Nashville Predators Level Talent Against Blackhawks
The Nashville Predators have long been underdogs- or, ermmm, cats?- in the NHL, but the tides may be changing.
The Nashville Predators were supposed to be easy outs against the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of last year’s playoffs. They were anything but, ousting the Ducks and costing their head coach Bruce Bourdreau his job.
No matter. If you tuned in to any major media outlet covering hockey, they would be fast to let you know that the Preds would be easy meat for the San Jose Sharks in the second round. Again, not so- pushing the series to seven games before finally being eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup contenders.
Suggesting that the Nashville Predators may be a team that holsters as much talent as the NHL poster boy Chicago Blackhawks would have been scoffed at to the point of embarrassment in the past. The Blackhawks have claimed three Stanley Cup Championships in the past seven seasons- and make no mistake about it, they have been the better, more talented team for all of those years.
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But in last night’s game- the season opener for the Predators and second game for Chicago- something felt different. In years past, Preds fans have been ecstatic with a big hit on Patrick Kane or Duncan Keith making his way to the sin bin. We knew we could win if we played a brilliant game and got a few bounces going our way.
But throughout the entirety of Nashville’s 3-2 victory, there never seemed to be a moment when the Predators were considered a team that shouldn’t win. The Blackhawks struggled to cover Nashville’s speed and stay out of the box. Their penalty kill was victimized.
Very simply put, the Nashville Predators looked every bit as talented as the Chicago Blackhawks. Assisted in great part by the addition of superstar defender P.K. Subban to what is likely the most lethal defensive corps in the NHL, the skating ability and poise of the Preds put the Hawks in a number of awkward positions. They won the game, after all.
Smashville cannot claim to be home to game-breaking forwards on the All-World level of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. Chicago’s top-end talent, boosted by players like last year’s Calder Trophy winner Artemi Panarin is undeniably an enviable asset.
But the loss of players like Andrew Shaw and Teuvo Teravainen went a good way towards stripping the Hawks roster of valuable depth. The Preds roster depth, on the other hand, is trending strongly in the other direction- be it with less well-known names.
Taking a look at the forward lines emphasizes some top-end talent of the Preds own (Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, James Neal) followed by two full lines chock full of guys who could serve as second-liners for a good chunk of teams in the league. Friday night featured the Nashville Predators putting forth a small, speed-oriented lineup, putting both undersized blazers Viktor Arvidsson and Kevin Fiala on the ice, and keeping grinders Austin Watson and Cody Bass on the shelf. It worked.
It’d be silly to make too much of one game. The Nashville Predators still have everything to prove. They need to beat the Hawks in the playoff series. They need to compete for the Cup. But one thing has been made clear- beginning this season, the Chicago Blackhawks are no longer the clear favorites in the series rivalry.
The Nashville Predators can prove themselves an viable threat in the Blackhawk’s own building Saturday night. They have a golden opportunity to go 2-0 while putting Chicago down in a 0-3 hole to begin their season.
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