Predators’ best offence is coming from their defence
NASHVILLE, TENN. Three years ago, general manager David Poile let the only coach the Nashville Predators had ever known in Barry Trotz leave and hired Peter Laviolette to inject more offence into the lineup.
The payoff is coming with the NHL’s best start this post-season.
The Predators are 7-1 and the only team undefeated on home ice. They’ve got goals from a league-best 13 players, and they’re spreading the wealth around with seven players scoring gamewinning 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 playoffs 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 the St. Louis Blues in their Western Conference semifinal after a 2-1 victory Tuesday night.
“It’s in our own hands, for sure,” goaltender Pekka Rinne said.
Credit Laviolette’s aggressive offensive scheme, which 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.
“It’s a five-man game in all zones, and conversely the offence won’t work threeon-five,” Laviolette said of including defencemen in the attack. “If it’s just our three and five of their guys defending, we’re not going to create.
“There’s a fine line with that, but our guys do a pretty good job defending and taking care of that, and offensively five guys making sure we attack.”
During the regular season, the Predators tied for the league lead with 12 players scoring at least 10 goals. They also tied San Jose for the most points (181) scored by defencemen, led by Roman Josi with 49.
“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 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 six points in eight games in these playoffs — but Subban gives the credit to a group of players who have bought into what Laviolette wants.
“We don’t care who’s first star at the end of the night,” Subban said. “Whoever gets the recognition, it’s just about how we’re playing and everybody pulling in the right direction, and we have that.”