Facing Elimination, the Predators Look to Defy the Odds Once Again: 'Let's Change the Narrative Tomorrow'

The Nashville Predators know the situation they’re in. They understand that the odds are currently not in their favor, that the path forward will pressure test every facet of their game.

And yet, the path forward still remains.

Now facing elimination after a stinging overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, the Predators departed for British Columbia on Monday morning focused on the immediate task at hand: winning Game 5 on the road to force a Game 6 back home.

“We need to get the result,” Predators defenseman Ryan McDonagh said. “It's hard not to like a lot of parts of our game, but at the same time, we've got to find ways to close it out and find ways to win games. We talked about our desperation level after Game 1 and proved that we can get that in Game 2. We have that to lean on here and that's what we’ve got to do, is focus on winning one game.”

“It’s an Etch-a-Sketch, goldfish kind of mentality,” Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “We had to win a game [at Rogers Arena] regardless. So just go win one. And everything, all the focus, all the effort is just about tomorrow night. It doesn't matter how you got here. This is playoff hockey. Things happen fast, things change fast, and let's change the narrative tomorrow.”

The Predators have, of course, been changing the narrative all season.

Starting the 2023-24 campaign off with a 5-10-0 record, few could have anticipated the six-game winning streak that would immediately follow. Falling four points out of a playoff spot after a dismal 9-2 home loss in early February, even fewer could have predicted the historic 18-game point streak that would ultimately propel Nashville into the Western Conference’s first Wild Card spot.

“We've had our backs against the wall,” McDonagh said. “From the middle of the season we were on the outside looking in, and we had to put together a good streak. And that gives us confidence. We know when we get to our game, we're tough to play against. Any team that we played against during the regular season saw that, felt that, said that to the media after games. So we know we have that confidence and that type of game that we want to play with where we can dictate, be in the other team's face and not give up much. It's just a matter of putting that effort in one more time here, getting the result and closing it out.”

Make no mistake, Nashville has indeed proven a tough opponent, not only during the regular season, but in these last four postseason games as well.

Leading Vancouver for much of Games 1 and 4 and outchancing their opponent in both contests at Bridgestone Arena, Nashville feels confident they have what it takes to ice a winning effort.

In that respect, little will change in their minds going into Game 5 on Tuesday.

“I think we've played really good hockey in all four games and didn't get rewarded maybe as much as we would’ve liked,” Brunette said. “But that doesn't change the mentality of the group. Regardless of where the series is at, even if we’re up 3-1 or we’re tied 2-2, tomorrow we have to go and play our best and see what happens.”

In order to pull out the win on the road and force Game 6, the Predators know they’ll need to stick to the team game that made them both a decidedly difficult opponent and a highly successful unit during the regular season.

“You can't go rogue, that's for sure,” McDonagh said. “You can't just go out and try and do it yourself. Any time you do that, it just kind of dismantles itself. Obviously, everybody wants to have success and win the game and be a part of that team success. But you have to do it together. And that's the same thing this group has done all season, is won games together. It hasn't been because of one person's individual effort. We’ve got to lean on each other here, as a staff, as a group, and understand that for us to be successful and to have a chance to win a game, we need everybody to play their best.”

Puck drop on Tuesday is scheduled for 9 p.m. CT, with the game set to broadcast on Bally Sports South, TBS, MAX, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio.