If you walked into Bridgestone Arena two weeks ago, the atmosphere was roughly equivalent to a funeral procession. The Nashville Predators weren’t just losing; they looked disjointed, dispirited, and frankly, done.
Fast-forward to this Monday, and the mood has shifted. Winning four of your last five contests tends to have that effect.
But let’s take a breath before we start printing playoff tickets. While the recent 10-point swing is a welcome reprieve from the early-season disaster, the question remains: Is this the start of a legitimate resurgence, or is it merely a statistical correction—a brief gasp of air before the team sinks back to the bottom of the NHL?
We need to look past the scoreboards and dissect what is actually happening on the ice.
The Sleeping Giant Wakes Up
The headline of this recent stretch has to be the awakening of the offense, specifically the play of Steven Stamkos.
When general manager Barry Trotz brought Stamkos in, the expectation was instant offense. Instead, we got a disjointed start that had many wondering if Father Time had finally caught up to the sniper. That narrative has shifted over the last week. Stamkos has tallied six points in his last five games, including a vintage overtime winner against the Florida Panthers and his milestone 1,200th career point.
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When your marquee acquisition finds its rhythm, it usually trickles down. The Predators have potted 15 goals across three recent wins against the Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Blackhawks. It’s not just that they are scoring; it’s how they are scoring. The puck movement is crisp, and the team finally looks like it has signs of life.
Injecting Adrenaline into the Lineup
While the veterans garner the headlines, the engine room of this turnaround has been the kids.
There has been a palpable “youth movement” over the last five games that has changed the complexion of the bottom six forwards. Rookies Reid Schaefer and Ozzy Wiesblatt haven’t just been passengers; they’ve been driving the intensity. Both notched their first career NHL goals during this stretch, which is great for the highlight reels, but for the coaching staff, it’s their physical energy that matters more.
This team looked slow and old in October. The integration of rookie tenacity with veteran savvy has helped the Predators play with a level of grit that was sorely missing. It’s a blend that works—when the kids are flying, the veterans don’t feel the weight of the world on every shift.
The Man in the Blue Paint
You cannot talk about a Nashville turnaround without talking about Juuse Saros.
For years, Saros has been the blanket covering up defensive deficiencies. This season, that blanket has looked threadbare. However, his last few starts—including a 30-save performance against the Panthers and 27 saves against the Flames—resembled the Vezina Trophy-caliber goaltending Nashville relies on.
But here is where the skepticism creeps in. Despite these confidence-boosting wins, the numbers for the season are still concerning. Saros sits with a save percentage of .897, well below his career average of .913. The team still ranks 28th in goals against per game. A few good nights don’t erase two months of porous defense. Stabilization is good, but for this to be a playoff run, Saros doesn’t just need to be good; he needs to be elite.
The Unforgiving Arithmetic
Here is the cold water.
Despite the “vibes” improving, the Predators are currently sitting with a 10-13-4 record. In the NHL, digging yourself a hole that deep early in the season is usually fatal.
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To genuinely save this season, the Predators cannot simply trade wins and losses. To reach the statistical threshold usually required for the postseason, they would need to pace for just under 110 points the rest of the season. That is a number maintained by Presidents’ Trophy winners, not teams in 30th place.
They have a steep hill to climb. The only saving grace is the mediocrity of the Western Conference. The wildcard race is remarkably soft right now, meaning, despite being in the cellar, Nashville is still within shouting distance of a playoff team like Chicago (six-point gap).
A Showcase or a Salvation?
There is a cynical, yet pragmatic, angle to view this winning streak: Is this a playoff push, or is it asset management?
Trotz is not a man who operates on hope. He operates on value. If this streak turns out to be a “false dawn,” this period of high performance might simply serve to boost the trade value of the roster’s veterans.
If the math becomes insurmountable by the deadline, players like Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos could be moved to clear cap space and acquire future assets. Paradoxically, playing well now might just ensure they are traded later, rather than kept as saviors for a playoff run.
So, are they back?
It is too early to tell. The gap to the wildcard is theoretically within reach, but the margin for error is non-existent. This is likely the team’s last chance to prove the doubters wrong.
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