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Predators eating up opponents with grit, guile and gumption |
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After the Nashville Predators lost a playoff series to the Arizona Coyotes at the 2020 Covid-created bubble playoffs, general manager David Poile didn't sugarcoat his analysis.
While some Nashville players thought the Predators played well enough to deserve a better fate, Poile said the team's performance was unacceptable. He insisted there would be changes. Poile said the Predators had to return to playing the way they used to play.
They had to be harder to play against. Much harder to play against.
Two seasons later, the Predators have grabbed opponents attention by living up to their name. It's easier to hack through through the Amazon Rainforest with a better knife than it is to drive to Nashville's net.
The Predators are playing a hard-edged, relentless, prickly style that makes it difficult for opponents to get out of their zone and even harder to get into Nashville's zone.
This is a team that pundits predicted would be just above Arizona Coyotes at the bottom of the Central Division.
Instead, the Predators are just behind the Minnesota Wild at the top of the Central standings,
sitting in second place with 17-10-1 record. That's the NHL's 10th best record. The Predators are 8-5-1 at home and 9-5 on the road. They are 7-3 in their last 10.
Coach John Hynes was happy to push Poile's hard-to-play-against mandate because he has always wanted his teams to be responsible defensively. Some say he has some Barry Trotz in his coaching style.
He has most of the players on this team playing at their highest level. He is clearly a Coach of the Year candidate.
The Predators added some gusto, grit and gumption last season when Tanner Jeannot, Yakov Trenin and Alexandre Carrier came up from the minors.
Jeannot and Trenin play a strong physical game and Carrier is a wily 174-pound defenseman who makes the right plays at the right times. Meanwhile, Dante Fabbro has stepped up his game this season.
Another major surprise has been Matt Duchene's buy-in to the Predators' edgy style. He has rediscovered his offensive touch, scoring 13 goals in 26 games. That's 40-goal pace. Likewise, Ryan Johansen has contributed more offensively.
Johansen played like a possible buyout candidate last season and now he is on a 73-point pace.
No one Nashville forward is playing better offensively than Mikael Granlund who has 22 assists in 26 games.
And we haven't gotten to Roman Josi who is playing like the Norris Trophy-caliber defenseman he is and goalie Juuse Saros. He is one of the top two reasons why this team is performing better than expected.
The Predators still aren't a perfect team. It's not a lock that the Preds will make the playoffs. But they have a much better chance to qualify than anyone believed possible.
Blogger •HHOF Writer's column on the NHL • 
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