Nashville Predators: Three Things That the Predators Must Do On Opening Night

After a rocky 0-2-0 start to the season, the Nashville Predators must up their game when they play at home for the first time tonight.

Well, the 2017-2018 season is not off to the start that most saw. The Nashville Predators are 0-2-0, coming off a difficult road trip in Boston and Pittsburgh. Although the score in Boston was close, the game really wasn’t. The Predators were clearly slow and out of sync for most of that opening game, but managed to scrape out 2 goals in the last-minute of the game, to save their pride.

There was nothing to be proud of two days later though, when the Predators were handled by the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-0 on the road. The Predators were 0-5 on the power play, and racked up an astounding 46 penalty minutes. Nashville let their emotions from the Stanley Cup control the game, which made them an easy target for the veteran Penguins. They were outshot, and ultimately, simply dominated.

Tonight though, the Predators have a chance to start fresh as they play at home for the first time this season. The Western Conference Champions banner will go up, the Smashville faithful will be back in full force for the first time since Game 6 of the Stanley Cup, and hopefully, the Predators will show out as well.

Defense

The Predators defense has been the franchise’s staple for many years. Some of the best Predators have been defenseman, and GM Poile has always built from the back, up. With all the hype behind this defensive core though, they’re simply underperforming.

Not a single Predator defenseman has a positive +/- right now. The blue line as a whole has 7 shots on net this season.  Only Roman Josi, PK Subban, and Mattias Ekholm have seen more than 16 minutes of ice time per game. All of this to say, the Predators need more consistent help from the defense.

We can give the defense a little break though, as they are operating without Ryan Ellis for the next few months. And, tonight, Josi is out with Samuel Girard taking his place.

Josi, Subban, and Ekholm are all averaging 23+ minutes on ice per game. While you do want your stars on the ice more often, you must have help from the lower lines too. Bitetto, Irwin, and Weber have been non-factors so far, only seeing roughly 15 minutes on ice.

The blue line must help each other first, so that they can then help Rinne. In his first start of the year, Pekka made 28 saves, however, sometimes giving up 3 goals won’t cut it. He doesn’t look out of style, but he does need help from his defenseman who are some of the best in the game.

JoFA

One crucial piece to the puzzle this season is the JoFA line. Arvy, Joey, and Forsberg must show up and show out every night if this team wants to win. The offense has been off to a slow start, as only one of their three goals so far was solid. Ryan Johansen has tallied 2 points, Viktor Arvidsson has 2, and Filip Forsberg has 1.

Not terrible, as that is a solid chunk of the team’s total points. However, my main focus is shots. This line was so productive last year because of the number of shots they generated. So far this year, they’ve only tallied 14 total as a unit. If the Predators offense wants to hit its stride, the first line needs to lead the way. They’ve got a rare combination of smarts, skill, speed, and chemistry, that makes them as hard to defend, as any other line in the NHL.

If they can start playing like the superstars that they are, the Predators will be alright.

Tonight is their night to prove why they’re some of the best in the business. If they’re on their game, especially at home, the Predators are a tough monster to beat. However, it appears that coach Laviolette will shake-up the lines, with Craig Smith and Forsberg switching places.

Depth Must Show Up

All off-season, the analysts raved about the Nashville Predators depth. Young skaters here, savvy veterans there. Two games into the season though, Scott Hartnell seems to be the only visible presence after the first line.

Sure, the first line is great, but they need help. If the lower lines can pull their weight, and then some, the first line will have more chances, as defenses will be forced to spread out their efforts.

Calle Jarnkrok, Pontus Aberg, and Colton Sissons showed the most improvement this offseason, so now its time to let that work show. Each only has 3 shots on net this season, and Jarnkrok is the only one with a point. All three are very capable forwards, and need to start showing it.

Aberg, Jarnkrok, and Hartnell have a chance to be a very solid line this season, with the speed and skill of Aberg and Jarnkrok, and the veteran physicality and vision of Hartnell. Once they settle into this new line pairing, they should be able to compete well, and help the Predators offense tremendously.

Craig Smith, Colton Sissons, and Nick Bonino have been less than impressive this season so far. This line starts with Bonino. He is under 50% in faceoffs this year, and has been noticeably slow. However, I’d like to attribute that to an awkward meeting with his old team, an ongoing recovery from a broken leg, and playing with two completely new wingers. With Bonino’s excellent leadership, I would be shocked if their struggles continued much longer.