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Five Games Left, Hopes Still Alive |
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What a ride it’s been since David Poile announced his decision to step down and made the inevitable decision to part ways with notable players at the deadline. These were bold and welcomed decisions, and I believe that they have already started paying dividends. The decision to offload salary and welcome youth to the lineup has really brought much needed optimism back to Bridgestone Arena with the Preds performing slightly better with these young guns than they were with the more “established” players, including those shipped off at the deadline and those who have been out due to injury. It’s finally a type of game that keeps you on the edge of your seat, curious what the new guys will do and also makes you amazed at the developing talent that is being demonstrated on the ice by names like Novak and Evangelista. I'm glad Novak is finally getting recognition as I came to this blog frequently last year saying he should've been in the lineup and made the team out of camp.
As of today, the Preds have a record of 39-30-8 for a total of 86 points through 77 games, trailing the Flames and Jets who both sit at 89 points through 79 and 78 games, respectively. The Flames loss to Chicago in regulation on Monday and their win in regulation last night in Winnipeg really helped the Preds have their own fate fully back in their hands. With one of the toughest, if not the toughest, schedule remaining, it’s a tall task but not insurmountable. There is zero pressure for these young guys and you can rest assured they are itching for a playoff opportunity. They just beat Vegas in a tough game and that’s who the second wild card in the west may play as the Pacific Division continues to play out between the Oilers, Knights, and Kings. Granted, the Vegas game was sloppy and tough to watch at times, but they found a way to win in the end. That extra point goes a long long way. And credit should be given where and when due.
The story now is quite simple, the Preds win out, they make the playoffs as they play both the Flames and the Jets during these next five and also have a game in hand over the Jets and two over the Flames. It’s a four-point swing in both of those games already. This current roster may be too inexperienced and young to where that actually becomes a good thing for once down the stretch.
The schedule remaining for the Preds looks like this:
Carolina at Nashville
Nashville at Winnipeg
Nashville at Calgary
Minnesota at Nashville
Colorado at Nashville
This is most certainly not easy and defense and goaltending will, once more, have to lead the way. It’s doable. There’s a lot of moving parts with regulation wins, etc. for tiebreakers, and it really starts tonight against Carolina because if the Preds do not squeeze at least a point out of the game tonight, then this whole hypothetical goes back to the drawing board.
The Jets have 4 games remaining:
Nashville at Winnipeg
San Jose at Winnipeg
Winnipeg at Minnesota
Winnipeg at Colorado
The Flames have 3 games remaining:
Calgary at Vancouver
Nashville at Calgary
San Jose at Calgary
It’s been awhile since I have been optimistic, and I know the risk of being overly pollyannish. However, it’s been a blast to tune into this young team and to watch them gain experience on the fly to see what they can do. We slowly return some of the core guys and it’s a nice balanced combination. But if coaching and management are smart and play things as they should, it’s likely this core group that needs to lead this team to the post-season. Let them struggle through the ups and downs and face true adversity because it’s playoff hockey time all but in name. And I wouldn’t bring any of the big names back to risk injury at this time. If we make it, it will be a great result, but if we don't it's not entirely a disappointment. The changes that needed to be made have already been made or have been set in motion. There's hope upon the horizon.
But in the meantime . . . we all want playoff hockey because there's nothing better in sports.
It’s time for the Saros show! It’s a similar situation last season down the stretch where this team blew it to end up facing Colorado. Let’s see what this new group can do when the same amount of adversity combines with a current, somewhat lack of pressure.
Nashville Predators Blogger • 
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