The Stanley Cup Playoffs will be in full swing on Wednesday Apr. 10. Sixteen teams, eight in each conference will fight it out to eventually be crowned Stanley Cup Champions in June. There are many good choices out there to pick as champion. But I personally will be going with the Nashville Predators and here are a couple of reasons why I chose them.
Why I am ROOTING for Them
Well if this was not painfully obvious, I will say it anyway. Brian Boyle. Most of the reason I picked Nashville is because of the former New Jersey Devils forward. How can you not pull for this guy to win? After everything Boyle went through between his cancer battle and then being traded off of a team he loved playing for, how do you not root for him to get a Stanley Cup? He has been to the final twice and came up short both times in 2014 with the New York Rangers and 2015 with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ideally, I would love to see him hoist the cup with Nashville and then return to the Devils.
Another reason I am looking to see the Predators win is P.K. Subban. Here is a player who has been nothing short of an all-star every season he has played in the NHL and has yet to win the best trophy for it. Alex Ovechkin finally got his time with the Washington Capitals last season. It is now the turn of Subban to bring the cup to the Music City.
Why They Can Win
Well for starters, they were Central Division champions again. Nashville picked up a solid 100 points during the regular season, which actually came out to third best in the Western Conference. And they also closed out their season on a three-game winning streak. Sure, they already had the division locked up so it may not mean much, right? Wrong. Momentum is everything, especially when it comes to starting the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Pekka Rinne also cracked the top 10 once again in wins (30, which was 10th) and goals against average (2.42, 10th best). He had himself another stellar season and is ready to face the pressure of the playoffs once again.
They will take on the Dallas Stars on Wednesday at 9:30 PM ET at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Let’s Go Preds!