Nashville Predators: Four X-Factors to Upsetting Colorado Avalanche
By Chad Minton
The Nashville Predators enter the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs as probably the biggest underdog of the entire 16-team playoff field as they’ll take on the buzzsaw that is the Colorado Avalanche.
An epic collapse against the Arizona Coyotes in the season finale sent the Predators into a much less favorable matchup. It looked like a 100 percent certainty that the Predators would draw the Calgary Flames in the first round, but hockey is a whacky sport at times.
As unlikely as it seems, upsets happen constantly in the NHL postseason. Anyone remember when the Blue Jackets swept the Lightning? Wasn’t that long ago. It’s why we love it so much. It’s chaos many times regardless of seeding.
For the Predators to pull off an upset similar to the level of 2017 first round sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks, it’s going to take virtually everything breaking their way and near-perfect defensive discipline.
Tall order, right? But, stranger things have happened. Here are my four x-factors for the Nashville Predators to finally get past the first round for the first time since 2018.