Nashville Predators 2010 Playoffs Preview
Posted 4/13/2010
The Nashville Predators are safely in the 2010 NHL playoffs after a third-place finish in the competitive Central Division.
One thing Nashville has going for it in the playoffs is how well they have played on the road. The Predators have almost identical home and road records, something that will help them immensley in the postseason.
The team is also peaking at the right time of the year, having won several games over the past couple of weeks. The hottest team entering the playoffs is generally considered the most dangerous.
Nashville might not be the hottest team in the Western Conference considering Detroit's surge since the Olympic break, but they have to be considered in the conversation.
The Predators are led by Steve Sullivan, Jason Arnott and Ryan Suter. All three have plenty of scoring ability, and Nashville has a number of other players who can find the back of the net.
The amount of players who can score makes it very hard to slow down Nashville's offensive attack. At the same time, the Predators lack a player to go to in crunch time. Someone is going to have to step up in the postseason and shoulder that scoring burden.
Goaltending has been a big question mark for the Predators all season long. It appears as though Pekka Rinne has staked his claim as the man between the pipes, but his numbers aren't really any better than Dan Ellis.
The Western Conference race is really wide open this year after San Jose failed to prove they were a great team in last year's first-round elimination from the playoffs.
The traditional powers in the Western Conference haven't been dominant this year, so a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals is there for Nashville's taking.