Central Division Power Rankings: Nashville Predators Fall Back
Chad Minton’s rankings (@chad_minton)
1. Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1-0, 6 PTS (Last Week: 1)
2. Dallas Stars 2-0-0, 4 PTS (Last Week: 4)
3. Carolina Hurricanes 2-1-0, 4 PTS (Last Week: 3)
4. Florida Panthers 2-0-0, 4 PTS (Last Week: 5)
5. Nashville Predators 2-3-0, 4 PTS (Last Week: 2)
6. Columbus Blue Jackets 2-2-2, 6 PTS (Last Week: 6)
7. Chicago Blackhawks 2-3-1, 5 PTS (Last Week: 8)
8. Detroit Red Wings 2-4-0, 4 PTS (Last Week: 7)
This division is really hard to put a finger on right now after you get past my top-three of Tampa Bay, Dallas and Carolina.
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With an uneven amount of games played, I can’t overreact to the Blue Jackets or Blackhawks having more points when they’ve played six games compared to other teams who have only played two or three games.
I’m not ready to plummet the Predators too far down after three-straight losses to really strong teams who will push Tampa Bay for the division championship.
However, the Predators do look like a fringe playoff team that most have considered them to be all offseason.
The Florida Panthers are quietly waiting to get their season back started. They’re 2-0-0 after beating Chicago twice. Now they hope to get back in action against the Columbus Blue Jackets. That two-game set will be very telling.
It looks like the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning are on a collision course for the division title. Point percentages might very well come into play when it’s all said and done.
Rich Howe’s Rankings (@Rich_Howe_9)
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 1)
2. Dallas Stars (Last Week: 2)
3. Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 3)
4. Florida Panthers (Last Week: 5)
5. Nashville Predators (Last Week: 3)
6. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week: 6)
7. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 7)
8. Detroit Red Wings ( Last Week: 8)
The Tampa Bay Lightning are sitting at the top of the Central Division with only one loss that came at the hands of the Columbus Bluejackets. I am anxious to see the Lightning matched up against a powerhouse team like the Dallas Stars.
Speaking of the Stars, they opened their season by hammering the Nashville Predators. They followed that win up by beating the Predators again on Sunday. Anton Khodobin pitched a 34-save shutout and several Stars players tallied multiple points.
If the Stars keeps up this level of play they may find themselves in first place fairly soon.
The Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers could easily switch spots this week. The Panthers have only played two games so far but will face the Bluejackets twice and the Detroit Red Wings twice this week.
Both teams provide the Panthers with a chance to move up in the division. The Hurricanes will be facing tough opponents in Dallas and Tampa Bay this week and could slide down.
The Predators and the Blue Jackets could also switch spots this week. Nashville is on a three-game losing streak and has some work to do on special teams to right the ship. Columbus is an enigma team that is either hot or cold. They traded Pierre-Luc Dubois for Patrick Laine over the weekend. With that distraction out of the way they should be able to focus solely on climbing up the Central.
The Chicago Blackhawks have won two games in a row after losing their first four. Next they face the Predators in back to back games. These games should be a good test for the Blackhawks to see if they are turning their season around.
The Detroit Red Wings have lost two games in a row and pull into Dallas for their next two games. That doesn’t bode well for their chances of moving up in the division.
Max Greenberg’s Rankings (@MaxGreenberg176)
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 1)
2. Dallas Stars (Last Week: 5)
3. Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 3)
4. Florida Panthers (Last Week: 4)
5. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week: 6)
6. Nashville Predators (Last Week: 2)
7. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 8)
8. Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 7)
The Stars came into last week with the biggest opportunity to rise in the rankings, having not played a game until last Friday, and man did they deliver. They started their season in emphatic fashion, crushing the Predators 7-0 in their season opener, and followed that up by defeating them 3-2 on Sunday.
They have two games this week against the lackluster Red Wings, while the Lightning have two hit or miss games against the Hurricanes and Predators. Look for the Stars to potentially rise to the top of the rankings by the start of next week.
The Panthers have been somewhat unfortunate to start the season, as their opponents’ COVID issues have postponed four of their games. They are a tough team to gauge at this point, but they did take care of business in the two games they played, so anywhere in the middle of the pack seems to be an appropriate spot for them.
The Predators are undoubtedly the largest fallers in the rankings, as special teams issues have derailed them and resulted in three straight losses. It is early in the year, but this just feels like déjà vu for the club, and I fear things could spiral out of control if they do not fix their problems.
To finish this week’s rankings, the Blackhawks jumped the Red Wings after their disastrous 0-3-1 start. I still think there is a very good chance that Chicago finishes at the bottom of this division, but I couldn’t put them in last place this week after they beat the Red Wings twice.
Colin Blouin’s Rankings (@colinblouin)
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 1)
2. Dallas Stars (Last Week: 5)
3. Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 2)
4. Florida Panthers (Last Week: 4)
5. Nashville Predators (Last Week: 3)
6. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week: 6)
7. Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 7)
8. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 8)
Well, the standings are hard to tell this story, but Tampa Bay still looks like the cream of the crop and can score at all levels. Until they get knocked down a peg or two, I still have them on top.
Though they lost to Columbus, they still look like the Stanley Cup champs – rough nights happen.
Dallas meanwhile looked lethal with a one-two punch that can make you pay. They exposed many flaws in the Nashville Predators, and though they were about even in 5 on 5, their special teams looked deadly; that may be more indicative of the Predators than of Dallas.
Carolina is a very talented team, and they don’t let off the gas – unfortunately they did have an outbreak within the team that led to putting a pause on their season. They beat the Predators in the first half of their two game series before the second half was postponed, but they look more susceptible than I initially thought, and Nashville actually looked very good in spite of the loss.
That brings me to the “bubble” of the division. Right now, after the exposure of just how very bad the Predator’s special team are, I think they see themselves on the outside looking in unless they get it figured out, and for me, that puts the Panthers ahead of them.
Sure, the Panthers have only played two games at home, but until they lose or we see them against Nashville, they’re ahead in my book.
Nashville…woof. It would be one thing if Dallas’ goaltending was the reason we couldn’t convert on the powerplay, but the Predators never really challenged much in that area, and never got second chance opportunities.
Sloppy entry into the zone means the offense is going nowhere on the power play. The penalty kill? Well, a lackadaisical effort like that can’t make you a contender. 5 on 5, the team actually looks decent, but they fail to show the intensity they need consistently, and in all three periods.
Columbus has shown signs of rising. Maybe the blockbuster trade they just made will make them a contender, but time will tell. One must question whether Pierre Luc Dubois was the problem and a cancer in the locker room, or if John Tortorella’s history as, well, not exactly a “players coach” is the real reason for concern.
Chicago and Detroit I go back and forth. Detroit seems like they are still in their rebuild and not ready to put it together, but they show flashes. Chicago is not only experiencing rebuild woes, but also injury too. I go back and forth with these two, but I give the slight edge to Detroit for who they’ve beaten. Either way, the bottom of the division is ugly.
Predlines Composite Rankings
1. Tampa Bay Lightning (Last Week: 1)
2. Dallas Stars (Last Week: 4)
3. Carolina Hurricanes (Last Week: 3)
4. Florida Panthers (Last Week: 5)
5. Nashville Predators (Last Week: 2)
6. Columbus Blue Jackets (Last Week: 6)
7. Chicago Blackhawks (Last Week: 8)
8. Detroit Red Wings (Last Week: 7)
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The Predlines crew is in full agreement with the top-four this week. We’re also all in agreement that the Predators were a little overrated last week after opening the season with a two-game sweep over Columbus.
The Florida Panthers move into the coveted fourth spot, which will probably come down to the last game of the season to decide who gets it.
The Red Wings and Blackhawks keep alternating for last place, but the Predators now have to face the Blackhawks. If they lose both of those, then that lonely fall into last place with Detroit will be likely.