The last time the Nashville Predators had a six-game winning streak, the Minnesota Wild played the role of spoilers in ironic fashion with then newly-hired Head Coach John Hynes making his return to Bridgestone Arena.
Seriously, you can't write this stuff any better. This time around, the Predators made sure we weren't in store for an awful rerun. The Wild jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but the Predators weren't fazed by it. They responded less than a minute later, and the rest is just a dominant performance from the Predators.
You can argue that this win over the Wild is their most impressive of the seven-game winning streak. Not because the Wild are world beater, but because the Predators knew that six in a row wasn't good enough to keep their playoff hopes growing and that this was a critical matchup against a division rival desperate to stay alive in the wildcard race.
The win puts the Predators at 70 points for the season and firmly in the second wildcard spot. It's also their 27th regulation win of the season, which is the same amount as the Dallas Stars and more than the Boston Bruins.
Roman Josi Tallies Another 3-PT Game
There goes that man again. Roman Josi has transformed into Norris Trophy status once again. Back-to-back games with three points, and the goal last night against the Wild was good enough to make the reels on the NHL social media feed.
Patience is a virtue and Roman Josi just displayed that. 😍 pic.twitter.com/seL3dOq635
— NHL (@NHL) March 1, 2024
Josi is up to 60 points on the season and is tied for fourth among defensemen. It's also his fourth career 60-plus point season, and he's already passed his 59-point total from last season.
Juuse Saros is Getting Hot at the Right Time
By Saros' lofty standards, he hasn't been at this best this season. But we know how streaky Saros can be and when he is on, he is simply one of the best in the NHL.
The trade talks have cooled off a bit, although not completely off the table, since the win streak happened. Barry Trotz likely can't see himself trading away his franchise goaltender while the team is playing its best hockey of the season and pushing towards the playoffs. It would send a really bad message to that locker room full of players playing their hearts out right now.
Saros makes 33 saves on 34 shots faced for his 25th win of the season. He has gradually improved his save percentage up to .907. Still not as high as is usual for him, but he is no doubt trending back in the right direction.
Also, we have to give kudos to the defense for playing much better in Saros as of late as well. It's a combination of both doing their parts to ensure Saros is seeing the puck better. The Wild finished 0-for-3 on the power play as well, so another big difference-maker in the game.