Round 1 Preview: Stars vs. Preds

First, let me just address that no I will not be doing a preview for each series. I’m not crazy enough to do that. I’ve picked a few series that I think are interesting enough to write about. That’s why I chose Nashville vs Dallas.

This series is a very intriguing one. On one hand, you have the Central Div Champs with Nashville. This team is a puzzle to solve. Pekka Rinne is a regular-season stud and is constantly in the conversation for the Vezina award. So why can’t this guy figure it out in the playoffs? In 2017 he did and posted a .930 sv%, but other than that his numbers are average in the playoffs. Also, let’s not forget his awful game 7 effort vs Winnipeg last year. If the Preds want a return trip to the SCF, they’re gonna need 2017 Rinne; nothing less will be acceptable. Nashville has a solid forward group, and their top line of Arvidsson, Johansen, and Forseberg is about as solid as it gets for offense. They have a strong blue line including big names like Subban, Josi, and Ellis. With all of those names just listed, how does this team have a power-play ranked 31 this season??? Let me say that one more time: NASHVILLE has the worst PP in the entire NHL this season. Crazy stat right? That can’t continue into the post-season. PP’s are hard to come by in the playoffs. When you do get a man-advantage in the playoffs, you have to make the most of it. The Predators should be fine with mediocre PP numbers against Dallas, but moving forward, they’ll have to step it up.

On the other hand, you have a painfully average team in the Dallas Stars. Dallas does have some star-power (lol) with Ben, Seguin, and Radulov up front. Side note, how funny is it when Radulov scores and he gets crazy fired up? I love it and he gets like that for every goal he scores! Their defense is average. Their goaltending is strong when Bishop isn’t hurt, and that’s only about 40% of his career it feels like. He’s been to the SCF before with Tampa back in ‘15, so he does have playoff experience. He does have the potential to steal a game or two. So, what exactly does Dallas need to do to have a chance in stealing this series? High-power offense. Outscore Nashville in a gritty series and I like what Dallas can do. Their big boys have to be unstoppable each and every night. If Benn or Seguin show up with an average effort, this team is toast. P.S. this team has Zuccarello so they automatically win one game in my heart.

My Prediction: Nashville in 6. This will be a fun series and hopefully this builds some bad blood between the two teams. Remember that this is the Winter Classic matchup set for next year, so let’s fire up some hatred here.

Written by: Andrew Silvers

Twitter: @asilvers55

Instagram: @asilvers55