Nashville Predators: February Awards For Predators

The month of February went exceedingly well for the Nashville Predators. We take a look at the best moments and what qualified for the worst.

February was a great month to be a fan of the Nashville Predators. There were multiple comeback victories that shocked and amazed us all. It was a month where the Predators took hold of the Central Divison lead and solidified their status as a Stanley Cup contender. Even with a couple of losses that could have been avoided, the Predators went 10-2-2 for the month. You’ll take that.

The team got healthier and added new parts. Ryan Hartman made an impact in his first game as a Predator by obtaining the game-winning goal against Winnipeg. Mike Fisher signed and is expected to play soon. There’s even talk of Eeli Tolvanen showing up, which makes one wonder how Peter Laviolette will juggle so many talented players going forward.

More from Editorials

• Captain Candidates if Nashville Predators Didn’t Have Roman Josi
• How the Nashville Predators Have Trended over Past Five Years
• Three Reasons Nashville Predators can Shock the World in 2023-24
• Three Different Outcomes for Juuse Saros’ Future with Nashville Predators
• Top-5 Nashville Predators Home Games to Attend for Upcoming Season

We saw history made by two of the franchise’s most important people. Pekka Rinne won his 300th game. David Poile tied the record for most wins as an NHL general manager. Where would Nashville be without either man?

At the end of February, the Nashville Predators sit on top of the Central Division by four points. They’re tied with the Vegas Golden Knights for most points in the Western Conference, having played one fewer game. It’s a good place to be.

Let’s take a look back at a successful month.

Best Predators Moment: Pekka Rinne Wins Three Hundredth Game

Thirty-four goalies have made it to three hundred wins in the National Hockey League. Pekka Rinne became the latest man to make that list on February 22. There wasn’t any doubt on this night, as his Predators teammates scored seven goals to sink the San Jose Sharks’ hopes of victory.

With all due respect to David Legwand and other great Nashville Predators of the past, I don’t think there’s anybody that can top Rinne for the title of best player in franchise history. He’s aging like a fine wine and his team has never been better. Pekka Rinne will have the opportunity to show the rest of the US, along with Canada, that he’s among the best of his generation.

Craziest Road Trip: February 5-10 (NY Islanders, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal)

This four-game trip up north didn’t feature the toughest stretch of opposition. The Maple Leafs are the only squad of the bunch likely to make the Eastern Conference playoffs. Even so, each team gave Nashville everything they could handle and then some.

No games ended in regulation. The Islanders lost in overtime. The back to back didn’t go too well, as Toronto ended up winning a shootout while Ottawa put the Predators away in overtime. Nashville ended things on a winning note with a shootout win over the Canadiens.

We all know about the Nashville Predators’ home-ice advantage. It’s a beautiful thing to have in the playoffs. You have to be able to win on the road as well, and the 2017-18 Predators sit with one of the best road records in the league at 17-7-6. This trip served as a showcase of the Predators refusing to concede anything, even outside their home arena.

Most Demoralized Predators Opponent: St. Louis Blues

Things looked good for the Blues on February 13. They were in the middle of the group on top of the Central Division. They were within striking distance of the top spot and a division championship. A win in Nashville would have helped their cause. With eleven minutes left in the game and a three-goal lead, it seemed likely. Some of us had even given up on the evening after two periods.

Just over nine minutes into the third, Calle Jarnkrok scored and gave the Predators hope. Austin Watson scored two times in a minute, and somehow the game was tied with just over four minutes left. A Filip Forsberg penalty shot ended things in overtime as the Predators completed their latest improbable comeback.

The Blues were on a two-game losing streak at that point. The bad times continued through their next trip to Nashville on February 25. The Predators didn’t need to overcome adversity this time. They dismantled the Blues 4-0, showing an NBC television audience their intentions for dominance. The Blues fell out of the last wildcard spot. The next day, they traded Paul Stastny to Winnipeg. Seven straight losses, including two in Nashville, turned them from trade deadline buyers to sellers.

The St. Louis Blues are only two points out of the final wildcard spot. They made a run last season to make the playoffs and advance to the second round. They could do the same thing this season. Their fans aren’t optimistic, and they’re not playing like a team planning on making a run. The Nashville Predators demoralized them.

Best Predators Game: February 27 at Winnipeg Jets (6-5 win)

There were a ton of candidates for this one, but the last game of the month gets it. The Jets and Predators seem to be on the road to a meeting in the Western Conference Semi-Final. If the games are anything like their regular season encounters have been, it’s going to be a great series.

The first period started off innocently enough. The Predators and Jets each got a ton of shots off, but Pekka Rinne and Connor Hellebuyck were up to the task. The floodgates opened in the second period. Mark Scheifele tried to start some stuff with P.K. Subban, then followed it up with two straight goals to put the Jets up 3-1. The Predators stormed back with a goal from Kyle Turris that led to a failed challenge and a power-play goal from Mattias Ekholm. Winnipeg got a goal from Nikolaj Ehlers to re-take the lead, and Paul Statsny got his first goal as a Jet to attain a 5-3 advantage with 10 minutes left.

We know that 10 minutes is more than enough time for the Nashville Predators. Craig Smith made it 5-4 a mere fifty-five seconds later. Ryan Johansen tied it at 13:57, and Ryan Hartman poked in a Roman Josi pass to give the Predators their first lead of the game with a minute left. A heart-breaking loss for Winnipeg and another thrilling comeback win for Nashville. Josi had a mind-bending five assists this game to bump his total to the month to fourteen.

Can we fast-forward to the Jets/Predators playoff series? It’s going to be so stressful and so much fun at the same time.

Worst Predators Game: February 17 vs. Detroit Red Wings (3-1 loss)

This one was disappointing on a couple of levels. It continued a two-game losing streak at home, something that hasn’t happened often under Peter Laviolette. The Detroit Red Wings are not a particularly good team, so you don’t want to leave points on the board against them.

It also happened in front of the largest home crowd in Nashville Predators history. It seemed like a random game for that to happen, but I suppose there are still a ton of Detroit-born folks in Nashville that still love their Red Wings. Was there a bobblehead giveaway? In any event, you would have preferred to see the Predators put their best foot forward on this evening and that didn’t happen. The team was flat.

Most Valuable Predator: Pekka Rinne

I feel like we’re past the days where we worry about Pekka Rinne playing too much. The Nashville Predators’ top goalie is 14-2-1 since the calendar turned to 2018. He had a couple of rough games this month, but even his non-shutouts are impressive. He gave up two goals to Montreal, but stopped forty-seven shots, including ten in overtime. It was an exhibition of goaltending the likes of which I haven’t seen.

The push for Rinne to be considered for the Venzia Trophy is in full swing. From where I sit, the top two candidates have to be Rinne and Andrei Vailevskiy. The Tampa Bay Lightning are the only squad with more points than the Predators at the moment, and Vasilevsky is one of the main reasons why. Vasilevskiy has appeared in six more games than Rinne. Here’s how they stack up at the end of February:

Rinne: 33-9-4, .927 SV%, 2.33 GAA, 6 shutouts
Vasilevskiy: 37-12-2, .927 SV%, 2.35 GAA, 7 shutouts

I’d give Rinne the edge, but I’m admittedly biased. It’ll probably come down to which team finishes with more points. There’s also a good chance that Frederik Andersen wins it because he’s having a great season and plays in Toronto.

Next: Five Takeaways from Predators win over the Jets

I feel safe in saying that Rinne feels that earning individual hardware is secondary to the Nashville Predators’ main goal: winning a Stanley Cup. They took a big step in that direction in February, but there’s a lot of work left to do. Rinne will pull his weight and then some.