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Nashville Predators: No bull. Team defense won in Canada

ByCorey Francis|
EDMONTON, AB - OCTOBER 20: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins #93 of the Edmonton Oilers battles for position with Ryan Ellis #4 of the Nashville Predators on October 20, 2018 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
EDMONTON, AB - OCTOBER 20: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins #93 of the Edmonton Oilers battles for position with Ryan Ellis #4 of the Nashville Predators on October 20, 2018 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Numbers never lie, and when looking over the stats for the Nashville Predators this year, it is clear their team defense is winning games.

Three weeks into the season and the Nashville Predators are proving they are contenders. With a record of 7-1-0, Nashville leads the NHL in standing points and goal differential. On the season, they have only allowed 10 goals during even-strength time. It is a great start to the season.

The Predators finished week three of the season with back-to-back games in Western Canada. The good news is they won both games, which led to coach Peter Laviolette wearing a bull mask during the postgame interviews with media. However, the team lost Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne for at least seven days.

The numbers tell the story well. During 5v5 action, the Predators are fantastic defensively as a team. Take a look at these stats.

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Against the Calgary Flames, Nashville lost the Corsi and Fenwick battles but still gained more shots on goal. The Predators blocked 20 shots and gained 22 turnovers. All season, they have turned takeaways into goals. It worked again in Calgary as Yannick Weber gained the puck and found Zac Rinaldo for a goal. Additionally, while the Flames gained 25 scoring chances, only 12 were in high danger areas. They scored a goal, but it could have been much worst. The Predators had 30 scoring chances, 15 HDCF.

How about against Edmonton? The story is very different. Nashville finished with a small Corsi advantage, but loss the Fenwick battle. The Oilers were able to get more shots on goal than Nashville. Edmonton also blocked more shots and took the puck away more. All the things The Predators did well in the previous game they struggled with against the Oilers. However, the Predators didn’t allow Connor McDavid and friends to get to high-danger areas. Even with 20 scoring chances, the Oilers took three shots in high-danger areas. Nashville didn’t allow clear, open looks and Saros shut the Oilers out.

Season story

These numbers should come as no shock to Nashville Predators fans. It is the story of the season so far. At 5v5, Nashville in 12th CorsiFor% and 20th in CorsiFor/60 in the NHL.  Yet, they allowed the fewest goals in the league. When you are only expected to score 2.89 goals per 60 minutes (11th in NHL), it helps to not allow your opponents to score.

Given all the numbers, Nashville should have given up 15 goals this year. They are middle of the pack in HDCA, with 60 on the season. It is a far cry from the 94 Anaheim has given up, but Not far below the average of 61.77. Even so, the Predators have allowed a total of 4 high-danger goals on the season, giving them a .907 save percentage in these moments.

The Predators are using a total team effort to win games. For example, their fourth line of Miikka Salomaki, Colton Sissons, and Zac Rinaldo is stellar at 5v5. They are playing their opponents nearly even in shot attempts, but have 15 scoring chances against allowing seven. Not only are they keeping their opponents at bay, but the Predators’ fourth line is also getting chances to score.

It is still early, but all signs are showing team effort defensively. The name of the game is score and keep your opponents from scoring. Having great goaltending helps, but the Nashville Predators are pushing opponents away from the net. If this trend continues, this could be another historic season.

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