This wasn't an end for Nashville Predators and Andrew Brunette, but a beginning | Estes

Soon as it ended, when the Vancouver Canucks knew they were — at long last — done with this nasty series, that they could stop sprawling en masse in front of their net and exhale in relief, Roman Josi embodied the reaction of Nashville Predators fans everywhere.

The captain raised his stick over his head with both hands and slammed it on the ice in frustration.

That kind of series, y’all.

The Predators exited the NHL playoffs Friday night with their claw marks still on them. Not that it's any consolation. That final, agonizing 1-0 defeat at Bridgestone Arena will only deepen the torment of knowing these six games could have easily tilted their way.

Just so many missed opportunities for the Predators.

They’ll move forward knowing that the Canucks won the series despite being outplayed for much of it. Nashville couldn’t capitalize on a 150-121 series edge in shots on goal or the fact that Vancouver was without star goaltender Thatcher Demko, a Vezina Trophy finalist, after Game 1.

Vancouver third-stringer Arturs Silovs went toe-to-toe with Juuse Saros in the series’ deciding game and won a pitchers’ duel. Saros was outstanding Friday night and most of this series. Silovs had no business being as tremendous as he was in three starts, two of which he won on the road. Neither the Predators, nor the moment, rattled the 23-year-old. He’s why the Canucks are still playing.

As for why the Predators aren’t, let’s start here:

They lost all three home games, which continued their odd regular-season trend of playing better away from Smashville. And they failed to close out games, losing third-period leads in Game 1 and Game 4. That blown 3-1 lead in the final minutes of Game 4 will sting the most.

Previously:Hats off to Vancouver Canucks for being more 'relentless' than Nashville Predators | Estes

It stinks to lose. It especially stinks to lose a playoff series for the sixth time in a row, going back to 2018.

This, however, feels different.

It wasn't an end. This season was a beginning.

Andrew Brunette is a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, and he deserves to be. He got the most possible out of a rebuilding roster that was still in construction — and on paper, not playoff-caliber. Outside of Josi and Saros and Filip Forsberg and maybe Ryan O’Reilly, who truly scared an opponent going against Nashville?

These Predators far exceeded the sum of their parts, and that’s coaching.

“Brunette, hell of a coach,” Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet, also a Jack Adams finalist, told TNT’s studio show after Friday’s game. “He did a great job with that team. It was a tough series.”

These short-term limitations — ones we knew were there all along — were exposed in this series, even as the franchise’s long-term aspirations have been emboldened for months.

A lot of intangibles have been going for the Predators of Brunette and general manager Barry Trotz. They fought and scrapped and did all the things to put themselves in position to beat the Pacific Division’s No. 1 team. It's just that once there, they didn’t have enough players capable of making the difference.

The Canucks were able to defend and muddy up this series enough to win in spite of the Predators' advantage in goal, which reflected the fact that the Canucks believed they could beat the Predators that way. The finishing quality on the offensive end was lacking, even when possession was ample.

Nashville had nine more power-play opportunities than Vancouver in the series, but both scored only two. The Preds were 2 of 22. They didn’t have a forward beat Silovs in the series’ final two games.

A year into his new role, Trotz has the Predators far better positioned for the long haul, but he's got work to do to find more of those forwards capable of winning playoff series. The good news? Trotz managed to still maintain a playoff team while adding to a stockpile of draft picks and young prospects.

The biggest knock on this season is Nashville may have leaned too much on older veterans rather than letting younger players gain NHL-level experience. But there’s talent in the pipeline for Brunette, and even with most of it still in there, he nearly made the conference semifinals. What happens when all these draft picks grow up?

This season was found money. And it was a good show. All these veterans out there winning and playing so well and, my gosh, getting close to something that no one thought possible. They didn't run out of fortitude. They just ran out of time. And maybe talent.

But they'll be back, these Predators.

It's easier these days to believe that about them, much like it's easier to exit a disappointing playoff loss with eyes staring ahead, eager to look out the windshield, not the rearview mirror.

Reach Tennessean sports columnist Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter) @Gentry_Estes.