Nashville Predators: Regular Season Awards for Predators

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us. Before that happens, let’s pause & look back at what got the Nashville Predators here.

The regular season is over. Now the important stuff is upon us. The Nashville Predators will meet the Colorado Avalanche in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Predators have won their last ten meetings with the Avalanche, but we know that doesn’t matter now.

Do regular season awards matter? Depends who you ask. Most hockey fans will say they don’t…unless their team wins some. Before we dive into the playoffs, let’s take a quick look back at what got us here.

Most Improved Predator: Craig Smith

After Craig Smith had a breakout season in 2013-14 with 24 goals & 28 assists, expectations were high. He went from 52 points that season to 44 in 2014-15, then 37 in 2015-16, & 29 in 2016-17. He was heading the wrong direction if he wanted to maintain his spot on a Predators team that’s adding more viable offensive pieces with each season. A rebound this season was vital for his status, and would certainly be beneficial to the Nashville Predators.

Smith had that rebound and looked like the player that showed such promise four years ago. He ended the season with 25 goals & 26 assists, finishing one point behind that 2013-14 season. He caught fire right after being placed on a line with Kevin Fiala & the newly acquired Kyle Turris. Both Smith & Fiala certainly owe a debt of gratitude to Turris, who facilitated both men having career years. It’s a worthy second line that forms a dangerous top six, & Smith’s shot is a key part of it.

Most Valuable Backup Predator: Juuse Saros

I originally had Juuse Saros as the Most Improved Predator. When I looked at his stats, I realized that his performance was pretty much the same as last season. He had a bad October that resulted in him going down to Milwaukee & figuring things out. After three regulation losses in October, he only had two the rest of the season. Peter Laviolette was outspoken about his faith in Saros, and gave him every chance to succeed.

He also wasn’t afraid to go to Saros in tough spots. Saros was on the second game in back to backs no matter who the Nashville Predators were up against. He got a 43-save shutout against the Vegas Golden Knights. He was good for 46 saves in Edmonton. When he got the call in Washington for a game the Predators needed to clinch home ice in the playoffs, nobody batted an eye. I would have been concerned about that decision in October. I wasn’t in April.

When you were a team playing against the Predators & you found out Pekka Rinne wasn’t playing, you felt good. Not anymore.

Worst Call Against Predators: Goalie Interference Against Viktor Arvidsson (April 3 at Florida Panthers)

I’ll be honest with you guys: I have no idea what constitutes goalie interference. It’s to the NHL what a catch is to the NFL. So I really don’t know if the call at the end of the April 3 game against the Panthers was correct or not. What I do know is that it made the Washington game more interesting & kept the Panthers in the playoff hunt.

Fortunately, the Nashville Predators ended up clinching everything on Thursday night anyway. It ended up not meaning too much for them. If anything, it might have made them more determined. I don’t know. I also don’t know if this is interference or not, so I’ll have you take another look.

I mean, maybe Viktor Arvidsson is strong enough to spin Roberto Luongo around like the NHL & their apologists claim. If so, good for him. For comparison’s sake, here’s something that isn’t considered goalie interference by the NHL:

They ran Jake Allen over! If that isn’t considered interfering with a goalie, I don’t know what can be.

Most Energetic Predator: Austin Watson

I like the branding of the fourth line as the “energy line”. Austin Watson has made his home on this line during his tenure with the Nashville Predators. He wasn’t exactly known for his shot during his first two full seasons in Nashville, but his shot percentage jumped up nine points from 5.6% to 14.6% in 2017-18. Watson’s four short-handed goals was good for second most in the NHL & made penalty kills must-see television for Predators fans.

Watson’s 123 penalty minutes was good for fourth most in the league. He pretty much made Cody McLeod an expendable piece, much to the delight of my fellow Predlines writers. How many enforcer types can also score 14 goals in a season? Austin Watson is a hockey player in every sense of the word, & will make an impact during the postseason when it’s least expected.

Best Predators Opponent: Vegas Golden Knights

The Winnipeg Jets are getting a ton of hype as Nashville’s potential foil in the second round, and rightfully so. The Jets are the hottest team in hockey at the right time, & they had a number of classics with the Predators during the regular season. That being said, Nashville did put together a 3-1-1 record against Winnipeg in the regular season. They had a much tougher time of it against the NHL’s newest team & Pacific Division Champion.

The Vegas Golden Knights are being hailed as the greatest story in sports history in some corners. Not so much by people aware of how easy Vegas had it compared to previous expansion teams. Nevertheless, you have to be impressed with their effort this season. William Karlsson & Jon Marchessault came out of nowhere to have great seasons. Now that Marc-Andre Fleury is healthy, they have the goaltending to make a playoff run.

The Predators had a very tough time against the Golden Knights, & Fleury wasn’t even around for it. Their first meeting in December resulted in a 4-3 shootout victory for the Knights in Bridgestone Arena. The Predators went to Vegas, caught the flu during New Year’s celebrations & lost 3-0 on January 2. The teams’ final meeting took place two weeks later, with the Predators eeking out a 1-0 victory in Nashville.

Vegas hasn’t kept up their ridiculous hot streak all through the season, but they haven’t gone into the tank either. Should they & Nashville make it through their sides of the West bracket, Predators fans would be right to worry.

Best Predators Game: February 22 vs. San Jose Sharks (7-1 win)

There were certainly a lot of contenders for this one, but the complete & utter domination of the always tough Sharks took the cake for me. Pekka Rinne was sitting on 299 career wins, & his teammates wanted to make sure he didn’t have to wait too long for 300. The Predators haven’t had a great record against the Sharks over the years, so it’s always nice when the tables are turned for a little bit.

Worst Predators Game: March 31 vs. Buffalo Sabres (7-4 loss)

The Sabres ended the season with the worst regular season record. How they managed to score more goals during one game against the Predators than anybody else this season, I’ll never know. I can only assume Peter Laviolette & the boys wanted Sabres coach & former Predators assistant coach Phil Housely to look good.