Nashville Predators: Top 3 key players who must step up against Coyotes
1. Viktor Arvidsson
Viktor Arvidsson has usually been a spark plug for the Nashville Predators. Any time they need a big goal, he’s usually a part of it. Arvidsson has quietly been remarkably productive in recent years, but this season, his production took a pretty big nose dive, as he went from 48 points in 58 games last season to 28 games in 57 games this season.
It was more than just his production, too. Usually, Arvidsson has been a huge driver of the Predators 5v5 offense. This season, he was on the ice for 61.04 5v5 shot attempts per hour, which is a pretty huge drop from his recent totals.
- 2016-17: 68.11
- 2017-18: 63.49
- 2018-19: 71.75
- 2019-20: 61.04
What’s even more alarming is Arvidsson’s significant drop in shots on goal per hour. He’s usually the kind of player who shoots first and asks questions later. Arvidsson went from being one of the NHL’s most prolific shooters (third in the NHL from 2016-17 through 2018-19) to finishing 72nd among the 269 forwards with at least 650 5v5 minutes this season. That’s a pretty alarming drop.
Next. Play-in Round Predictions. dark
Goals could be hard to come by in this series. That makes someone like Arvidsson a potential gamechanger. He’s proven he’s quite capable at scoring goals. If the Predators can get him going, the Coyotes are screwed.