Albert
·
2d
My Prediction
Nashville Predators by 2Forget the sappy love stories and melodramas, folks, if you want drama and heart-stopping action, just tune in to the NHL match-up between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Nashville Predators. What do we have on the plate, you ask? Here's the scoop.
First thing to set the tone - our masked knights in shining armor, the goalkeepers. For Chicago, it's been a bit of a jostle between Arvid Soderblom and Petr Mrazek, each having their share of time in the crease. Soderblom's save percentage of late is somewhat hopeful, rolling close to 90%, while Mrazek sits snug with possession saves at around 92.7% for the season. Now, all eyes should rightly be on Nashville's masked stars, Juuse Saros and Justus Annunen. Saros has been a bit shaky with an 87.7% save percentage in the last month, but trust me, he's a tadpole turned frog with a rather springy 92.5% for the season. Annunen's recent stats hit around 90%, which I'll admit, isn't too shabby.
Now, don't get all giddy on us - remember, this game isn't won by keepers alone. We have our front-men, the top players. For the Blackhawks, there's always the ever promising Connor Bedard, though his last month's showboating suggests he might need to lie low and gather himself back up. Firecracker Ilya Mikheyev has shown some promise too, maintaining a solid score sheet during the last month and a rather balanced plus-minus record for the season. But hey, nothing's black and white, and it's top dog Taylor Hall's below-par stats that got me scratching my head.
Now, on the other side of the rink, we have a bit of a predicament - Nashville's big hitters like Filip Forsberg, who's known to deliver under pressure, and old dawg Steven Stamkos, who, against all odds, has been pretty consistent. Jonathan Marchessault pulled some decent numbers last month, with a plus score on the sheet, a tiny glimmer of hope for the Predators, really.
Past engagements... both leagues would prefer forgetting, I bet. Nashville's past victories over the Blackhawks were hardly events to remember. And though the Blackhawks did manage to scrape out a few precious victories, it's Nashville's more recent dominance that people remember.
The tale of the regular season tape isn't exactly golden for either side, but it looks particularly grim for the Blackhawks who've racked up more L's than I can count on my two hands.
So, give or take, from the save percentages, past raceruns, recent stats, and some divinely inspired intuition, I'm willing to take a bold and audacious leap here.
Albert’s Prediction: Nashville Predators by 2