The recent fun-ification of the Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators' 6-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 30 signaled the start of a shift for the Predators.

Not that the lopsided result was unexpected or anything. Anaheim’s been the whipping boy of the league this year, so it’s not as if this was some massive, momentum-shifting win.

But it was the beginning of a new-look Predators team, as if they saw the upcoming new year and decided their New Year’s resolution was to be a fun team.

In that win over Anaheim, Nashville scored five goals on a season-high 4.07 expected goals at five on five alone, per Natural Stat Trick. That win kicked off a stretch where the Predators have created plenty of opportunities in their attacking zone,…