Despite Tuesday’s deflating loss to the Calgary Flames, the Nashville Predators are still ending the day with their spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs secure.
The Predators have officially clinched a postseason berth by virtue of the Dallas Stars’ 3-2 shootout win over the Vegas Golden Knights. This will be the eighth consecutive season that Nashville has made it to the postseason (and yes, we’re absolutely counting the 2020 “Play-In” series in that streak.) That’s tied for the second-longest active playoff streak in the NHL, trailing only the Penguins’ run of 16 straight playoff appearances.
At this point, the Preds can only attain one of the two Wild Card spots in the Western Conference, meaning they’ll either play the top-seeded Colorado Avalanche or the Calgary Flames. They’re currently equal in points to the Dallas Stars (who, despite tonight’s win, have yet to officially clinch), but own the tie-breaker by virtue of regulation wins.
Regardless of how this season ends, the fact that the Predators are once again playing for a Stanley Cup is no small accomplishment. This was a team many writers had pegged to finish second to last in the Central Division, and many saw them as a team in the midst of a rebuild, partially due to David Poile’s “competitive rebuild” comments in the offseason.
The Predators still have two games left in the regular season: a road game against Colorado on Thursday, and the season finale against the Arizona Coyotes on Friday.
Are you excited to see the Preds back in the playoffs?