Nashville Predators: Three Things That Have Fueled the Resurgence
Nashville Predators no longer a rudderless ship
This team finally has an identity it feels like. It’s crazy to think that the key injuries the Predators had to deal with actually forced them to find themselves, dig deep and discover what they had down at the bottom of the depth chart.
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What this team is showing is that they can win games ugly if they need to, and they’re not going to let you have much of anything in easy fashion. You’re going to have to grind it out for every inch of the ice.
The Predators are that smash-you-in-the-face type of team that’s going to force you to give away the puck to fuel their own opportunities. A big reason for this is the tenacity that the youth of the roster has shown.
Big props go out to Mathieu Olivier, Yakov Trenin, Alexandre Carrier, Ben Harpur and of course Eeli Tolvanen, who goes without saying.
Also, how about Luke Kunin jumping right in after returning from injury and tallying three assists over the weekend against Chicago? This team can suddenly beat your from many different angles, but I’m really seeing as a team that wants thing chippy and hard to operate.
There’s also something to be said about playing with a sense of desperation. Many of these players have known for a while now that their days could be numbered in Nashville, and they’re playing for an opportunity somewhere else.
Take for instance players like Calle Jarnkrok and Rocco Grimaldi. Two players that have found a spark through all of this and playing their best hockey right now. Teams are taking notice if the Predators decide to be sellers.
It remains to be seen if that’s going to work against fast-paced team like Florida, Tampa and Carolina down the stretch, but it’s certainly working against the other teams in the Central Division.
A one-two goaltending punch
The Nashville Predators don’t have one, but two worthy goaltenders that can steal games for them. I realize that Pekka Rinne’s numbers mediocre on their surface, but a lot of it was blown up before this recent surge that we’re talking about now.
Then there’s Juuse Saros, who has been arguably the best goaltender in the NHL since he returned from injury on March 18 against the Florida Panthers and posted the 41-save shutout.
Since then, Saros has played like a Vezina Trophy goaltender. Check out this trend shared from NHL PR:
Juuse Saros backstopped the @PredsNHL to victory and has now allowed one or fewer goals in each of his last seven decisions. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/9C5SKPTtKT
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) March 28, 2021
I don’t care how limited your team may be in terms of offensive weapons or coaching style or whatever, when your goaltender is giving up just one goal or fewer you’re going to win a lot of games.
Saros is now listed as day-to-day, so the Predators might once again have to lean heavily on Rinne for the short term:
Rinne has given up his fair share of goals he maybe should’ve had, but he followed that up with another solid victory over the Blackhawks last night.
To be blunt, the Predators need Saros back quickly or this thing might come to a screeching halt. Rinne can’t start every game and keep the Predators surge going, but he can do enough to keep the Predators from free falling until Saros can return to the starting lineup.
What really gets you pumped up is if this goaltending surge can continue into a possible playoff appearance. We all know what hot goaltending can do for your hopes of making a deep playoff run.
Don’t give an inch
I love watching the Predators play at even strength, 5-on-5 play. They make things difficult for the other team, but the problem early in the season was the Predators were horrendous on the penalty kill and in return couldn’t stop taking bad penalties.
It doesn’t take a hockey expert to realize that’s a terrible combination that’s not going to end well. Although the Predators’ penalty kill is completely remedied, they have shown modest improvement in this area.
The bigger development for me is the Predators are playing smarter and more calculated. When they take penalties, it’s mostly ones that are necessary. The Predators have to like their chances when it’s at 5v5.
Even with the slight improvement, the penalty kill remains a major liability that will get this team beat quickly by the likes of the top teams in the division.
So if we are thinking about playoffs and hoping not to get embarrassed in the first round, then keeping things at even strength is a must.
As for the power play, well it’s taking off like a rocket during the surge back into a playoff spot. The power play is up to 18th in the NHL, and not far behind from getting into the top half. They’re also spending a lot of time on the power play, which helps get back any momentum you may have lost.
The Predators are 12th in the NHL in total power play opportunities on the season, and that trend needs to continue to keep their winning ways fueled.
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Tolvanen is playing beyond his years and making highlight reel after highlight reel, and some of the veterans are also starting to find their groove again.
With these three factors in play, I really like the Predators’ chances to beat out the other teams for that fourth spot. Getting to the grownup’s table of the division to match well with Tampa Bay, Carolina and Florida is a whole other discussion for another day.