The 2016–17 Nashville Predators season was the 19th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on June 25, 1997. The Predators advanced to their first ever Conference Final with a 4–2 series win over the St. Louis Blues in the Semifinals, and then advanced to their first-ever Stanley Cup Final after defeating the Anaheim Ducks in six games. They became the third team to make the Stanley Cup Final from the eighth seed since the Edmonton Oilers in 2006 and the Los Angeles Kings in 2012.
It was also the first time a Tennessee-based team in an American professional sports league had made a championship round since the NFL's Tennessee Titans in 1999.
Season summary
Regular season
October The Predators opened their season on October 14 with three power play goals in a 3–2 victory over the Blackhawks. Newly acquired defenseman P. K. Subban scored the first goal for the Predators in his debut for the team. The next night on the road, the Predators fell in a three-goal hole after ten minutes into the first period and scored three to pull within one in the third period, but a hat-trick goal by Richard Panik with 91 seconds remaining secured a 5–3 victory for the Blackhawks.
Back home in Nashville on October 18, the Predators tied the game in the second period with a power play goal from captain Mike Fisher. But it was not enough to overcome goals from Adam Cracknell and Jason Spezza, and the Predators fell 2–1 to the Stars. On October 21, the Predators traveled to Detroit, and Subban, Mike Ribeiro and Fisher scored to extend the Predators NHL-leading eight power play goals to that date. However, with 22 seconds remaining, Darren Helm scored an empty net goal to secure a 5–3 victory for the Red Wings and hand the Predators their third straight loss. They returned home the next day to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins despite multiple cases of food poisoning, involving starting goaltender Pekka Rinne, Ryan Johansen, backup goaltender Marek Mazanec, and Mike Fisher; Juuse Saros made his first start of the season.
In the first of a five-game road trip on October 26, the Predators – suffering a second period collapse of surrendering five goals, including two short-handed goals for only the fourth time in franchise history – fell 6–1 to the Ducks. The next night at the Staples Center, the Predators scored on a short-handed goal by Viktor Arvidsson one minute into the third period to jump to a 2–1 lead. However, Tyler Toffoli of the Kings responded 41 seconds later to tie the game and send it into overtime, where Jeff Carter shot past Rinne with 29 seconds remaining in overtime, defeating the Predators 3–2. The Predators capped their month of play on October 29 with a 4–1 loss to the Sharks.
November Starting off the month of November, the Predators killed all four of the Colorado Avalanche's power play opportunities and scored five goals, two from Craig Smith, to defeat the Avalanche 5–1 and end a three-game losing skid. The Predators ended their five-game road trip in Glendale with a 3–2 shootout loss to the Arizona Coyotes. Back home in Nashville on November 5, the Predators and the Hurricanes played through an even matchup, with goals from James Neal and Matt Irwin, that went to a shootout where Jaccob Slavin scored the winning goal past Rinne, and the Hurricanes defeated the Predators 3–2.
In their next game on November 8, the Predators returned to winning form putting up three goals by Ryan Ellis, Neal and Subban in a 3–1 victory over the Senators. Against division rival St. Louis, the Predators scored three goals in the span of six and a half minutes between the second and third period – two by Calle Jarnkrok and one by Neal – to defeat the Blues 3–1. In the final game of the four-game home-stand on November 12, the Predators put on a shutout with goals from Ellis, Neal, Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi, and 27 saves by Rinne in a 5–0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.
On the road for the first of several swings through Canada this season on November 15, against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Arvidsson and Neal put two goals on the board for the Predators, but Marek Mazanec – starting in place of Rinne, who sat out with a lower back injury – allowed 6 goals on 32 shots (including a hat-trick by James van Riemsdyk) and the Predators lost 6–2. Two nights later in Ottawa against the Senators, the Predators rebounded from their first regulation loss of the month with a 5–1 victory. Neal scored in his sixth straight game during the contest, setting a career-high and tying the franchise record for longest goal streak. Concluding their road swing in St. Louis against the Blues, the Predators scored one goal from Ribeiro in a 3–1 loss.
Back in Nashville on November 21, the Predators made easy work of the Tampa Bay Lightning with a goal from Arvidsson and two goals from Subban in a 3–1 victory. Playing the Dallas Stars two nights later, the Predators – led by goals from Fisher, Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, Neal and Smith – held the Stars to two goals in a 5–2 victory. On November 25 against the Winnipeg Jets, the Jets scored early with a first period goal from Dustin Byfuglien, but the Predators responded with five unanswered goals – three in the second period alone – with two each from Johansen and Colin Wilson, and one from Neal, in a 5–1 victory. In a rematch in Winnipeg two days later, the Predators were shut out for the first time of the season in a 3–0 loss.
The Predators ended the month in Denver with goals from Arvidsson (whose second period goal seven seconds in tied the franchise record for fastest opening goal in a regulation period), Kevin Fiala, Fisher, Johansen and Austin Watson in a 5–3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
December Playing the New Jersey Devils in Nashville on December 3, the Predators, thanks to goals from Fiala (with two), Josi and Subban, carried a 4–1 lead into the third period. But the Devils responded in the third period with three goals from Michael Cammalleri, Andy Greene and Adam Henrique to tie the score and send the game into overtime. Cammalleri scored with 18 seconds remaining in overtime to hand the Predators a 5–4 loss. The next evening against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Predators, who had been 27 for 28 in power play kills at home, gave up two power play goals to Wayne Simmonds in a 4–2 loss.
Playing Colorado on December 6, the Predators capitalized on mistakes by the Avalanche's defensemen with goals by Arvidsson, Neal and Subban, and Josi scored the winning goal one minute and four seconds into the third period on a five-on-three power play to defeat the Avalanche 4–3. In the next game, away at Dallas on December 8, Arvidsson scored a shorthanded goal in the first, and Jarnkrok scored in the third period, but the Predators could not overcome Rinne giving up four goals on 18 shots in the first period and fell 5–2. On the road against Arizona on December 10, the Predators scored one goal, by Josi, in a 4–1 loss.
Back home in Nashville on December 13, the Predators fell into a three-goal hole by the start of the second period against St. Louis thanks to Brad Hunt, Ryan Reaves and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Predators – with goals by Fisher (who scored two goals), Forsberg, Johansen, Neal and Ribeiro – rallied with six unanswered goals to defeat the Blues 6–3 on December 13. Two nights later against the Minnesota Wild, Nashville, with goals from Ellis and Fisher, held the Wild to a one-goal lead through the third period. However, as the Wild's offense sputtered through the final two periods, former Predators goaltender Devan Dubnyk picked up the slack with 34 saves and the Wild, thanks to two empty net goals, beat the Predators 5–2. Capping the week on December 17 against the New York Rangers, the Predators tied the score with a second period goal by team captain Fisher, but their miserable run in overtime continued as former Predator Jimmy Vesey scored the first goal in the shootout, and the Rangers won 2–1.
On the road against Philadelphia on December 19, Forsberg tied the game in the third period to send it into overtime, and Ellis scored the lone shootout goal to win a game in overtime for the first time of the season (they were 0–5 in overtime coming into the game) in a 2–1 victory over the Flyers. The next night away at New Jersey, the Predators matched their highest offensive score of the season with goals from Mattias Ekholm, Forsberg, Johansen – who scored a short-handed goal – and Neal, who scored two, in a 5–1 victory against the Devils. Back home in Nashville on December 22 to play the Los Angeles Kings, the Predators ended the week in a 4–0 shutout loss.
Back in action at home on December 27 against the Wild following Christmas break, Reid Boucher and Forsberg scored for the Predators in the second period and tied the game, but Jared Spurgeon of Minnesota scored the winning goal in overtime to hand the Wild a 3–2 victory. Two nights later against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Predators, who scored the first period with a goal by Forsberg, broke a 1–1 tie in the third period with a Fisher power play goal. But a penalty call on Smith for tripping put the Blackhawks in the power play, and Jonathan Toews tied the at two midway through the period. Patrick Kane scored the go-ahead goal with five minutes remaining and the Blackhawks defeated the Predators 3–2. The next night in St. Louis, the Predators closed out the month of December with goals by Arvidsson, Forsberg, Yannick Weber and Wilson. Saros earned his first career shutout in a 4–0 victory over the Blues.
January On January 3 at home, the contest against the Montreal Canadiens played out as a goaltender duel between Carey Price, with 22 saves, and Rinne, with 41 saves, until it was broken up by Fiala scoring for the Predators with 53 seconds remaining in the second period. Four minutes into the third period, former Predators captain Shea Weber, playing his first game in Nashville since being traded to Montreal prior to the start of the season, scored the tying goal that sent the game into overtime. With 19 seconds remaining in overtime, Max Pacioretty scored the game-winning goal and the Predators fell 2–1. Two nights later on January 5 away against Tampa Bay, Colton Sissons led a high-scoring attack with his first career hat-trick and goals from Ellis, Fisher and Forsberg in a 6–1 Predators victory. The next night in Sunrise, Florida, the Predators failed to build on their high-scoring victory from the night before as Smith scored their only goal in a 2–1 loss to the Panthers. Traveling up to Chicago on January 8, the Predators – being without top scorers Arvidsson, Neal, Subban and Wilson the entire road trip – mustered only two goals by Ekholm and Watson in a 5–2 loss to the Blackhawks.
Back in Nashville on January 10 to face the Vancouver Canucks, Watson put the Predators on the board 35 seconds into the second period. The Predators controlled the game the rest of the way until Brandon Sutter scored the tying goal for the Canucks with 49 seconds remaining in regulation and sent the contest into overtime. Facing a four-on-three power play situation, Jarnkrok scored the game-winning, short-handed goal with one second remaining in overtime to give the Predators a 2–1 victory over the Canucks, their first non-shootout overtime victory of the season. Two nights later, Watson and Forsberg scored for the Predators while Saros made 35 saves in a 2–1 victory over the Boston Bruins. Making their third trip of the season to Denver on January 14, the Predators gave up two goals to start the game but scored three unanswered goals – credited to Fisher, Foresberg and Cody McLeod, whom the Predators acquired in a trade with the Avalanche the day prior – to win 3–2.