The Road to 900: Revisiting the Nashville Predators Biggest Wins

Thursday was a special night in Smashville.
The Nashville Predators welcomed the Central Division rival St. Louis Blues looking to snap a five-game skid and did just that, thanks in part to Captain Roman Josi's first goal of the season, Matt Duchene and Filip Forsberg's three assists apiece and a highlight-reel game-winner from former Blue, Zach Sanford.
But when the final horn sounded and the familiar sounds of DJ Khaled echoed through the Bridgestone Arena rafters, it meant a little more than usual.
That victory, as it turned out, was win No. 900 for the Predators franchise, which joined the NHL in 1998 and became the 27th team in League history to reach the milestone.
With win No. 900 now under the team's belt, let's take a look back at 10 of the most significant regular season victories in franchise history:

First Win in Franchise History: Oct. 13, 1998 vs. Carolina Hurricanes
It all started with win No. 1.
After dropping their inaugural contest against the Florida Panthers, the Preds rallied three days later to give Smashville its first victory in franchise history via a 3-2 decision over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Andrew Brunette and Denny Lambert each tallied their first with Nashville and J.J. Daigneault padded the Predators lead by recording the first power play goal in team history.
Mike Dunham turned away 34 shots and the Predators gave the Nashville Arena crowd of 14,376 what they came for, an historic victory for their hometown NHL club.
First Shutout Win in Franchise History: Jan. 15, 1999 vs. Phoenix
Tomas Vokoun was third in the Predators goaltending depth chart behind Mike Dunham and Eric Fichaud when he got the start in the franchise's 42nd game against the Phoenix Coyotes, but he certainly didn't play like it.
The 22-year-old netminder stood tall through 60 minutes of play and seven penalty kills, turning away 31 shots faced en route to the franchise's first-ever shutout victory.
"I was trying to think about winning first," Vokoun said after the game. "I first thought of the shutout when we got our second goal."
Mustard Cat Debut Win: Nov. 21, 2001 vs. Chicago
The road to victory is paved with mustard.
On Nov. 21, 2001, the Predators debuted their now-famous 'Mustard Cat' third jerseys in winning fashion after an exciting 4-3 victory over the rival Chicago Blackhawks.
Nashville entered the final minute of regulation tied with Chicago, but the franchise's first-ever draft pick, David Legwand, proved the hero, finding twine with just 12 seconds on the clock to secure the Predators eighth win of the 2001-02 campaign and the first of many in their mustard alternates.
The Preds will surely look for the same success when they debut the revamped adidas Reverse Retro 'Mustard Cat 2.0' on Saturday, Nov. 12 against the New York Rangers.
As a reminder, you can get your hands on the 'Gold Poupon' sweater starting November 15 or
pre-order yours today here.
Central Division, Western Conference, Presidents' Trophy Winners: April 5, 2018 at Washington
It's hard to put into words just how successful the Predators 2017-18 campaign was, though the team's road game against the Washington Capitals on April, 5 2018 might paint the clearest picture.
Coming from behind twice off a pair of goals from forward Craig Smith and defenseman Roman Josi - and securing the lead with a goal from Ryan Johansen - the Predators clinched both the Central Division and Western Conference titles simultaneously.
Minutes later - courtesy of a 3-2 Florida Panthers win over the Boston Bruins - the Predators became Presidents' Trophy winners, too - the club's first in franchise history.
"It's big for the organization," Smith said following the game. "A lot of guys have put in a lot of hard work and a lot of time to produce a season like that. It's cool so far and we're having fun with it, but we're staying game by game here. We're having fun with each other and holding each other accountable to get out there and play for each other, so it's great."
Most Single-Season Wins in Franchise History: April 7, 2018 vs. Columbus
Speaking of the 2017-18 campaign, the Predators weren't done setting records on April 5.
Two days later in front of a sold-out Bridgestone Arena crowd, the Predators - fueled by Filip Forsberg's fifth NHL career hat trick - toppled the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-2 to earn their 53rd win on the campaign.
That win, as it turned out, would set the franchise record for the most in a single season.
Pekka Rinne's Final Game, Final Shutout: May 10, 2021 vs. Carolina
No one knew it at the time, but May 10, 2021 would be the very last time franchise netminder Pekka Rinne would step in between the pipes for the Nashville Predators.
It was only fitting, then, that Rinne would turn away all 30 Carolina Hurricanes shots faced to earn his 60th NHL shutout and 369th win - both of which remain franchise records by a considerable margin.
Top it all off with a solo lap in front of the Smashville faithful and you could easily consider the win one of the most emotional in franchise history.
Preds Get it Done for Pekka: Feb. 24, 2022 vs. Dallas
After Pekka Rinne announced his retirement from the NHL in July 2021, the Predators organization followed suit with a special announcement of their own.
Rinne's No. 35, worn by the Finnish netminder through 683 contests, would be retired and lifted into the Bridgestone Arena rafters during a special ceremony on Feb. 24, 2022.
If the jersey retirement ceremony set the mood, the game against the Central Division rival Dallas Stars that immediately followed put the cherry on top.
With his mentor and friend watching from the stands, Juuse Saros turned away 27 shots and all four Stars skaters in the shootout to secure a fitting 2-1 victory.
Filip 'Franchise-Record-Breaker' Forsberg: March 19, 2022 vs. Toronto
They don't call him 'Scoresberg' for nothing.
On March 19, 2022 Filip Forsberg found goal No. 211 to become the Nashville Predators all-time leading goal-scorer.
That record-breaking goal - an ironically unremarkable tap-in past Toronto goaltender Erik Kallgren - powered Nashville to their 36th win of the 2021-22 campaign and held the team in steady playoff contention in the Western Conference's first Wild Card spot.
"It was awesome," Forsberg said after the game. "It's been a great ride so far. I played with Leggy [David Legwand] for a little bit, so it's obviously cool. On the ice, my first point was his 200th goal. Come a long way since."
Perfect in Prague: Oct. 7-8, 2022 vs. San Jose
Following a thrilling preseason finale against Captain Roman Josi's former Swiss club SC Bern, the Predators added wins No. 898 and 899 to their collection at the 2022 NHL Global Series in Prague, Czech Republic against the San Jose Sharks.
Newcomers Nino Niederreiter, Kiefer Sherwood, Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Lankinen powered the Predators to their two victories, and the team departed Europe atop the League's standings with a perfect 2-0 record.
Of note, the wins marked Nashville's second and third victories overseas, with the first coming off a 3-1 decision over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Japan at the start the 2000-01 regular season.
Win No. 900: Oct. 27, 2022 vs. St. Louis
Finally, there's win No. 900.
Looking to snap a shaky start after returning to North America with an 0-4-1 record, the Predators put their foot on the gas and toppled the Central Division Rival St. Louis Blues by a decisive 6-2 margin.
"It's a big, big win for us," Josi said following the game. "I thought that we started well. They got on the board first and we had some adversity in the second period, and penalties too, but we did a good job fighting back and we definitely needed that one."