Nashville Predators: The Climb Up The Standings Begins With Detroit

The Nashville Predators have returned to Bridgestone Arena after a successful road trip that ended with a shootout win against the Dallas Stars. Now the Predators have four games to try to make a push into the playoffs before the trade deadline.

These next four games will have lots of implications in determining the team’s direction at the deadline. The first test is tonight against the Detroit Red Wings.

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So far, the Predators have split the four games played against the Red Wings. But this Predators team has come into its own a bit since their last meeting.

The Predators went 4-3-1 in their massive eight-game road trip, facing the Central Division’s top teams. The only team they didn’t manage to win against was the Carolina Hurricanes, but they did pick up a point against them in the overtime loss.

With this road trip behind them and within spitting distance of the fourth playoff spot, the Predators now have the task of managing an almost perfect run in the next four games.

Detroit Could Spoil The Party

As previously stated repeatedly, on paper, the Predators are a better team than the Red Wings. Have they proved that this season? Absolutely not.

Detroit sits in the Central Division’s basement, and the playoffs are just about out of reach for them, if not altogether. However, they have victories against all of the heavy hitters in the Central, including the mighty Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Red Wings are capable of beating the Predators and spoiling their chances of climbing up in the standings. They have won three of their last five games and will be looking to carry that momentum with them into Nashville.

THE DESTINY OF THE NASHVILLE PREDATORS IS IN THEIR HANDS

With several key players out due to injury, young players stepping up to the plate, and players like Calle Jarnkrok and Eeli Tolvanen raising their gameplay, the Predators have flipped the script on their season. They are showing that they aren’t ready to throw in the towel.

In fact, Jarnkrok was named the NHL’s First Star of the week. He scored seven points in his last five games and had the winning goal in the shootout against Dallas on Sunday. He also is the Predators’ second-leading goal scorer behind Filip Forsberg.

The progression of Tolvanen is very exciting to watch. He sits in third place in goals behind Jarnkrok and had his first three-point game against the Stars. Placing him on the top line with Forsberg and Ryan Johansen has definitely helped with his development.

The Red Wings will more than likely be facing the red hot Juuse Saros in the net. In his past two games, he managed to stop 87 shots. His GAA now sits at 2.78 with a .913 SV%.

The Predators face two scenarios at the end of this four-game stretch. If they win and climb into a playoff spot, management may hold off on trading assets at the deadline or make minimal changes.

If they fail to win some of these games and can’t manage to pull into that fourth spot, then a sell-off will more than likely take place.

Public opinion, mine included, thinks that management needs to make some trades and begin this rebuild now, no matter the outcome of the following four games. If they put it off and the Predators are decimated in the first round of the playoffs, rebuilding becomes even more complicated, and you will lose some assets to free agency.

The season and the future of some key players rest in the hands of the team itself. The next four games are crucial and may be the turning point of the season, one way or another.

The puck drops at 7:00 PM CDT and will be televised on Fox Sports Tennessee. Follow along with us on Twitter for up-to-the-minute game commentary.