2017–18 Nashville Predators season explained

League:	NHL
Season:	2017–18
Year:	2017
Team:	Nashville Predators
Conference:	Western
Conferencerank:	1st
Division:	Central
Divisionrank:	1st
Record:	53–18–11
Homerecord:	28–9–4
Roadrecord:	25–9–7
Goalsfor:	267
Goalsagainst:	211
Generalmanager:	David Poile
Coach:	Peter Laviolette
Captain:	Roman Josi
Altcaptain:	Mattias Ekholm Ryan Ellis Filip Forsberg Ryan Johansen
Arena:	Bridgestone Arena
Attendance:	17,307^[1]
Minorleague:	Milwaukee Admirals (AHL) Norfolk Admirals (ECHL)
Goalsleader:	Viktor Arvidsson (29)
Assistsleader:	P. K. Subban (43)
Pointsleader:	Filip Forsberg (64)
Plusminusleader:	Filip Forsberg (+27)
Pimleader:	Austin Watson (123)
Winsleader:	Pekka Rinne (42)
Gaaleader:	Pekka Rinne (2.31)
Divisionwin:	yes
Presidentstrophy:	yes

The 2017–18 Nashville Predators season was the 20th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 25, 1997. The team reached the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, and went from the worst team to qualify for the playoffs the season before to the NHL's top team, winning the Central Division and winning the Presidents' Trophy, both for the first time in team history. However, the Predators were eliminated in the Second Round of the playoffs, as they were upset by the Winnipeg Jets, losing in seven games.^[2]

Schedule and results

Preseason

The preseason schedule was published on June 19, 2017.^[3]

2017 preseason game log: 2–2–2 (Home: 1–1–2 ; Road: 1–1–0)
	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 19	Florida	5–3	Nashville			—	0–1–0	Recap
2	September 19	Florida	2–3	Nashville	OT		—	1–1–0	Recap
3	September 22	Nashville	1–3	Tampa Bay		Saros	15,504	1–2–0	Recap
4	September 24	Nashville	5–3	Columbus		Lindback	12,044	2–2–0	Recap
5	September 28	Columbus	4–3	Nashville	SO		16,052	2–2–1	Recap
6	September 30	Tampa Bay	3–2	Nashville	OT	Rinne	17,113	2–2–2	Recap

Regular season

The regular season schedule was released on June 22, 2017.^{[4] [5]}

2017–18 game log
October: 5–4–2 (Home: 3–1–1 ; Road: 2–3–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 5 Nashville 3–4 17,565 0–1–0 0 Recap 2 October 7 Nashville 0–4 18,645 0–2–0 0 Recap 3 October 10 5–6 Nashville Rinne 17,194 1–2–0 2 Recap 4 October 12 1–4 Nashville Rinne 17,113 2–2–0 4 Recap 5 October 14 Nashville 1–2 OT Rinne 21,564 2–2–1 5 Recap 6 October 17 1–4 Nashville Rinne 17,113 3–2–1 7 Recap 7 October 19 Nashville 1–0 Rinne 19,396 4–2–1 9 Recap 8 October 21 Nashville 2–4 Saros 17,181 4–3–1 9 Recap 9 October 24 3–2 Nashville SO Rinne 17,113 4–3–2 10 Recap 10 October 27 Nashville 2–1 Rinne 21,524 5–3–2 12 Recap 11 October 28 6–2 Nashville Saros 17,113 5–4–2 12 Recap
November: 10–3–1 (Home: 6–1–0 ; Road: 4–2–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 12 November 1 Nashville 1–4 16,543 5–5–2 12 Recap 13 November 3 Nashville 5–3 Rinne 15,523 6–5–2 14 Recap 14 November 4 Nashville 4–3 OT 18,230 7–5–2 16 Recap 15 November 7 Nashville 3–1 Rinne 14,996 8–5–2 18 Recap 16 November 11 4–5 Nashville SO Rinne 17,397 9–5–2 20 Recap 17 November 14 3–6 Nashville Rinne 17,113 10–5–2 22 Recap 18 November 16 Nashville 4–6 Rinne 18,888 10–6–2 22 Recap 19 November 18 2–5 Nashville Rinne 17,113 11–6–2 24 Recap 20 November 20 3–5 Nashville Rinne 17,113 12–6–2 26 Recap 21 November 22 2–3 Nashville SO Rinne 17,113 13–6–2 28 Recap 22 November 24 Nashville 2–0 Rinne 19,033 14–6–2 30 Recap 23 November 26 Nashville 3–4 SO Saros 11,133 14–6–3 31 Recap 24 November 28 2–3 Nashville Rinne 17,187 15–6–3 33 Recap 25 November 30 5–3 Nashville Rinne 17,113 15–7–3 33 Recap
December: 8–3–2 (Home: 3–2–1 ; Road: 5–1–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 26 December 2 2–3 Nashville SO 17,113 16–7–3 35 Recap 27 December 4 3–5 Nashville Rinne 17,113 17–7–3 37 Recap 28 December 5 Nashville 5–2 18,023 18–7–3 39 Recap 29 December 8 4–3 Nashville SO Rinne 17,125 18–7–4 40 Recap 30 December 13 Nashville 7–1 Rinne 16,806 19–7–4 42 Recap 31 December 14 Nashville 4–0 Saros 18,347 20–7–4 44 Recap 32 December 16 Nashville 2–0 Rinne 18,618 21–7–4 46 Recap 33 December 19 6–4 Nashville Rinne 17,432 21–8–4 46 Recap 34 December 21 4–1 Nashville Rinne 17,492 21–9–4 46 Recap 35 December 23 Nashville 3–4 SO Saros 18,532 21–9–5 47 Recap 36 December 27 Nashville 2–1 Rinne 19,097 22–9–5 49 Recap 37 December 29 Nashville 2–4 Rinne 19,147 22–10–5 49 Recap 38 December 30 0–3 Nashville Saros 17,459 23–10–5 51 Recap
January: 6–2–2 (Home: 4–1–1 ; Road: 2–1–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 39 January 2 Nashville 0–3 18,171 23–11–5 51 Recap 40 January 4 Nashville 2–3 OT 13,190 23–11–6 52 Recap 41 January 6 Nashville 4–3 Rinne 18,230 24–11–6 54 Recap 42 January 9 1–2 Nashville Rinne 17,188 25–11–6 56 Recap 43 January 16 0–1 Nashville Saros 17,150 26–11–6 58 Recap 44 January 18 2–3 Nashville SO Rinne 17,138 27–11–6 60 Recap 45 January 20 3–4 Nashville Rinne 17,441 28–11–6 62 Recap 46 January 23 4–3 Nashville OT Saros 17,332 28–11–7 63 Recap 47 January 25 Nashville 3–0 Rinne 14,039 29–11–7 65 Recap 48 January 30 2–1 Nashville Saros 17,172 29–12–7 65 Recap
February: 10–2–2 (Home: 6–2–0 ; Road: 4–0–2) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 49 February 1 0–5 Nashville 17,384 30–12–7 67 Recap 50 February 3 2–5 Nashville Rinne 17,543 31–12–7 69 Recap 51 February 5 Nashville 5–4 OT Rinne 10,217 32–12–7 71 Recap 52 February 7 Nashville 2–3 SO Rinne 18,878 32–12–8 72 Recap 53 February 8 Nashville 3–4 OT 14,632 32–12–9 73 Recap 54 February 10 Nashville 3–2 SO Rinne 21,302 33–12–9 75 Recap 55 February 13 3–4 Nashville OT Rinne 17,221 34–12–9 77 Recap 56 February 15 4–3 Nashville Rinne 17,326 34–13–9 77 Recap 57 February 17 3–1 Nashville Saros 17,561 34–14–9 77 Recap 58 February 19 2–5 Nashville Rinne 17,177 35–14–9 79 Recap 59 February 20 Nashville 3–2 Saros 19,515 36–14–9 81 Recap 60 February 22 1–7 Nashville Rinne 17,354 37–14–9 83 Recap 61 February 25 0–4 Nashville Rinne 17,523 38–14–9 85 Recap 62 February 27 Nashville 6–5 Rinne 15,321 39–14–9 87 Recap
March: 11–3–2 (Home: 5–2–1 ; Road: 6–1–1) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 63 March 1 Nashville 4–2 18,347 40–14–9 89 Recap 64 March 2 Nashville 4–3 OT 18,470 41–14–9 91 Recap 65 March 4 Nashville 4–3 OT Rinne 17,618 42–14–9 93 Recap 66 March 6 0–2 Nashville Rinne 17,342 43–14–9 95 Recap 67 March 8 2–4 Nashville Rinne 17,475 44–14–9 97 Recap 68 March 10 3–2 Nashville SO Saros 17,545 44–14–10 98 Recap 69 March 13 1–3 Nashville Rinne 17,534 45–14–10 100 Recap 70 March 15 Nashville 3–2 Rinne 14,527 46–14–10 102 Recap 71 March 16 Nashville 4–2 Saros 17,273 47–14–10 104 Recap 72 March 19 Nashville 4–0 Rinne 17,507 48–14–10 106 Recap 73 March 22 5–2 Nashville Rinne 17,550 48–15–10 106 Recap 74 March 24 Nashville 1–4 Rinne 19,303 48–16–10 106 Recap 75 March 25 Nashville 4–5 SO Saros 15,321 48–16–11 107 Recap 76 March 27 1–2 Nashville SO Rinne 17,424 49–16–11 109 Recap 77 March 29 3–5 Nashville Saros 17,543 50–16–11 111 Recap 78 March 31 7–4 Nashville Rinne 17,551 50–17–11 111 Recap
April: 3–1–0 (Home: 1–0–0 ; Road: 2–1–0) Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Record Pts Recap 79 April 1 Nashville 4–1 19,092 51–17–11 113 Recap 80 April 3 Nashville 1–2 12,147 51–18–11 113 Recap 81 April 5 Nashville 4–3 Saros 18,506 52–18–11 115 Recap 82 April 7 2–4 Nashville Rinne 17,594 53–18–11 117 Recap
Legend:

Playoffs

See main article: 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.

2018 Stanley Cup playoffs
Western Conference First Round vs. (WC2) Colorado Avalanche: Nashville won 4–2 Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 12 Colorado 2–5 Nashville 17,301 1–0 Recap 2 April 14 Colorado 4–5 Nashville Rinne 17,369 2–0 Recap 3 April 16 Nashville 3–5 Colorado Rinne 18,087 2–1 Recap 4 April 18 Nashville 3–2 Colorado Rinne 18,087 3–1 Recap 5 April 20 Colorado 2–1 Nashville Rinne 17,504 3–2 Recap 6 April 22 Nashville 5–0 Colorado Rinne 18,087 4–2 Recap
Western Conference Second Round vs. (C2) Winnipeg Jets: Winnipeg won 4–3 Date Visitor Score Home OT Decision Attendance Series Recap 1 April 27 Winnipeg 4–1 Nashville 17,307 0–1 Recap 2 April 29 Winnipeg 4–5 Nashville 2OT Rinne 17,274 1–1 Recap 3 May 1 Nashville 4–7 Winnipeg Rinne 15,321 1–2 Recap 4 May 3 Nashville 2–1 Winnipeg Rinne 15,321 2–2 Recap 5 May 5 Winnipeg 6–2 Nashville Rinne 17,513 2–3 Recap 6 May 7 Nashville 4–0 Winnipeg Rinne 15,321 3–3 Recap 7 May 10 Winnipeg 5–1 Nashville Rinne 17,523 3–4 Recap
Legend:

Player statistics

Final Stats^[6]

Skaters

Regular season

Player					data-sort-type="number"
	67	26	38	64	27	38
	78	29	32	61	20	36
	82	16	43	59	18	82
	79	15	39	54	13	78
	75	14	39	53	24	24
	79	25	26	51	20	24
	80	23	25	48	20	26
^†	65	13	29	42	22	24
	68	16	19	35	20	12
	81	10	24	34	25	46
	44	9	23	32	26	6
	81	9	18	27	2	42
	71	12	13	25	4	20
	62	13	11	24	−3	82
	76	14	5	19	2	123
	76	1	8	9	9	40
	58	2	6	8	−8	34
^‡	37	2	6	8	8	8
	50	2	6	8	2	8
^†	21	3	3	6	−4	14
	47	2	3	5	2	16
	16	2	2	4	0	8
	32	1	2	3	−1	27
^‡	5	1	2	3	−3	2
	20	0	3	3	0	2
^‡	23	1	1	2	0	72
	3	0	0	0	0	0

Playoffs! Player! ! ! ! ! data-sort-type="number"

	13	7	9	16	2	2
	13	5	9	14	3	2
	13	5	4	9	−1	6
	13	4	5	9	−2	10
	13	5	3	8	3	12
	13	1	7	8	4	12
	13	3	4	7	−2	8
	13	2	3	5	−1	9
	13	0	5	5	−4	8
	12	3	1	4	−3	8
	13	2	2	4	−3	2
	13	0	4	4	−4	2
	9	2	1	3	0	10
	13	0	3	3	−3	6
	12	1	0	1	0	2
	4	1	0	1	2	2
	7	0	1	1	−3	0
	12	0	0	0	1	2
	10	0	0	0	−1	0
	8	0	0	0	−1	2
	4	0	0	0	−1	0

Goaltenders

Regular season

Player
style=white-space:nowrap		59	59	3,475:27	42	13	4	134	2.31	1840	.927	8	0	1	6
style=white-space:nowrap		26	23	1,496:40	11	5	7	61	2.45	810	.925	3	0	3	0

Playoffs

Player
	13	13	685	7	6	35	3.07	363	.904	2	0	0	0
	4	0	114	0	0	2	1.05	42	.952	0	0	0	0

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Predators. Stats reflect time with the Predators only.
^‡Traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Predators only.
Bold/italics denotes franchise record

Transactions

The Predators have been involved in the following transactions during the 2017–18 season.

Trades

Date	Details		Ref
	To Colorado Avalanche Colin Wilson	To Nashville Predators 4th-round pick in 2019	^[7]
	To Vegas Golden Knights 3rd-round pick in 2019	To Nashville Predators Alexei Emelin	^[8]
	To Colorado Avalanche Samuel Girard Vladislav Kamenev 2nd-round pick in 2018	To Nashville Predators Kyle Turris	^[9]
	To Dallas Stars Andrew O'Brien	To Nashville Predators Mark McNeill	^[10]
	To Edmonton Oilers Pontus Aberg	To Nashville Predators Mark Letestu	^[11]
	To Columbus Blue Jackets Mark Letestu	To Nashville Predators 4th-round pick in 2018	^[12]
	To San Jose Sharks 6th-round pick in 2018	To Nashville Predators Brandon Bollig Troy Grosenick	^[13]
	To Chicago Blackhawks Victor Ejdsell 1st-round pick in 2018 4th-round pick in 2018	To Nashville Predators Ryan Hartman 5th-round pick in 2018	^[14]
	To Arizona Coyotes Pierre-Cedric Labrie Trevor Murphy	To Nashville Predators Tyler Gaudet John Ramage	^[15]

Free agents acquired

Date	Player	Former team	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
			4-year, $16.4 million	^[16]
			1-year, $650,000	^[17]
			1-year, $1 million	^[18]
			1-year, $650,000	^[19]
			1-year, $650,000	^[20]
			3-year, $2.14 million entry-level contract	^[21]
			3-year, $2.775 million entry-level contract	^[22]
			2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract	^[23]
			2-year, $1.85 million entry-level contract	^[24]
			2-year, $1.45 million entry-level contract	^[25]

Free agents lost

Date	Player	New team	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
			2-year, $1.3 million	^[26]
			1-year, $650,000
			Unknown	^[27]
			Unknown	^[28]
			3-year	^[29]

Lost via waivers

Player	New team	Date	Ref
			^[30]

Lost via retirement

Date	Player	Ref
		^[31]
		^[32]
	Mike Fisher	^[33]

Player signings

Date	Player	Contract terms (in U.S. dollars)	Ref
		3-year, $2 million	^[34]
		2-year, $1.3 million	^[35]
		1-year, $650,000	^[36]
		7-year, $29.75 million	^[37]
		3-year, $3.3 million	^[38]
		8-year, $64 million	^[39]
		6-year, $36 million contract extension
		1-year, $650,000 contract extension	^[40]
		2-year, $1.35 million contract extension	^[41]
		2-year, $1.35 million contract extension	^[42]
		1-year, $1 million	^[43]
		3-year, $9.4375 million entry-level contract	^[44]

Draft picks

See also: List of Nashville Predators draft picks. Below are the Nashville Predators' selections at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, which was held on June 23 and 24, 2017 at the United Center in Chicago.

Round		Player	Pos	Nationality	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	30	Eeli Tolvanen	RW	Finland	Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
2	61	Grant Mismash	C	United States	U.S. NTDP (USHL)
3	92	David Farrance	D	United States	U.S. NTDP (USHL)
5	154	Tomas Vomacka	G	Czech Republic	Corpus Christi IceRays (NAHL)
6	176^1	Pavel Koltygin	C	Russia	Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)
7	216	Jacob Paquette	D	Canada	Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)

Draft notes

^[45]

1. The New York Rangers' sixth-round pick went to the Nashville Predators as the result of a trade on July 1, 2015, that sent Magnus Hellberg to New York in exchange for this pick.^[46]

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2017-2018 NHL Attendance . ESPN.com . November 7, 2021.
2. Web site: Geary. Aidan. 'Total elation': Jets fans floating on air after historic Game 7 win. CBC. May 11, 2018. May 10, 2018.
3. Web site: Preds to Play Six-Game 2017 Preseason Slate. NHL.com. September 19, 2017. June 19, 2017.
4. Web site: Willis. Thomas. Six Characteristics: Preds 2017-18 Regular-Season Schedule. NHL.com. September 19, 2017. June 22, 2017.
5. Web site: Preds Open 2017-18 Season Season on Road vs. Bruins, Penguins. NHL.com. September 19, 2017. June 23, 2017.
6. Web site: Nashville Predators Stats - 2017-2018. NHL.com. September 19, 2017.
7. Web site: Colin Wilson traded by Predators to Avalanche. nhl.com. July 2, 2017.
8. Web site: Alexei Emelin traded to Predators by Golden Knights. nhl.com. July 2, 2017.
9. Web site: Predators Acquire Forward Kyle Turris, Signs Six-Year Deal. November 5, 2017. November 5, 2017.
10. Web site: Nashville Acquires Forward Mark McNeill from Dallas. NHL.com. February 4, 2018. February 3, 2018.
11. Web site: Preds Acquire Fourth-Round Pick in 2018 NHL Draft. NHL.com. February 25, 2018. February 25, 2018.
12. Web site: Preds Acquire Fourth-Round Pick in 2018 NHL Draft. NHL.com. February 25, 2018. February 25, 2018.
13. Web site: Predators Acquire Bollig, Grosenick from Sharks. February 25, 2018. February 25, 2018.
14. Web site: Preds Acquire Forward Ryan Hartman from Chicago. NHL.com. February 26, 2018. February 26, 2018.
15. Web site: Preds Acquire Tyler Gaudet, John Ramage from Arizona. NHL.com. February 26, 2018. February 26, 2018.
16. Predators Sign Nick Bonino to Four-Year Contract. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. July 1, 2017. Nashville, Tennessee. July 1, 2017.
17. Predators Add O'Connor With One-Year Contract. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. July 1, 2017. Nashville, Tennessee. July 1, 2017.
18. Predators Sign Hartnell to One-Year Contract. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. July 1, 2017. Nashville, Tennessee. July 1, 2017.
19. Predators Ink Labrie to One-Year Contract. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. July 1, 2017. Nashville, Tennessee. July 1, 2017.
20. Predators Sign Lindback to One-Year Contract. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. July 1, 2017. Nashville, Tennessee. July 1, 2017.
21. Predators Sign Tanner Jeannot to Entry-Level Contract. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. April 4, 2018. Nashville, Tennessee. April 2, 2018.
22. Predators Sign Goaltender Niclas Westerholm. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. April 4, 2018. Nashville, Tennessee. April 3, 2018.
23. Predators Sign Goaltender Miroslav Svoboda. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. April 27, 2018. Nashville, Tennessee. April 26, 2018.
24. Predators Sign Defenseman Filip Pyrochta. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. May 8, 2018. Nashville, Tennessee. May 7, 2018.
25. Predators Sign Swedish Forward Carl Persson. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. May 9, 2018. Nashville, Tennessee. May 9, 2018.
26. Web site: Golden Knights Sign Six Free Agents; Trade Emelin To Nashville. NHL. July 1, 2017.
27. Web site: King to Avto; Soin to Lada. Voracek to Slovan. August 12–17 transfers. KHL. August 24, 2017.
28. Web site: AMERICANS ENFORCER NEUBER SIGNS, ALONG WITH TOP-4 DEFENSEMAN. Allen Americans. August 24, 2017.
29. Web site: Petter Granberg återvänder. skellefteaaik.se. June 11, 2019. Swedish.
30. Web site: Rangers Claim Forward Cody McLeod. NHL.com. January 25, 2018. January 25, 2018.
31. News: Fisher. Mike. Mike Fisher (ice hockey). Predators' Mike Fisher: Thanks, Nashville. August 4, 2017. The Tennessean. Gannett Company. August 3, 2017.
32. News: Fiddler. Vernon. Vernon Fiddler. Canadian Born, Texas Taught. September 16, 2017. The Player's Tribune. September 13, 2017.
33. News: Satriano. David. David Satriano. Fisher retires from Predators after 18 seasons in NHL. May 15, 2018. NHL. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. May 12, 2018.
34. Preds Ink Frederick Gaudreau to Three-Year Contract. June 21, 2017. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. June 17, 2017. Nashville, Tennessee.
35. Predators Sign Pontus Aberg to Two-Year Contract. June 21, 2017. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. June 18, 2017. Nashville, Tennessee.
36. Predators Sign Mazanec to One-Year Contract. June 21, 2017. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. June 21, 2017. Nashville, Tennessee.
37. Preds Sign Viktor Arvidsson to Seven-Year, $29.75 Million Contract. June 26, 2017. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. June 22, 2017. Nashville, Tennessee.
38. Preds Sign Austin Watson to Three-Year Contract. June 26, 2017. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. June 24, 2017. Nashville, Tennessee.
39. Johansen Inks Eight-Year Deal: "This Is Where I Belong". June 30, 2017. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. June 28, 2017. Nashville, Tennessee.
40. Web site: Predators Sign Bitetto to One-Year Contract. NHL.com. January 10, 2018. January 9, 2018.
41. Web site: Preds Ink Matt Irwin to Two-Year Deal. NHL.com. January 10, 2018. January 9, 2018.
42. Web site: Preds Sign Yannick Weber to Two-Year Contract. NHL.com. January 10, 2018. January 9, 2018.
43. Web site: Predators Sign Mike Fisher to One-Year Deal. NHL.com. February 26, 2018. February 26, 2018.
44. Web site: Preds Sign Eeli Tolvanen to Three-Year Entry-Level Contract. NHL.com. March 30, 2018. March 29, 2018.
45. Web site: 2017 NHL Entry Draft Pending Transactions Transactions. Pro Sports Transactions. June 1, 2017.
46. Nashville Acquires a Sixth-Round Pick from the New York Rangers. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. June 1, 2017. Nashville, Tennessee.