"We didn't compete hard or execute hard," Laviolette said. "There were times where we weren't thinking about the system, we weren't thinking about having a man high or we weren't thinking about the puck decisions that we were making that might leave odd-man rushes. We just tried to tighten it up from there. But I do remember, there was a game that we just said, 'It's unacceptable, we're just leaving too much in front of our goaltender.' We worked at trying to tighten it up."
After the win against the Jets, the Predators were allowing 2.78 goals per game. In their final 13 regular-season games, the Predators allowed 28 goals, or 2.15 per game.
Through five playoff games, they have allowed six goals.
Nashville is built on its offensive firepower, a big reason why so many saw the Predators as legitimate contenders to win the Stanley Cup. But it took a commitment to defense to make that a reality, one they are showing at the most important time of the year.
"I think we finished the season really well," center Mike Fisher said, "and really I think there's a belief in our room that hopefully will continue to grow and grow throughout these playoffs. But we really believe in our group."
That belief has grown incrementally throughout a tough regular season littered with peaks and valleys, injuries and adjustments, growth and learning.
The Predators seemingly have arrived where everyone expected them to end up. They just took a more difficult route to get there.