing. Miikka Salomaki took his spot on the fourth line & has shown enough to stay in the lineup. He’s nine years younger than McLeod, more productive on offense & also unafraid to lay a hit on somebody. It’s an easy choice for Peter Laviolette to make.
The Nashville Predators will miss Cody McLeod’s locker room presence. His departure is a sign that they’ve learned well from him.
Best Predators GIF: P.K. Subban’s Lookin’ For Love
There are a lot of things going on here.
Fact: @PKSubban1 just loves hockey. pic.twitter.com/BffHdjwFlq
— NHL (@NHL) January 24, 2018
For one thing, you get the Subban pregame dancing that makes Mike Milbury and the rest of the Old Man Hockey crowd all hot & bothered. I love it.
Then there’s the Fox Sports Tennessee graphic. Chris Mason had some kind of point he was trying to make, but it was overshadowed by the idea of P.K. looking for love. Roman Josi’s getting married. One of the Nashville defensemen needs to play to the female audience.
Best Predators Game: January 16 vs. Vegas Golden Knights (1-0 win)
The Golden Knights have been a fly in the ointment of most NHL teams this season. The Nashville Predators have been no different. The Knights shut the Predators out two weeks before this game & held a 2-0 series lead heading into their meeting at Bridgestone Arena.
I wrote about it. Juuse Saros getting the start was a bit of a surprise, but his forty-three save shutout proved that Peter Laviolette was right to have faith in his goalie of the future. Kevin Fiala scored the only goal of the evening & was the most impressive skater on the ice. Vegas put forth a good effort, but the Predators were better on this night.
Odds are that if the Nashville Predators are going to return to the Stanley Cup Final, they will need to beat the Golden Knights. Hopefully this game is an indicator of future events.
Worst Predators Game: January 4 at Arizona Coyotes (3-2 overtime loss)
The 3-0 loss in Vegas to begin January was a strong contender, but at least the Golden Knights are one of the best teams in the NHL. The Arizona Coyotes are the worst team in hockey. Losing to them is throwing points away, which nobody in the Central Division can afford to do.
Nashville should have had it taken care of in regulation, but as has happened too many times this season, the opposition scored a goal in the last three minutes to force overtime. Overtime is rarely good news for Nashville, other than they get one point when they lose. As I said, every point counts in the Central Division.
Best Offensive Predator: Viktor Arvidsson
It wasn’t the best of months for the Nashville Predators’ offensive players. Most of Nashville’s scoring came from their defensemen. Ryan Johansen went goalless for January while Kyle Turris didn’t find the net with a shot until the last game of the month. Kevin Fiala & Craig Smith had some points, but not as many as usual.
Viktor Arvidsson missed two games early in the month due to injury. He picked up right where he left off, scoring three goals & assisting on two more during January. His best performance was in New Jersey, where he was part of all three Predators goals by either shooting the puck or getting down low & annoying the goalie. It was vintage Arvidsson.
Even when he & his teammates are in an offensive slump, Arvidsson is always putting his nose to the grindstone. He knows that he has to keep chipping away and eventually the goals will come. It’s that dedication that makes him a good example for his teammates & keeps Nashville in games where they don’t have their best stuff.
Most Valuable Predator: P.K. Subban
P.K. had a highly successful January. On the ice, he was the Nashville Predators’ top point scorer with three goals & five assists. He averaged the second-most time on ice among Predators, just behind Roman Josi. He captained the Central Division in the All-Star Game & finished second in the Hardest Shot competition.
Off the ice, he represented the NHL on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Let’s be honest: NHL players don’t get a lot of time on American TV shows that aren’t hockey games. Sidney Crosby isn’t hanging out with Stephen Colbert. I don’t remember the last time Patrick Kane played Celebrity Beer Pong with Jimmy Fallon. Part of the deal with Subban is he’s a guy with a big personality that translates to the mainstream. He’s a superstar in a sport that could really use some.
David Poile knew this when he traded Shea Weber for Subban. P.K.’s presence alone makes the Predators relevant to folks who otherwise don’t know much about the sport. For most of Nashville’s time in the NHL, people barely knew the city had a hockey team. That’s P.K.’s importance to this franchise in a nutshell. Add in the fact he’s really good at his job, and you can’t ask for much more.