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The Nashville Predators came into the NHL playoffs expected to be a real contender for the Stanley Cup, and many believed that they were poised to make a return to the Stanley Cup Final.  They won the President’s Trophy; they had a historic season where they dominated on their home sheet of ice, and on the road. The Preds were the big tough schoolyard bully, and they came into the 2018 NHL Playoffs ready to shakedown some opponents and take their allowance. That is not what’s happened. Shakedown Street? The Preds rolled into the first round looking to annihilate the wounded Colorado Avalanche. A teamRead More →

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While the Hart Trophy is rightfully awarded to the league’s best player, it also leaves a trail of broken hearts. There are only three spots available for nominees which always causes immense competition. As a result, many of these fine players on this list missed out on the big prize. While they might not have graced the list, these players were still a key presence for their teams. Here are the MVP candidates for each Central Division team. For previous editions, check out: Atlantic Hart Trophy Nominees Metropolitan Hart Trophy Nominees Pacific Hart Trophy Nominees Chicago Blackhawks: Patrick Kane Embed from Getty Images While youRead More →

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As the great Carl Landra once said, “Pekka Rinne is not that good and the Chicago Blackhawks have quite the scoring depth!” Well after their first playoff sweep in Nashville history, it appears otherwise. Conceding a mere three goals against one of the leagues highest scoring teams, Rinne was important to this success. Sharp and focused from game 1 onwards, the Finn was like a wall in net. Facing over 125 shots in this series, Rinne read each one like a book. Posting a record of 31-19-9 during the regular season, the 34-year-old’s contribution was overlooked. Nashville barely scraped into the playoffs and many expectedRead More →