1/15/2024 0 Comments Penguins natural enemies![]() ![]() He has to steal some games to give the Predators any chance of pulling off the unthinkable and actually making the playoffs. They held Boston, Seattle and Detroit each to one goal over that stretch.Īnd of course, that brings us to the final key to victory which you can pretty much just copy and paste for every Predators game from here on out Juuse Saros has to play up to his Vezina Trophy caliber. Over their last 10 games, the Predators have held opponents to three goals or less seven times while going 5-4-1 over that stretch. ![]() This is another way that the Predators have stiffened up on the defensive end. It’s not always pretty, and sometimes the analytics will say they deserve to lose, but all that matter ultimately is the final score.Īnother way they can thrive in this area tonight against Pittsburgh is just being disruptive by getting into passing lanes and making it difficult for the opposition to get set up. The reason the Predators have defied odds and stayed playoff relevant is because they grind away at the opponent. Especially without Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi in the lineup. It may happen in the coming years with this wave of youth coming in, but as of now, the Predators are not a high speed oriented team. When the Predators are crashing hard on the forecheck and winning puck battles, it establishes their offensive zone time and opportunities to throw pucks at net. ![]() Offense hasn’t come easy, and that shouldn’t surprise anyone considering all of the roster turnover that has occurred. Pretty straightforward, but is so paramount to the Predators finding scoring chances. Reshuffling the deck, you’ve seen Mark Jankowski in particular make a major contribution on the penalty kill, and I also can’t overlook Cole Smith in that role. They lost valuable penalty killers like Tanner Jeannot, Mattias Ekholm and Mikael Granlund through the trade deadline, and have recently been without their captain Roman Josi. When you consider what all has been lost through trades and injuries, it’s pretty extraordinary that the penalty kill has remained a strong area for this team. That obviously has to continue into this game. ![]() The Predators have elevated their penalty kill to 11th in the NHL and it’s really been their calling card to remain close in games and pull off some upsets along the way. The Penguins went 0-for-3 on the power play in the first meeting and their power play ranks 13th in the NHL. My first key to victory for the Predators is for the penalty kill to remain red hot. Keys to Victory for the Nashville Predators over the Penguins Let’s dive into this matchup with the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team that defeated the Nashville Predators 3-1 on February 28 in a game that had zero goals until the third period. The Nashville Predators are coming off an emotional and gutsy upset win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, slightly boosting their postseason odds to just over 10 percent, per. The Penguins have more room for error, but a loss for either team will be a setback in their playoff hopes. This game tonight is going to feel like a play-in tournament game. A matchup between two teams on the playoff bubble.įor the Penguins, they’re just one point ahead of the Florida Panthers for the final wildcard spot, while the Predators sit three points back of the Winnipeg Jets for the Western Conference’s last wildcard spot. A “must-win” is a term that gets overused in sports a lot, but it’s absolutely necessary in this one tonight as the Nashville Predators travel to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. ![]()
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