Crazy what a week can do, right? Last week, we were still trying to figure out who the Nashville Predators were. They had just come off a bad loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets and we were wondering if the team might slip to third place and lose the home ice advantage that they had held all season. One week changed all that. It wasn’t pretty, but Nashville managed to earn all six possible points last week. Everything else fell into place and the Nashville Predators are now back-to-back Central Division Champions. That’s something I don’t think anyone thought was possible midway through the season. I’m still not sure we know who the Predators are, but they seem to be getting hot at the right time. Maybe they planned this out from the beginning. Buckle up, the real fun begins now.
ARVIDSSON GETTING IT DONE
Viktor Arvidsson continues to defy all odds. The kid just knows how to put the puck in the net. Crazy how things work out like that. Arvi went undrafted for three seasons before the Predators finally took a chance on him in the 4th round in 2014. I think that worked out pretty good for everyone. On Saturday night, Arvidsson set the franchise record for most goals in a single season with 34. He played in only 58 games! Imagine what he would have done if he didn’t miss 24 games this season. He’s only going to get better and better.
FABBRO GETS HIS FIRST
Dante Fabbro made his debut a week ago and has impressed everyone since getting in the lineup. He’s had a few mistakes here and there, but that’s to be expected from such a young defenseman making his debut right in the middle of a team’s playoff push. It didn’t take long for him to be comfortable though. Fabbro took a nice little drop pass from Filip Forsberg and absolutely wired one right over the glove hand of Cam Ward to get his first career goal. It was a huge one too, getting the Preds on the board and sparked the comeback that would give the Predators the division title. Congrats, kid, on the first goal. I’m sure there will be many more plays like that in your career.
BRING ON DALLAS
With the Predators claiming the Central Division title, they will face-off with the first wild card Dallas Stars. You knew this was coming from the moment the Winter Classic was announced. These teams were destined to play each other in the playoffs. I’ll have more on the series during my playoff preview later this week, but the two teams were pretty even this year. The Preds won the season series 3-2 with two of those victories happening in overtime. The Stars have been very hot lately, especially Ben Bishop, but Nashville has typically had success against Bishop during his career. It should be a great matchup regardless.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Now the real fun begins. The Preds are getting hot at the right time but so are the Stars. Game One kicks things off on Wednesday night with the dreaded 8:30 start time. Grab your coffee and energy drinks. You can sleep when the playoffs are over. A two day break and then it’s Game Two on Saturday afternoon at 5:00. That’s all there is for this week, but I’d say those two games are enough for us right now. I’m interested to see how the Preds come out for the playoffs. They’ve got a few days off, so hopefully they can rest up but still continue to play like they have over the past week. It’s do or die time now. Let’s go get the Cup.
Be sure to check out the Talking Preds Podcast. New episodes almost weekly. Be sure to follow along on Twitter and Facebook for live tweeting during the games along with something new we’re trying out. For certain games, I’ll be jumping on live during intermissions, pre-game, or post-game with thoughts on the game. Love to have some good hockey discussion so follow along and let me know what you guys think.
Herbie Brooks is the Lead Nashville Predators Analyst for SoBros Network. He knows three things: beating Commies, winning Gold Medals, and having great hair. Follow him on Twitter: @SoBroHerbie_B
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