In the 2011-12 season, the Nashville Predators and the Phoenix Coyotes (now Arizona Coyotes) battled in the NHL Western Conference semifinals. Neither team has made the postseason since. While Arizona is continuing its streak of missing the playoffs, Nashville has found a way to reverse its curse. It would take a monumental collapse — a self-destruction of epic proportion — to prevent Nashville from entering the playoffs this year.
The 2014-15 Predators boast the best record in the league (41-13-7) and have dominated the Central Division, which is arguably the most competitive in the league. They are tied for fifth in goals scored (186) and are in sole possession of second place in the goals against category (143). Though it is overall a very young team, Nashville appears poised to make a deep postseason run.
The question is, what changed to rekindle the flame from Nashville’s stellar 104-point season in 2011-12 after a two-year drought?
Firstly, the team has a new head coach for the first time in its existence. Barry Trotz, who was with the team since its first season in 1998-99, was fired after the Predators were eliminated last season. Trotz was offered a full-time position in the organization’s hierarchy, but opted to coach the Washington Capitals instead.
Trotz’s replacement, Peter Laviolette, has been superb in his first season in Music City. He is an early front-runner for the Jack Adams Trophy, even after missing the vast majority of last season.
The Philadelphia Flyers fired Laviolette just three games into last season. The Flyers were 0-3-0, and held a minus-six goal differential. The team was in shambles, and something had to be done. Laviolette was fired on Oct. 7, 2014 and was not given an offer until the offseason. He has surely made the most of it.
Forward James Neal is another key proponent of Nashville’s success this year. He provides an entirely new dynamic that the Predators’ offense desperately needed. Further, he fits Laviolette’s high-octane offensive scheme perfectly. Neal was acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins during the first round of the NHL Entry Draft this past summer in exchange for forwards Patric Hörnqvist and Nick Spaling.
Many hockey fans (including myself) greatly dislike Neal as a player. He is notorious for his punishing cheap shots and has been dubbed “the poster child for what’s wrong with the NHL discipline system” by Hockey Buzz blogger and former NHL referee Paul Stewart. Still, though, his skill and his effectiveness are unquestionable. Despite missing a handful of games due to injury, his 21 goals are tied with rookie Filip Forsberg for the team lead.
At just 20 years old, Forsberg has become one of the NHL’s most productive forwards. He leads his team in points (52) and shares the lead in goals with Neal (21). Taken 11th overall by the Washington Capitals at the 2012 Entry Draft, Forsberg was always highly rated. He has exceeded his expectations by far, though, and shows no signs of slowing down.
Forsberg was traded to Nashville on April 3, 2013 in exchange for forwards Martin Erat and Michael Latta. Forsberg was one of just six rookies selected to the All-Star game and is the current front-runner for the Calder Memorial Trophy.
Goaltender Pekka Rinne has played outstanding hockey thus far. The 32-year-old Finland native has the most wins in the NHL (35), the second best goals against average (2.01) and the second best save percentage (.930).
The most impressive part of Rinne’s season, though, is his win percentage. Rinne was injured in a January game against the Vancouver Canucks and missed about three weeks (and the NHL All-Star Game in Columbus) as a result. He has played in 46 games (10th in the NHL), and with his 35 wins, he boasts a 76 percent win percentage.
Barring another injury, it is safe to assume that Rinne will start at least 14 of Nashville’s 21 remaining games and finish with at least 60 games played. Following that thought process, if he maintains his win percentage, he will close out the regular season with at least 45 wins. His current career high in wins is 43, set in 2011-12.
Twenty-nine-year-old hardened captain Shea Weber has remained true and steadfast to the Predators this season. The four-time All Star holds a plus-22 rating, has 42 points (4th on the team) and provides leadership to his young teammates.
Can this Predators team go the distance? It will depend on one key factor: the health of Pekka Rinne.
Backup goaltender Carter Hutton has been very mediocre this season, holding a 6-4-4 record, 2.51 goals against average and .906 save percentage. Those numbers are respectable, but will most likely not translate into playoff wins.
The 2014-15 Predators have much more offensive firepower than the 2011-12 Predators. They have a coach who has made a few runs with the Philadelphia Flyers and has won it with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-06. Though there are many young guns, there are also many veterans, such as Mike Ribeiro, Mike Fisher and obviously Shea Weber. This team has all the components necessary to bring a Stanley Cup to Music City.
