Four of the next five opponents for the Nashville Predators after the three-day Christmas break will be against wildcard hopeful teams, starting on the road Saturday night against the St. Louis Blues.
The Predators are in the thick of a logjam among the wildcard teams in the Western Conference. An incredible seven points seperate the West's last place Chicago Blackhawks for the top wildcard team in the Los Angeles Kings.
There is no denying that the Predators look like a completely different team from where they were at Thanksgiving. They're playing with so much more cohesion, and what I like to alwyas call "connected hockey". To open the season the Predators always looked like they were forcing things that just weren't there. Now the game is coming to them much more smoothly, and they're dictating their style which is forechecking hard and winning the puck battles
Nashville Predators are on a 7-game road trip, with five of those opponents coming up right in the middle of the wildcard logjam
As for the Predators' next matchup against Blues on Saturday night in St. Louis, the teams are tied at 36 points in the standings but the Predators have the edge thanks to two games in hand.
This will be the third meeting of the season between the Predators and Blues, with the Predators winning 5-2 on the road back on December 15. Filip Forsberg had the hat trick in that one.
Just four days prior to that in Nashville, the Predators blasted the Blues to a 7-2 final score and a four-goal explosion from Steven Stamkos. So if you're keeping count, the Predators have outscored the Blues 12-4 in the first two meetings.
It won't be easy to beat the same opponent three times in the same month, regardless of how mediocre the Blues may be. I expect this to be a dog fight on the road with two teams still desperate to remain near the top of the wildcard bubble.
Two days after that the Predators will continue their seven-game road trip with a clash against the Utah Mammoth. The Predators lost a heartbreaker against the Mammoth in just the second game of the regular season, losing 3-2 in overtime. The Predators had the lead in the third period before the Mammoth pushed it to overtime.
The Mammoth currently hold the second wildcard spot, but have played three more games than the Predators with only a three-point lead. So that's another team the Predators could potentially jump if they can add a head-to-head win this week.
After a really difficult matchup against the Vegas Golden Knights. the Predators will get back to facing wildcard hopeful teams with a back end of a back-to-back against the Seattle Kraken. Another team that is currently tied with the Predators in points with 36, but they have played one less game than the Predators.
The Predators and Kraken haven't met this year, but will face each other three times. With the way the Predators have been playing on this 10 of 14 hot stretch of winning, this is another matchup where the Predators can prove they belong in this conversation.
As the long road trip rolls on, the Predators will face the Calgary Flames for the third time this season. The Predators hold a 2-0 season lead by a combined scoring margin of 9-3. Definintely have to take care of business in this one as the Flames appear ready to sell anyway.
Finally, the road trip will finish off at the Edmonton Oilers, which is always a matchup nightmare.
That will round up this critical stretch of wildcard opponents to test the Predators. This team has been in desperation mode for what feels like all season, and that feeling needs to continue out of the holiday break.
It feels like these veterans realize what's at stake. If they stumble out of the break with a losing streak to opponents battling them in the wildcard race, it's going to signal to GM Barry Trotz that it's truly time to sell heavy and put us right back to the position they were in back on Thanksgiving.
The Predators are already 1-0-0 on this critical seven-game road trip after upsetting the Minnesota Wild on December 23. Nothing comes easy in the NHL, but these upcoming opponents offer some winnable opportunities for the Predators to keep the momentum rolling.