In preparation for the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight (that’s hockey for you non hockey people), I’ve been doing a bit of research into the Nashville Predators regular season record against the other teams coming out of the west. It’s important to note that of the eight teams in the playoffs out of the west, five of them come from the Central (the Predators’ division), leaving three from the Pacific. The first spot goes to Anaheim with 109 points. The eighth spot goes to Calgary with 97 points. The West was so tight this year that only 12 points separate the 1st seed from the 8th seed. This year’s playoff race felt much tighter than last years (but this could be due to my increased interest with the Predators being smack dab in the middle of the race for the Central division crown; after all, perspective is everything).
Once the playoffs were set, I started thinking about how the predators do not match up too well against any possible matchup that they might have. This curiosity led me down the path of looking at their regular season record against potentail foes.
Predators Regular Season Record Against Western Conference Playoff Teams
| Team | Record |
|---|---|
| Anaheim | 0-3 (1) |
| St. Louis | 3-2 (1) |
| Chicago | 1-3 (1) |
| Vancouver | 2-1 (1) |
| Minnesota | 2-3 |
| Winnipeg | 3-2 |
| Calgary | 0-3 (1) |
The number in parenthesis denotes a shootout loss, which are special cases and in my opinion come down to chance.
First Round
The Predators have drawn the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round. Out of the teams from the Central, the Predators only played Chicago four times (versus five times for the other teams). This has to do with the Western Conference having seven teams in each division (whereas the Eastern Conference has eight teams in each division). During the first loss to the Blackhawks, the Predators started their backup goalie, Carter Hutton and only lost 2-1 in OT. This is a pretty good outcome, especially considering the Predators played this game on the backside of a back-to-back (the frontside being played against Winnipeg). The last loss to the Blackhawks ended with shootout (again, I chalk these up to luck and happenstance and I don’t personally find anything interesting in these losses or wins). If we discard those two games, that leaves the Predators with a 1-1 record (both games in Nashville) against the Blackhawks (a 3-2 win and a 1-3 loss). Both of these games had roughly the same number of shots for and shots against. Nashville had power plays in both games and did not convert on any of them. Nashville had to kill off penalties in both games and did not allow a power play goal in either. Rinne was the starter in both of these games for Nashville. The Blackhawks starting goaltender, Corey Crawford, did not start in either of these games.
Looking at the history, this series seems like a toss up. I think the Blackhawks have the edge (ignoring recent results from both teams). It’s hard to say because the last time these two teams met was in December. The last game between Nashville and Chicago was December 29th. That’s a big deal.
Other Interesting Notes
- The Predators did not tally a win in the regular season against two playoff teams: the 1st place Anaheim Ducks and the 8th place Calgary Flames (both Pacific Division teams).
- The Predators did not “earn” a shootout victory against any of the Western Conference playoff teams.
- Out of the eight playoff teams in the west, two teams ended the season with a losing streak: Nashville ended with a 6-game losing streak (3 of which were to playoff bound teams), while Chicago ended the season with a 4-game losing streak (3 of which were to playoff bound teams).
Closing Arguments
This observation means nothing. It will not foretell who will come out on top in this series. I just found it to be an interesting exercise in prepration for the start of the playoffs tonight. Go Preds.