Predators' Matt Cullen seeks one more magical memory

He's played 17 NHL seasons, reached the playoffs seven times — with six teams — and captured one Stanley Cup.

But all the numbers Predators forward Matt Cullen has racked up in a nearly two-decade career simply mean that each successive playoff run has become all the more meaningful to him.

He never knows, after all, which postseason might be his last.

The 38-year-old Cullen says he'll consider his future after this season, weighing factors such as his health and his desire to spend time with a family that includes three young boys.

In the meantime, however, Cullen has found himself playing an even more critical role than expected in the Predators' first-round series against Chicago. It was the versatile Cullen who stepped into second-line center Mike Fisher's role on Wednesday after Fisher was injured, and if Fisher isn't ready for Friday's Game 2, the Predators probably will ask Cullen to take on increased responsibility once again.

"I think as you get later in your career, you kind of realize that you're not going to have many more important opportunities," Cullen said. "When you're a younger guy and you go through it, you kind of feel like for some reason that you'll have plenty more of these opportunities.

"But as you go through it, you realize how difficult it is to get through the regular season and the postseason. So you treasure those times more, you enjoy them more, and they become even more important to you."

Cullen showed his underrated value in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime loss to Chicago in Game 1.

He began the game in his familiar position this season, playing the third-line wing. But after Fisher went down to a lower-body injury, Cullen spent much of the remainder of the game at second-line center — posting an assist, winning 12 of 17 faceoffs and spending 23:32 on the ice, tied for fifth-highest among Nashville forwards.

"I thought Matt played an excellent game," Predators coach Peter Laviolette said. "He continued to produce on that (second) line and make that line go. He hasn't played a lot of center this year. But he jumped in there, and faceoff-wise he was good, defensively he was good and offensively, he made things go with that line."

It was just the latest postseason memory for Cullen, whose first came in 1999 with Anaheim.

Nothing in his past will top the end of the 2005-06 season, however, when his Carolina Hurricanes — coached by Laviolette — stunned the NHL by beating Edmonton in seven games and capturing the Stanley Cup.

"I'd never been in a Game 7 like that for all the marbles, and it was as good as it gets," Cullen said. "The fans never sat down. They stood through the whole game. And nothing beats raising the Cup at home."

On the way to piling up 69 career playoff games — a total that includes three postseason runs of at least 10 games — Cullen became the kind of teammate whom young players looked up to, a role he's continued the past two seasons in Nashville.

"You can learn a lot off him," said Predators forward Taylor Beck, who played his first playoff game on Wednesday. "I've been watching him all year, and he's been great on and off the ice. You could see his experience (on Wednesday) because he's always calm and collected, and he played extremely well for us."

Just how many more playoff runs are left in the legs of the Minnesota native, who will be a free agent after this season, remains to be seen.

But the uncertainty of the future means the present becomes that much more important.

"I know that I'm getting awfully close to the end, and that if I am going to play, it's not going to be much longer," Cullen said. "So I'm fully aware this could be my last (playoff) opportunity, and that's the way I'm treating it. You're never promised another season, so I'm treating this like it's going to be my last and I plan on making the most of it."

Reach John Glennon at 615-259-8262 and on Twitter @glennonsports.

CULLEN'S CLASSICS

In his 17 seasons in the NHL, Predators forward Matt Cullen has reached the playoffs seven times with six teams. Here are his top five playoff memories:

June 19, 2006 Cullen and the Carolina Hurricanes defeat Edmonton in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, thrilling an appreciative home crowd that stood and cheered throughout the entire contest.

April 21, 1999 Cullen plays in his first career playoff game for the Anaheim Ducks against Detroit. The Wings won the game.

June 1, 2006 Cullen and the Hurricanes score three third-period goals against Buffalo, rallying for a 4-2 victory over the Sabres in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.

May 5, 2013 A Minnesota native, Cullen plays his first home playoff game for the Minnesota Wild, earning an assist on the game-winning overtime goal against Chicago.

April 18, 2007 Cullen scores the series-clinching goal as the underdog New York Rangers sweep Atlanta in an Eastern Conference first-round series.

SERIES SCHEDULE

Game 1: Blackhawks 4-3 (2OT)

Friday: at Nashville, 8:30 p.m., SportSouth

Sunday: at Chicago, 2 p.m., WSMV-4

Tuesday: at Chicago, 8:30 p.m., Fox TN

x-April 23: at Nashville, TBA

x-April 25: at Chicago, TBA

x-April 27: at Nashville, TBA

x-if necessary