USA TODAY International Edition
Maintaining tough defense key to Predators’ dominance
The Nashville Predators boast the most polished defensive group in the NHL today. At least, they are playing as if that’s true.
Nashville’s top four defensemen — Roman Josi, P. K. Subban, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm — are the primary reason the Predators are 6- 1 in the playoffs. That group has generated seven goals and seven assists in seven games. They are all averaging 23: 51 minutes per game or better. Their combined plus- minus is + 21.
Ryan Ellis ranks No. 1 in defenseman scoring, with eight points on three goals and five assists. No defenseman still playing in the playoffs has more shots on goal than Josi’s 22. Subban and Mattias Ekholm are among the leaders in Corsi ratings, which is considered an indicator of puck possession.
The focus has been on goalie Pekka Rinne’s 1.38 goals- against average and .950 save percentage. He has been a difference- maker to be sure, but his defensemen are contributing mightily to those gaudy numbers.
The Predators are allowing an average of 28.4 shots per game, the lowest among teams still in the postseason.
This franchise once had Ryan Suter, Shea Weber and Josi on its defense, but even that group wasn’t as impressive as the current defensive unit has been.
Even the third pairing of Matt Irwin and Yannick Weber has been consistently effective in 1012 minutes of work per game. Irwin hasn’t had a minus- game, and Weber has had only one.
When you watch this team in the postseason, you can see that the elevation of Ellis’ game and the arrival of Subban has made the Predators a more dangerous offensive team.
Coach Peter Laviolette now seems to have the right personnel to play the attacking style he likes to employ. If there is a team built precisely for the modern game, it might be the Predators. The way defenses bunker up around the net, it is challenging to set up offensively in the offensive zone.
What you need are mobile defensemen who can turn the puck up the ice in a hurry or jump into the offensive flow to create an odd- man advantage. The Predators have defensemen who can do that and still be mindful of defensive responsibilities.
If you look around the playoff landscape, you don’t see a defensive group that is balanced in its defensive approach has the Predators have been.
It’s a winning formula. But it is challenging to maintain, because it requires instincts and guesswork to know when to take chances in the name of creating offense. If you master it, and the Predators seem to be, it can carry a team deep into the playoffs.