The Nasvhille Predators Are Ready for the Big Time

After flashes of promise in the 2011 and 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Nashville Predators have been largely forgettable: they have won just two playoff games over the past three seasons.

But Predators ownership didn't make any rash moves. Sure, they fired long-time head coach Barry Trotz in April 2014, but a coaching change was long overdue in Nashville. The core of the team remained in place: Shea Weber and his egregious contract weren't flipped. Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg developed into top-tier players at their respective positions. Through injuries and an up-and-down 2015-16 campaign, they stood pat with Pekka Rinne in net. Most important, David Poile, the only GM in franchise history, stayed put.

The Predators ownership is now being rewarded for its patience. Poile has built a dynamic and effective roster that is now up 2-0 in the first round over the overwhelming favorite Anaheim Ducks. The series moves to Nashville on Tuesday.

Despite the topsy-turvy nature of Anaheim's season, the outlook was never good for the Predators in this series. The Ducks are built with seasoned veterans, while the Predators skate with the air of a team that has something to prove.

And in this first-round series, they're proving it.

"Everyone in this room believes that we're capable of doing this," Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm told the Tennessean after Sunday night's 3-2 win. "We've showed everyone now that we can beat any team. I mean, Anaheim, they were No. 1 in their division and a heck of a hockey team."

Ekholm scored with less than a minute remaining in the first period of Sunday's game. The goal was the very embodiment of Predators hockey: after forward Colin Wilson made three Ducks look silly along the boards with his stickhandling, he dished the puck to Ekholm for a nifty backhand. It was pesky late goal but still laden with skill.

Heading back to Nashville, they may now be on the verge of something spectacular.

Last April, Poile told VICE Sports that the franchise was "maturing," and this season provided evidence to support his belief. In January, Nashville hosted their first All-Star weekend to rave reviews. Visiting teams and media have long enjoyed the entertaining Tennessee capital on road trips, but the All-Star Weekend solidified Nashville's place as a hockey hotbed. The team drew inspiration from the weekend as well: soon after the break, they began a 14-game point streak, the longest in franchise history.

"I think maybe psychologically, that weekend was a big boost to our whole team and our whole organization," Poile told the Predators website before the playoffs. "It got us playing in the right direction and added more belief in our franchise, our city and our hockey team."

The other move that seemed to inspire the team came a few weeks before the All-Star Game, when Poile pulled off a classic hockey trade, flipping young defenseman Seth Jones for bona-fide No. 1 center Ryan Johansen. In bringing in the top line center his team never had, Poile proved to be as shrewd a GM as there is in the league today. The normally low-scoring Predators saw their offense increase, and they ended the regular season tied for 12th in the NHL in goals per game and 10th in power play percentage.

It was the kind of move that could come back to haunt the organization—young, mobile 6'4" defensemen like Jones don't grow on trees, after all—but it put the league on notice: this is an organization that is ready to win now.

And why shouldn't they be? With a No. 1 center, a speedy sniper on the wing, secondary scoring, a top pair on defense that's as good as any other in the league, and a goalie carrying a .923 save percentage through his last three playoff seasons (including impressive performances in the first two games against Anaheim), the Predators have all the components for a deep playoff run.

There are questions within nearly every other Western Conference team that can't be ignored. The Blackhawks haven't looked convincing through their first three games; the Blues' lack of post-season success will continue to haunt them; and, despite a strong start in the playoffs, the Stars' goaltending was suspect throughout the regular season.

A wild card berth belies how well positioned the Predators are to plant themselves firmly within the Western Conference elite. They're one of the NHL's best possession teams, finishing fourth in the league in even-strength Corsi For % (52.5%) in the regular season.

Before the Ducks series began, questions about whether these playoffs would be any different for Nashville seemed justified: the Predators suffered through a late-season distraction as vaunted prospect Jimmy Vesey announced he would test free agency, and they limped to a 2-4-1 finish.

But Poile's team has found its momentum at exactly the right time.

"We know there's a lot of work to do," Predators head coach Peter Laviolette said after Game 2. "It doesn't mean anything if you don't finish it and follow it up. We have to keep working, keep an eye on what we're doing here and just keep moving forward."