Editing Nashville Predators (section)

===Early years (1998–2005)===
The Predators began play during the [[1998–99 NHL season|1998–99 season]], taking to the ice for the first time on October 10, 1998, where they lost 1–0 at home to the [[Florida Panthers]]. It was the only sold-out game of the Predators' first five bouts in Nashville.<ref name=si/> Three nights later, on October 13, they defeated the [[Carolina Hurricanes]] 3–2 for their first win. Forward [[Andrew Brunette]] scored the first goal. The Predators, in their first year of existence, finished second-to-last in the Western Conference with a 28–47–7 record. In the [[1999–2000 NHL season|1999–2000 season]], the Predators finished with a similar record to the previous season, and finished last in the Western Conference behind the [[Calgary Flames]]. However, during a game versus the [[New York Islanders]] on February 20, 2000, the Predators scored four goals in 3 minutes and 38 seconds.

To begin the [[2000–01 NHL season|2000–01 season]], the Predators played two games at the Saitama Super Arena in [[Tokyo, Japan]] against the [[Pittsburgh Penguins]]. Each team won a game in front of the largest crowds ever to see a hockey game in Japan (13,849 for the first game and 13,426 for the second game). This included around 100 fans who made the trip from Tennessee.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nhl.com/predators/news/10th-anniv-2000-season-opens-in-japan/c-439294 | title=10th Anniv.: 2000 Season Opens in Japan}}</ref> Backed by the goaltending duo of [[Mike Dunham]] and [[Tomáš Vokoun|Tomas Vokoun]], Nashville finished the season in tenth place in the Western Conference, ten points out of a playoff spot with 80 total points. During the [[2001–02 NHL season|2001–02 season]], the Predators recorded their 100th victory on December 6, 2001. With that win, Nashville became the second-fastest expansion team of the 1990s to reach the 100-win plateau. In the [[2002–03 NHL season|2002–03 season]], head coach Barry Trotz broke the record for most games coached by the original coach of an expansion team (392 games).

In June 2003, the Predators hosted the [[2003 NHL entry draft|NHL entry draft]]. Future Predators captain [[Shea Weber]] was selected by the team with the 49th overall pick.

The club failed to qualify for the [[Stanley Cup playoffs]] for their first five years as a franchise. However, in the [[2003–04 NHL season|2003–04 season]], the Predators finished eighth in the Western Conference, qualifying for their first postseason berth. The Predators were eliminated by the [[Detroit Red Wings]] in six games in the first round of the [[2004 Stanley Cup playoffs]]. The following [[2004–05 NHL season|2004–05 season]] was wiped out by a labor dispute between NHL owners and players.