No glossing over Predators' collapse

For the Nashville Predators, the regular season was a success.

Given the youth on the roster and the new direction under Peter Laviolette, who could have forecast a 47-25-10 season where the Predators spent a few heady weeks with the best record in the NHL? Even with a late-season swoon, Nashville finished with 104 points, sixth-best in the league.

Then came the postseason. And that's another story.

In the Stanley Cup playoffs, there are two outcomes: success or failure. By exiting from the opening round in six games, this qualifies as the latter.

That's the cold, hard truth of the Predators' postseason. A team that showed such promise for the better part of six months came unraveled when it mattered most. There's no way to sugarcoat it. The Predators blew it.

Yes, there were mitigating circumstances. Aren't there always?

Shea Weber's injury in Game 2 was a major blow. Mike Fisher's absence for the better part of four games left a mark. Meanwhile, Chicago's Joel Quenneville proved equal parts coach and psychic with the timing of his goalie shuffle.

Consider it an opportunity lost. Although Bridgestone Arena was filled to 98 percent capacity during the regular season and all three home playoff games were sold out, it is no secret that this franchise still has plenty of work to do to win over the casual fan in the community.

Nothing sells a sport and a team like a deep postseason run. Playoff success loads up the bandwagon and sells tickets for future seasons. Going one-and-done bursts the bubble.

Of the eight playoff runs in franchise history, this ranks behind only 2012 in terms of disappointment. Three years ago, the Predators went all in with deals down the stretch. Alexander Radulov returned from Russia. General manager David Poile was aggressive in trades.

After dominating Detroit in the first round, that Predators team flamed out in five games against Phoenix. This team didn't even make it out of the first round.

In retrospect, it's fair to wonder if Poile was too conservative at the trade deadline. A month or so earlier, he had spoken about possibly adding a veteran presence at forward. Instead, he stood pat after the acquisitions of Mike Santorelli and Cody Franson. Neither made much of a difference down the stretch or in the playoffs.

It's always dangerous to cross-reference sports, but this strikes me as the NHL equivalent to what happened to the Titans in 2008. Despite a rather pedestrian roster that included Kerry Collins at quarterback, the '08 Titans went 13-3 in the regular season and received a first-round bye in the playoffs.

Then they made an abrupt exit from the postseason with a 13-10 disappearing act against Baltimore.

For those keeping score, that was the Titans' last playoff appearance. Even after the disappointing playoff exit, there's no reason to suggest the Predators will go six years without a postseason berth.

Predators apologists will point out — correctly — that this team won the stat-sheet battle with Chicago. True, if you combine the numbers from the six games, Nashville outscored, outshot and outhit the Blackhawks.

There is, however, that one little nagging detail: the numbers on the scoreboard at the end of each game. In four of six, the Blackhawks outscored the Predators.

More than anything else, this series was lost because the Predators couldn't hold a lead. Game 1 proved to be an indication of what was to come. They scored three times in the first period. By the end of the second period, it was tied 3-3. Chicago won in double overtime.

In Game 6, the Predators surged to leads of 2-0 and 3-1 in the first period but couldn't maintain control before ultimately losing 4-3.

As it turns out, the Predators simply couldn't shake out of a slump that marked the final six weeks of the regular season. When they beat Colorado 5-2 on Feb. 24, the Preds stood at 41-13-7 and were 26-3-1 on home ice. It is telling that they went 4-7-3 at home from that point forward, playoffs included.

In sum, the regular season was a success and the postseason was a failure.

And everybody knows which one matters more.

David Climer's columns appear on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Reach him at 615-259-8020 and on Twitter @DavidClimer.