Everytime you think the Nashville Predators are falling apart and heading towards certain disaster, they channel their inner Lee Corso and tell us “not so fast, my friend.”
The Predators were in need of a huge bounceback performance on Tuesday night against the Calgary Flames, and did they ever as they returned back to their style of hard-hitting defensive hockey. This coming after their embarrassing 8-3 loss on Sunday to the St. Louis Blues.
One thing you can’t accuse this Predators team of is folding under pressure. Despite some very concerning lopsided losses over the last month, they’ve always figured out ways to rise up when it matters in their pursuit of the playoffs.
With Tuesday’s thrilling 3-2 shootout win for the Nashville Predators, their playoff odds are hovering around 97 percent per MoneyPuck.com:
Playoff chances as of Wednesday. Preds and Kings winning last night push VGK's odds down to 14%https://t.co/RbnckCLHNP pic.twitter.com/963hwkizru
— MoneyPuck.com (@MoneyPuckdotcom) April 20, 2022
Furthermore, according to Michah Blake McCurdy of HockeyViz.com, the Nashville Predators are projected to finish just ahead of the Dallas Stars, LA Kings and Vegas Golden Knights in his point projections:
Point projections over the past fortnight. pic.twitter.com/Puk8jaOolt
— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) April 20, 2022
The top stars deliver for the Nashville Predators in crunch time
Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg returned to their scoring form, and Mikael Granlund delivered in the shootout with a nifty move to secure the extra point in the standings.
Duchene is now the first 40-goal scorer in Nashville Predators history, and rightfully received a standing ovation midgame from the fans. It was a cool moment for a player that has done a complete 180 with the fanbase over the course of this season.
And as for Juuse Saros, talk about a gutsy performance from him after being chased out of the game against the Blues on Sunday. He now leads the NHL in starts with 65 and wins with 38.
For perspective, Pekka Rinne only had 65-plus starts in a season twice in his storied career, and racked up more than 38 wins three times.
I must admit that I still have my serious doubts in this team actually getting past the first round, but the way they played the Flames on Tuesday in a potential first round matchup preview is definitely encouraging.
The Predators have themselves a blueprint for success against a team like the Flames, who respectfully have a roster loaded with primetime scorers, quality defenders and a top-notch goaltender in Jacob Markström.
At this point the Predators will face either the Flames or the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. No disrespect to the Flames, but we witnessed on Tuesday why we should all be hoping that the Predators hold onto the No.1 wildcard spot.
A blueprint for 1st Round Success?
So what’s the blueprint? Well first and foremost, be smarter about the penalties you commit. Penalties are going to happen with the way this team plays, but taking smarter penalties and avoiding the frustration penalties is paramount.
The Flames were able to connect on one power play goal in three attempts, and that’s the blueprint for success for any team going up against the Nashville Predators. You know they’re going to be in the penalty box regularly, so make them pay with the power play.
Holding the Flames to just 21 shots on goal was the most impressive stat of the night from the Predators. That’s a formula for success for any team. They made it extremely difficult for the Flames to get set up in the zone to get prime looks on Saros.
You figure out a way to limit teams to under 30 shots on Saros, then you’re giving yourself a puncher’s chance to push a team like the Flames to the brink in a seven-game series.
The Predators kept the Flames big-time scorers limited in their offensive chances. Matthew Tkachuk, who is just one point shy of 100, managed just two shots on goal. Tyler Toffoli also had just two shots on goal, and Elias Lindholm (39 goals on the season) tallied just one shot on goal.
It’ll be a treat for NHL fans everywhere if the Nashville Predators and Calgary Flames play each other in their first ever playoff meeting. We got a taste of that on Tuesday night for sure.
We won’t have to wait too long to get another potential first round preview as the two teams face off again in Nashville a week later. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of adjustments are made, and if the Predators already have a playoff spot officially secured by then.
Yes, my serious doubts remain with this Predators team. With that said, keep proving me wrong and I’ll gladly eat the crow. I need to see this stretched out over the course of several games before I’ll change my confidence level.