Nashville Predators general manager Barry Trotz watched his team lose 9-2 on Feb. 15. It was the club’s second consecutive defeat — both at home — and a third poor effort in a row, and Trotz decided the Predators would be better off without a trip to see U2 perform at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
Trotz talked it over with coach Andrew Brunette, called captain Roman Josi to tell him the plan to go out early before facing the Golden Knights — the reigning Stanley Cup champions — was off, then pulled the plug because the team’s play wasn’t up to par.
“Just as a team, you have to earn the right,” Trotz recalled. “It’s a big expense, and we said, ‘No, it’s not acceptable,’ and we made a decision to come back.”
They didn’t get to see Bono, but the Predators have enjoyed plenty of beautiful days since then.
They are 16-0-2 in their past 18 games, the longest point streak in franchise history and the longest run for any NHL team this season. This stretch has shored up Nashville’s playoff positioning after it seemed to be on the bubble for several months.