Only a small handful of pundits seem to be picking the Dallas Stars over the Nashville Predators in this upcoming playoff series. For them, the key is special teams, which is a problem that has plagued the Predators for over a year and a half.
Special teams are such a crux of high-intensity, high-pressure games. The emotion swing from scoring a goal or killing off a big penalty resonates up and down benches like an earthquake. Failing to score on a key power play leaves a strong feeling of “should’ve, would’ve, could’ve” in losses.