Nashville Predators: Looking Back at Their Best Season Starts

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Every year in the NHL is a grueling 82-game season, but this year, the Nashville Predators are off to a hot start. In honor of this, let’s take a look back at some of their past hot starts in franchise history.

Many times the NHL regular season is full of peaks and valleys. Even the best teams in the league, like the Nashville Predators, hit their inevitable rough patches. However, getting off to a hot start is valuable in the sense that it takes off some pressure later in the season to be perfect.

For an ultra-talented team like the Predators, piling up the points early on when your team is mainly at its healthiest is key. The scratches and dings eventually start adding up throughout the season, so getting as many wins as possible before this occurs is something that bodes well for any NHL squad. In sum, giving yourself a buffer by playing well early on is important, even if it’s a long season.

Going way back

How about going back to the early years when the Predators franchise was still in its infancy?

In just the franchise’s third year, Nashville was able to manage a 4-1-1 start; back when ties were still scored in the

Yes, a 4-1-1 start is petty to say the least, but at this time the Predators had very little expectations of doing anything special. Unlike modern Smashville hockey, playing at a competitive level and occasionally getting an upset against teams like the Red Wings was all we could hope for early on.

Ironically enough, it was an overtime win over the aforementioned Detroit Red Wings that capped off the 4-1-1 start before the team reverted back down to reality and eventually missed the postseason by finishing 10th in the Western Conference.

On a more positive note, this was a blue-collar team that featured captain Tom Fitzgerald, Cliff Ronning, and a young David Legwand; so the fact they were our first lineup to the 80-point mark was a pleasant treat for the Predators early supporters.

Danny Markov during the game between the New York Rangers and the Nashville Predators at the Gaylord Center in Nashville, Tennessee on December 8, 2005. The Rangers beat the Predators 5-1. (Photo by Joe Murphy/NHLImages) /

Best start in team history

The Predators have never started better than this team did in 2005-2006.

Following the terrible lockout of 2004 that witnessed the NHL lose an entire year of action, the Nashville Predators made their presence known when play finally resumed a year later.

Led by Paul Kariya and Steve Sullivan’s offensive firepower, this Predators team was the best to date in franchise history; starting 8-0-0. At this point, I distinctively remember the rest of the league taking notice.

During this eight-game winning streak to commence the year, the Predators won six of those eight games by just a one-goal margin. Adding to this, three of those wins were via the shootout, which was a brand a new concept at the time as the NHL had just eradicated Ties altogether.

Across this eight-game span, the Predators also managed to tally two big wins over the San Jose Sharks, a team that proved to be our stumbling block in the playoffs for the next two years to come.

This undefeated streak eventually saw Nashville go 14-3-3 through their first 20 games and finishing with 106 points; which was a Franchise record at the time. The Predators unsurprisingly made the playoffs following this, marking the first time Nashville was also privileged with playoff hockey in back-to-back seasons.

Sadly, the pesky San Jose Sharks would be waiting for the Predators in the playoffs, beating out Nashville in the first round in a lopsided 4-1 seven game series.

Although the playoff woes were deflating, it was still exciting to see an expansion team start the season so strong and continually find regular season success.

Overall, 2005-2006 may be forgotten today, but, the success the momentum the Predators carried during this time helped spark the team for years to come.

LOS ANGELES, CA – MARCH 25: Martin Erat #10 of the Nashville Predators brings the puck around the net against Michael Cammalleri #13 of the Los Angeles Kings on March 25, 2006 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Noah Graham/Getty Images) /

The best Preds roster we had seen

As mentioned in the last slide, the years from 2005-2007 were a turning point in the history of Nashville Predators hockey.

In simple terms, it is the time when they became a formidable foe and a legitimate playoff contender.

In 2006-2006, their roster was bolstered by Paul Kariya for the second year in a row and was heightening expectations to new levels.

This particular team reeled off a 9-4-1 start en route to 110 points and a fourth-place finish in overall goals scored in the NHL.

Shockingly enough, this squad actually stumbled out of the gate with an 0-3 start before winning 11 of the next 13 games. During this span, the Predators had just one regulation loss in mid-November after the 0-3 start. Pretty astounding.

Alongside Kariya, Nashville had youngsters such as Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, and Scott Hartnell, while veterans such as Jason Arnott and J.P. Dumont made the team legitimate Stanley Cup Contenders. As if they needed more talent, the Predators also added Peter Forsberg later in the year who managed 13 assists and 15 points in just 17 games for Nashville.

In the end, this was perhaps Nashville’s most fun team to watch, supported by the fact they went 17-5-2 over their first 24 games and nearly won the Central Division for the first time in Franchise history

Unfortunately, though, the annoying San Jose Sharks team knocked the Predators out of the first round yet again; reminding us that all good things really do come to an end.

DALLAS, TX – MARCH 29: Peter Laviolette, head coach of the Nashville Predators watches the action from the bench against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center on March 29, 2016 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Glenn James/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Peter Laviolette’s debut

I can still recall the unrest going into this season after seeing Barry Trotz leave the bench for the Predators.

As tough as it was, both parties knew it was time to go separate ways.

Today, hardcore Nashville fans may still be slightly upset with the success Trotz went on to have, winning a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals, yet, seeing a brand new face behind the bench still brought a different level of excitement to Predators hockey.

Given his mixed track record, many were cautiously optimistic about Peter Laviolette coming on board, however, after leading Nashville to an impressive 5-0-2 start through the first seven games, supporters were hopeful in the new direction the team was going.

The 5-0-2 start would blossom into a 16-5-2 record in late November. The Predators cruised through the entire 2014-15 season before having another 2nd-place finish in the Central Division.

Overall, Laviolette employed a much more aggressive style that features high intensity and uses the additional speed to help create further scoring chances. This brand of hockey quickly found success for players such as Filip Forsberg, James Neal, and Colin Wilson.

In short, this was perhaps the deepest roster that the Predators put on the ice as six players managed to score 42 points or more; a list that did not feature talented players such as Neal and Mike Fisher.

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In frustrating fashion though, the Predators would draw another tough first-round opponent in the Blackhawks. They would get their revenge the following year, but this talented Predators team would ultimately come up short of meeting expectations.

Will 2018-2019 serve differently? After one of the team’s best starts in Franchise history, we certainly expect it too.

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