The Nashville Predators have a record of 35-26-8, good for 78 points, through 69 games in the 2019-20 NHL regular season. Thanks to the indefinite suspension of play due to the coronavirus, it is not clear whether the season will resume or whether the league would move right to the postseason. If the regular season were halted, Nashville would hold the second wild card; the Vancouver Canucks also have 78 points but have one more win than do the Predators. The Minnesota Wild are just a point behind the two teams with 77 points, and the Arizona Coyotes, long a dominant force in the Pacific Division before a recent slump, are still in the mix with 74 points. So if regular season play resumes, there are several teams that could snag the wild cards over the last few games. Is NHL futures part of your sports betting plan? Then take a look at our thoughts on the current state of the Nashville Predators.
NHL: Nashville Predators 2019-20 Season Analysis
Offensive Analysis
Team captain Roman Josi has had a tremendous season, with 16 goals and 65 points overall. If the league gets around to distributing trophies for this campaign, he should be one of the finalists for the Norris Trophy, if not the outright winner. His offense has been both timely and consistent, and when the team has gone on solid stretches of play, he has been the primary catalyst.
Ryan Ellis is another player who was on the rise from last season when the league went into hiatus. Coming back to the lineup gave the Predators another jolt in the arm when it came to finishing around the net, and the team needs him to keep that level of play should play resume. Filip Forsberg had been in a slump for most of the season, but he was just starting to put up the points in bunches when the league went dark. Forsberg had just tied Shea Weber for second place on the all-time Nashville Predator goal scoring list, with 166.
Defensive Analysis
The defense has been the reason why the Predators have been less than consistent all season long. Offense comes and goes for all teams, but the Nashville blueliners have let the team down at crucial moments. Top defenseman Ryan Ellis went down in the Winter Classic back on New Year’s Day, and Dante Fabbro had to fill his spot in the lineup. Josi is a terrific offensive defenseman as we mentioned above, and since Ellis has returned (and has had time to fully recover from his injuries over this unexpected break in action), perhaps the Predators can lock down that defense in time for a postseason run.
Key Numbers & Key Players
Juuse Saros has been terrific in net. Since 2017, he is eleventh in the NHL in save percentage (.917), 15th in goals allowed average (2.60), tenth in shutouts (10) and eleventh in quality start percentage (.583) among all qualifying goals (at least 50 games played). Saros will break through and become a starter at some point, and Nashville could definitely use a mainstay like that in net.
Playoffs panorama and Championship Odds
Currently, Nashville has +1800 odds to win the Stanley Cup when league play resumes. Some of this has to do with their resume, as they are known for making deep playoff runs and showing mental toughness when they need it. Some of it has to do with a recognition of their potential on offense. However, until the Predators show consistent defense, whether that it is a week of games after the lengthy pause or in the first round of a hypothetical playoff series, it’s hard to see them going far in the West. The East has better teams overall, but there are a lot of teams that could catch lightning in a bottle in the West. Both conferences have shown inconsistency in their divisions, top to bottom, and Nashville’s trajectory was not positive going into the suspension.
