A six-month hunt for an NHL playoff spot could end in disappointing fashion for the Predators as early as Monday night.
That’s the concerning reality for a Nashville team that — to the surprise of many — has remained in the thick of a postseason chase through 80 games, even after dealing away four lineup regulars prior to the NHL trade deadline.
Nashville is 3-0-1 on current road trip, holds second wild-card spot
The Predators (38-32-10, 86 points) maintained the pressure on Los Angeles (34-26-19, 87 points) and Anaheim (42-32-6, 90 points) over the weekend, edging Minnesota 2-1 on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena.
Still, Nashville must defeat San Jose on Monday or face the possibility that a regulation defeat by the Preds and a win by Los Angeles over Seattle would squelch the Predators’ hopes of returning to the playoffs.
On the other hand, wins by the Preds in their final two regular-season games — including Thursday’s finale against visiting Anaheim — would give Nashville a 78 percent chance of reaching the postseason, per PlayoffStatus.com.
Indeed, an optimistic Predators fan would point out that if Nashville wins its last two games, and if Anaheim loses its final two (including the one at Bridgestone Arena), the Predators would secure a playoff berth based on an NHL tie-breaking procedure.
“We know what position we're in and how important these games are,” says Preds rookie forward Matthew Wood, who scored the game-winning goal against Minnesota.
“Two games left now, and it feels like [a] must-win. That’s exciting for us, and we’re excited for the challenge.”
Big games mean big decisions, and Predators coach Andrew Brunette has a significant one to make in goal for Monday’s contest.
Juuse Saros is the team’s number one netminder, having played 58 games to 27 for back-up Justus Annunen.
But Annunen has been the hotter goalie of late, as he has stopped 64 of 65 shots (.985 percentage) in his past two outings, a 5-0 win over Anaheim and the 2-1 win over Minnesota. In fact, Annunen is 4-2-0 in his past six appearances, stopping 179 of 188 shots (.952 save percentage) during that stretch.
Saros, meanwhile, is 3-2-1 over his past six games, stopping 157 of 177 shots (.887 save percentage).
Initial appearances at Nashville’s morning skate seemed to indicate Brunette was sticking with the hot hand — Annunen — instead of going back to Saros, per reporters on hand.
But Brunette said after the morning skate that the starting goaltender choice would be a gametime decision.
“I think he’s got a lot of confidence,” Brunette said Saturday of Annunen. “He’s put a lot of work in. ... He’s been exceptional, really. Like I talked about, his numbers [are excellent], and just the feel [for the game], he’s been out of this world of late.”
Another constant of late for the Preds has been the production of veteran Steven Stamkos, who has 12 points (nine goals, three assists) in his past 13 games. The 36-year-old Stamkos contributed a goal and an assist against the Wild, and the score was his 40th of the season — meaning he became just the third Preds player in history to hit that mark.
“He’s been unbelievable,” Predators captain Roman Josi says of Stamkos. “I mean, he’s one of the best goal scorers of all time. Every time he’s out there, you know there’s a chance he scores a goal.
“The last couple weeks have been really huge for us. He’s taken charge and playing unbelievable. He’s vocal in the room. He’s not just scoring. He’s doing everything else too.”
This article was first published by our sister publication, the Nashville Post.
