Inside the Nashville Predators' win streak: How they became the NHL's hottest team

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No NHL team is hotter than the Nashville Predators right now.

With six straight wins and points in nine of their last ten games, the Predators have climbed from the bottom of the Central Division to five points out of first place.

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And they show no signs of slowing down.

Nashville's most recent win, a 4-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Nov. 12, saw the Predators (10-4-5, 25 points) stifle one of the league's best offenses, vaulting them into second place in the Central. They now hold the second-longest winning streak in the NHL this season, behind the Carolina Hurricanes' seven-game streak in October.

Along the way, the Predators have beaten the Hurricanes, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Colorado Avalanche (twice), the St. Louis Blues, and the Los Angeles Kings, in addition to the Ducks.

How have they done it? Here's quick look under the hood.

Predators' remodeled defense, a rejuvenated Juuse Saros

It took a while for Nashville to find their ideal blue line.

The first three weeks of the season, Predators coach Andrew Brunette shuffled players around, often deploying seven defensemen (instead of six) during a trial-and-error period.

He tried Ryan Ufko, Jack Ahcan, Ilya Lyubushkin and William Trudeau – none of whom are playing now. He also benched Nicolas Hague, who was struggling to find consistency on the back end.

Brunette's finally landed on the following structure: Roman Josi with Adam Wilsby, Brady Skjei with Nick Perbix, and Jayden Struble with Daemon Hunt.

Those last two were in-season additions by general manager Chris MacFarland, by the way. He added Struble for a second-round pick and picked up Hunt off waivers. Smart work by the Predators' new GM.

The defense now has size and speed at every pairing. Skjei and Perbix handle most of the lunchpail, defensive work. Josi and Wilsby push for offense, especially in transition. Struble and Hunt bring more balance: Struble has three points during this six-game streak, Hunt handles zone exits.

But all of this is nothing without the play of Juuse Saros. The Predators' top goaltender owns the seventh-highest save percentage (.918) while facing the fourth most shots (391). According to Money Puck, Saros ranks fourth in goals saved above expected (9.3), a metric that measures goaltender performance compared to how an average goaltender would perform.

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Predators use special teams to establish identity

Since Brunette arrived in 2023, the Predators have the league's 12th-best power play, including the ninth-best unit this season. It's a turn-around worth celebrating: Over the 10 seasons prior to Brunette, the power play ranked 22nd.

This year, it's four guys doing the damage: Steven Stamkos, Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, and Ryan O'Reilly.

The tactics are simple. Stamkos on the left circle, Forsberg on the right circle, Josi at the top of the zone, O'Reilly near the goal line. Recently, the fifth skater has been Mavrik Bourque, but Jonathan Marchessault (who is currently injured) and Matthew Wood (who was just traded to Seattle) also skated on the unit.

Josi has never looked this comfortable quarterbacking the power play. He's finding the right angles to deliver a one-timer pass to Stamkos. He's timing his point shots to find sticks in front. He has near-perfect chemistry with Forsberg along the half-wall. And it's leading to results: His team-leading 11 power play assists ranks second in the NHL among defensemen.

The Predators' penalty kill might be even more impressive. Nashville's unit ranks second in the league, killing 89.5% of penalties, on the strength of fast, aggressive forwards and a sturdy defense. Led by new additions Jack Drury and Alex Kerfoot, the unit attacks on puck entries at the blue line and anticipates cross-ice passes well.

Nashville's special teams has been a weapon this season and a major part of their recent success. Well-timed power play goals, successful penalty kills late in the period — these are momentum changers. If the Predators continue their winning streak against Vegas on Nov. 13 (9 p.m. CT, The Spot Nashville 28), special teams will play a big role.

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Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at [email protected], follow him on X at @alexdaugherty1 or check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Inside the Nashville Predators' win streak: How they became the NHL's hottest team

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