The Nashville Predators. They struggled through the regular season with 94 points and just barely squeezed into the playoffs, earning the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.

As the first round of the playoffs approached, so did Nashville’s death bed. They were set up to lose, facing off a strong Chicago Blackhawks team who earned the number one spot in the Western Conference.  Chicago had everything they needed to advance with young but strong players including Patrick Kane and captain, Jonathan Toews.

But the Preds refused to fall so early. They didn’t just win against Chicago, they absolutely dominated the Hawks in a 4-0 sweep of the team favored to win the cup.

To say the league and fans were surprised is an understatement. No one expected the Preds to advance past the first round, let alone dominate a team like Chicago.

The series win instilled so much confidence in an otherwise average team. Goalie, Pekka Rinne, allowed just three goals past him in the entire series, restricting both Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to one goal a piece.

However it wasn’t just Rinne doing all the work. The Preds combined for a total of 13 goals in just four games against the Hawks, riling up both the crowd and the players.

This momentum and confidence carried over to the next round against the St. Louis Blues and will surely continue to motivate the Preds throughout the rest of the playoffs.

Home ice proved an advantage for the Predators throughout the season. Bridgestone Arena is one of the hardest ice rinks in the NHL to play in today. A sports analyst described as being so loud that you can’t even hear the person sitting next to you. In the regular season Nashville had a 68% home win rate, fifth in the NHL.

This home ice advantage only grew in the playoffs as the Preds continued to dominate the game. They won all of their home games in a 4-2 series win against the Blues. And Nashville refuses to let this rolling momentum slow.

As if their arena was not loud enough, Nashville’s recent 3-1 win in Game 6 marked the franchise’s first advancement into the Western Conference Finals.

Next round, the Predators will face either the Edmonton Oilers or the Anaheim Ducks. From there, the Preds will have to find a way to contain Connor McDavid or fly past Anaheim to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Though they have never played against the McDavid and the Oilers in the playoffs, Nashville did face off against the Ducks a couple seasons ago and won the series. Their high powered defense will contribute much to Nashville’s further advancement in the playoffs.

Much of the Predators’ success has come from their star defenseman, including recently acquired P. K. Subban. Combined, the Preds defensemen have a total of 26 points in only 10 games of the playoffs.   

Assistant coach and Hall of Fame defensemen, Phil Housley, has much to do with the success of this offensively gifted defense. He has trained and watched some of the top defensemen in the game, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm, and P. K. Subban.

P.K. Subban has become a huge weapon for the Preds in both the regular season and playoffs. Traded from the Canadians for captain Shea Weber, Subban added speed and motivation to the team.

Nashville’s defense is the key to winning the Stanley Cup. Though Nashville has always identified as a defensive based team, this season it has evolved into a fast paced and high powered defense.

This pace can help the team even more as they advance further in the playoffs, possibly facing off against very strong offensives such as the Oilers or Penguins.

Overall, the Nashville Predators have the best odds to win it all. They are a strong team with star defensemen who has dominated the game. Though the road to the cup may be rocky, the Preds will take home the cup with the force of Nashville behind them.