To learn more about Tuesday night’s opponent, we talked to Mark Harris, the editor of Predlines.com. We asked Mark some questions about the Nashville Predators and their wildly successful season this year, and what to expect from them tonight and for the rest of the season.
Q: The Nashville Predators have been wildly successful so far this year. What would say has been the biggest reason for the team’s success this year?
A: Well, to make things simple, they’ve been playing fantastic hockey all season long. They’re scoring 2.7 goals/night which ranks 14th in the league. Also, they’re not allowing any goals. The Preds goals against average is 2.0, which is the best GAA in the NHL. Pekka Rinne has been absolutely dominant all season. He’s posted a 16-3-1 record so far this season with a .933 save percentage. Without Rinne playing the way he has this season the Predators aren’t on top of the Central Division, especially with their power play ranking 28th in the NHL.
Q: Who has been the MVP of the Predators so far this season?
A: As much praise as I just gave Rinne above you would assume he would be the clear cut favorite. But, if I had to name an MVP it would be a 1A and a 1B type of thing, with Rinne being 1A and Filip Forsberg being 1B. Forsberg, the 20-year-old rookie phenom, is a point per game player right now with 23-points (10G,13A). He has been exceptional to say the least. Predators fans have given him a nickname, Prince Filip.
Q: New Preds head coach Peter Laviolette was head coach in Carolina in their Stanley Cup run in 2006. How would evaluate his work behind the bench so far in Nashville?
A: The Predators are 16-5-2, atop the Central Division, third in the league standings, currently on a four-game win streak, and have yet to drop more than one game in a row so far this season. I’d say he’s doing just fine.
Q: The 2013 NHL Draft was a big one for Nashville as they picked up a potential franchise d-man in Seth Jones. How has he transitioned into the NHL, and do you still expect him to be that big franchise guy in the future like Shea Weber has been?
A: Jones is still developing. Of course he was drafted in 2013 and made the immediate jump to the NHL and played a full season with Nashville in his true rookie season. Last season I think Barry Trotz played Jones in a few spots that he simply wasn’t ready for. He played big time minutes, even top d-pair minutes in games last season. This year he has a new defensive partner in Anton Volchenkov which has been a perfect fit. Volchenkov is a stay at home defenseman while Jones of course likes to carry the play into the opposing team’s zone. As far as ‘franchise guy’ goes Weber will be that for the entirety of his career, with Roman Josi waiting in the ballots.
Q: There have been a lot of good things happening in Nashville this season, but have there been any glaring issues with the Predators that need to be sorted out?
A: The power play has been non existent all season. The Preds have gone 9-for-74 with the man advantage. Their penalty-kill hasn’t been much better either, ranking 24th in the league. Special teams are an issue, but i don’t know how long the struggles can continue. Hopefully things turn around sooner rather than later.
Q: Do you expect Nashville’s success to continue into the later stages of the season? Will the Preds be contenders or pretenders come playoff time?
A: I fully expect the Predators to be a contender come playoff time. We’re past the quarter mark of the season, and if Nashville can stay healthy they will be exactly where they want to be come playoff time.
A big thanks to Mark Harris of Predlines.com. Head over there for all the Preds info you need going into Tuesday’s game and beyond.