Nashville Predators Awards for January
It was a rollercoaster of a month for the Nashville Predators. Some ups, some downs, and some ups to end the month carved the path for the team this month.
I often talk about an NHL season being a rollercoaster. The Nashville Predators’ month of January was a rollercoaster. We started with wins over Washington & Philadelphia on New Years’ Eve & Day. The good times continued during the longest road trip of the season, where the Predators collected points for the first five games.
That ended…in Carolina? Nashville responded by whooping Washington in their return to Bridgestone Arena, then dropped the final two games of the homestand. Fortunately, the Predators ended the month in style by winning on the road. They finally overcame the Vegas flu! Apparently getting bitten is the way to do it.
I would have predicted very little of this. Feels like we’re headed in a direction that can’t be predicted. Before that happens, let’s regroup and look back at some of the best & worst of January.
Most Bogus Punishment: Ryan Johansen’s two-game suspension
The less said about Nashville’s game with Winnipeg on January 17, the better. They followed up a big win over the Washington Capitals with a stinker against their top divisional foe. Losses to the Jets sting a little more than losses to other teams these days.
Though maybe they don’t sting as much as the shot to the helmet Mark Scheifele took.
This chop-slash to the head by Ryan Johansen on Mark Scheifele. Wow.#NHLJets #Preds #WPGvsNSH pic.twitter.com/hphGj8CPrh
— Robson Fletcher (@CBCFletch) January 18, 2019
I know. It looked really bad. But you have to take a couple of things into consideration. For one thing, dude did have a helmet on. For another thing, Ryan Johansen was merely trying to kill a fly that had landed on top of said helmet.
Winnipeg Jets fans got so worked up and angry about this, but let’s be honest: their team consists of the biggest cheap-shot artists in the NHL. Let’s call a spade a spade here. The Jets got a taste of their own medicine, and the NHL punished their American opponents for it. That’s all that happened there. Johansen wouldn’t have missed two games for that if he was wearing a Winnipeg jersey & whacking a Nashville player. Bottom line.
Best Predator Teammate: Ryan Hartman
The future of the Nashville Predators goaltending situation has been discussed ad nauseum over the past couple of years. Juuse Saros looks like he’ll be the top goalie once his father Pekka Rinne steps aside, but some folks still aren’t sure. The main knock against Saros? Dude’s too short.
Well, those folks got some ammunition when Saros had some issues getting over the boards in the Montreal game. Fortunately, all-around good guy Ryan Hartman was there to help his little buddy out.
The beautiful game. pic.twitter.com/Ys0t6Roenm
— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) January 6, 2019
Then you’ve got Matt Irwin next to this all like “Really? You crowding me, dude.” At least we know that Hartman has his goalie’s back.
Best Predators Performance: January 7 (Nashville 4, Toronto 0)
The National Hockey League makes its home in Toronto, and people do have their hopes up for the Maple Leafs these days with some of the talent they’ve drafted and acquired. That Auston Matthews guy is kinda good, right?
So any time you can roll into Toronto & shut the Maple Leafs out is worth celebrating. From what I hear, it’s an even bigger deal in Canada. Most of those fans are darn sick & tired of NHL coverage revolving around the Leafs. It’s like how American fans feel about NBC’s fixation with the Chicago Blackhawks, but on an even bigger scale.
I would compare it to American coverage of the New England Patriots, but that team actually wins championships. MLK & RFK were still alive the last time the Leafs won a championship.
Worst Predators Performance: January 13 (Carolina 6, Nashville 3)
For whatever reason, the Nashville Predators have always struggled against the dregs of the NHL. They play up to their competition, which means that lesser teams have an advantage. That’s exactly what happened on this Sunday afternoon encounter.
The Carolina Hurricanes, as has tended to happen recently, stepped their game up against their former Stanley Cup-winning coach, Peter Laviolette. The Predators, for their part, played as if they’d been out too late the night before. Teams will have nights like this.
The fact it happens so often for Nashville against lesser teams is disconcerting. You’d like to shrug it off as “one of those things”, but you’d also like to think the Predators would get over it eventually.
Most Valuable Predator: Viktor Arvidsson
Ten goals is a pretty good season for most of the Nashville Predators. Arvidsson got that done in the month of January. Filip Forsberg did the same thing in October & got Hart Trophy talk. I don’t think Arvidsson will ever get that kind of talk, nor will any Predator in the long run, because it’s too difficult to figure out which player is most important to this team.
Forsberg certainly took that title early on. Since then, it’s been traded between Arvidsson & Ryan Johansen, who does all the little things on the JoFA line & gets little credit for it. Oh, and then there’s Mattias Ekholm, who has quietly been the best Predators defenseman. Of course, there’s Pekka Rinne, but dang if Juuse Saros hasn’t been looking better lately.
Let’s just stick with January. Arvidsson was out for most of the season prior due to injury, but he came back at the end of December. After shaking the cobwebs for a couple of games, he was on fire for the entirety of January. There were four games he didn’t get a point in, and he made up for that in the other games. He got two goals against Philadelphia, three against Washington & spread the other five out over the month.
Next. Austin Watson Suspended by NHL. dark
He also did some other things. Arvy Hustle is always a thing, and whenever he’s on the ice & in the lineup there’s an extra pep in the Nashville Predators’ step. Unless they’re playing lesser competition…