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In the latest 2024 NHL Playoff Preview show, host Jacob Billington welcomes in Matthew Zator and Jacob Strozyk to set up the upcoming first round series of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs between the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators.
0:00 Intro
0:28 Canucks' Journey to the Playoffs
3:22 Predators' Journey to the Playoffs
6:17 Predators Players to Watch
7:40 Canucks Players to Watch
10:04 Canucks Weakness You're Worried About
12:05 Predators Weakness You're Worried About
14:06 X-Factors
17:32 Series MVP
20:03 Bold Predictions
21:36 Predictions For The Series
Check out Matthew and Jacob's writing:
Matthew Zator - https://thehockeywriters.com/author/mzator/
Jacob Strozyk - https://thehockeywriters.com/author/jstrozyk/
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0:00
Hey everybody, welcome to another playoff preview from the Hockey Writers.com
0:07
I'm here with Jacob Strozick and Matthew Zittor, who's on the other side of the microphone this time
0:12
He's going to answer some questions, which is a little bit untraditional. But we are going to be talking about your Vancouver Canucks and Jacob
0:19
you're going to be sitting down and talking about the Nashville Predators and talk about their playoffs
0:25
and how they're going to do. So before we even jump into the playoffs, Matthew, I'm going to ask you about how the Vancouver
0:29
overConnucks did in the regular season and just talk about how they got to this point
0:34
how they got to be in a position to get this whole mice over the predators
0:40
Yeah, I mean, going into the season, everyone was kind of thinking they were going to be a
0:44
wild card team, maybe, missed the playoffs, be very fringe, you know, being more like the
0:49
Detroit Red Wings that missed it by being tied at the end
0:54
Everyone was thinking they weren't going to, they weren't going to contend for anything but a
0:59
playoff spot. But they surprised everyone and they became almost won the West
1:05
May finish just a point out of the Dallas Star. So I won the Pacific Division for the
1:11
first time in forever. Actually never have won the Pacific Division. It was the Northwest
1:16
Division when they last won it. So it's been a long time. And I don't think anyone anticipated
1:22
this going into the season. I, you know, everyone knew Quinn Hughes was going to do it again. He's
1:28
done it and more. He's got 91 points. And I mean, if he would have gone on a heater the rest of the
1:34
way, he may have hit 100. He won't. Unless he goes crazy and has a nine points in his last game
1:40
that won't happen. He's, you know, he's been the leader. He was captain to start the season
1:46
And basically from then on, his captaincy has gone off to a great start. And looking at the other guys
1:53
J.T. Miller had a great season. Over 100 points. 102 points. He's got
1:58
Elias Pedersen has had some ups and downs throughout the season, but again, over 80 points, close to 90
2:05
He could maybe hit 90 in this last game here. You know, overall, everyone's kind of, I don't want to say overachieved, but they've all just stepped it up
2:16
And big part of it is Rick Tocke. He's implemented a system that's worked for everyone
2:22
Biggest thing was their defensive game that's haunted them the last bunch of seasons
2:26
and it's been complete 180 this season. And in the top five and goals against
2:32
they're in the top 10 in offense as well. So, I mean, overall, great two-way season
2:38
I mean, they've had some bumps after the all-star break where it looked like they were more of a 500 team
2:46
But they've kind of turned it around lately and Thatcher Demko being injured didn't help
2:51
So, I mean, overall, they've a great season and hopefully it can continue into the playoffs
2:56
Yeah, they've had a lot of, they've shown a lot of signs of what they're doing this year over the past three years or so
3:02
They've shown that they can have these 100 point players and this superstar season from Quinn Hughes and some solid defense and great goal tending
3:09
They just haven't been able to put it all together into one season and they finally have. And Rick Docket is a huge part of that
3:14
And it's nice to see the connects finally put everything together because there's so much talent on that team
3:20
Yeah. Jacob, what do you think of the Nashville Predators? how was their regular season
3:25
How do they get to this point? Yeah, I mean, I feel like they were kind of in a similar situation to what Vancouver was at the start of the year
3:35
They'll probably make the playoffs, but there's a chance they might not type deal because everything was kind of in a transitional period for them
3:43
But, you know, their core showed up during the regular season. Their big players played big
3:49
And, you know, they did, I'd say just more than enough to get
3:53
that first wild card spot. Big, big season out of Philip Foresburg
3:59
48 goals after being known for his, we'll say injury history. He's there for the full season
4:09
all 82 games and he finishes with 94 points. I think that was one of the biggest parts of their season
4:15
On top of that, you have one of the best defensemen in the NHL
4:20
Roman Yossi, leading the way as well, 23 goals out of him, points and more consistency out of Ryan O'Reilly. He had 26 goals and 69 points. And then
4:32
in my opinion, one of the more surprising higher point candidates in Gus Nyquist. I can't say that
4:40
I feel he's not capable of putting up that type of number. But 75 points, 52 assists and 81 games
4:49
that's a spectacular number. And that's something that I don't think anybody would have had on
4:53
bingo card starting the year that he would be top three on their team in point scoring
5:00
let alone over the 70 point mark. So all of those top contributors that you were expecting to get out of them, they got
5:07
And I think that was a big part of their success. Goaltending wise, they probably won a little bit more out of a top end goalie like UC Saros
5:16
Numbers were respectable, but not great. 35 wins, 2.86 goals against, and a 906 save percentage
5:23
Again, they're not great, but they're not terrible either, comparative to where the league is at at this point
5:30
So it's the consistency that they had all year along with the breakout performances
5:38
that they really needed, got them to where they were trying to go here
5:43
Yeah, there was a whole bunch. And then that run at the end of the season that they went on
5:47
they went on it was 17 or 18 games without getting a point in every game and that run kind of bought them a ticket to the playoffs They were one of those bubble teams like right there with Minnesota and St Louis and they separated themselves from the pack there and really got themselves solidified into a
6:03
playoff spot. So they put everything together, kind of like the Canucks did
6:07
They have a lot of pieces, but nobody was short that they would put it together the way they did
6:11
But it's nice to see them in the playoffs too. I'm going to stick with you, Jacob
6:15
Who are your priority players to watch? Who are you going to be keeping an eye on to take over this
6:21
the series for Nashville. Well, I'm going to say as far as playoff performances go, you can't discount what Ryan O'Reilly
6:30
can do in the playoffs. He's a big impact player in general, but especially when it comes to performing in the playoffs
6:38
that's something that he does on a very regular basis. So I think he's probably the most instrumental piece that they have as a maybe bit more
6:47
of an underdog take. I'd say keep an eye on Colton Sitions
6:52
I think he has a lot of potential to do more in this series than people are probably anticipating
7:01
And I like what he brings overall to this type of a series
7:06
If it goes into a deep run, maybe six games, seven games, I think he finishes in that five-point range
7:15
And I think he's going to have some big goals going into it. Yeah, and they have some of that secondary scoring too
7:21
like Luke Evangelista, Tommy Novak, those kind of guys can kind of be important in the series as well
7:27
because you have those high-end guys, like you mentioned with Philip Forsberg, Roman Yosi, Ryan O'Reilly
7:31
but they're going to need some of that production from the secondary guys too. And I think that this is a team that you can absolutely find that
7:38
So, yeah. Matthew, who's going to be the players to watch for the Vancouver Canucks
7:43
I'm not going to mention all their start, like everyone knows Quinn Hughes, you know, all those guys
7:48
I'm going to keep an eye on that third line. Three players, Elias Lundholm
7:54
Connor Garland and Dakota Joshua. Now, this looks like it's going to be the third line going into the playoffs
8:00
They've played together in the last two games. They're playing together tonight in the last game
8:04
It looked really good against the Edmonton Oilers. You know, Connor McDavid wasn't in the lineup
8:10
But Drysidal was largely kept under check. And that line was against him most of the game
8:15
and if this can be a shutdown, I quote unquote on shutdown line
8:21
because Garland and Joshua have been putting together some great offense from that third line
8:27
They've been producing as like second line players. So I think that line's going to be very key in this series
8:33
and not just in this series, but in the playoffs. If they make it through, those guys are going to be big parts of it
8:40
Garland's been great throughout the season. Joshua had unfortunately got injured there
8:45
but he's he's been amazing. He has 18 goals this season. And before that, he couldn't even crack 10 before he came to the Canucks, that is
8:56
I mean, his first season with the Canucks, he had really good numbers too. This seems like he's fit or he's just developed into a great two-way power forward type player in a depth role
9:08
And I think he's going to be a key player in the playoffs
9:11
Joshua and Garland, I think are going to be. really, really good
9:18
They're going to be key in this in this series going forward. And they're very fun to watch too
9:23
And they're going to be up against the top players. So those are the guys I'll be watching, apart from obviously the main names that everyone kind of knows about
9:31
Right. And so if you take that conversation back to October, people are going to be scratching their heads
9:36
because Dakota Joshua hasn't really proven himself up until this season. He had some good numbers with Vancouver
9:42
but he was on track to almost become a little bit of a journeyman for a bit
9:47
And Connor Garland, people were amazed that he even started the season with the Canucks. He was supposed to be traded
9:52
And centering that line, you also have the number one trade deadline asset
9:56
So it's a really interesting trio. But you're right. Like that kind of third line can make or break a whole series
10:03
What about the weaknesses on the Canucks? Who are you or what are you looking at for them to really need to get a hold of
10:12
Where can they be exposed? I want to say it's penalty kill
10:18
It's actually overall special teams because the power play has really struggled
10:22
over the last, I'd say since the All-Star break, it hasn't been as good as it was at the beginning of the season
10:28
And it's cost them some games where they can't score on the power play and they're not able to win
10:34
And the same thing with the penalty kill. It's been better this season
10:38
but it's still not where I think it needs to be for, for a playoff team
10:44
I know it's in the top. I think it's about mid of the midway of the NHL right now
10:50
And it has been up again, up and down throughout the season. And in the playoffs, yeah, there's not as many penalties
10:57
But when they do happen, you either have to score on your power play or kill a key penalty
11:03
And sometimes they haven't been able to do that. So I think that could be a problem
11:07
otherwise, I mean, Demko seems to be, he's fine. I mean, I would have said that if he didn't look good in the game he came back
11:17
He looked like the old Thatcher Demko. He's going to have to be 100% healthy throughout this series and the playoffs for them to have a chance
11:25
Because if they have to turn to Casey to Smith, even though he has been good, that's going to spell trouble
11:31
I don't, I have confidence in him, but not in the set of having to have him in the playoffs for more
11:37
than a few games. Regular season, fine, but I'm not really wanting to see Dismith in this series at all
11:45
So yeah I going to say special teams is something I kind of worried about It could potentially be a problem Yeah and that an extremely important part of a playoff game is the special teams
11:58
That's where a lot of playoff teams make or break their series, and that's, it can be quite deciding
12:04
Jacob, what is the biggest weakness you might have some worries about for the Nashville predators
12:11
Funny enough, and I could even say ironically, I'm going to say it's goaltending
12:15
As far as the season series between the Canucks and the Predators have gone, the Predators
12:22
lost all three games, O3 and O.Saros himself went 02 and O with a 481 and an 833
12:31
So those numbers aren't anything that you would think he would be putting up, but they clearly
12:37
figured something out on him, and they clearly have some sort of way to work their system
12:43
and actually beat him when is needed. So if the Predators are going to really be in this series
12:51
and not get ousted in four or five games, I think it's going to rely heavily on
12:56
can their gulleton and get back to the expected form? I'm not saying Kevin Langenen is going to be, you know
13:03
a starter by any means based off of those numbers. But, you know, I wouldn't want to put my confidence in him
13:10
when you have UC Saros who should be doing what you're, expecting and should be carrying your team from a goaltending perspective
13:18
So I think overall defense should be good, but if the goaltending can really step up
13:25
it'll be where they can kind of shore up those problems and actually stay in the series
13:32
as opposed to just getting blasted in the first round. Yeah, they need, I mean, everybody knows what UC Saros is capable of
13:41
and just with the flick of a switch, he could probably win the Vesna any season
13:47
I mean, nobody would be surprised. So I wouldn't be surprised to see him do a fantastic job in the playoffs
13:52
But it also could be a weakness because, like you said, he did not match up very well against the Canucks
13:57
And yeah, he's going to have to do better than that in the playoffs. And if they want to extend it any longer than four or five games, like he said
14:06
What's going to be the biggest X factor in this series? It can be a player
14:10
it can be a scenario, it can be wherever your brain goes to
14:15
What is going to be the biggest X factor, Jacob? I'm going to say, for both sides, I'm going to say it's star power
14:24
which star players can actually make the biggest impact? Because in the playoffs, yeah, it is going to come down a lot of times to how much depth
14:32
can you actually use, what's going to actually happen when the going gets tough
14:36
and things are in double over time. players are tired. But at the same time, this is where you need those star players to actually step up and
14:44
play like those big star players. The Canucks have a bunch. The predators have plenty
14:50
There's enough to go head to head there that it is going to be probably the biggest
14:55
not only talking point, but just overall, you know, watching point for this type of a series
15:02
There's a lot going on and there's a lot of big names. So will Forsberg be, you know, rip
15:08
and shots past Thatcher Demko. Will Thatcher Demko be stopping every possible shot that the predators can throw at him
15:15
What with what storyline is it going to fit? But I think ultimately it comes down to production from the stars
15:22
Yeah. And that's a really good answer because they both do have the star power to play some really high
15:29
scoring hockey. And if goalending isn't up to snuff, then we could see a lot of like six, five, five, four games
15:35
And they'll be very entertaining. but a little bit nerve-wracking for the fan bases
15:41
Matthew, who's who or what is going to be the biggest X-factor this series
15:46
I'm going to go the other way. I'm going to go with depth. Who's going to have the better depth scoring and the guys that aren't the main
15:54
Because I think the stars are kind of going to cancel each other out. Forrestberg, you know, he had for what, 49 goals, 48 goals, something like that
16:04
You got Brock Besser on the side, 40 goals. got, I already mentioned JT. Mills is over 100 points. I think all those guys are going to do
16:12
I mean, they'll score goals probably. But I think the biggest ones, if they're not scoring
16:17
you're going to need your guys like Gustav Nyquist. I guess he could be called a star with how many
16:22
points he put up, but he's not a star name. Like he's not a guy you're like, who's the star and the
16:27
Predators? He's not Nike. I'm not going to say Gustav Nyquist. But, you know, those types of guys
16:33
And, you know, the Conor Garlands, Dakota Joshua, hopefully Elyneux. of. I mean, if a guy like that could come out of nowhere and start scoring some goals in this
16:42
series, that's a big side to the Canucks, a big advantage. Because the predators all season have
16:49
kind of gotten by from their depth. And I think that Canucks need that depth to step up in this
16:55
series too. So I think the X factor is going to be what, which depth players are going to be
17:01
better for each team. And I think the one that wins that will win this series. Yeah. I mean
17:07
it's impossible to argue with either of you. Those are both absolutely correct
17:10
And it's going to be interesting to see how they match up because they both do have
17:15
some pretty solid depth. Vancouver may be a little bit better for name brand
17:21
But if you watch any Predators games this year, like their depth can hang with anybody
17:26
So it would be really interesting to see how they go against each other
17:32
Who is going to be the biggest difference maker or series MVP or however you want to
17:36
phrase it, Matthew. I want to keep, I keep going to him, and I want to say it's going to be Dakota Joshua
17:43
I think he going to be huge in this series and not just this series in the playoffs in general because he just a guy that seems to be built for this type of year um or time of year i it he just one of
17:56
those guys that when he was out of the lineup the kinnucks didn't look the same i that third
18:02
line was broken up garland looked fine but he didn't look the same as what he did before uh josh was
18:08
back and all of a sudden i mean garland looks like back to how he was um you know i think
18:14
he's going to be a big factor in this series. And you could say J.T. Miller could be the same
18:19
I mean, he can step up. He's an emotional guy. He can get involved like Ryan Kessler was back in the 2010, 2011
18:26
where he just took over a series. And I think Miller could do that too. But the combination of Joshua and Miller
18:33
I think those guys are going to be the biggest difference makers in this series
18:39
Okay. Jacob, who's going to be the biggest difference maker in your opinion
18:44
Boy, I had a couple of names that really come to mind for me in this type of a scenario
18:51
The first one I already talked about was Ryan O'Reilly being a big playoff performer
18:55
So I'll kind of jump into the other name that I feel like flew a little bit under the radar
19:01
but I still consider him a strong playoff performer. And that's Ryan McDonough
19:05
He's a good, stable defenseman, and he performs extremely well under pressure
19:11
He is a fantastic puck possession defenseman. great at moving it and he's great at holding down the fort when he needs to
19:18
And overall, that's something that is going to come in huge, huge, huge for the predators in this
19:25
type of a series where most people are probably expecting just goals flying left and right
19:30
between how great the offenses are. So how much can he contribute to the offense and how much can he really lock down the defense
19:37
I think is going to be a huge X factor for them and is going to be a fun storyline to watch
19:45
Yeah, he definitely could be one of the, one of the biggest difference makers, exactly as the
19:50
question was phrased, I guess. Because if he has a really good series, that's going to be very noticeable
19:56
And if he has a very poor series, it's going to be very noticeable because he's that secondary guy on the defense
20:00
So, yeah, that's a fantastic answer. Jacob, give me a bold prediction for this series
20:07
A bold prediction. Player-wise or just overall? Just anything. Let's say bold prediction
20:19
How bold do I want to go here? Let's do predators take it in six
20:28
and we'll say O'Reilly has 11 points by the end of it
20:39
That's bold, but not entirely unrealistic. He's one of those guys that just kind of pops off in the playoff
20:45
So I like a hat trick in there too. Yeah. And a hat trick. Wow. Look at him
20:49
He's going to win the Conn Smyth and be out in the first round potentially. Matthew, do you get any bold predictions
20:58
I'm going to go really bold, actually. I'm going to go Elias Linholm has five goals in this series
21:03
He hasn't scored much at all. But I feel like he's about to kind of this line he's on with Garland and Joe
21:12
Joshua, they just create so much room out there. I think Lindholm's going to finally get some chances
21:19
And I'm going to say he scores, he scores five goals. And it's probably not going to happen
21:23
But that's why it's bold. Yeah. Well, and that's like you said, they make so much room out there for somebody like Lindholm
21:30
And like, that's such a perfect third line. It's unreal how balanced it is
21:36
All right, Matthew, give me your prediction for the series. It's going to be a long one, I think
21:42
I don't think it's going to be easy. I mean, the Canucks that a lot of Canucks fans are kind of
21:47
they're saying that this is what the Canucks should. It's fine. It's great. They're getting the Predators
21:51
They're going to get, no. It's not going to be an easy series. No one is
21:55
They made the play. Predators made the playoffs. They're a good team
22:00
I think this is going to go long. I think it's going to go seven. But the Canucks just, I think, have a bit more, the scoring and the upper hand
22:08
the goal tending. If Demco plays like he has all season. I think that's going to be the thing
22:14
And the fact that the Canucks are at home and their home record is ridiculous. So game seven at Rogers Arena, I think they take it
22:21
So Canucks in seven. Okay. Jacob, we already got your prediction, but do you want to put a little bit of emphasis behind it
22:29
Yeah. So I'll say the reason I said in six games is kind of what it's kind of building off of what Matt said there about the home ice
22:37
I think if the Predator's going to do it, they're going to take it on home ice. and they're really going to drive for it in that sixth game
22:44
And it's not easy playing in Nashville in the playoffs. That crowd is absolutely brutal
22:50
It's fun, fun, fun to watch as a viewer for sure. But I can only imagine being on the ice and having that type of pressure
22:58
and all of those fans just berating you at every second in that scenario
23:04
So I think if the predators get the goaltending they need and have just the right amount of scoring from their top end players
23:11
I think they can pull it out, and I think they do it in six. All right
23:16
I do agree. It's going to be a longer series, and it's going to come down to the wire
23:20
And even if it is game six, like it's not going to be a blowout game six. It's going to be probably overtime and could have been gone to game seven
23:27
It's going to be a really fun series to watch. But if you enjoyed this, make sure to check out all the other previews on the hockey
23:34
writer's YouTube channel. We have a couple in the east already up. We have a couple in the west up
23:38
coming. So make sure to check those out. Leave some likes if you enjoyed them and we'll see you on the next one
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