Predators most to blame for series loss to Canucks

The Predators made a surprise run to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, and came within two wins of defeating Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nashville would win the President’s Trophy as the league’s best regular-season team the next year, although it culminated in a Game 7 loss to the Winnipeg Jets in the 2018 second-round.

And the team hasn’t won a playoff round since. The Predators missed the postseason last year, but had been defeated in four straight first-round series from 2019-22. In 2024, it was the Canucks that sent the franchise into another too-long offseason. And although it was an extremely close fought series that truly could have went either way, there were a few players on the roster that were unable to elevate their game in key moments for the squad.

Ryan O’Reilly

Ryan O’Reilly, who fit like a glove on the top line with Filip Forsberg and Gustav Nyquist this regular-season, was good for just two points in Round 1. He scored a seeing eye powerplay goal in Game 1 — a contest the Predators would lose 4-2 — but added only a single assist otherwise throughout the six-game series.

O’Reilly scored 26 goals and 69 points in the regular-season, playing a full 82 games and looking like a perfect fit on a Preds team that wanted to prove people wrong. And Nashville did, with many around the hockey world believing this team wouldn’t even get in to the dance. Although the veteran was a huge part of the impressive campaign, he wasn’t great in the series, and didn’t make too much of an impact after a strong Game 1.

And it’s not like his linemates were struggling as well. Forsberg scored at a point-per-game clip in the series, while Nyquist scored a goal and added three assists in the same span. This team really could have used a goal from their 1C in a crucial moment late in the series.

Tommy Novak

The young guys on the Predators also had a real tough time against a physical Canucks defense in Round 1. And no one epitomized that more than Tommy Novak, who was held without a point in the series and saw his ice time drop to an average of just 10:31 per game. You’re going to have a really tough time winning in the playoffs when your second-line center doesn’t record a single point in six games. Nashville’s entire second line — Novak, Luke Evangelista and Mark Jankowski — had a forgettable series.

Novak was very solid for this team in the regular-season, scoring 18 goals and 45 points in his sophomore campaign and looking able to fill the 2C role. But he was unable to elevate in the playoffs, and those zeroes across the board will not be easily forgotten this offseason.

Luke Evangelista

Evangelista, like Novak, really struggled against a hulking Canucks blue line that almost always finished checks and didn’t allow an inch of room throughout the series. The 22-year-old scored a late goal to get the Preds back into Game 3 — they still lost 2-1 — and didn’t factor into any of the team’s offense otherwise. On the whole, the second line just couldn’t match up in the series, and the former London Knight quickly learned how different playoff hockey is to the regular-season.

This series against the Canucks absolutely could have went the other way, but the difference was the Predators being unable to score more than five goals in three games against a goaltender without a lick of NHL postseason experience. It’ll now be an offseason full of questions: with six straight playoff losses on home ice and without a series triumph in five years, is it time for significant change in Smashville?