Players welcome the rest even though it comes in the middle of their best stretch of play this year.
A week and a half ago it looked like the Nashville Predators' season started slipping away. The team was only one point out of the last wild card spot, but they had only won twice in 10 games. A daunting road trip through Western Canada loomed, and the Predators faced the unenvious task of having to put together any kind of winning streak to keep from tumbling further down the standings.
They responded by sweeping the four games and entering the All-Star Break in playoff position.