For the first time in the 2024-25 season, it feels as if the Nashville Predators have built some real momentum. They are 4-1-1 in their past six outings, and that includes wins against some quality teams such as the Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, and Carolina Hurricanes.
Even in the games they lost to the Colorado Avalanche and Pittsburgh Penguins, there was plenty of good to talk about, and previously we could not even say great things about some of the wins. Things have truly felt different in the past two weeks, and lots is due to the emergence of a top line that has been lights out.
It has been huge momentum for the Predators going into the Christmas break, but it is now time for them to prove it was not a fluke. Tonight's contest against the St. Louis Blues kicks off a stretch that will, if nothing else, go a long way toward showing if this team can actually be better in the second half of the season.
Nashville Predators are set for crucial road trip starting at the St. Louis Blues
Momentum is a funny thing in sports, sometimes you can just find a spark and once you start, it just keeps going. The thing is lots of teams can keep it going when they have frequent opportunities to stack it, and lots lose it after some periods of rest, and that is exactly the situation the Predators find themselves in.
They are 4-1-1 in their past six games, but those games included a one-day rest except for one two-day break. Now, with three days fully off and Christmas in the middle, it is essentially a clean slate for the team, either they have actually found something or just caught lightning in a bottle. And with the games they have immediately ahead of them, that sentiment is amplified.
They will embark on a six-game road trip that are all against conference opponents, and four of the games are in-division matchups. All of the games except two of them are against playoff teams, and those non-playoff teams are only out of spots by one and four points respectively. To put it bluntly, these next few games will be no joke.
It is a huge opportunity for the Predators, if they are successful, they will not only turn heads, they will climb legitimate ground in both the Western Conference and Central Division. But if they fail, they will of course fall further behind in the standings, and the season will all but surely be chalked up to a lost one at that point.
Preds can no longer afford to trade wins and losses
As far as what defines success or failure for the Predators on this trip, I would say they have to get at least eight points of the possible 12. That equates to a 4-2-0 record, and if they want to change the narrative and be seen as a good team, they have to perform well against quality teams.
And to that point, they all but have to win tonight's game against the Blues. Not only are they probably the worst team on this road trip, they are a divisional opponent, and how the Predators start will be a tone setter, so they need positive results right away.
If they were to finish with 6 or 7 points, it would not be an outright failure, but would be merely average and leave them with more uncertainty on their status for the rest of the season, which they do not want. Any finish of 5 points or fewer in these games would be a definite failure, and if that happens, they should be at peace with calling the season a lost cause and start preparing for 2025-26 and beyond.
The new top line has helped the Predators from a personnel standpoint, and they had two big winning streaks last year, so there is reason to believe they can do it again. If there is any time to reestablish the "relentless" mantra from last year, now could not be more fitting.