Nashville Predators: Top Contributors In Playoff Push

DALLAS, TEXAS - APRIL 17: Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators talks to Juuse Saros #74 of the Nashville Predators while leaving the game in the first period against the Dallas Stars of Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center on April 17, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS - APRIL 17: Pekka Rinne #35 of the Nashville Predators talks to Juuse Saros #74 of the Nashville Predators while leaving the game in the first period against the Dallas Stars of Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2019 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center on April 17, 2019 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
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It is almost too good of a story to be believed. The Nashville Predators have made it into the 2020-21 Stanley Cup Playoffs. A feat that seemed near impossible only a few short months ago.

The Predators also pulled off another incredible accomplishment to get into the field of sixteen. They closed out the regular season with a two-game series against the Carolina Hurricanes, winning both contests.

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Nashville had yet to beat Carolina in the regular season and only needed two points to secure the final playoff spot in the Central Division. They got four in what turned out to be decisive back-to-back wins.

The Predators’ best against the Hurricanes was a one-point overtime loss back on March 9.

A week after that overtime loss to Carolina in March, the Predators would go on a run that no one could imagine possible, winning six games in a row to close out the month of March.

The first half of the season was abysmal for Nashville. Their record was a paltry 11-16-1. They could never gain any momentum, at best managing to string together two wins here and there.

The second half of the season started with a loss to the Lightning, but then the Predators flipped a switch. They beat Tampa Bay and Florida in back-to-back games, lost to Florida in the second of a two-game set, but then went on a six-game winning streak.

They only lost two consecutive games for the rest of the season, both against Carolina in mid-April. They closed the second half of the season with a record of 20-7-1 and finished the season 31-23-2.

It took a significant effort from the team and coaching staff to get to where the Predators are now. They proved everyone wrong and also confirmed that they belong in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Here is a look at some players that helped them get there.