WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

03/27 05:00 CDT From the NHL basement on Dec. 8 to a wild-card spot: The Predators' long climb back From the NHL basement on Dec. 8 to a wild-card spot: The Predators' long climb back By TERESA M. WALKER AP Sports Writer NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) --- The Nashville Predators never doubted they could be a playoff team. Proving it took far longer than expected. A franchise that ranked dead last in the NHL standings as late as Dec. 8 goes into the final 10 games of the regular season sitting in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Even better, Nashville is just three points back of Utah for the first wild-card berth with a game in hand. "I think each and every one in this room thought we'd be here, and I think that's really all that matters," Predators forward Filip Forsberg said. "Whatever's going on outside this room is out of our control. Since the trade deadline, I think everyone's been bought in." Nashville snapped a five-game winning streak Thursday night with a 4-2 loss to New Jersey, but the Predators have clawed their way out of a hole that had them 11 points out of the last playoff berth. Since Dec. 9, they are 24-15-5. "We just got to keep doing everything we can to stay on top," Forsberg said. Contending has been the expectation since Nashville's free agent spending spree in July 2024. General manager Barry Trotz signed two-time Stanley Cup champ Steven Stamkos, 2023 playoff MVP Jonathan Marchessault and defenseman Brady Skjei, putting the Predators among the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. Then the Predators completely missed the postseason with only San Jose and Chicago between them and last in the NHL. Adding insult to injury? Nashville slipped two spots in the draft lottery as well. The Predators talked plenty last offseason trying to fix what went wrong. Then they stumbled out of the gate yet again. It didn't help when captain Roman Josi was sidelined eight games into the season by an upper-body injury that cost him 12 games. Stamkos started the turnaround. After only six goals and three assists through the first 25 games, Stamkos started scoring in December with 12 goals. He now leads the Predators with 36 goals --- only the fourth time a Nashville player has scored at least 35 in a season. Coach Andrew Brunette said Thursday that Stamkos didn't change after the slow start, which he called remarkable. "I mean, I considered myself a pretty good team player," Brunette said. "I'm not sure I would handle things the way he handled it where he just came to work every day and try to help as many people as he could. That's why you're so ecstatic he took off." Nashville's other veterans are doing their part as well. Josi has 30 points since Jan. 11, fifth-most among defensemen, and Forsberg has 12 points during Nashville's last five games. Marchessault has 10 assists this month alone, including three in Tuesday night's 6-3 win over San Jose. "He's obviously been battling through a couple things during the season, but now this is what we brought him here for, you know, the end of the season," Forsberg said of Marchessault. "And he's showing some incredible playmaking." Trotz, who announced his plan to retire Feb. 2, stuck with his pricey veterans and traded away only four players on expiring contracts before the NHL trade deadline. That freed up more playing time for the rookies, and Nashville's six rookies went into Thursday with a combined 201 games this season, good for seventh-most in the NHL. Those rookies also had 25 goals or 10th-most in the league. After Reid Schaefer's goal Thursday night, they have a combined 15 points since March 5 led by center Matthew Wood's six goals in that time. Forward Luke Evangelista, who has a career-high 40 assists and 50 points, said working through this helped the Predators build a strong bond. "It feels like we've seen the lowest of lows together, and we've dragged ourselves out of the mud and we did it together as a group and I think that just kind of built that toughness," Evangelista said. The Predators have some company rebounding this season. Buffalo was last in the Eastern Conference on Dec. 13 with the Sabres pushing to first in the Atlantic on March 8. Columbus was last in the East on Jan. 12 when a coaching change pushed the Blue Jackets to second in the Metropolitan Division. Nashville has plenty of incentive to keep pushing through the end of the regular season. The first wild-card will play the Pacific Division champ rather than start against NHL points leader Colorado. The Predators start a six-game road swing Sunday with five teams within six points of them. "Every game from here on out is going to be a playoff type game for us," Skjei said. ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL