A 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks is not enough for Nashville Predators coach Andrew Brunette to believe his team has resolved their offensive issues.

After ending the team’s four-game losing streak on Cole Smith’s third-period, go-ahead goal at Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 23, Brunette spoke afterward about how he’s dealing with the team’s ongoing scoring struggles.

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“There’s different ways or different things you can say, but a lot of times, because they’re great players, they’ll find their rhythm at some point,” Brunette said.

Then he alluded to potential changes on the way for the offense.

“You try to hang in there a little bit with them, but you know, there might be some changes on the way, too,” Brunette said.

He did not say whether these were tactical or lineup changes, but clarified he’s not worried about the team’s effort to this point.

“It’s just not going right now for them. They’ll find it,” Brunette said.

The Predators continue their home stand on Oct. 25, hosting the Los Angeles Kings at Bridgestone Arena (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network).

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Nashville (3-3-2, 8 points) have scored 2.38 goals per game, which ranks 30th in the NHL. They’ve scored two or fewer goals in six of their eight games, including four straight.

Like last season, it’s the Predators’ top offensive players that are struggling. Filip Forsberg has just two goals in eight games. Roman Josi and Steven Stamkos each have one. Luke Evangelista has yet to score. Jonathan Marchessault has two goals, but is day-to-day with an injury.

“Right now, we have to play a certain way to keep ourselves in games,” Brunette said, referencing the defensive-heavy approach in their win over the Canucks. Nashville allowed Vancouver only 22 shots on goal and blocked 19 others to support Juuse Saros in net. The Predators’ penalty kill continued its heavy workload, holding off five Canucks power plays from scoring.

But this is not a long term solution for the Predators. A defense-only approach won’t win many games in the Western Conference facing offense-happy teams like the Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars.

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Which is why Brunette referencing changes could be coming moving forward. In all likelihood, he’s communicating a potential tactical or lineup change. Switching up the lines could spark one or two offensive players to jump start the offense.

The other less likely explanation is a roster move. Ahead of the Canucks matchup, the team recalled forward Matthew Wood — Brunette said he thought Wood “jumped right in and fit really well” into the lineup. Other call-ups could include winger Joakim Kemell, who was sent to Milwaukee on Oct. 16 or rookie defenseman Tanner Molendyk. Molendyk, a 2023 first-round pick, could help spark the offense from the back end, but has yet to debut in the NHL.

Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Predators’ Andrew Brunette hints at ‘changes on the way’ for offense