Predators Get Pummeled by Oilers, Pekka Rinne Chased Again

This wasn’t the first time this season that we saw the Nashville Predators get completely embarrassed and leave us wondering if they have anything left.

Losses likes this early in the season are one thing because you have plenty of time to regroup and recover. Not so much when you take a 8-3 loss to a team you’re battling with for a possible wildcard spot.

It was tied 3-3 going into the final period, but the Predators were pretty fortunate to even be tied. Then everything unraveled as the Predators surrendered five goals in a span of just over five minutes of regulation time.

Another bad night for Pekka Rinne

Rinne was benched after goal No.8 was surrendered, but I thought he should’ve been pulled when it was 5-3. Why they left him out there to be embarrassed even further is beyond me.

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It’s pretty heartbreaking to see Rinne possibly end his career like this. Maybe he has another season left, but either way, he doesn’t have many starts left as Juuse Saros is taking the majority of starts lately.

The team also appeared to just give up in front of him after giving up the 5th or 6th goal.

Perhaps the team wasn’t going to come back at that point, but to just quit playing like they appeared to do is very unnerving.

Rinne isn’t absolved of all of the blame. Of course he surrendered goals he should’ve saved, and he’s not been his usual self all season. It’s a combination of bad luck, poor defense in front of him, a midseason coaching change and just declining play.

This team has to rally around him in his next start and raise up their level of play. Rinne has to step up and make the saves, but the players in front of him can make things easier on him as well.

How will they respond?

This doesn’t end the season prematurely, so no need to yell doom and gloom. If anything, this loss just reaffirms what we’ve all been thinking since November. That this team is just too inconsistent to go anywhere far in the playoffs, if they even do make it.

However, they did run into a team that I personally have pegged as a real threat to make the Stanley Cup Final. They’re that loaded with offensive talent, speed and strong enough goaltending.

No matter how good the opponent is, that’s no excuse for how bad the Predators fell apart.  You’re going to lose occasionally to teams that are just flat out better than you are, but losses like this just can’t happen.

Once again we have to see how this team responds to adversity, and they have no time to recover as they take on the Minnesota Wild later tonight on a back-to-back. Another team in the thick of the wildcard race.

Predators captain Roman Josi said after the game that the team has to wake up “mad and angry”, per Kara Hammer of Fox Sports Tennessee:

We’ve heard this response several times this season. Sometimes it’s led to a positive response, and other times the team has fallen into a tailspin.

Another tailspin at this time of the season will mean the Predators will miss the playoffs for sure.

Before things got out of control last night, Josi tallied his 16th goal of the season, which is a new career high. He also reached 61 points, which ties a career high set back in 2015-16.

Calle Jarnkrok and Nick Bonino were the other Nashville goal scorers. Bonino is now tied with Filip Forsberg for the team lead in goals with 18.

There was only one other game in the NHL last night, so the Predators held their final wildcard spot at 72 points. But they made up one of those games in hand as well.

Now the pressure intensifies as the games start evening out, and that safety net of extra games evaporates for the Predators.