“What a difference a day makes” sang Dinah Washington… the classic song that certainly described the last couple of days in the NHL, especially for Nashville Predator fans. The Preds slipped from tied for first to third in the division on Monday and after last night’s win over Buffalo and Winnipeg's loss to Minnesota are now back tied in points for first in the Central.
Last night’s 3-2 decision in Buffalo was a solid road win. Timely scoring spread across lines, solid defense and outstanding goaltending from Pekka Rinne. You watch this Buffalo team play and you wonder how they dropped in the standings like they have. This team has talent, scoring, and respectable goaltending, but even with the resilience they showed last night… it just seems to be a team waiting for the roof to fall in. And it did… even after a back breaker goal with 5 seconds left in the second period to tie the game that would propel a confident team at home.
For Nashville... You are seeing players ramp their games up, Ryan Ellis, PK Subban, Craig Smith and getting Austin Watson back into the lineup didn’t hurt. For all the wailing and gnashing of teeth over the past few weeks, the Predators are 6-3-1 in their last ten and appear to be in good shape heading into the playoffs. But there is business to attend to…
Tomorrow night’s game against Vancouver is a dangerous one… the Canucks are 6-3-1 in their last ten as well and are coming in to Nashville after posting wins over San Jose and Dallas in their last two. They seem to be relishing the role of spoiler… and you know how Chicago is going to come ready to wreck anything they can for the team that swept them out of the playoffs in 2017 that began their downward decent.
The Predators won’t practice today at Centennial Sportsplex, just team meetings. We will be previewing the rest of the regular season and taking a peek at the how the playoffs are shaping up on SlapShot Radio, tonight at 7pm on 102.5 the Game… you can listen online at thegamenashville.com or on The Game Nashville app.
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The
Where We Stand section
Nashville is tied with Winnipeg in points and back in the second slot in the Central. St. Louis (1 GIH) trails by two points and is in third place.
Nashville has clinched their playoff spot and currently holds the 4 seed in the Western Conference playoff race. With last night’s win, they can finish no lower than third in the division. Here is the way the Western Conference playoffs would look if they started today…
1W Calgary vs WC2 Colorado
2W Winnipeg vs. WC1 Dallas
2C Nashville vs. 3C St. Louis
2P San Jose vs 3P Vegas (This series is already locked in as the teams have clinched these slots)
Last night’s results really shook up the percentages… According to SportsClubStats.com, the Predators chances of playing St. Louis in the first round dropped to 40.8% (from 70.7%.) Dallas is now at 32.2% and Winnipeg is at 26%. Expect these numbers to swing wildly in the next couple of days.
Who’s In – Who’s Close
East – Tampa Bay, Washington, Boston, the New York Islanders and Toronto have punched their playoff ticket. In playoff position as I write this is Pittsburgh, Carolina and Columbus. Montreal is tied in points with the Blue Jackets and the only other Eastern team with a shot.
West – Calgary, Winnipeg, Nashville, San Jose, Vegas, St. Louis are in and welcome back to the playoff party, Dallas. Colorado is in the catbird seat for the last playoff spot… the only way they lose that 8 seed is to lose out (with no points) and for Arizona to win out. Minnesota was eliminated last night.
Impact Games Tonight
There’s only one… and it’s a big one…
7pm – STL @ CHI (NBCSN) – Gotta give NBCSN credit, they picked a good one for Wednesday Night Hockey. This one is huge to the Central. This is the last game-in-hand in the divisional race and the front end of a back-to-back for the Blues. Chicago is playing out the string and will miss the playoffs again, but they can have an impact on their old friends from St. Louis. A Blues loss puts the Preds and Jets in control of their playoff destiny, if the Jets win out, the division is theirs… if the Preds win out, they get home ice in round one. A lot on the line for the Blues tonight.
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Random Notes
- Milwaukee Update – The Ad’s have their 8 game point streak on the line tonight as they host San Antonio tonight. Milwaukee currently stands in a 3 way tie for 4th in the AHL’s central divison.
- Early Reviews – I have to admit, I am impressed with Dante Fabbro’s first couple of games, he appears to be composed on the ice and willing to shake off mistakes, so they don’t multiply.
- Wild Battle – The Eastern Conference wild card battle is tightening. Carolina, Columbus and Montreal are all within a point of each other. This one may come down to the final day of the regular season.
- Devastating Loss – The Coyotes dropped a crushing loss to the Kings last night putting them on the brink of playoff elimination. The only way Arizona makes the playoffs is to win out and hope that Colorado loses their remaining games, all in regulation.
- Belief – Detroit coach Jeff Blashill has agreed to two-year contract extension with the Red Wings.
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