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The all-time leader in goals scored in Nashville Predators franchise history, Filip Forsberg, has had a sudden and much-needed resurgence. One of the worst goal-scoring slumps of his career has coincided with Nashville's most frustrating start to the season in years.
Finally, it looks like Forsberg has shaken off the rust completely. A seven-game stretch without a goal to open up the season raised the eyebrows of even Forsberg's biggest supporters. He ultimately added his first goal of the season against the Blues on Oct. 17. While the drought was overr, the scoring sparcity was still concerning.
The Predators' inability to close out games was no coincidence. It would be another three games before Forsberg saw another one of his shots go through the net. However, the damage was done, not only to the Predators' record, but also their morale.
An obvious lack of effort seemed like a death sentence for Nashville's season. The deflated energy from even the Predators' most reliable skater left fans in a world of gloom. This was supposed to be the start of a new era. A front office change and major roster shifts modeled the team after recent Stanley Cup Champions, yet the season had very few positives to show for. That was until Forsberg's breakout.
It's weird to say a 32-year-old with 363 lifetime goals with a single organization had a breakout game. However, that is exactly what happened in Nashville's Oct. 26 thrashing of the Colorado Avalanche. It was the 11th game of the season for the Predators, and Forsberg played as if the first ten games never happened.
Despite being a significant underdog and the team getting embarrassed by both the Bruins and Penguins in the preceding 100 hours, Forsberg showed up to play, and his troops followed suit. In that victory, he recorded his second goal of the season to go along with two additional assists.
Dating back to that game against the Avalanche, Nashville is 6-1-1 and, seemingly out of nowhere, is one of the hottest teams in the league. Since then, Forsberg is averaging just under two points per game and is now up to 7 total goals, which is good for second on the team, behind just Steven Stamkos with 10.
Nashville is riding a five-game winning streak, and Forsberg has been integral to the turnaround. Most recently, a two-goal performance against the Kings on Tuesday has put Predators fans on notice. Many, if not all, of the concerns about Forsberg have been put to bed. It looks like this final-form Forsberg is here to stay, and the man we saw on the ice in the first 10 games was a wolf in sheeps clothing.
More like a dormant volcano, Forsberg's offense was due to erupt. Predators' fans hope that the recent outburst is a sign of more things to come rather than a flashback for a long-time favorite.
Predators fans will see Forsberg and company back on the ice at 9:00 on Wednesday, facing the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center to continue their five-game road trip.