Predators leading league in playoff travel

Only hours after playing the longest game in franchise history, the Predators were preparing for another grueling step in what has been a backbreaking postseason run.

When the team’s charter plane touches down in San Jose this afternoon, the Predators will have traveled over 13,000 miles since April 13, per worldatlas.com — making seven trips to or from California.

That figure dwarfs the air miles logged by the seven other teams left in the postseason. The New York Islanders have done the second-most traveling (today’s expected travel included for all teams) at 6,282 miles, followed by San Jose (5,042).

Predators vs. Sharks, Game 5: 3 things to watch

In addition, the Predators haven’t had more than a single day between playoff games since opening the postseason on April 15, and the taxing combination of travel and condensed schedule means the team hasn’t conducted a full practice since April 14.

“It’s been a bit of a grind for us, with the trips to California and the seven-game series (in the first round),” Preds coach Peter Laviolette said. “But here we are. We haven’t really practiced in a long time and I’m not sure we’ll get to one unless we catch a break for a couple days. Maybe we’ll catch one before Game 7.

“But other than that, I think rest trumps everything right now. We want to make sure our players have the juice to play.”

Joe Rexrode: Predators' win was epic, exhausting, everything

This isn’t the first time the Predators – the easternmost team in the Western Conference – have hit the West Coast on a regular basis in the playoffs. In 2011, the Preds knocked off Anaheim in the first round before losing to Vancouver in the second round.

But the 2016 postseason has been even more demanding than that one for a couple of reasons.

In the 2011 playoffs, the Preds’ first-round series lasted only six games, and it featured a second day off in between Games 3 and 4. Additionally, the Preds got three days off after the first round before battling Vancouver in the second.

This year, the Preds had to go seven games to beat Anaheim in the first round. They began the second round two nights later, meaning they’ve played a game every other night since April 15.

“It’s been a grind – I just wish we could get all these air miles for ourselves,” Predators defenseman Barret Jackman said. “But it’s the hand we’re dealt. If we didn’t want all that travel, we could have finished higher in the standings. That’s the way it goes right now.”

It’s typical for teams to trim their practice schedule late in the regular season and in the playoffs, knowing that the push to the Stanley Cup – which often includes marathon games like Thursday’s triple-overtime win – can zap players’ energy.

But for the Predators to have gone since April 14 without a full practice – not including morning skates or optional practices – is not customary. The Preds’ priority at this point, however, is making sure they can give as much as possible on game nights, which is why Laviolette has chosen to rest between contests.

5 takeaways from Predators' 4-3 Game 4 win vs. Sharks

“I think the coaching staff has been really good about getting a feel for what guys need,” Predators forward Colin Wilson said. “We’ve been good about getting our rest, getting days off (from practice) and things like, to kind of counterbalance all the air miles we’ve been racking up.

“It’s certainly been different playing every other day through the playoffs without a two-day break. It’s been new. It’s been interesting.”

At least one Predators player, however, can’t get enough jetting back and forth in the postseason.

Rookie forward Colton Sissons is participating in his first NHL playoffs, after becoming much more accustomed over the past few years to the spartan travel conditions of the American Hockey League – which features plenty of long bus rides.

“I think the farthest bus trip we had was from Toronto to Milwaukee once, which was probably at least eight hours,” Sissons said. “But we’ve frequently had five- or six-hour bus rides from Grand Rapids (Mich.) and Des Moines, all kinds of places like that. So all this flying is fine with me.”

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

FREQUENT FLYERS

Here’s a look at the postseason air miles built up by the NHL’s remaining eight playoff teams. Today’s expected travel for all teams is taken into account:

NASHVILLE: 13,121 miles

Three trips from Nashville to Anaheim

Two trips from Anaheim to Nashville

One trip from Anaheim to San Jose

One trip from San Jose to Nashville

One trip from Nashville to San Jose

NY ISLANDERS: 6,282 miles

Two trips up-and-back to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

One trip up-and-back to Tampa, Fla.

SAN JOSE: 5,042 miles

Two trips up-and-back to Los Angeles

One trip up-and-back to Nashville

DALLAS: 4,520 miles

Two trips up-and-back to Minnesota

One trip up-and-back to St. Louis

TAMPA BAY: 3,119 miles

Two trips up-and-back to Detroit

One trip to Long Island, N.Y.

ST. LOUIS: 2,663 miles

Two trips up-and-back to Chicago

One trip up-and-back to Dallas

One trip to Dallas

PITTSBURGH: 1,267 miles

One trip up-and-back to New York

One trip up-and-back to Washington, D.C.

One trip to Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON: 914 miles

Two trips up-and-back to Philadelphia

One trip up-and-back to Pittsburgh