Nashville Predators vs Tampa Bay Lightning: Back in Bridgestone

All eyes are on Nashville Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette’s new fast-paced system after both split squad teams lost their respective games against the Florida Panthers, squad one losing 5-0  and 5-2 on Monday.

Fans are expecting a big turnaround during the next two preseason games against the Tampa Bay Lightning, as the roster begins to be cut down and players are reassigned to their respective junior teams.

The Predators announced yesterday that they sent seven players back to their respective junior teams, leaving the roster with 54 remaining players.

That being said, let’s look at some players who should play an important role in the next two preseason games against Tampa Bay.

Joakim Kemell Finding His Shot in the NHL

It’s no secret that Joakim Kemell has one of the best shots of the current players signed by the Predators, but what is his role going to be for the team during the 2023-24 season?

Brunette will be looking to see how Kemell fairs against current NHL players with him being so young and not having any NHL experience.

Kemell will most likely be sent back to the Milwaukee Admirals following the preseason games, but he will be wanting to take full advantage of his time with the team during the preseason, as I believe he will be one of the first called up from Milwaukee during the regular season if they need any replacement players.

After scoring 13 points in 14 games during the regular season and 10 points in 14 games during the playoffs with the Admirals, Kemell has definitely proven himself as a valuable asset to the team, and Brunette has certainly noticed this as well.

During the preseason game on Monday against the Florida Panthers, Kemell was placed on the first power play line with Tommy Novak and Egor Afanasyev, both of whom saw time in the NHL last season.

Brunette was most likely testing out how they can use his shot on the power play and how well he works with other players in regards to getting this rocket of a shot set up.

I would like to see a goal or two from Kemell during his next preseason outing, which may come on Saturday. He’s not listed on the starting roster for Wednesday’s game.

While Kemell is in the AHL, we will need to see some playmaking and defensive development from him as well as his offensive production, and management will be watching this particular development from him closely.

Philip Tomasino and Tommy Novak Back Together?

Last season we saw lots of production when Philip Tomasino and Tommy Novak were paired together, and they are clearly working well together yet again as Brunette had the pair on a line together during their game against the Panthers.

They are both great playmakers and are quick through the offensive zone, but had trouble getting anything really set up during their last game, as Brunette’s style is still very new to them. They are going to essentially have to re-learn what they were able to do as a pair last year, but I think that this new style will come quickly to the pair and they will end up being a great offensive weapon for the Predators.

Look for Tomasino and Novak to continue to show progress in Brunette’s new system in this home preseason game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tomasino has more to prove than Novak does in terms of a permanent roster spot, so I would like to see some production from him during the next two preseason games. Although Novak has less to prove from his amazing production last season, his development has been rapid between seasons so it will be interesting to see if that continues this season, and if it does, where that puts him in the lineup.

Novak, despite not making his season debut until December 19, finished third on the Predators in points with 43 in 2022-23.

Yakov Trenin Making an Impact

Throughout the brief period that training camp has taken place, we’ve heard great things about Yakov Trenin in regards to his development this summer.

In his media availability after training camp, Trenin talked about how he has been trying to implement this new style into his skating. Trenin clearly wants to show Brunette that he fits into his new fast paced system, and these next two games against a very fast Tampa Bay team will be a great time for him to show his speed to his new coach.

"“I have a lot to prove with a new coach and a new system, I need to show him what I am capable of and play my best game.” – Yakov Trenin during media availability”"

Trenin was paired with Luke Evangelista and Colton Sissons during their game against the Panthers on Monday, which is a trio that we didn’t see too much during the regular season. I’ll be curious to see who Brunette decides to pair Trenin with during these next two games against the Lightning as he continues to experiment with different line combinations.

The biggest question going into this season in regards to Trenin is whether or not he can keep up with the speed of the team, but with his physicality I think that he will end up being a key player in the new system.

Keys to Victory for Nashville Predators vs. Tampa Bay

The biggest thing that the team needs to focus on during the next preseason game is getting set up in the offensive zone. It has looked seemingly difficult for the forwards to get going in the offensive zone with Brunette’s new fast paced and aggressive style, as we saw the plays developing almost too quickly for the players to get a handle on during the first two games in Florida.

Tampa Bay plays with a style that Brunette is trying to replicate, as they are very quick with their transitions in and out of the different zones, so it will be very telling how well the Predators are developing this style in the early moments of the game.

The Lightning will not be playing many of their core players such as Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Former Predators fan favorite Tanner Jeannot also will not play in Wednesday’s preseason matchup.

It will also be important for the Predators to clean up their penalties. The main cause for the losses in both games they played against the Panthers was the number of penalties that they faced, especially in Game 1 taking 20 penalty minutes.

If the Predators can clean up the penalties and focus more on 5v5 even strength hockey, they will not only lower the risk of the Lightning taking advantage of the man advantage, but they will have more time to work on and develop their time in the offensive zone.

It is understandable that there are a lot of mistakes and penalties being taken with the team implementing this new style, so there is nothing to be concerned about as fans just yet, as the team still has some time to clean up their work.

The biggest thing we will be looking for during the next two preseason games will be how well they are learning this system and if it is at least showing signs of improvement, as that is all you can ask for from a team with a new head coach and general manager during this time of the season.

The first home preseason game against the Lightning is scheduled for 7 PM CDT tonight before the Predators travel to Tampa Bay on Saturday at 4 PM CDT.

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