Predators Shut Out Blues, Take Over 1st Place in NHL Central

Four different players scored goals and Pekka Rinne had 27 saves and earned his sixth shutout of the season as the Nashville Predators beat the St. Louis Blues 4-0 on February 25th in Nashville. The Predators improved to 38-14-9 on the season; they moved into sole position of 1st place in the NHL Central, two points ahead of the second place Winnipeg Jets. Nashville has won four in a row and is just one point behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the best record in the Western Conference.

The Predators are the defending Western Conference champions, and are making some moves to improve their chances of repeating. They lured former Predator Mike Fisher out of retirement. The 37 year old forward had 18 goals and 24 assists last season, so he was certainly not finished. As the trade deadline approached, Nashville also made a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, acquiring 23 year old forward Ryan Hartman and a 2018 fifth round draft pick for a first and fourth round draft pick in 2018 and forward Victor Edjsell, who is currently playing in Sweden. Hartman has eight goals and 17 assists in 57 games for the Blackhawks this season. This move is also probably a good one for struggling Chicago as well; the Blackhawks are last in the Central and are in need of a little shaking up.

The Predators next game is at Winnipeg on February 27th.