Checking in on the Predators season
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Juuse Saros of the Nashville Predators after a 3-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday. Photo: John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images
You've polished off the leftover turkey, bid farewell to your out-of-town family and watched far too much football in the last few days.
Zoom in: With Thanksgiving behind us, it's the perfect time to give the gridiron a rest and focus on the Nashville Predators.
Driving the news: The Predators won their last five games, which is tied for the longest active streak in the NHL.
- Even though the season is still in its early stages, the combination of the winning streak, the excellent play of Filip Forsberg and the emergence of young players provided a sense of optimism for Preds fans, according to veteran Preds reporter Robby Stanley, who covers the team for NHL.com and co-hosts the daily "Robby & Rexrode" show for 102.5 The Game.
What he's saying: Stanley tells Axios the Nashville fanbase entered the season energized after the Predators hired new general manager Barry Trotz and new coach Andrew Brunette. It was time for a change, Stanley says.
- "It got stale [under the previous regime]. When Trotz came in and they hired Brunette, it's been refreshing for the fanbase."
Between the lines: Stanley says the keys to the Predators' winning streak have been the improved play of goalie Juuse Saros and the entire team "making smarter decisions," especially late in games.
- The Predators are 10-10 overall, good for 10th place in the Western Conference.
By the numbers: Forsberg is playing the best hockey of his career, Stanley says, and the stats back that up.
- Forsberg has 11 goals and 14 assists. "He's on pace to set a career high in points," Stanley says.
The big picture: Since it is a sort of rebuilding year for the Preds, a point of emphasis has been the young players. Stanley says Brunette deserves credit for "pulling some strings to get them to wake up and realize what it takes to play at this level."
- He pointed to Luke Evangelista, Juuso Parssinen and Philip Tomasino as ascending young players who've overcome early-season inconsistencies and are showing promise.
- "All of these young guys at one point or another have been a healthy scratch or taken out of the lineup," Stanley says. "And for the most part, they've responded well when they've been put back in there."
The bottom line: "I think 'rebuild' is a fair word to use to describe this season. I expect them to be right in the mix for the playoffs at the end of the season," he says.