Before the Holiday Season Starts in Nashville… Hockey Season Gets Underway!
At Platinum Holiday Lighting, we’re all about getting ready for the holiday season. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have time to make room for other pursuits… like hockey!
The 2017-18 National Hockey League season opens tonight for 14 teams, including your Western Conference champion Nashville Predators!
The Preds are on the road tonight taking on the Boston Bruins, with faceoff scheduled for 6pm Central time. Many Middle Tennessee fans are looking forward to next week’s home opener, when Nashville plays host to the Philadelphia Flyers Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena.
But before that, the Predators have another key game on their schedule Saturday night. They’ll be on the road battling those dastardly Stanley Cup Champions, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Nashville was two games from winning the cup in early June before Pittsburgh blanked the Preds in the final two games of the series.
This season’s club will be without the services of veteran centerman Mike Fisher, who retired in the offseason; and James Neal, the winger who tallied 50 points in the regular season and playoffs, who was drafted by the expansion Vegas Golden Knights. Plus, defenseman Ryan Ellis won’t be available until February because of a knee injury.
Despite all these absences, NHL watchers still expect Nashville to be strong contenders this season. The Predators did sign Nick Bonino, a strong two-way center, away from Pittsburgh in the offseason; and goaltender Pekka Rinne showed last year that he’s still solid between the pipes.
One side note: Nashville’s star Canadian defenseman P.K. Subban was reported as saying that he would “never” kneel during the U.S. national anthem like many NFL players have done this year. Subban, the most prominent black player in professional hockey, made the comment at a September 26 fundraiser in Nashville. That news came on the heels of an announcement by the Predators’ organization that the club would not engage in any national anthem protests as a team this season.
Go Predators! Here’s to a great 2017-18 campaign.
If you’re looking for a professional Christmas light company to decorate your home, call Platinum Holiday Lighting today at 615-788-0085 or fill out this form.
