There are at least a few ways one could look at the Nashville Predators through the first eight games of the 2026-27 campaign.
They’ve collected wins in just three of those contests - not the best, perhaps.
They’ve also accumulated points in six of those eight outings - certainly better.
And the Preds have nine points to their credit, enough to keep them right in the thick of things in the Central Division and Western Conference.
Is it too early to be talking about positioning and jockeying in the Wild Card race? Probably. But it’s also been said that while a team can’t make the playoffs in the first month of the season, they can certainly dig themselves enough of a hole in the early going as well.
The Predators certainly haven’t shoveled too deep through eight games.
For a team that knows the stakes after Nashville’s President of Hockey Operations/General Manager Chris MacFarland stated that the first 10 games of the season would go a long way in determining the direction of this year’s club, there has been some good coupled with room for improvement.
But at this juncture, the Predators have found a way to earn points more often than not, even though they’re far from satisfied.
Take Saturday’s game against St. Louis, a 5-2 win, for example. The result was a great way to finish off a three-game homestand that started with the same score five days earlier, except it was Vegas who triumphed over the Preds.
With the exception of that game, one could say, the Predators have been in every single one of their outings thus far. And the schedule to start hasn’t been a cakewalk.
Minnesota, Dallas, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vegas, San Jose and St. Louis. Not exactly the bottom of the League. The schedule won’t get any easier this week with three games in four nights against Boston, Pittsburgh and Colorado ahead before the New York Islanders, Washington, Tampa Bay and Carolina all come to town.
This miniature hiatus the Preds are in following Saturday’s win before Thursday’s matchup in Boston is providing a chance for Nashville to rest, regroup and build off of the good.
That victory over the Blues three days ago gave the Predators the ending they were hoping for, but they know there is still plenty of work to do.
“You’re always going to be happy with the win, but…at the same time, Monday we come back to work and we try to get better and we find the next level,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said following Monday’s practice. “It's such a long year. You want to build your game and you want to win consistently, but at the same time, a win is a win, and they're always fun. We enjoyed it Saturday, but we're also realistic that we can get to another level.”
Saying the Preds could have six wins instead of three isn’t out of the question. A back-and-forth overtime in Toronto eventually fell to the Maple Leafs. A shootout in Ottawa went in favor of the Senators after they tied the game late in regulation. Then, Steven Stamkos did the same for the Preds with less than a second to play against the Sharks before San Jose prevailed in a shootout.
Of course, the NHL doesn’t hand out extra points just because a team was close or put forth a valiant effort. A club has to earn them, and the Preds know they can’t afford to let too many nights slip away in the months ahead.
“There’s some games where we kind of played our style, and I think there's another level for our team,” Josi said. “But the emphasis was getting off to a good start, and we found a way to get some important points. Even the games we lost in OT, those points can be really important. I think the new guys have done an amazing job, and I feel like we're going to keep growing here and find that next level.”
Perhaps the biggest reason the Preds are where they are already? No. 74 in the Gold pads.
Juuse Saros has been excellent in net, and Nashville’s starting goaltender has given his team a chance to win every night and then some.
Entering Tuesday’s action, Saros’s 193 saves were tied for second in the NHL through his seven starts, and at least a few of those, he’s had no business making.
“It's insane,” Preds defenseman Brady Skjei said of Saros. “You talk about systems and all that, but he's probably the biggest reason why we've been staying in some of these games. He's been unbelievable. As a team, especially as defensemen, knowing that you’ve got him back there puts a ton of confidence in our team. He’s been playing incredible recently, and it's fun to see.”
“He’s been awesome,” Josi said of Saros. “Like, the game in Montreal that he kind of singlehandedly won for us, and even the other night, he was unbelievable. He’s been great. He’s kept us in games and got us some important points - just ‘Juice’ being ‘Juice.’”
Special teams have also been helpful for the Preds - their power play is clicking at 29.6 percent, good for fourth in the League, and the penalty kill is seventh at 85.2 percent. Nashville’s two shorthanded goals - both off the stick of Adam Edstrom - ties the team for second in the NHL.
Yes, there is still plenty of work to do, and that’s to be expected with 76 games yet to play. But the Predators certainly aren’t in a bad spot in the early going.
And they believe there’s still so much more to give.
“I mean, there's certainly a lot of things we can still work on, but…it is a strength to keep picking up points,” Preds winger Filip Forsberg said after Saturday’s win. “It's a hard League, and you need points, and I think that's definitely something we'll be happy about. But, lots of work to do, and we can still get a lot better.”
“I think it's exciting that we’ve come out with points in games that we maybe didn't have all of our greatest stuff,” defenseman Brady Skjei said. “We’re definitely not satisfied with the way we're playing, but good teams can find a way to win and find a way to get points. It obviously feels good that we haven't been at our best and still collected some points. It’s exciting that we have another level to get to, and then I think if we get to that, it'll be really good.”
