Nashville Predators vs. Arizona Coyotes: Underrated X-Factors

All of our attention is naturally on the stars of both the Nashville Predators and the Arizona Coyotes. But there are some underrated x-factors in this series as well.

The top players of this qualifying series matchup between the Nashville Predators and Arizona Coyotes are pretty clear. These players will have the ability to dramatically shift the series one way or the other.

For the Predators, these players are definitely in their top-six forwards and their top defensemen. But there are some x-factors we’re not talking about as much, but we should be.

Same goes for the Coyotes. They’re not a flashy offensive team, but they have some quality players that can come out of nowhere and make this a tough series for the Predators.

Nashville Predators: Dante Fabbro

All of the focus is usually on Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis at the top of the Nashville defense, and rightfully so. But there’s a decent amount of pressure on the second defensive pairing to up their game.

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The young Dante Fabbro is at the forefront of this. He’s had to grow up fast, and his gradual progress has been encouraging. But there’s much more progress to make offensively before I can feel totally confident in him alongside veteran Mattias Ekholm.

Fabbro is a big x-factor in this series against the Coyotes to up his offensive impact, while also continuing to be smart defensively. This is a good matchup for him against Arizona.

If the top two defensive pairings have a strong series against Arizona, I don’t see this going past four games. The Predators will score enough goals to hold the Coyotes to below three goals and win this one fairly easily.

However, for this prediction to come true, Fabbro has to avoid mistakes that players of his age typically produce under playoff pressure. It will be interesting to watch unfold.

Arizona Coyotes: Conor Garland

Everyone’s attention is going to be focused on shutting down Taylor Hall. He’s a dynamic and crafty offensive player who can take over games and steal wins if he gets loose.

For the most part, the Coyotes are a pretty thin and ordinary offensive team. They’re not going to run teams out of the building with a flurry of goals on most occasions.

But there are some quality offensive players who might elevate their games and suddenly make Arizona a much more dangerous offensive team. Conor Garland is one of them.

If the Coyotes’ top line starts producing, then the Predators are going to be in trouble. They’re already going to have their hands full with Hall, but if Garland starts connecting on chances then it’s going to suddenly turn into matchup with a lot more offensive firepower.

Garland was the team’s leading goal scorer with 22, and third on the team in points with 39. And yet I don’t hear much talk about him when preparing for the Coyotes. It’s all focused on Hall and their elite goaltending.

Garland also has a respectable shooting percentage of 13.9, decent possession metrics and is one of the top offensive threats the Coyotes have outside of Hall and Phil Kessel. He’s just in his second season in the NHL, so he might not be ready for this playoff stage just yet.

Nashville Predators: Rocco Grimaldi

Rocco Grimaldi has quickly launched into a fan-favorite for the Nashville Predators. He works hard on every play, flashes up and down the ice and his game has steadily improved over time.

Even with all of the popularity, Grimaldi is sometimes overlooked on what is usually the third line for the Predators. His numbers will never probably be that of a Filip Forsberg or Viktor Arvidsson, but he makes a huge difference to Nashville’s depth scoring.

You can never discount the importance of depth scoring in the playoffs. It’s a grind like no other sport, and other players outside of the top players on the team have to step up and produce.

Grimaldi can be one of those contributors for the Predators. I love the improvement he’s shown, and he’s definitely a critical piece to the Predators making a successful run past the qualifying round.

Last postseason Grimaldi was one of the few bright spots on the Predators, who were eliminated in six games in the first round. He scored three goals and didn’t let the playoff stage pressure him into bad decisions on the ice.