With a 7-11-3 record, the Nashville Predators sit 7th in the central division and only one point above the Blackhawks. Although things look bleak, there are still reasons to be optimistic about this team.
Here are three:
1. They just defeated the Winnipeg Jets in their last game
It's only one game, but Nashville defeated the best team in the NHL on Saturday in the Winnipeg Jets. Roman Josi scored twice, while Stamkos and Marchessault also got one. These are all of Nashville's core players and players that they spent a lot of money on in free agency, so performances like last night from these three need to happen more consistently.
The Predators have struggled with consistency this season, with their season-high winning streak being at three games. Maybe the win over Winnipeg is the jumping-off point. It wasn't a close game either.
2. Their special teams numbers are top 10 in the league
Nashville has the best penalty kill in the NHL and the 9th best power play in the league despite having a below .500 record. It's crazy to have these solid numbers on the special teams side and be where the Predators are in the standings, but there they are.
This team has too much firepower to be this bad. A 91.7 penalty kill % and a 22.7 power play percentage scream that a breakout is coming soon. The clear issue is five-on-five play, something that can be corrected. This is probably the biggest positive with Nashville so far this season.
3. They still have Juuse Saros as their starting goaltender
Juuse Saros has not been the problem in Nashville this year. He has a .918 save percentage and has allowed just 2.43 goals a game. He's still elite. The problem has been backup goaltender Scott Wedgewood.
Wedgewood has posted a .862 save percentage and is allowing almost four goals in his starts. His 1-2-1 record isn't awful, but it's a miracle Nashville won even one game with the kind of stats he's putting up. Wedgewood has been a very capable backup goalie in his career, so there's reason to think he'll get better.