Nashville Predators: Despite win, Predators looked back in Columbus

Although the Nashville Predators escaped Columbus with a “W”. It wasn’t in a convincing fashion. In fact, no one played well, except maybe Salomaki.

The Nashville Predators defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets by a score of five to three. While the score sheet may swing in the Predators favor, the other stats don’t agree. The Blue Jackets outmatched the Predators in almost every stat, advanced or simple. But before we delve too far into the mistakes the Predators made, there were some bright spots.

Kevin Fiala finally put up numbers to match his work ethic. His hard work paid off in the form of two goals and a takeaway. Fiala played against Columbus’ top defensive pair and still looked ok. That’s a good sign for the future. Pontus Aberg also netted his first point of the pre-season. And believe me, we’ve been waiting for it. He’s looked stale through the first three games of the pre-season, but he showed signs of life. Aberg still has a lot to prove though. And finally, Jack Dougherty showed some offensive up-side alongside his sound defensive play. If Dougherty could add more scoring to his game, then he’s destined for a top four or even a top two spot.

Don’t be fooled though. The Nashville Predators did not play that well, although there were a few silver linings

The Simple Stats

More from Editorials

• Captain Candidates if Nashville Predators Didn’t Have Roman Josi
• How the Nashville Predators Have Trended over Past Five Years
• Three Reasons Nashville Predators can Shock the World in 2023-24
• Three Different Outcomes for Juuse Saros’ Future with Nashville Predators
• Top-5 Nashville Predators Home Games to Attend for Upcoming Season

The Predators pulled off a weird one on Sunday afternoon. While the Predators prevailed five to three, they didn’t do well in a lot of simple stats. The Predators kept the shots fairly even at 30-33 in favor of Columbus. With most shots for the Predators coming from above the slot and around the top of circles. While Columbus took more of their shots from inside the slots and the net-front.

Scoring chances are often subjective, but it’s hard to argue in tonight’s case. Columbus put up 50 scoring chances, 50!!! While the Predators managed a respectable 22. But that’s not the worst part. Columbus 21 high danger scoring chances while the Predators only put up 11. Once again, 11 isn’t a bad number. But it’s not in a good light when Columbus has as many high danger chances as the Predators have normal chances.

The Advanced Stats

Just for future reference, all stats I use are in an all situations context. That means it combines five on five, power play, and penalty kill.

Columbus beat out the Predators in terms of Corsi. Columbus netted a Corsi score of 61.8 while the Nashville Predators scored 38.2. This means that the Blue Jackets were generating twice as many shots as they were allowing. Columbus beat the Predators in the first two periods, and then tied the Predators in the third at 50/50. Not only that though. Only six Predators managed a Corsi above 50 and most were below 43.

The Fenwick score stories are terribly similar to the Corsi score, although a little better. The Blue Jackets put up a great 57.3 Fenwick score while the Predators barely managed a 42.7. In relation to Corsi, it means the Nashville Predators actually did better at suppressing shots. While the Blue Jackets generated a lot more shots, the Predators did a good job of keeping them off net. Once again, the same six players managed an over average Fenwick.

The Nashville Predators are usually a team that dominates on each aspect of the game. So it’s a little odd to see the Predators fail so miserably in Columbus. I expect this to change as soon as the Predators have a full roster.

The Silver Lining

I already mentioned some parts of the game that the Predators are happy about. But I feel as if I should go more into what the Predators did well.

Six players put up average or above average Corsi and Fenwick scores last night. Those players are Miikka Salomaki, Craig Smith, Colton Sissons, Emil Pettersson, Matt Irwin, and last but certainly not least, Samuel Girard.

Salomaki looked great once again, he’s currently playing his way into the top nine. Right into a spot that many, including myself, assumed that Pontus Aberg would take. Well, that spot is now up for discussion and there are another two games to see who’s going to get it.

Smith and Sissons looked good tonight together as they faced off against Columbus’ top defensive pairing. It’s good that Smith is getting back into the swing of things because his spot on the second line is not assured. Meanwhile, Sissons is continuing to impress, although he’ll never fit in above Calle Jarnkrok or Nick Bonino.

Emil Pettersson is showing that he’s more NHL-ready forward prospect. Vladislav Kamenev is extremely disappointing the coaching staff and the fans. He’s no longer in anyone’s good graces and might get sent back down at any time. Pettersson, on the other hand, is playing well enough to make a few features on the bottom six.

Girard is also surpassing Alexandre Carrier in many ways, and he’s being rewarded for it. Expect him to get a full nine games in the NHL.

Next: Predators Skate By Blue Jackets

While the Nashville Predators weren’t a complete mess, they were still pretty bad. Any more showings like this will result in many more tallies in the “L” column.