Ferocious Face-Off
Although we didn’t see it against the Bruins in their most recent game, the Predators usually control the faceoff circle.
The Nashville Predators, known for their face-off ability, have continued that trend this season. There are seven players that have taken 30 or more faceoffs with a 50 percent or higher face off win rate.
Ryan Johansen leads the team with a remarkable 58.8 faceoff win percentage. He is followed by Mark Jankowski, Colton Sissons, and Matt Duchene.
These players are relied on heavily in all situations to win the draw and create scoring chances in the offensive zone or gain puck control for a breakout in the defensive zone.
However, you can win faceoff’s all game long and if you cannot capitalize on those won draws you will still lose games.
That is what the Predators have done all season long. For instance, in the 4-2 loss to the Arizona Coyotes, the Predators won 69.4% of the faceoffs and still lost the game. In that game, Johansen was an impressive 70.6% successful in the circle.