For the first time in franchise history, the Nashville Predators are set to face the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Predators have done postseason battle against the Canucks once before, meeting the Pacific Division club in round two of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Needless to say, both teams have changed much since then, and a matchup between the two teams in round one leaves plenty of room for speculation and analysis.
Below you’ll find head-to-head statistics, recaps of Nashville’s three-game season series against Vancouver and X-factors that will shape the first-round series:
Season Series Refresh
Nashville’s Regular Season Record Against Vancouver: 0-3-0
Scoring Leaders:
Goals: Nashville: Colton Sissons (2); Vancouver: Elias Petterson (4)
Assists: Nashville: Tommy Novak (2); Vancouver: Quinn Hughes (6)
Points: Nashville: Novak, Sissons (2); Vancouver: Hughes (6)
Goaltender Matchup:
Nashville:
Juuse Saros: Record: 0-2-0; GAA: 4.81; SV%: .833
Kevin Lankinen: Record: 0-1-0; GAA: 2.77; SV%: .916
Vancouver:
Thatcher Demko: Record: 2-0-0; GAA: 2.00; SV%: .915
Casey DeSmith: Record: 1-0-0; GAA: 2.00; SV%: .929
Game-by-Game Recap
Oct. 24 at Bridgestone Arena: 3-2 Vancouver
The Predators opened their regular-season series against Vancouver falling short in a 3-2 loss at Bridgestone Arena.
Ilya Mikheyev scored his first goal of the season to get Vancouver on the board at 4:29 of the first period. Colton Sissons responded 11 minutes later, scoring an unassisted goal to knot the score heading into the first intermission.
The Canucks stung the home team early in the second period, as Phillip Di Giuseppe stole the lead back for the visitors 22 seconds into the middle frame and Nils Hoglander added another less than three minutes later.
Kiefer Sherwood would bring the Predators back within one at 9:18 of the second, capitalizing on an odd-man rush, but that would be as close as the home team would get to mounting a comeback.
Juuse Saros made 21 saves and was handed his first loss in three games.
“I didn't particularly like our first two periods,” Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “Credit to them, I thought they played in our faces. We just didn’t get to our game. Part of that is battles, part of that is execution, part of that is moving our feet – we did neither of those things tonight the first two periods. We got to it a little bit in the third, had a couple power plays to make a play, and we didn't make a play tonight.”
Oct. 31 at Rogers Arena: 5-2 Vancouver
The Predators would get a rematch against the Pacific Division foe one week later, but ultimately exited Rogers Arena disappointed with their efforts again, falling by 5-2.
Sam Lafferty cracked the score for Vancouver at 13:45 of the first period, but the Predators would respond quickly, as British Columbia natives Colton Sissons and Dante Fabbro scored against their hometown team 30 seconds apart to give Nashville a 2-1 lead exiting the frame.
Elias Pettersson would knot the score less than a minute into the second period before adding another on the power play to steal the lead back for Vancouver. J.T. Miller would pad the home team’s lead at 4:11 of the third period before Petterson collected the hat trick on the empty net and sealed the 5-2 win over Nashville.
Kevin Lankinen made 22 saves in his first start of the season and was credited with the loss.
“I thought the effort was there, I just think crucial moments were a little sloppy,” Brunette said. “I think when we were skating, we were skating with them, and when we didn't do the right things we kind of defended a little bit too much again. So, it’s a learning lesson. We’ll take it, and we’ve got to be better.
Dec. 19 at Bridgestone Arena: 5-2 Vancouver
In their final regular-season meeting against Vancouver, the Predators saw a four-game winning streak snapped by a 5-2 loss at Bridgestone Arena.
Jeremy Lauzon and Cody Glass kept the home team from going scoreless, but a quick pair of goals in the first and second periods - scored by Pettersson and Nils Aman just 31 seconds apart and Nils Hoglander and Pius Suter 46 seconds apart - ended up costing the Predators the game.
Saros made 19 saves on 24 shots before being swapped out for Kevin Lankinen in the third period. Lankinen made 11 saves in the relief effort.
“I thought we just self-destructed,” Brunette said. “There's been other games where the other team has really taken the play to us. Tonight I felt we just cost ourselves four goals with mental breakdowns and those are hard to overcome, especially though momentum swings and after you make it 2-1. To me, that was the hockey game.”
Three Keys
Red Hot Preds
While Nashville’s regular-season record against Vancouver would naturally cause concern at first glance, the Predators who faced the Canucks in the first three months of the 2023-24 campaign simply aren't the same as the Predators who surged down the stretch and into a postseason berth.
From Feb. 17 - the start of Nashville’s historic 18-game point streak - to April 15, the Predators owned the second-most wins (20) and points (43) in the NHL. During that span, Nashville outscored their opponents 106-71, the second-highest differential in the League, and scored the third-most goals per game (3.79) while also allowing the fourth fewest per game (2.54).
During that same span, the Canucks earned the 22nd-most wins (12) and points (27), got outscored 76-70, ranked 24th in goals per game (2.80) and 14th in goals allowed per game (3.04).
Nashville’s top three scorers - Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi and Gustav Nyquist - only heated up down the stretch, too.
Ending the 2023-24 campaign with 94 points (48g-46a), a career and team high, Forsberg went on a tear during the most important time of the year. From Feb. 17 to April 15, the forward tallied the most points (41) and goals (23) among his teammates, and the seventh and third most among all NHL skaters.
Since the calendar flipped to 2024, Nashville’s captain led all League defensemen in every scoring category, recording 56 points (15g-41a) through the 45-game span. From the start of Nashville’s 18-game point streak on Feb. 17 to the close of their season on April 15, Josi grabbed 36 points (12g-24a), the second-most among his teammates and the most among NHL blueliners.
Buoyed by a duo of talented linemates, Nyquist also reached new heights of offensive production down the stretch. From Feb. 17 to April 15, the forward tallied 34 points (11g-23a), the third-most among his teammates and the 11th-most among all NHL skaters.
J.T. Miller - Vancouver’s highest-scoring skater this season - picked up 32 points (12g-20a) during that span. Quinn Hughes recorded the second-most points in that span with 25 (5g-20a) and Brock Boeser the third most with 19 (10g-9a).
While the Canucks boasted the highest shooting percentage in the League this season (12%), and the Predators the 16th highest (10.1%), the difference down the stretch has been considerable. Since Feb. 17, Vancouver’s shooting percentage dropped to 9.7 percent, tied for the 22nd-best in the League, while the Predators jumped to the 10th-best at 10.9 percent.
Special teams tell a similar story.
Overall, Vancouver’s power play ranked 10th best this season with a (22.7%), while the Predators power-play units ranked 16th (21.6%). Since Feb. 17, Nashville’s power play skyrocketed to the fifth-best in the League (26.8%), while Vancouver’s tapered off to the 22nd best (20%).
Do the Canucks still have plenty of talent and offensive firepower? There’s no question. Will they be as formidable an opponent to the Predators as they were during the regular season?
We’ll have to find out.
Juice on the Loose
There’s no denying Thatcher Demko’s elite play between the pipes this season, and it’s no surprise seeing the goaltender’s name consistently break the top three of virtually every Vezina Trophy conversation.
Among qualified goaltenders - at least 25 games played this season - Demko is fifth in goals-against average (2.44), tied for third in save percentage (.918) and fifth in shutouts (5).
His .845 save percentage from high-danger areas - where Nashville scored 53 percent of their goals this season - is the second-best in the League, per NHL Edge.
However, there’s also no denying the fly in the ointment.
Suffering a lower-body injury on March 7, the Canucks starter missed almost a month and a half of game action, before finally returning on Tuesday to start against the Calgary Flames.
During that time, Juuse Saros was answering the bell through some of the toughest games of the season.
From March 7 to April 15, the netminder won nine of his 14 starts and posted a steady .904 save percentage and a 2.92 goals-against average.
Demko didn’t seem too fazed in his return on Tuesday, stopping 39 of 40 shots faced, but the questions still remain: Does Saros gain any edge from playing - and playing well - during the most important time of the season? Does Demko lose any edge by sitting out?
Regardless, one area No. 74 certainly holds an advantage is postseason experience.
With 10 starts in the postseason and 17 total appearances to Demko’s three starts and four appearances, Saros has simply seen, and by extension, learned more during the toughest part of the year.
Playoff Experience
Speaking of postseason experience, the Predators get the edge there too.
While both team’s current rosters each include 19 players with postseason experience, Nashville’s lineup has seen action in 818 playoff games, versus Vancouver’s 482.
Nashville’s roster additionally boasts three Stanley Cup champions: Ryan McDonagh, Luke Schenn and Ryan O’Reilly. Of those three, McDonagh and Schenn have each lifted the coveted trophy twice.
The Predators additionally have four more players who have made it as far as the Stanley Cup Final. You can probably guess who they are: Josi, Saros, Forsberg and Sissons.
Vancouver’s roster contains Cup champions in Teddy Blueger and Ian Cole - a two-time winner - but no one outside of those two have gone as far as the Cup Final.
It’s not a make or break argument for either side, but the Predators chances certainly won’t be hurt having a more battle-tested lineup.
Postseason History
The Predators only prior postseason matchup against the Canucks came 13 years ago, as Nashville advanced past the first round for the first time in franchise history. Nashville grabbed wins in Games 2 and 5 of the Conference Semifinals, before ultimately dropping the series in Game 6.
Nashville earned the first second-round win in franchise history in double overtime at Rogers Arena on April 30, 2011. Matt Halischuk beat Roberto Luongo to score the game-winner, his second of the postseason. Pekka Rinne, named the First Star of the Game, made 32 saves and earned the seventh postseason win of his career.
In Game 5, Joel Ward scored twice in the first six minutes of the third period to propel Nashville to a 4-3 win over Vancouver. David Legwand scored the game’s first goal shorthanded, before Vancouver responded with a pair of goals. Legwand scored again in the second period to knot the score at two apiece, before Ward put the game away in the final frame. Rinne made 31 saves and grabbed his eighth career postseason win.
Excluding an empty-net goal scored by Vancouver in Game 4, each game of the six-game series was decided by a single goal.
All-Time Meetings
In the regular season, the Predators are 35-42-(2)-7 all-time against the Canucks, including a 19-18-(1)-6 record at Bridgestone Arena and a 16-24-(1)-1 record at Rogers Arena.
The Predators are 1-3-1 in their last five games against the Canucks; they are 4-5-1 in their last 10 and 2-3-0 in their last five at home.
Nashville went 2-0-1 in three games against Vancouver in 2022-23, with all three contests requiring at least overtime. The Predators won the first two meetings in a shootout and earned a point in the third and final game between the two teams in a shootout loss.
Notables
- North Vancouver native Colton Sissons has 11 points (7g-4a) in 23 career games against the Canucks.
- Dante Fabbro hails from Coquitlam, B.C., and has one goal and two assists in 11 career games vs. Vancouver.
- Tyson Barrie is a native of Victoria, B.C., and has 27 points (6g-21a), including two game-winning goals, in 44 career meetings with the Canucks.
- Roman Josi has points in seven of his last 12 games (1g-6a) against Vancouver. He also has 16 points (1g-15a) in his last 21 games vs. the Canucks and posted a six-game point streak (7a) against Vancouver from Jan. 10, 2017-Dec. 13, 2018.
- Luke Evangelista scored his first two career NHL goals on March 6, 2023 at Vancouver. He became the second player (Jordan Gross) in Predators history to score his first two career NHL goals in the same game.
- Alexandre Carrier skated in his first career NHL game on Jan. 17, 2017 at Vancouver.
Schedule
Game One: Predators at Canucks
Sunday, April 21 at 9 p.m. CT; Bally Sports South, SN, SN360, TVAS, ESPN
Game Two: Predators at Canucks
Tuesday, April 23 at 9 p.m. CT; Bally Sports South, SN, TVAS, ESPN2
Game Three: Canucks vs. Predators
Friday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. CT; Bally Sports South, TBS, MAX, SN, TVAS
Game Four: Canucks vs. Predators
Sunday, April 28 at 4 p.m. CT; Bally Sports South, TBS, truTV, MAX, SN, TVAS
Game Five (if necessary): Predators at Canucks
*Tuesday, April 30 at TBD; TBD
Game Six (if necessary): Canucks vs. Predators
*Friday, May 3 at TBD; TBD
Game Seven (if necessary): Predators at Canucks
*Sunday, May 5 at TBD; TBD
