There might not be enough for the Nashville Predators to chase down the top-three of the Central Division in the standings, but that doesn't mean they can't hang with any of them in a seven-game series.
The Predators now have two wins against each of the Central Division's top-three teams after their latest win on Wednesday night at Winnipeg, a 4-2 win that has a deceiving final score. Make no mistake about it, the Predators went out and decisively sent message to everyone that this 13-game point streak is no fluke.
On an impressive night from the entire team, the Predators move to 2-1-0 against the Jets, 2-2-0 against the Stars and 2-0-0 against the Avalanche. And let's be real honest, the Predators should be 3-1-0 against the Stars if not for an all-time epic collapse in the last 60 seconds of one of their losses in December.
Who stood out most in the Predators' 4-2 win over the Jets? Well, let's start with Gus Nyquist and this ridiculously silky smooth pass to Filip Forsberg to make it 3-0 in the early moments of the third period. The chemistry is just boiling over with Nyquist and Forsberg.
That's how you execute a drop pass. 👏
— NHL (@NHL) March 14, 2024
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Juuse Saros had a couple garbage time goals scored against him to make the final score more respectable for the Jets, but overall Saros was in playoff mode looking ready to steal a seven-game series from any opponent. He tallies 27 saves and a .931 save percentage.
Roman Josi was playing at his usual elite level early in the game to set the tone. Skating freely through the zone to get Jets defenders chasing him, including a gorgeous set up goal up the boards to Nyquist for the first goal, and another primary assist to find Keifer Sherwood for the second goal.
Preds Point Streak Hits 13, Two Away from the Presidents Trophy Team
The Predators are riding a 13-game point streak, which is just two away from their franchise record of 15 game set during their Presidents Trophy season in 2017-18 when the team finished with 117 points.
Even if the Predators only manage wins in just over half of their 15 games remaining, and mix in a couple overtime losses perhaps, the Predators can achieve their highest season point total since 2018-19 when they had 100 points but suffered a first round upset to the Dallas Stars.
What has been most impressive about this point streak (11-0-2 overall) is that the Predators aren't resting on their laurels. They're not playing like a team that is anywhere near satisfied with what they've achieved. They have been locked in throughout this 13-game streak, even with fluke bounces and adversity on the road thrown their way.
Perhaps the most astounding thing to pull away from the Predators' point streak is how high of a level they're performing on the road. They are now 20-10-3 in away games, and those 20 road wins only trails the Vancouver Canucks for most in the Western Conference.
Diving further into the Predators' road success, they're 12-1-1 when leading after the second period on the road. They haven't folded under pressure on the road when holding a lead in the third period. When scoring first in road games they're 16-3-1.
The Predators still have plenty of work to do before we can exhale and celebrate this team returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a one-year absence. The Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues are like bad colds that won't go away, They're both tied at 71 points, nine behind the Predators, with the Blues holding the tiebreaker thanks to one more regulation win than the Wild.
On that note, the Predators have 31 regulation wins, which is four more than the next closest team in the wildcard race with the Golden Knights having 27 regulation wins. The 31 regulation wins for the Predators is also two more than the Stars.
The Predators have eight road game remaining and seven home games remaining. The home record has been average at 18-15-1 and they have lost three games in regulation at home when leading after two periods.