Shooting percentage can be a weird thing in the NHL, but there will always be ups and downs. To kick off the 2024-25 season, the Nashville Predators are at a low.
The NHL only started tracking shooting percentage in 2009-10. From there, the all-time lowest shooting percentage in a season at 5-on-5 is 5.7% by the Arizona Coyotes in 2014-15. There happens to be six teams at or below that line this season so far and Nashville is one of them.
While six games is not not even 1/13th of the regular season in the NHL, it’s enough to make a mark and see a trend. Numbers are exaggerated at the beginning of the season and the Predators currently have a 4.8 shooting percentage at 5-on-5.
Last season the Predators finished with a 7.6 shooting percentage at 5-on-5 and it was still lower than the league average of 8%. The league average shooting percentage thus far is 8.1%, so Nashville will climb as soon as their good chances start finding the back of the net.
Sometimes a couple of players on hot streaks or having great seasons in regards to shooting percentage can really sway a team. Other times players have a down year and it goes the other way.
While Nashville sits at 4.8 shooting percentage at 5-on-5 through six games this season, the Edmonton Oilers are tied with them and only the San Jose Sharks have a lower mark of 4.79%. The New York Islanders (5.3%) and Philadelphia Flyers (5%) are the only other two teams lower than the all-time worst mark, but the Ottawa Senators are tied at 5.7 shooting percentage.
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Last season the Predators had an expected goals for at 5-on-5 of 182 while only scoring 168 goals. This season Nashville has been expected to score 12 goals at 5-on-5, but has only recorded seven. The gap this season so far is much larger than even the bad luck the Predators experienced in 2023-24. Eventually pucks are going to start going in for them, and the earlier in the season it happens, the quicker the shooting percentage will climb.
With only four goals on 40 high-danger chances at 5-on-5, there is too much skill on the Predators to not start to bury the puck much more often and turn the tides of their season-opening slump.
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