Nashville Predators: Ranking the Western Qualifying Round Matchups

The NHL secure zones are buzzing now that the puck has dropped with exhibition games. The Nashville Predators play tomorrow in exhibition against Dallas.

The Nashville Predators are practicing in Edmonton and are preparing for the start of their qualifying round. First up, though, is an exhibition game against the Dallas Stars.

Nashville Predators

The unique playoff format, secure zones, television broadcasts without real crowd noise and life inside the hockey bubbles have made this season’s playoffs one of the most intriguing and talked about ever.

It will be exciting to see a refreshed Predators team finally take the ice against another team.

As we move closer towards the qualifying round games, we want to take some time to look at the qualifying round matchups in the West.

The Western Conference is loaded with heavy hitters, especially the Central Division. All of the teams in the Central Division are remarkably in the playoffs and competing for the Stanley Cup.

The qualifying games won’t be easy due to the best-of-five format. So few games leave the teams little room for error. Every organization has to be on top of their game and prepared to make quick strategic changes if needed.

After the tough qualifying games are over, the winners have the top-seeded teams to look forward to. We are in for some quality hockey after the players shake off some of the rust. So let’s take a look at out how we rank the Western Conference matchups in the qualifying round and which ones should be the most entertaining and competitive.

Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets

Game 1: Saturday, August 1st, 9:30 P.M. CDT (NBCSN)

This is the only qualifying round matchup that features two Canadian teams. You can bet that both sides will be primed and ready to go.

The Flames will be looking for their young superstars to come out swinging in this matchup. Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm are the top scorers for Calgary.

Tkachuk is a fast skater with some fancy shots who tends to get under other player’s skin to try to draw them into a penalty. He will have to keep his antics in check so that he doesn’t get his team into penalty trouble.

The Flames will be looking to redeem themselves in these playoffs. In the past five years, they have made the playoffs twice only to suffer first-round exits.

The Jets are looking to make a splash in the playoffs as well. Like the Flames, they have only been in the playoffs twice in the past five years, but did make it to the conference finals in 2018.

The Jets are relying on goaltender and Vezina Trophy finalist Connor Hellebuyck and their defense to help carry them to victory. Hellebuyck goes into the qualifying round with a .922 save percentage.

The Jets offensive weapons will need to match the Flame’s speed, intensity, and physicality. Kyle Connor had a great year, scoring 38 goals. Mark Scheifele and Patrick Laine are no slouches, netting 29 and 28 goals, respectively. They will need to keep their focus and not let Tkachuk and the other Flames provoke them into penalties.

This matchup could go either way. Both teams are more than capable of scoring goals, but Hellebuyck may be the deciding factor.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Minnesota Wild

Game 1: Sunday, August 2nd, 9:30 P.M CDT (NBCSN)

This is a qualifying round series that could go either way. Two evenly-matched teams that are looking to extend seasons that should be considered successful ones for these two up-and-comers.

Truthfully, both of these teams are lucky to be in the qualifying round as they both hovered at the bottom of their divisions this season, with Vancouver making their way up to third before the season pause.

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The loss of key player Jason Zucker at the trade deadline and a coaching change in February should’ve ended the Wild’s playoff run officially, but they have new life. The Wild went on a tear before the season pause, winning three of their last four games.

They were led by former Nashville Predator Kevin Fiala, who helped them secure a spot in the qualifying round. Veteran Zach Parise helped the team make that final push as well. Parise scored 25 goals this season, the most on the team.

The Canucks are a young team led by Calder Trophy finalist Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, and Brock Boeser. They are looking to make a name for themselves in their first playoff appearance. They’ve failed to make the postseason over the last five seasons.

The Canucks play a fast-paced game and also boast the fourth-best power play in the NHL. Their goaltending isn’t the greatest and defense isn’t their strong suit, either.

With the youthfulness of the Canucks and the resurgence of the Wild, this series could turn into a great matchup that should be fun to watch. Expect this to be back and forth to require the full five games and some overtime hockey as well.

Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes

Game 1: Sunday, August 2nd, 1:00 PM CDT (USA, FS-TN)

This series can go one of two ways. It will either be a low-scoring defensive stalemate, or we’ll see a refreshed Predators team dominate the Coyotes. It all depends on which Predators team shows up.

On paper, the Predators should be playing in the round-robin games and not the qualifier. Their season just didn’t live up to full preseason expectations, leaving them in a tough five-game series with a gritty Coyotes team.

Fans of defensive hockey games with excellent goaltending will be entertained by this matchup because that’s what this series expects to be like. Capitalizing on power plays and avoiding bad turnovers that create easy offensive chances for the other team will be key.

A lot is riding on the play of the Predators’ star forwards. Ryan Johansen, Matt Duchene, and Viktor Arvidsson struggled during the regular season. This time off should have helped them prepare mentally,

The Predators’ top defensive pairing of Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis is one of the best in the NHL but must match the Coyotes defensively. Goaltenders Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros may both get called on throughout this series. Goaltending could decide the ultimate winner.

The Arizona Coyotes live and die by their defense. They have two excellent goaltenders in Darcy Kuemper and Antti Raanta. The Coyotes also have a superb penalty kill if you are lucky enough to draw a penalty from them.

The Coyotes aren’t without offensive weapons. If Phil Kessel gets hot in this series, he can cause trouble. Taylor Hall hasn’t played as well as he could this season, but that could all change during this series. They could catch the Predators off guard.

This series will be exciting to watch just to see which teams show up. Both have had similar seasons and struggles. The Predators are the more talented team on paper, but that doesn’t always translate to more goals on the scoreboard.