The Avs were a heavy underdog that season, and now the roles are reversed.
It will be the Avs’ second meeting with the Predators in their playoff history, the last time coming in 2018 when Nashville won in six games.
#NASHVILLE PREDATORS SCHEDULE 2018 PLAYOFFS SERIES#
And, the Predators could have even avoided playing the Avs by just getting the game to overtime if it came to it.īut an absolutely epic collapse by Nashville in a regulation loss to the Coyotes means they slipped to the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference as the regular season ended, and thus will play the Avs a best-of-seven series starting Tuesday night at Ball Arena. Defenseman Dmitry Kulikov has been out since early March, and backup goalie Steve Mason is banged up too.All the Nashville Predators had to do to avoid a first-round playoff matchup with the Colorado Avalanche was hold on to a 4-0 lead in regulation against the Arizona Coyotes tonight. Enstrom hopefully returns soon, while Perreault, an underrated depth player, is one to monitor. Nikolaj Ehlers, Toby Enstrom, Tyler Myers and Mathieu Perreault all missed games against the Wild in the first round. The job is easier for the more accomplished Laviolette. He also has to manage a young roster with many players navigating their first postseason run. Paul Maurice has 1,447 games of NHL coaching experience but has one Eastern Conference championship to his name - and that was 16 years ago with the Carolina Hurricanes. Peter Laviolette has won a Stanley Cup and two conference championships. Two big-time vets here, as both bosses have coached more than 1,000 NHL games. The Jets, meanwhile, flexed their dominant power play in the first round (23.1 percent efficiency vs.
The Predators would like a do-over in a few areas for that first-round series, but they'll gladly keep the penalty kill exactly as it was: a smothering 90 percent efficiency. 924 save percentage, 1.93 goals-against average and two shutouts. But it's 24-year-old Connor Hellebuyck who stole the show in the first round with a. He's made the playoffs in seven different seasons. He shouldered the load in last year's Stanley Cup Final run. Two Vezina Trophy finalists in a second-round matchup? This is going to be fun. Dustin Byfuglien exerted a level of physicality in the first-round series that should scare anyone. Against the Wild, the Jets proved they're not just an offensive team and can win tight, grind-it-out games as well. The Predators may have had some defensive lapses against the Avalanche in the first round, but they still boast the most talented top six in the league (and they did show up in that stifling Game 6 clincher). 2 goal scorer in the league, Patrik Laine, is on the second line. Of course, it's always a tough matchup when the No. The Jets also have a balanced lineup, but it's being tested by injuries (more on that later). Eleven forwards picked up at least one point against Colorado. The Predators' third line of Nick Bonino, Colton Sissons and Austin Watson combined for 19 points against the Avalanche Sissons and Watson were the team's two top point-scorers in the series. If we're going by regular-season totals, the Predators' top three combined for 179 points in 224 games, while the Jets trio have 208 points in 217 games. Forsberg, Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Johansen form a fine trio for the Predators, but Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler might be better - and more dominant. Somehow, it doesn't feel like Filip Forsberg is lauded enough for just how skilled he is.
The Predators won the regular-season series 3-1-1, outscoring the Jets 22-20.įirst line. This is a true clash of the titans, as the Predators and Jets posted the top two point totals in the NHL this season. Winnipeg won in five games, including two shutouts. The Jets met a hobbled Minnesota Wild team but proved they could win games in any fashion - with a burst of scoring or tight defensive bouts. Another reminder of how long ago it was: "I Knew You Were Waiting (for Me)," by Aretha Franklin and George Michael, was the No. The Winnipeg Jets, meanwhile, won the franchise's first playoff series since April 1987, when all but four players on the Jets roster hadn't even been born. The Predators prevailed in six games, but a few warts were exposed - especially the propensity for allowing a late goal. The plucky Colorado Avalanche gave the top-seeded Nashville Predators all they could handle in the first round for a surprisingly entertaining series.
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