It’s a Festivus for the rest of us!
In observance of the secular winter holiday, made famous by the TV classic “Seinfeld” in the late 1990s and celebrated every year on Dec. 23, let’s reimagine some of its most storied traditions as storylines from the first half of the Nashville Predators’ 2023-24 season.
Feats of Strength: Filip Forsberg Being Himself
Filip Forsberg leads the Predators in points (38), goals (16) and assists (22). His two assists on Thursday (Dec. 21) against the Philadelphia Flyers moved him into a tie with Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes for 12th in the NHL in scoring.
Related: Forsberg Climbs in Record Books as Predators Climb in Standings
Forsberg is currently on a 94-point pace, which is 10 points more than his career high of 84 set in 2021-22. He is thriving on the Predators’ first line alongside Nashville newcomers Gustav Nyquist and Ryan O’Reilly, who appear to have unlocked a new level of Forsberg’s game.
“We’ve had a good vibe all season,” Forsberg said of his new linemates. “We’ve been playing really well together. They are veterans and really good players, and I think we see hockey in the same way. We want to hold onto the puck and not give it away unnecessarily. We want to be strong on the puck and try to find each other. I want to give a lot of credit to them, of course.”
In recent years, Forsberg has been more of a finisher – receiving plays, maintaining control of the puck and putting it in the back of the net. This season, however, he has exhibited tremendous leadership as a playmaker and one of the main drivers of the Predators’ offense.
Festivus Miracle: Juuse Saros’ Quick Turnaround
Nashville’s star goaltender didn’t have the hottest start to his season – granted, neither did the rest of his team. Still, Juuse Saros has been the backbone of a Predators team in transition, their one constant as they navigate the growing pains of a “competitive rebuild,” as former general manager David Poile called it (from ‘Are Nashville Predators a rebuilder or contender? I’m not sure they know — and that’s the problem,’ The Tennessean, 5/19/22). So, when he started this season with a 4-9 record, including a five-game skid from Nov. 2-14, Preds faithful began to panic.
Rest assured, though; Saros has seemingly returned to form. He followed up his five-game losing streak with an 11-2 run in his last 13 games, including a career-high six-game win streak from Dec. 3-16. On Thursday (Dec. 21) in Philadelphia, Saros earned his 162nd career win and became the second-winningest goaltender in franchise history, behind Pekka Rinne (369). He currently ranks second among all NHL goaltenders with 15 wins on the season.
Airing of Grievances: Cody Glass’ Rocky Start
To say that Cody Glass’ season hasn’t gone according to plan would be an understatement. Hampered by injuries that have landed him on injured reserve (IR) twice already this season, he has managed to put up just one goal and one assist in 14 games. He has also been a healthy scratch for the Predators’ last two contests.
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Glass’ fall from grace comes in the face of exceedingly high expectations for the former Vegas Golden Knights first-round pick after a career year that earned him a two-year, $5 million contract as a restricted free agent (RFA) this summer. He spent his first full season at the NHL level in 2022-23, amassing 35 points (14 goals, 21 assists) in 72 games with the Predators, all career highs. He was also second on the Predators in power-play goals with six, a career-high.
Following last season, Glass joined Canada at the 2023 World Championship, where he posted four assists in 10 games en route to the gold medal. In his first season in the Nashville organization in 2021-22, Glass led the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals in points with 62 (14 goals and 48 assists in 66 games) and ranked fifth in the AHL in assists while also appearing in eight games with the Predators (one assist).
Glass’ young career has already been riddled with injuries, and his impressive 2022-23 campaign earned him a nomination for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, given to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of “perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.” The hope now is that he can shake his injury-prone past and prove that this early underperformance has been nothing more than a stretch of bad luck.
Festivus Pole: The Jack Daniel’s Barrel Tree
Nothing says holiday cheer like Tennessee whiskey. The Jack Daniel’s Barrel Tree is an annual holiday tradition that started more than a decade ago at the Jack Daniel distillery and has since made its way to Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
The Nashville Barrel Tree towers over Demonbreun Street at seven tiers tall, constructed from 113 Jack Daniel’s Whiskey barrels. This year’s tree features specially finished barrels with Predators colors and a commemorative 25th-anniversary logo. Cheers, y’all.
The Predators enter the holiday break with a 19-15-0 record and will host the Carolina Hurricanes on Dec. 27. Until then, Smashville – Happy Holidays.