Woah, we’re halfway there… And you know the rest.
On Tuesday, the Nashville Predators will cross the halfway point of the 2023-24 season as they face the Anaheim Ducks at Bridgestone Arena.
The home contest will serve as not just a notable marker on the calendar, but a litmus test for the Predators, too, who moved to 5-10-0 on the season after a discouraging 3-2 loss in their last meeting with the Ducks on Nov. 14.
Of course, since then, things have generally been going much better for the Preds.
After Nov. 14, the Predators first recorded a six-game win streak, then posted a 9-4-1 record through December and a 2-1-0 record to kick off 2024. Entering Game No. 41, SMASHVILLE’s team has earned wins in 17 of their last 25 games and improved from 5-10-0 to 22-17-1, grabbing a firm hold of the Western Conference’s first Wild Card spot in the process.
So, what has the Predators group learned since their last meeting with Anaheim?
“We learned how hard it is to win,” Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “And I think in that [Nov. 14] game, we kind of let it slip away at home and we didn’t have the competitiveness and the energy that we needed. We figured out slowly that we needed another level, and we found another level. And, for the most part, we've been pretty good since then.”
“I think we've come a long way,” Predators leading scorer Filip Forsberg said. “We were in a bad period of hockey at the time and we lost to Anaheim. And not saying that was what started it, but we’ve been playing better and better… Obviously, we found a way to win after that and learned a lot.”
With the back half of 2023-24 just around the corner, below are a few things that have been working well for the Predators as of late, and a few they hope to improve on moving forward:
KEEP IT UP:
Top Line Production
For the bulk of the campaign, Nashville has seen consistent production from their top line of Forsberg, Ryan O’Reilly and Gustav Nyquist. The trio is 11th in the NHL in expected goal percentage - among lines that have played at least 300 minutes together at 5-on-5 - at 53.6 percent per MoneyPuck.com.
Individually, there’s plenty to like about each forward as well.
Forsberg leads the Predators in points (45), goals (21) and assists (24) and is 11th in the NHL in goals. He shares the League lead in overtime winners with three and has additionally posted the fourth-most multi-goal games, with six thus far.
O’Reilly is second among Preds skaters in points with 35 (15g-20a) and leads all Predators centers in the face-off circle with a 52 percent success rate. The veteran forward additionally leads the Preds and is tied for third in the League in power-play goals with 10.
Nyquist is third among the Predators with 32 points (10g-22a) and is currently on an eight-game point streak (6g-6a). He is one game away from matching his season-high nine-game point streak from Nov. 9-28 (2g-9a) - the 10th nine-game point streak in franchise history - and two away from matching his career-high 10-game point streak from 2013-14.
The Finns Between the Pipes
Since Nov. 20, Juuse Saros has shared the League lead in wins with 12; he is additionally 12-5-1 in his last 18 appearances. From Dec. 3-16, Saros recorded a career-high 12-game win streak.
On Dec. 21, Saros earned the 162nd win of his career and became the second-winningest netminder in franchise history, surpassing Tomas Vokoun. On Jan. 4, he passed Vokoun again after earning the 22nd shutout of his career, the second most of any Preds goaltender.
When he’s gotten the nod, Kevin Lankinen has been a steady presence between the pipes as well. After eight starts, he’s posted a 5-3-0 record, a 3.14 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.
The Rookie
Predators rookie forward Luke Evangelista has been no slouch in 2023-24, either.
Evangelista has three goals in his last four outings after scoring against Dallas on Saturday. He is additionally tied for sixth among NHL rookies in points (19) and assists (12), and is tied for fifth in goals with seven.
The Power Play
Nashville currently holds the 16th best power play in the NHL at 21.3 percent. The metric is a far cry from the Preds of 2022-23, who concluded the season ranked 27th on the man advantage with a less-than-ideal 17.6 percent success rate.
The Predators have additionally scored the 11th-most power play goals in the League with 29. They have scored multiple PPGs in six games this season; in 2022-23 they did so in nine games.
Physicality
When you play the Predators, keep your head up.
Nashville leads the NHL in both hits per 60 minutes (22.08) and hits (889). Of course, defenseman Jeremy Lauzon is largely to thank.
Lauzon leads the Predators and the NHL in hits with 149. He has recorded 17 more hits than the player in second place, former Predator Tanner Jeannot, and 49 more than the next defenseman, Winnipeg’s Brenden Dillon.
CLEAN IT UP:
Scoring Depth
While Nashville’s top three have been hot for much of the season, the Predators would like to see the same offensive output trickle down throughout the lineup, with Brunette pointing to that as a key area of improvement several times in the last month.
Recent flashes of consistent production from Nashville’s ‘Roommate’ line of Evangelista, Tommy Novak and Cole Smith have been encouraging - Novak has recorded seven assists in his last 11 outings and Smith five in his last 12 - but the Predators know there’s more offense to be found outside of the top line.
Too Many Passengers
Brunette has also mentioned a lack of focus, or “too many passengers” as an unfortunately recurring theme in recent losses.
Of course, with a number of young players throughout the lineup and an 82-game season for them to adjust to, ebbs and flows are to be expected - though only to a certain extent.
An unfocused effort from the Predators has led to potentially game-changing mistakes like giveaways, of which Nashville has the second-most in the League (370) - they’re additionally fourth in giveaways per 60 minutes (9.19).
To improve here, the Preds will need each of their players - regardless of age or experience level - to come ready to ice a full 60 minutes every night.
The Home Record
The Predators know that when Bridgestone Arena gets rocking, it can be an exceptionally tough building for any opponent to play in. Entering the back half of the campaign, they want to use that to their advantage as much as possible.
Though the Preds have the sixth-most home wins of any team this season and a 12-10-0 record to show for thus far, they know there’s plenty of room for improvement.
In December, Nashville went 3-4-0 at 501 Broadway after recording a 5-4-0 home record the month prior. They’ve so far split their two home games in 2024 and will no doubt look to fire up the home crowd more as the season progresses.
