Preds find offensive payoff in post-season

NASHVILLE (AP) — Three years ago, general manager David Poile let the only coach the Predators had ever known in Barry Trotz leave and hired Peter Laviolette to inject more offence into the Nashville lineup.The payoff is coming with the NHL’s best start this post-season.

The Predators are 7-1 and the only undefeated team on home ice. They have gotten goals from a league-best 13 players, and they’re spreading the wealth around with seven players scoring game-winning goals.

The Predators are led by their top line with Ryan Johansen, Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson combining for 21 points. The Nashville defensive corps also has a league-high eight goals to go with 14 assists. Ryan Ellis leads all defencemen with nine points and has the league’s longest point streak since 1998 at seven games.

Nashville stands just a win away from the first conference final in franchise history with a 3-1 series lead over St. Louis in their Western Conference semifinal after a 2-1 victory on Tuesday night.

“It’s in our own hands, for sure,” goaltender Pekka Rinne said.

Credit Laviolette’s aggressive offensive scheme that lets everyone shoot at the net. The coach also has a knack for plugging players in and out of the lineup at the right time.

Laviolette has taken advantage of Nashville’s fastskating blue liners, giving them the freedom to attack the net with the flow of the puck. They love to take advantage.

“Everyone right now is really putting an emphasis on getting up ice and getting those opportunities,” defenceman Mattias Ekholm said. “Both Ryan, P.K. (Subban), Yannik (Weber) and Matt (Irwin) are doing a great job. As a D-corps, we’re just trying to play our game and do it to our strength.”

The final piece came last June when Poile stunned the NHL by swapping captain and star defenceman Shea Weber to Montreal for Subban as part of an effort to add even more offence to the lineup. The former Norris Trophy winner had 40 points in 66 games during his first regular season in Nashville, and Subban has six points in eight games in these playoffs.

Laviolette inserted veteran Vern Fiddler into the lineup for the first game against St. Louis, and Fiddler responded with the winning goal. Cody McLeod, who also sat out against Chicago, scored the winner Sunday.

Subban credits a group of players who have bought into what Laviolette wants.