Have the Predators Finally Found Their Game?

The Nashville Predators have looked extremely promising since the beginning of the new year. With their 6-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday, the Predators are now on a three-game win streak. They lead the league in point percentage for the whole month of January. It is finally looking like the Predators have found their footing and are going in the right direction. Is it a lucky stretch, or is Smashville still looking to be a contender?

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Nashville’s Top Players Are Performing to Expectations

Even though the Predators sit at 30th in the league with a 16-22-7 record, the team itself has looked promising. With six of our 16 wins being against higher-seeded teams, the Predators are remaining competitive. In their current win streak, Nashville faced Minnesota and the Vegas Golden Knights. As mentioned previously, the Predators demolished the Wild 6-2, and they also wiped out the Knights 5-3. Both of these games saw Nashville’s top players perform, which is a reason for the team’s past failures.

Filip Forsberg is on a very successful five-game goal streak in which he hit the back of the net six times. He also has tallied nine points in that span which earned him the second star of the NHL last week. Forsberg leads the team in points with 42 on the year (15 goals and 27 assists. Roman Josi has been seeing some success as of late. He is on a five-game point streak, and he has recorded seven points in that span. In four of those five games, Josi recorded a power play point.

On the same note as the powerplay, Steven Stamkos has been nothing short of a sniper this month. He has seven points (5g, 2a) in the seven games the team has played in January. Along with his point-per-game performance, Stamkos has been extremely successful with his shot attempts, having a 0.625 shooting percentage. What was once considered a bust for Nashville is now turning into a potential steal of free agency.

Predators’ Powerplay Is Kicking In Stronger Than Before

Before 2025, the Predators struggled to find the net on the powerplay and scored in 18.7% of the chances they were given on the man advantage. Looking into the new year, Nashville has scored on 27.3% of their power plays and are 13th in the league for January. Players like Stamkos and Ryan O’Reilly have been a brute force offensively on the power play and have benefited the team drastically. Stamkos has eight powerplay goals, while O’Reilly has six.

Jonathan Marchessault has also been finding his roots on the powerplay. The former Conn Smythe Trophy winner has notched 14 power-play points and has been one of the key players in the first power-play line. Marchessault also is second in points on the Predators with 34 (14g, 20a).

The Young Guys Are Playing to Their Potential

The Predators have seen success from their young talent for many years. Looking at the 22-23 season, which saw the Predators miss the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade, the team nearly clinched a spot. This was part of their young core consisting of rising stars Luke Evangelista, Tommy Novak, and Juuso Parssinen. This year there are different names for this category. Nick Blankenburg, Fedor Svechkov, and Justin Barron have shined brightly.

Blankenburg has been phenomenal since his AHL call-up earlier this season. He leads the team in plus/minus with +11, proving himself as a reliable defensive option. The former Blue Jacket is also third in points among defensemen in Nashville with five points (2g, 3a). Fedor Svechkov has also played very strong this year. The rookie has five points (4g, 1a) in his first 16 NHL games. 

Svechkov scored his fourth career goal in the victory against the Wild. Despite his young age, 21, Svechkov isn’t scared of charging for the center of the offensive zone and will force his way through defenders. Justin Barron has also played extremely well since he arrived in Smashville. Acquired via a trade that sent Alexandre Carrier to Montreal, Barron has been a presence on the ice. Averaging nearly 16 minutes a night, Barron has recorded one point in his first ten wearing a mustard-yellow jersey.

Should Trotz Cancel Another Concert Just Yet?

While the sample size may be small, it certainly shows that the Predators could very well be back. With Head Coach Andrew Brunette actually looking active in his most recent games, the Predators may find themselves on a path of success. Nashville will host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night and will potentially try to extend their streak to a season-high of four.

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