The Nashville Predators keep stacking wins that demand attention.
On Thursday night in Denver, they added another one to the list, outlasting the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in overtime and doing it with a backup goalie in net. That makes two victories over Colorado in this stretch, along with wins against the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes over the past two weeks. At some point, that stops looking like a hot run and starts looking like something real.
This one had plenty of moving parts. Ross Colton scored against his old team.
Vintali Pinchuk picked up the first goal of his NHL career and finally got the puck to go with it. Then Steven Stamkos finished things off in overtime with a power-play one-timer that looked exactly like the kind of shot that has defined him for years.
Justus Annunen was a big part of the story, too. With Juuse Saros’ backup getting the start again, Nashville got another strong outing from the goalie who has now beaten his old team twice. Annunen stopped 30 of 32 shots and gave the Predators exactly what they needed in a game where Colorado carried the shot count.
That kind of setup is starting to create a real conversation around Nashville’s crease. Saros has long been the workhorse, but the way Annunen has played gives the Predators something different.
Elliotte Friedman reported that teams could begin viewing the tandem as a trade piece, though that feels like a tough sell if Nashville keeps winning. Around the league, more teams are leaning into the two-goalie model, and the Predators may be wise to keep rolling with it.
Pinchuk’s first NHL goal was the kind players remember.
He nearly had one earlier in the period when a shot rang off the post and stayed out, but he didn’t miss twice. His wrister beat MacKenzie Blackwood cleanly, and the moment hit with the kind of weight a first goal always carries. The Predators even celebrated it with the kind of reaction that made it clear this one meant something.
Pinchuk looked surprised after scoring, but the last two games have been his best in a Nashville sweater. Even with trade rumors swirling around the rookie, he suddenly looks a lot more comfortable in the lineup.
And while Colorado generated more shots, the result wasn’t some lucky escape for Nashville. The expected goals numbers backed up the outcome, which matters when a team is trying to prove a streak is built on more than good fortune. The Predators are starting to look like a team with an identity, and Andrew Brunette has a group that seems willing to play his way.
They still have ground to make up. But after this kind of win, Nashville looks a lot more like a playoff contender than a team just riding a wave.
In Other News...
Predators May Be Closer To A Key Young Addition Than Fans Realize
The Predators pipeline may be about to get a little more interesting, with prospect Egor Surin drawing attention as a player the organization could be closer to adding than some fans realize. Agent Dan Milstein indicated Surin is expected to sign and join Nashville after this season, a development that would give the club another young name to keep an eye on as it continues to shape its future.
There is also broader offseason chatter around Tampa Bay star Nikita Kucherov, with speculation and analysis floating possible trade or free-agency destinations across the league. For Nashville, though, the more immediate storyline is whether Surin becomes part of the picture soon, while the Kucherov discussion remains just that for now, with no confirmed move on the board. [Read more 🡒]
Stamkos Sounds Convinced The Predators Are Finally Starting To Click
Steven Stamkos has seen enough to believe the Predators are beginning to settle into something more sustainable under Andrew Brunette. The veteran forward pointed to the way Nashville is playing as a group, with new faces fitting into the system and the team leaning into the kind of hard forecheck and defensive structure Brunette wants.
The timing matters because the Predators have started stacking wins against some of the leagues better teams, a stretch that has helped build real momentum in the room. Stamkos read is that the pieces are coming together at the right time, with the teams overall buy-in showing up in the areas that usually decide whether a good start turns into something more. [Read more 🡒]