Andrew Brunette doesn’t see any comparison between these Nashville Predators and the team that finished third worst in the NHL last season.
“This is nothing like last year,” Brunette said after the Predators’ 5-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks at Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 21, their fourth straight defeat. “This is a different team, a different type of team. And it was not a good game for us.”
The Predators (2-3-2, 6 points) fell behind 1-0 in the first period, then 4-2 in the second, then folded in the third period, unable to muster more than two shots. It certainly looked a lot like last season’s team − giving up easy offense after defensive turnovers, being thwarted by a smaller defensive group, unable to capitalize on the power play.
But Brunette doesn’t see it that way.
“It’s two different teams. Tonight, to me, it was execution. We were slow at everything we did, against a really fast team. Its mental and a little bit physical. We weren’t sharp,” Brunette said.
But the truth is, however you get there, the result is the same. They’ve now lost four straight, something they did during five different stretches last season. They are scoring just 2.43 goals per game, down from 2.59 last season. They are allowing 3.43 goals per game, up from 3.34 last season.
So, in a way, Brunette is correct − this team is different from last season’s team. They’re worse.
And players are starting to speak up.
After the morning skate before the game against the Ducks, forward Steven Stamkos did not mince words when talking about the Predators’ offensive challenges.
“We’re not a team that is going to go out and score four or five goals every night. I think we can all agree on that, right?” Stamkos said. “We can’t just open the flood gates and go back and forth, chance for chance and win games like that. That’s not the identity of our team.”
Then, just as Stamkos said, the Predators tried to go “chance for chance” with a younger, faster opponent. And it didn’t work.
The players know they have limitations. They know that because they aren’t built to score goals, they have to play a heavy defensive game, just to survive. And if things go wrong, the game is over quick.
“This is just a game we didn’t execute at the level, we didn’t play at the pace we needed to play,” Brunette described it. “That’s every little stick battle. There’s a reason we took penalties, we were soft on pucks. They were faster. That’s something our concentration has to be higher on next game.”
But call it execution, call it “soft on pucks,” call it pace of play, call it whatever. The fact is, this Nashville team is no better than they were a year ago at this time. Through seven games, they have two wins, the same as last season, and tied for last in the Central Division. They’ve scored fewer goals. The power play is worse. The defense is still a mess. Goaltending has looked promising, but that’s bound to change if the defense doesn’t improve.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.