Ticket Punched:
The Predators are starting to make a habit of this whole postseason appearance thing.
For the fifth-consecutive season - a franchise record - the Preds will be vying for Lord Stanley's Cup when the postseason begins on April 10.
It's no easy feat - only 16 out of 31 teams in the NHL get there in a single year, and to do it in five consecutive seasons is quite an accomplishment.
"It's a good feeling, but you really have to look at how hard it is to make the playoffs over an 82-game season," Johansen said. "You need to be healthy, and need guys to chip in and make big plays throughout the year. It's a great accomplishment, and it's something to be very proud of, but at the same time, we have a goal in mind and there's a lot of work ahead still. We're going to keep our foot down."
"It's a credit to the guys in the room," Laviolette said. "It's not an easy thing. Everybody goes into a year with good intentions and everybody has a plan in mind, and I'm sure they're all including the playoffs. It's not an easy thing and should never be taken for granted, but our guys worked hard and we got to this point. We have to continue to work on our game and get ready."
While the Predators are certainly satisfied with achieving their goal, it's not the only one they have in mind. With just five games to play in the regular season, there is still work to do, and the Preds can't wait for the challenge that lies ahead.
"You look at our team and see the depth and go through the whole lineup, there's a lot of tremendous players on our club," Johansen said. "We're all coming together, and we're a pretty darn good hockey team. The focus right now is that there's still a lot of work to be done. We'll just enjoy this one tonight, enjoy making the playoffs here and get home, go to bed and get back to work."