It truly is perplexing to see the Nashville Predators lead the NHL on the penalty kill while also having the 10th-ranked power play, but you wouldn't know that by looking at their place in the standings.
The Predators are about to wrap up a critical five-game road trip on Wednesday night at the Seattle Kraken. If they can win that game, they'll finish the road trip with six out of a possible 10 points anda 2-1-2 record.
Two points at Seattle can also mean the Predators inch up the Central Division standings and tie the St. Louis Blues with 17 points. Their playoff odds according to MoneyPuck sit at seven percent, but we don't want to get too deep into that just 20 games into the regular season.
Nashville Predators have fixable problems, but time is running out
However, if you're the optimistic type then it is encouraging to see the Predators playing really well at both the power play and the penalty kill. It gives you hope that the Predators will start getting some bounces their way and their bound to start stringing together multiple wins.
Steven Stamkos is really standing out after scoring two power play goals in the win over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. He's up to five power play goals on the season and six overall which is tied for second on the team behind Filip Forsberg's eight goals.
This power play unit will have to continue to remain in the top-10 and avoid hitting a slump. It is no secret that the Predators are horrendous at 5-on-5 play, so their power play success is really their only hope to remain competitive in many of these games.
At 5-on-5 even strength play, the Predators have scored just 21 goals. That's basically one 5-on-5 goal per game. In today's more offensive friendly NHL, that is just jaw-dropping. And of course not in a good way if you're a Predators fan.
Diving deeper into the rock bottom 5-on-5 numbers, the Predators are being outscored by 22 goals which is also worst in the NHL.
So in other words, it doesn't take much digging to realize why the Predators are in the precarious position they are in right now. It's not special teams, it's when they're at even strength. Some of it is a speed issue. I've seen it regularly this season that the Predators are getting outskates and can't handle the other team's speed in transition, leaving Juuse Saros in a very challenging situation to make the save.
To fix the 5-on-5 play, you first have to look at the search for a second line center. It was circled as a potential problem before the season even started, and Tommy Novak was initially the top choice to fill that role. He just came off of an injury absence, and it would behoove Head Coach Andrew Brunette to maybe try out Novak in that role again and hope a spark happens.
You're seeing trade rumors come up again for the Predators to find a second line center. Rob Couch of The Hockey News says that Charlie Coyle is a possible trade target for the Predators.
Trading for Coyle does make sense on paper, but so did the offseason free agency moves the Predators made. It just gives me pause to add another aging player who will have to find chemistry really fast. If this trade were to happen, it would mean Barry Trotz's last desperation attempt to save the season and make the playoffs.
Do we really want to part with an up and coming prospect and draft capital this early in the season when adding someone like Coyle offers no strong guarantee that this team makes the playoffs anyway? As I previously mentioned, the Predators playoff hopes are getting dimmer by the day, and even a long winning streak down the stretch may not be enough.
All analytics are provided by MoneyPuck.com