Nashville Predators: Through 20 Games, Here Are the Ones to Remember

NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Filip Forsberg #9 of the Nashville Predators skates against Mark Scheifele #55 of the Winnipeg Jets at Bridgestone Arena on October 11, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Filip Forsberg #9 of the Nashville Predators skates against Mark Scheifele #55 of the Winnipeg Jets at Bridgestone Arena on October 11, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
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NASHVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 11: Craig Smith #15 of the Nashville Predators dumps the puck in the zone against Tyler Myers #57 of the Winnipeg Jets at Bridgestone Arena on October 11, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 11: Craig Smith #15 of the Nashville Predators dumps the puck in the zone against Tyler Myers #57 of the Winnipeg Jets at Bridgestone Arena on October 11, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images)

Revenge is so sweet

Once the schedule came out, nothing stood out more than the early-season tilt with Winnipeg. The Predators had their season prematurely ended in the second round of the playoffs thanks to a hot Jets team that outlasted them in seven games. Winning a regular season game in October doesn’t fully ease the pain, but it helps.

As for the game itself, Nashville dominated more so than I could’ve expected. Pekka Rinne gets the shutout on 29 saves in a game that was close into the third period. Captain Roman Josi gave the Predators an insurance goal to salt this one away. This win reassured us that the Predators are worthy of the preseason hype.

The psyche mellowed a bit after seeing the Predators beat the Jets, even if it was so early in the season. We’ll see them plenty more times in the coming months, and the Jets are quietly hanging around not too far behind in the standings.