Duchene Continues to Enjoy Best Season of His Career with Preds

The Nashville Predators have had a number of skaters reach quite a few milestones throughout their current campaign, and one of the most notable of all recently came to fruition.
Just this past week against the Calgary Flames, Matt Duchene recorded his 40th goal of the season - the first Preds player to do it in franchise history - to secure that significant landmark.
Duchene has skated in the League for 13 seasons - three with Nashville - and he's currently sitting at 84 points (42g-42a) as an integral part of the Preds push into clinching a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Getting that 40th goal was not only great for him, but for the team as a whole down this final stretch.

"I was overwhelmed with how my teammates reacted] even in the moment when it happened," Duchene said on a recent episode of the Preds Official Podcast. "I come to the bench and guys are going crazy after I scored. The guys are scrambling to grab the puck, and in between periods guys are dapping me up… I'm like 'guys, like we got a game to win here. I don't really care right now, let's finish this thing off.'"
Finish it off, indeed.
The Preds ended up winning that game 3-2 in a shootout, and not only was that a satisfying moment for Duchene, but he continues to enjoy his best season to date personally - not including just his statistics on the ice.
"I don't remember a time in my life where I was as happy as I am right now," Duchene said. "Just with everything in my life. Living here is [fantastic], and being able to raise my family and the stage of life I'm in with my kids; honestly, I wake up every day and I thank God for what I have because it's just so special. My wife and I look at each other once a week and say, 'Can you believe we live here?'... I wake up every day, and it's pretty tough to be in a bad mood. I don't think I've been in a bad mood one day this whole season."
With Duchene - and the rest of the Preds - feeling rejuvenated after clinching a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the eighth-straight season, there is continued reason to feel this collective happiness - especially with the postseason just ahead.
"The team working together and pulling for each other is just incredible," Duchene said. "I think it's exciting. One team wins the Stanley Cup, and it's a really hard thing to do. This year is a step in the right direction whether we win or not. I'm just so excited about the future of this team."
[Click here to listen
to Matt Duchene's full interview on Episode 170 of the Preds Official Podcast.