The season opener of 2023-24 is around a month and a half away for the Nashville Predators, and the first 10 games will truly test this new-look squad that has a blend of veteran mentors and students.
The Predators are a team that figures to go through a learning phase coming out of the gate as they get used to a new head coach in Andrew Brunette, while also looking to build quick chemistry with new linemates.
The first 10 opponents for the Nashville Predators will come against eight different teams. They’ll play the Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks twice.
Alright folks, regular season is inching closer. First 10 games for #Smashville is no cake walk. First 5 games are difficult tests against playoff caliber teams.
— Chad Minton (@chad_minton) August 22, 2023
How many wins do #Preds end up getting in first 10?@CatfishIce @hockeypodnet pic.twitter.com/Dd6IlTPckF
First 10 Games Will Test Revamped Nashville Predators, And it Will Take Patience
There are no back-to-backs in the first 10 games that will start off with a massive road test against the Tampa Bay Lightning on October 10 at Amalie Arena in Tampa. The Lightning, who had a “down” year by their standards in 2022-23, went 28-8-5 at home.
Season-openers are always a bit of a crap shoot, and the Lightning went through a lot of offseason changes as well. Although I give the Lightning the obvious nod over the Predators, I do think there’s an opportunity for a tone setting type of upset win to get 2023-24 off to a great start.
Following a hopeful upset win on the road, the Predators will head back to Nashville for their home-opener against the Seattle Kraken. A team that surprised a lot of people by finishing right at the century mark with 100 points and knocking out the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs.
The Kraken improved their season point total from 60 points in their expansion season to 100 points, and did it with a roster full of depth, but not really any elite superstars. Just a well-oiled and well-coached team. Predators will have another major test when they first welcome the fans of Smashville to witness the new brand of hockey under Brunette and GM Barry Trotz.
The Predators will split games on the road and at home, with a three-game homestand the week of October 21 to October 28. They’ll get more winnable games against San Jose and Vancouver before welcoming a Toronto team into Bridgestone Arena who has enormous Stanley Cup aspirations after re-signing their NHL superstar Auston Matthews to the most lucrative contract in NHL history.
It’s the first five games of the 10 that are a bit scary for me. There is potential that they open 0-5 or 1-3-1, or something to that nature. After games against Tampa and Seattle, the Predators next three will also be against playoff teams from 2023.
A road game against Boston, back home against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, and then on the road to face the New York Rangers. A lot of traveling in the first five against playoff caliber teams.
If the Predators come out of the first five at 3-2 then it will be a huge win for them. More realistically, they could stumble out of the gate with four of the five being losses. There’s not room to ease into this schedule.
Early season rematches against Seattle and Vancouver will close out the 10-game stretch. We’ll get to see for the first time how the Predators make adjustments against an opponent they already played.
How Will the Predators Fair After 10 Games?
One thing that will be interesting is to see how often Brunette tinkers with the line combinations early on, and also how heavily Juuse Saros will be relied upon to start every game that’s not part of a back-to-back.
Backup goaltender Kevin Lankinen is back for another year, and showed his worth as a backup starting in 18 games and having numbers just a tad below what Saros was able to produce.
The Predators made some strives in team defense last season by finishing sixth in penalty kill percentage and 12th in Goals Against Per Game. They’ll face the top-three power play teams from 2022-23 in the first 10 games (Edmonton, Toronto, Tampa Bay).
Luke Schenn joins the Predators’ defense, but aside from him, it’s the same defensive corps from 2022-23. Roman Josi, Ryan McDonagh and Tyson Barrie return as your veteran leaders, with Schenn joining the mix.
I’m expecting the Predators to remain a team that rides elite goaltending to their overall success, but a major improvement in offensive efficiency is an absolute must. That’s the area that is going to take time to find its groove, and it’s probably going to take longer than 10 games to take full effect of what Brunette wants to build.
A big key here is the acclimation of Ryan O’Reilly to his new team, and how quickly Filip Forsberg can shake off the rust after missing game action since February from a brutal head injury.
That’s why it’s fair to keep your expectations low regarding how this Predators team comes out of the gate.
It’s usually preferred that your team finishes strong rather than opening up strong and then completely falling apart when the grind of pursuing the playoffs hits after the calendar flips to a new year.
When it comes to the Nashville Predators, the first 10 games could see this team get some hard lessons against teams who have been together longer. There’s probably going to be a couple tough blows to the chin before things start operating more smoothly.
Once chemistry starts to get built, the Predators will have plenty of games left to right the ship and make a return to the postseason. My predictions for the first 10 games will be a mixed bag, but I’ll consider it a success if this scenario plays out:
- 10/10 @ Tampa: Loss (OT)
- 10/12 vs Seattle: Win
- 10/14 @ Boston: Loss
- 10/17 vs Edmonton: Loss
- 10/19 @ NYR: Win
- 10/21 vs San Jose: Win
- 10/24 vs. Vancouver: Win
- 10/28 vs. Toronto: Loss
- 10/31 @ Vancouver: Loss (OT)
- 11/2 @ Seattle: Loss