After a dramatic 2-1 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 14, the Nashville Predators had a chance to show they’d turned a new leaf.
Instead, it was the same inept, mistake-ridden, offensively challenged hockey we’ve seen all season.
“Tough start,” forward Ryan O’Reilly said after the 4-0 loss on Nov. 16 at Avicii Arena in Stockholm. “Just dug ourselves a hole early. (The Penguins) came out with more desperation.”
Pittsburgh jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first 10 minutes, including goals by Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, to send the Predators in an early tailspin. Through the first 20 minutes, the Penguins had more goals (three) than Nashville had shots (two).
“The puck meant more to them than us (in the first period),” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said after the loss. “A tough way to start a game.”
But the Predators didn’t finish any better than they started.
In the second and third periods, they were gifted four power play chances, but managed only four shots on goal. Old habits re-emerged: turnovers at the blue line, weak attempts from long distance, and ill-advised passes to nowhere. Nothing for Penguins goaltender Segery Murashov to sweat about, en route to a 21-save shutout and his first NHL win.
“It was a disappointment that we couldn’t grab (momentum). Grab a little of the traction that we got on Friday,” Brunette said.
On Nov. 14, after scoring the game-winning goal 48 seconds into overtime, Steven Stamkos said the team hoped the win would re-ignite their rapidly fading season.
Instead, it was snuffed out. The Predators are 6-10-4 (16 points) and in eighth place in the Central Division. They head back to North America after the NHL’s Global Series in a worse position in the standings than when they arrived on Nov. 11.
As Nashville Predators head for another poor season, could changes be coming?
Is there any difference between last season’s disaster and the current one? It’s hard to find one.
Through 20 games last season, the Predators were 6-11-3 (15 points) and floundering for answers. After 20 games this season, they have the same number of wins and one more point in the standings — a near-carbon copy of the season that finished third-worst in the NHL with a record of 30-44-8 (68 points).
And who is surprised?
It’s virtually the same roster and coaching staff and it’s getting similar results. Goal scoring has been pitiful, putting up 2.4 goals per game, 31st in the league. The defense has dropped to 28th in the league, allowing 3.5 goals per game. Both rankings are similar to where the Predators finished last season.
The one major difference? They’ve had more significant injuries this season, including a lengthy one to captain Roman Josi. He has been out since Oct. 25 with an upper-body injury.
There’s only so many changes that general manager Barry Trotz can consider at this point. Most of his big contracts, including those of Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, have no-movement clauses. He has come out in support of his coach multiple times, saying that Brunette is a “good young coach” for the franchise.
Minor changes — trading Erik Haula and Michael Bunting, both on expiring contracts — would only make things worse, even if they are necessary long term.
But if Nashville returns to action on Nov. 22 to face the Colorado Avalanche (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network) with the same roster and coaching staff, it should expect similar results.
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.