Halfway through the first year of the new-era, the Predators sit atop the NHL standings. They were the first team to reach 60pts. So far the Predators have easily been the biggest surprise in the league this year, after missing the playoffs last year to 1st! Much changed in the off-season, new coaches, new players,etc. Bringing in a former Stanley Cup winning coach in Peter Laviolette has been one of the biggest moves made by the Predators. He brings in a tougher and more of an offensive based style of hockey, compared to former coach Barry Trotz, who has a defensive game.
Another new addition was bringing in the natural goal scorer James Neal. 35 games into the season, Neal has 23pts and is a +14. He has impressed many so far this season, he is Nashville's first real superstar forward, something the Predators were in dear need of. Neal has been on a line with Mike Ribeiro (36pts, +14) and Filip Forsberg, they have been Nashville's top line so far this year. But Nashville's biggest surprise this year has been the play of young rookie Filip Forsberg. Despite only playing in a few games with the Predators last season, Forsberg has shown what he is capable of this season, with a staggering 38pts and a +22 rating in 41 games! He is a shoe in for the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year!
Now let's get to Pekka Rinne. He has single handedly won games for the team this season, I mean come on have you seen the saves this guy is making! He can make a whole highlight pack just from one game! He is leading the league in Wins with 28 and is second in SV and GAA. This guy is lights out in every game he plays! Right now Pekka is the frontrunner for the Vezina trophy for the League best goalie! After a shaky last two seasons battling injuries, Rinne has really bounced back and showed the league what he is capable of!
The Predators are a force, and aren't going to stop! They are getting scoring from all 4 lines including defencemen, have an amazing home record of 16-2-1! The one thing they need to improve if they want to go far in the playoffs, they MUST improve their special teams play. The powerplay is 24th in the league with 14.4% and the penalty-kill is 15th at 81.5%. They need to start finding ways to score on the powerplay, that is the weakest point of their game and has been all season.
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