The St. Louis Blues have the good luck, or lack thereof, of being in the NHL’s toughest division. Last year’s division champion is ready to repeat too.
The St. Louis Blues might have to make the most of their nonconference schedule. The Western Conference is going to be bad enough, but their division is the toughest in hockey right now. Making matters worse, the division’s champion is primed to make a repeat run.
The Nashville Predators won the Central Division in 2017-18. While they won by a razor thin margin of three points, they are primed for a repeat performance.
The Predators enter the 2018-19 season with basically the same roster that took them all the way to 117 points last year. So, there is little reason to think they cannot find that same continuity this coming season.
Nashville might not be able to win the Presidents Trophy again, since most teams do not repeat that. However, another division crown is within their grasp and they will look to learn from a disappointing second round exit to Winnipeg in the 2018 Playoffs.
Forwards
Like so many other teams the Blues will be up against in the division, the Predators have an assortment of weapons that will hurt you. The Predators had six forwards score 40-plus points in 2017-18.
As pointed out by our friends at BlackhawkUp.com, the Predators offense was largely aided by an ability to win faceoffs. Four of the Predators centers won 50% or more of their faceoffs all season. That is something the Blues were looking to combat and copy when they bolstered their own middle.
Defense
The Predators boast one of the best defensive cores in the division. They might have some of the most annoying players back there as well.
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By now, we all know of the antics of P.K. Subban. While he strikes you as one of the best guys you can meet off the ice, he is someone you just want to smash in the face on the ice. Nevertheless, he helps his team both offensively and defensively, showcasing skills on both sides that are becoming rare in one package.
Joining him in the annoying list is Ryan Ellis. Ellis is not the largest guy on the ice, but he knows how to get under your skin, especially in the playoffs. He is no slouch in all facets of the game as well.
The Predators were at or near the top of the league in defensive scoring for much of 2017-18. So far, there is little reason to think there might be a dropoff.
Goaltending
Oddly enough, the most well known member of the Predators could end up being their achilles heel. Or, he could be the reason the Predators win it all.
Pekka Rinne, like all goalies really, is the most loved and most hated man on the team. While Predators fans won’t acknowledge it now, there have been several calls for Rinne to be dealt or step aside by fans. Blues fans might want to take note that letting someone work through things is not always a bad thing.
That said, Rinne continues to be one the league’s workhorses. Other than injury plagued season, he almost always features in around 75% of the team’s games.
Rinne has been steady too. His save percentages are always above .900, though not always by a ton. His goals against average is 2.37 for his career. He posted a league leading, and career high, eight shutouts in 2017-18.
The reason he could be the team’s downfall is because he is not getting younger. Goaltenders sometimes fall off the map at random times. Rinne will turn 36 early in the 2018-19 season.
He has not shown signs of slowing down, but it can happen at any time. Plus, there is no chance he repeats his league leading goals saved above average of 27.49.
Coaching
The Predators might have the best coach in the entire division and that is saying something since Coach Q is still in Chicago. However, Peter Laviolette is right up there without a doubt.
Laviolette has led the Predators to the playoffs every year for the four years he has been there. He helped them to a divisional title and league’s best record last year and the Cup Final in 2016-17.
Laviolette is no flash in the pan either. He was the coach of the Carolina Hurricanes when they won it all in 2005-06.
Laviolette’s teams are regularly good scorers while not sacrificing defense as well.
Conclusion
117 is a lofty goal and probably not attainable for a second season in a row. That said, the Predators have the talent to make it all the way back to the top spot in the Central.
What will be hard for them is everyone knows they are one of the best and they will be getting everyone’s best game every night. Also, you’re asking a lot of players to have big years again. In 2017-18, the Predators had 14 players with 20-plus points, 11 players with 30-plus and 8 players that scored 40-plus.
Even so and even with other teams breathing down their necks, the Predators are still the measuring stick right now.
The Blues will have to do better against them this season if they hope to keep pace. The Blues lost three in regulation and one in overtime against Nashville in 2017-18. St. Louis was outscored 12-4 in those games.
Even if we returned to the low scoring affairs of previous years, it would be much more respectable than losing by an average of 3-1.
The Blues need to find ways to score and defend against the big boys. Losing every game is simply not acceptable again, even if Nashville is great.