Predators Heating Up: Brunette’s Squad Finds Its Groove After Rocky Start
A month ago, the Nashville Predators were sitting at the bottom of the NHL standings. Now? They’re one of the hottest teams in the league - and they’re doing it with a mix of grit, offense, and timely goaltending that has fans in Music City starting to believe again.
At 16-16-4, the Predators are back at .500 and very much in the playoff conversation, thanks to a torrid stretch that’s seen them win 10 of their last 14 games. That includes a gutsy 2-1 overtime win on the road against the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 23 - a game that felt like a microcosm of the turnaround: tight, tense, and decided by a clutch play from a star player.
Head coach Andrew Brunette, a lifelong Toronto Blue Jays fan and Ontario native, knows there’s still work to be done. But the momentum is real.
“We’re not where we want to be, but we’re trying like heck to get there,” Brunette said after a 2-1 win over the Rangers two nights earlier. “We are going through the process and building something.
We talk about building an identity, and we’re starting to, but the finished product isn’t quite there yet. So we’ve got to stack these games.”
From Rock Bottom to Rolling
Let’s rewind to Nov. 24.
The Predators were flat-out embarrassed in an 8-3 home loss to the Florida Panthers. That dropped them to 6-12-4 - the worst points percentage in the league and an offense that couldn’t buy a goal (just 2.32 per game at that point).
But since then, Nashville has flipped the script.
The offense has come alive, and Juuse Saros has looked like the elite goaltender the Predators have relied on for years. Wins over struggling teams like Calgary, Chicago and St. Louis helped build confidence, but it’s the statement victories - over Detroit, the defending champion Panthers, and the high-flying Avalanche - that have made people take notice.
“It was pretty dark there for a while,” center Ryan O’Reilly admitted on Dec. 21.
“It wasn’t fun by any means. It was tough … It took a lot longer than we thought, but it’s starting to come.
We’re still in this fight. We’re going to keep going.”
Over the last month, Nashville has the third-most wins in the NHL and ranks fourth in goals per game at 3.57. That’s not just a team getting lucky - that’s a team finding its identity and executing.
The Stamkos Surge
One of the biggest reasons for the turnaround? Steven Stamkos.
The seven-time All-Star was quiet through his first 22 games with the Predators, managing just four goals and one assist. But over the last 14? He’s exploded for 11 goals and six assists - leading the team in scoring during that stretch and delivering in the biggest moments.
His five game-winning goals in December lead the league, including three straight - capped by his overtime dagger in Minnesota off a beautiful centering feed from Erik Haula. Stamkos’ nine goals this month trail only Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.
“We’re just working, and that’s the most important thing,” Stamkos said after the win over the Wild. “We’ve found some lines that have done well chemistry-wise. It’s just a fun feeling right now.”
And it’s not just him. O’Reilly (32 points), Filip Forsberg (29 points), and Luke Evangelista (25 points) are all producing at high levels. Nashville’s offense is clicking both on the rush and with the man advantage - a far cry from where things stood just a few weeks ago.
Can They Keep It Going?
That’s the million-dollar question.
The Predators’ early-season struggles left them with little margin for error. One bad week, one key injury, and the climb back could stall. But there’s a growing belief within the locker room - and the front office - that this run isn’t just smoke and mirrors.
“I think it’s fairly sustainable,” said general manager Barry Trotz during a Dec. 23 radio interview. “In this league, as soon as you say something like that, it can go south in a hurry. I think we’re building our game … Knock on wood, we can stay fairly healthy and fairly consistent.”
The Central Division is still a gauntlet. Colorado, Dallas, and Minnesota have all built strong cushions, but Nashville is just three points back of the Utah Mammoth for the second wild card spot - and the Preds have three games in hand.
There’s still a long way to go, but the team that looked lost in November is now very much alive in December.
“We know what we have to keep doing, but at the same time, we can’t really look at the standings too much,” Forsberg said. “We just have to keep stringing good performances together, and the results are going to come.”
If they keep playing like this, the Predators won’t just be scoreboard watching - they’ll be part of the playoff picture.