Another Reliable Night for the Penalty Kill
This area has actually become the strength of this team. The Predators average the eighth-most penalty minutes per game at nearly 11 minutes. It makes it all the more vital that the penalty kill can hold strong at turning points of games.
Jeremy Lauzon took a lazy tripping penalty in the final minute of the second period. These are the penalties you have to avoid, especially in a tie game where both goaltenders are proving hard to beat.
Yet again, the Predators penalty kill rose to the challenge. Coming out of the second intermission, killing off the remainder of the Jets power play was a major momentum shifter. Tanner Jeannot would score the game-winning goal just a few minutes later after killing the Lauzon penalty off.
This is kind of their calling card and recipe for success as of late. Don’t let teams feast on you with their power plays. It allows you to play a little more loose and aggressive on the defensive end knowing that you can trust your penalty kill to do the job.
The Jets mustered up just four shots and zero High Danger Chances on Saros over their three power play opportunities. That’s called locking it down for a penalty kill unit.
We know how much the Predators love to block shots and clog up lanes. They did that very well on the Jets’ three power plays. Three blocks each from Roman Josi and Ryan McDonagh, and two blocks from Colton Sissons.
Of course, it helps a heck of a lot to have Saros between the pipes turning pucks away when power plays do get set up.
If this penalty kill for the Nashville Predators, which is up to 14th in the NHL, can remain a strong point then it’s going to leave them in great situations late in games to pile up more wins. A far cry from last season when you shielded your eyes anytime the penalty kill was called upon.