Nashville Predators: Looking Back At Every 2nd Round Series in Franchise History

As the Nashville Predators prepare for the Winnipeg Jets in the second round, let’s take a look at every second-round series in franchise history.

It’s easy to forget how young the playoff success is for the Nashville Predators. They’ve been making the playoffs regularly since their first trip playoff berth in 2004. However, this current trip to the second round marks just the fifth time in franchise history.

Historically, the second round has marked a dead end for an out-matched Predators team that was still building a foundation. They would run into teams loaded with superior talent and proven veterans. Now they can call themselves one of those teams after last year’s run and what they’re accomplishing this season.

This current playoff run marks the fifth time the Predators are in the second round. Hard to believe, but the Predators are still new to going deep in the playoffs. The trip to the Stanley Cup Final last year made that fact easy to forget.

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The Predators are built to keep having playoff success for the near future. As for this year, they have the toughest test you can expect in a second-round series. The Jets are lethal on the offensive attack and have a Vezina Trophy finalist in Connor Hellebuyck. The Predators have one of their own with Pekka Rinne.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane and look back on all of second-round series in Nashville Predators franchise history.

Predators vs. Canucks

I still remember this series like it was last week. For the first time in franchise history, the Predators had a team that could do serious damage in the playoffs. Previous appearances were really just a feel-good story of getting to the playoffs. This series changed those expectations moving forward.

The Canucks were the vastly superior team to the Nashville Predators. They were the top seed in the Western Conference and the Presidents’ Trophy winner. Sound familiar? The Sedin brothers were terrorizing opposing defenses and Roberto Luongo was at the peak of his career.

This series went to six games, and the Predators put up an impressive fight against the eventual Western Conference champs. These were the days when the Predators struggled to score more than two goals in a game. The young Pekka Rinne was beginning to launch into the spotlight, and he kept the Canucks from running away with it.

The teams split the first two games in Vancouver, which really had Nashville buzzing at the time. We were already in uncharted territory. Now the Predators just stole a game on the road and coming back to Nashville. In the end, the better team won in Vancouver. It was a sign of things to come that the Predators were building a foundation of playoff success.

Predators lose in 5 games to Phoenix

Yes, they were still called the Phoenix Coyotes at the time. This series loss was tough to swallow. Even more so than any other first-round defeat due to the expectations. The previous year marked a new beginning for the Nashville Predators franchise. They can be more than just an annual first-round playoff casualty.

The Coyotes dominated most of this series, dismantling the Predators in five games. It was frustrating to see an ascending Predators team with plenty of talent get ran out of the arena in the second in such short order. It was the first time I can remember questioning Barry Trotz and where he can take the franchise. Was the ceiling under Trotz simply just making the playoffs? That was no longer good enough for most fans.

With the series at 2-1 in favor of Phoenix, the Predators’ offensive woes showed its ugly face. It’s nice to know the Predators don’t face that problem anymore. The Predators managed just one goal in the last two games of the series, leaving a lot of fans disappointed that the Predators were hitting another wall. A couple more scoring threats and the Predators get that series to at least seven games.

Predators lose in 7 games to San Jose

Another heartbreaking loss to the Sharks in the playoffs. It marked the third time the Sharks had eliminated the Predators from the playoffs. That’s a hard pill to swallow still to this day. It’s possible the Predators can get some revenge in this year’s playoffs, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

This series is still very fresh in the minds of diehard Predators fans. After a crazy first-round victory over the Ducks, the Predators were gassed. Once again they were running into a team destined for the Stanley Cup Final. The Sharks had a roster full of superstars that are still on the current squad, led by Joe Pavelski. The Predators protected home-ice in all three of their wins in this series, but so did the Sharks.

That gut-wrenching Game 7 loss also marks Shea Weber‘s last game in a Predators’ jersey before being traded for P.K. Subban. Also, check out what Pekka Rinne’s quote following this elimination game:

“It’s very difficult right now. We worked so hard to get to this point. You never know when you’re going to get this chance. Guys get older. That’s the worst feeling. It’s an empty feeling.”

Just a year later, the Predators are going to be in the midst of a wild ride to the Stanley Cup Final, and captivate an entire city.

I left this series realizing that the Predators are just a few pieces away from getting over the hump and past the second round. They put everything they had into this series, including forcing a Game 7 back in San Jose. Going into that game, I thought it was a long shot that they would have enough gas in the tank to win their first ever second-round series.

Predators finally get past the 2nd round

It’s still mind-boggling that last year’s series win over the Blues marks the only second-round series win in franchise history. In other words, this playoff success is still very fresh and new. That’s why it’s so important that the Predators prove this isn’t a fluke by doing it again this season.

With exception to the Stanley Cup Final showdown with Pittsburgh, the Blues offered the toughest resistance through the 2017 playoffs. Heading into that series, the Predators were buzzing after a shocking sweep of the Blackhawks. Shifting focus to the Blues was going to be a tough task. The series ends up being physical, as expected. Two division foes hungry for success in the playoffs. Neither franchise has a Stanley Cup.

Kevin Fiala‘s gruesome injury in the first game of the series really stands out in this series. We’ll never know what kind of impact he could have had if he plays the entire playoffs. Losing his scoring production ends up being a tough blow in the Stanley Cup Final.

Winning Game 1 on the road in St. Louis was huge, and the Predators also protected home ice to go up 3-1 in the series. Pekka Rinne was stellar, holding the Blues to two goals or less in five of the six games. Talks of just how far this team was going to go started surfacing after getting past a feisty Blues team with their own Stanley Cup Final expectations.