Three Things to Hope for in Nashville Predators’ Final Preseason Games

The training camp roster for the Nashville Predators has been cut down to just 26 players with two preseason games remaining against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Despite not having a win this preseason, the Predators have shown gradual improvement throughout and seem to be building that crucial chemistry you need in the regular season to be successful.

There just hasn’t been enough time in training camp and four preseason games to get everything clicking to a tee. It takes time. It takes patience. Ultimately, it takes working through your mistakes and learning from them.

The Predators are coming off their best overall team performance in this preseason by going toe-to-toe with much of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s top players, and coming up just short with a 5-4 final score. Much better than the first matchup against Tampa Bay.

Here’s three things you should hope to see from the Nashville Predators in the last two preseason games later this week, with the 2023-24 regular season bearing down on us.

Finish off the Preseason Strong and on a Good Note

Just like in the regular season you don’t want to peak too soon and then just completely fall apart, the same can kind of be said about the preseason. You don’t want to throw out two duds here against the Hurricanes with much of your regular season roster on the ice.

The Predators tallied up an impressive 47 shots on goal against the Lightning in their last preseason contest. You put up that many shots, and you’re winning on most occasions.

The hope is to see the Predators carry that over into their two matchups with the Hurricanes. Muster up a healthy number of shots and put pressure on the opposition to have to defend a lot.

That’s what Head Coach Andrew Brunette is trying to employ. An aggressive offensive style that’s relentless for the opponent to deal with. A far cry from John Hynes’ mundane and stale system that just relied on being the more physical team, which often times led to more penalties and leaving your world class goalie out to dry.

Again, a preseason win or two would be refreshing, but the more important detail is to continue to see this offense get accustomed with the new system and pepper Carolina’s goalies with a lot of shots. And shots on goal, for that matter.

Make them make the save, please.

Can Samuel Fagemo Surge his Way onto the Nashville Predators Roster?

The spotlight is going to be on Samuel Fagemo, who was just claimed by the Nashville Predators on Monday from the Los Angeles Kings.

First off, where does Brunette stick him in the lineup? Does he give him opportunistic line or give him fourth line limited minutes where he can’t really impact the game? Do we really want him taking away vital minutes from Tomasino or Luke Evangelista?

Fagemo, who was drafted in 2019 in the 2nd Round, comes in with a particular skillset that could end up being a perfect find for what the Predators are trying to become. A team that throws four relentless lines at your to score, and score often. Push the pace, take chances, and find offensive snipers in the zone.

Not to be the downer here, but Fagemo has an uphill battle to quickly acclimate to a new team with new linemates. If he somehow manages to pot a goal or two then how will you be able to justify leaving him off the roster.

Heck, even if Fagemo doesn’t score, even if he generates offensive chances and tests to goalie to make difficult saves, then that will be very telling. Also, we’ll be watching how he skates and creates his own offensive chances, which he’s known to be effective at in his scouting reports.

If Fagemo does enough to make this final Predators roster out of training camp, who does that push out. A storyline that will be worth discussing in these last two preseason games.

I’m hoping Fagemo can flash his offense and show that sometimes a talented young player just needs a change of scenery. The Kings definitely were begging to the hockey gods that somehow he went unclaimed.

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