Nashville Predators: It’s Time to Dig Deep and Grind it Out

It’s no doubt that expectations haven’t been met this season for the Nashville Predators, and that we’re in a rut with finding out where we stand as a team.

Home of the 7th man

Anyone who is against the Nashville Predators and knows hockey in the NHL, will tell you that Bridgestone Arena is a tough place to play. They are loud. They are overbearing. Most importantly though, they stand with the Predators and battle with them on the other side of the glass.

What if we give up on a team that is battling for us though? As one of our site experts addresses in a recent article, we can’t turn into fair-weather fans. With the Predators being on the NHL All-Star break, maybe it’s time for us to catch a breath too, and think of the positives.

The Predators have been consistently in the playoffs over the last decade, and it can understandably spoil us. We come to expect the Predators to cruise into the playoffs, and especially with this beefed up roster.

But the 82-game hockey season is a grind like no other sport out there. And it’s always full of peaks and valleys. The Predators can still end up on a peak in the second half, with the fans standing behind them and validating their reputations as being the loudest.

Players who can step up

The second half of the season is here, and it’s no secret that Nashville plays best when we play desperate hockey. Personally, I look for Matt Duchene to start grinding and showing that explosive offensive talent that he possesses. He knows it’s crunch time, and that he has a lot left to prove.

Duchene’s hockey IQ and his stick skills will elevate the second half of the season I believe, and with Filip Forsberg looking to get more pucks in net, these two could be deadly together in the second half of the season.

Both of these key players know what they are capable of and it’s time to tap their potential. These are two players I look forward to seeing hustle in the second half of the season, and that already makes me excited to get back to the grind!

”Never tell me the odds”

Han Solo as played by Harrison Ford in the movie franchise Star Wars once quoted, “never tell me

the odds.”

Here’s the thing Predators fans, never tell US the odds. We have came back after being down points several times this season, so we know what we have to do. We know our backs are against the wall, and no other team is gonna give up wins without a fight.

And to be exact, the Predators aren’t far out of it at all. In fact, with a few games in hand over many of the teams they’re competing with, they can absolutely surge after the All-Star break and get firmly into the playoff picture.

The level of physicality always grows in the second half of the season in the NHL. It’s time to for the Predators to play desperate hockey, and it’s time for the fans to rally together, stay positive and show the rest of the NHL why we are they are one of the loudest fanbases around.