Centerman Ryan Johansen, known more for his dishing of assists than words, was also right at the forefront, and he had an entire bench full of teammates ready to back him up. The same was evident earlier this season in New Jersey - another skirmish breaking out between the Preds and Devils benches at the end of the first period with much of the disdain aimed at Devils star Jack Hughes.
Again, this wasn't just one Predators player interested in settling a score, but rather a slew of skaters who weren't about to let a teammate fight his own battle alone.
Yes, sometimes fisticuffs are utilized when deemed necessary - the Preds lead the NHL in major penalties with 23, most of them for fighting - but even when the gloves aren't dropped, this Predators team isn't afraid to stick up for one another.
In fact, they seem to enjoy doing so, almost making the intimidation factor part of their game plan. And a total of 23 wins and 48 points in just 36 games say the tactics are working.
"It's a very big aspect of our game, and it's not only our line, it's everybody hitting," Preds forward Yakov Trenin said. "Everybody is finishing checks, playing hard, playing for each other."
"It's great, and it's not just that one guy either, it's 20 guys out there that are battling hard and finishing at the net and finishing all their checks," Preds forward Michael McCarron said. "That mentality that we have, it wears teams down. They see us coming over their shoulder, and it's great to have guys step up and drop the gloves. It's huge for the team, and there's a time and a place for it, obviously, and I think we've handled ourselves pretty well here. And like I said, the best part is that it's not just one guy. It's definitely a team mentality that we have, and it's been great so far."
Players like McCarron and Trenin, as well as Borowiecki and Jeannot, are at the top of the list when it comes to those who impose their will physically, but team toughness doesn't have to end with someone in the penalty box. It can also come in the form of the Preds rallying around something that doesn't go their way over the course of a game, like a call for a goal in Arizona that occurred during the same stoppage that saw Jeannot and Coyotes forward Liam O'Brien given 10-minute misconducts for their verbal altercation.
No matter the occasion, however, this Predators team has a sense of toughness and togetherness not seen in Nashville in recent memory. Each hit, fight and win brings this group closer to one another, and 10 days into the new year, the willingness to do whatever it takes for each other might just lead the Preds exactly where they want to go.
"That's kind of been the mentality all year," Preds defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. "I feel like whatever situation we get into - it doesn't matter if we're on the kill or if we're on the power play, or fights, maybe we get an extra two out of a five, whatever - we just kill it for each other and we stand up for each other, and I think it's a great way to play. That builds team toughness, and we know that whatever really happens out there, we know our teammates are going to have our back. So, I think that's a great job by everyone in the room and everyone is pretty happy with that."
