Nashville Predators Puck Drop: The Season Comes To An End

Welcome to The Puck Drop, a weekly roundup of all things Nashville Predators. We look at news stories, social media posts, and everything else that has to do with, cue Paul McCann, YOUR NASHVILLE PREDATORS.

Unfortunately, the Predators playoff run concluded last night with a game six loss to the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime. The season has ended, and now the long wait for next season begins.

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And what a crazy season this has been for the Predators.

The shortened season opened in January and, due to COVID-19 restrictions, saw games played in an empty Bridgestone Arena. The Predators also played all of this season’s games against their realigned Central Division rivals.

Nashville saw a very rocky start to the season. They went 11-16-1 in their first 28 games and appeared to be on the brink of a significant player and possible management overhaul.

But then something clicked with this team. On one of the longest road trips in team history, the Predators lit a spark and began an epic comeback that was something to behold.

On the insane goaltending of Juuse Saros and the play of a core of younger players stepping into NHL roles, the Predators managed to finish the regular season with a record of 31-23-2, at one point holding the season’s longest win streak at six games.

With some of the pandemic restrictions lifted, the Predators would finish their season in front of 14,107 fans who barely sat in their seats. The raucous crowd cheered the Predators on even in defeat, acknowledging the hard work that the team and coaching staff put in this season.

With the defeat fresh on everyone’s mind, it is hard to say what will unfold during the offseason. While the Predators finally found their identity, they still have some issues to address if they want to make the push to become an elite team.

For now, though, we can all be proud of a team that wasn’t expected to make a deep playoff run or make the playoffs at all. Everyone counted the Predators out in this playoff series and expected them to fold against a superior team.

The fact is, the Predators played one of the top teams in the league and gave them a run for their money. With the right changes in the offseason, no one will look past the Nashville Predators again.

We will have lots to cover in the offseason, including roster changes that the Predators may make, free agent signings, management changes, and the possible retirement of Pekka Rinne. We will bring you the news as it happens.

For now, we leave you with some sights and sounds from last night’s game.