Nashville Predators embark on five-game road trip that will impact season outlook

Home has been more bitter than sweet for the Nashville Predators to start the season.

We’re only halfway through November and the Predators are still fewer than 20 games into the 2024-25 campaign, but their upcoming trip to Colorado, western Canada, and Seattle feels like a do-or-die stretch.

The road trip ahead has the feel of a critical test that a playoff fringe team faces near the end of the year. But for the Predators, who entered the season with so much promise, this high-pressure trip appears to be staring them in the face extremely early.

Nashville Predators might benefit from getting away from home

After struggling out of the gates despite a heavy dose of home games to start the season, Head Coach Andrew Brunette expressed his eagerness to hit the road. He’s hoping that being away from Bridgestone Arena – along with the distractions of home life – will allow for more team bonding and, ultimately, a turnaround.

It’s widely believed that time spent together on road trips can help build team chemistry. If that’s true, the Predators need that connection now more than ever.

“We haven’t been predictable a lot of the year,” Brunette said after explaining how simplicity led to success in their 4-0 win over the Utah Hockey Club on Saturday night. “Some guys are going one way; some guys are going the other way.”

The Predators are 4-6-0 at home, and even with an amped-up crowd behind them, they often fall behind early. Through their first 10 home games, Nashville has allowed the contest’s opening goal six times, something that Brunette explained can throw everything off.

“We’ve unfortunately chased a lot of games, and when you chase games, your details go awry, and they’re hard to fix,” said the second-year head coach.

Even with Saturday’s win in the books, the Predators are still 5-9-1 on the season. With their backs against the wall, they cannot afford to lose any more ground in the highly competitive Central Division. There may be no better place to establish an “us versus the world” mentality than in enemy territory. It’s a tall order, especially considering the caliber of teams they’ll face on this trip. However, Nashville’s new reality might be that they’re playing games that feel as close to “must-win” as you can get this early in the season.

The Predators' gauntlet stretch

They’re thrown into the fire immediately, starting the trip against their division rivals, the Colorado Avalanche. Although Colorado has struggled recently, and the Predators have already beaten Nathan MacKinnon and company this season, the Avalanche remain a formidable force, regardless of their record. The Predators know that all too well.

Next, it’s off to western Canada for a back-to-back set against the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames. The Flames have had a respectable start, currently sitting at 7-5-3. They’ll also have the advantage of playing the Predators on the second night of Nashville’s back-to-back. As for the Oilers, well, at this point, Predators fans may cringe every time they hear their name. Nashville has lost 13 of the last 15 games against Edmonton, including six of the last seven in Alberta. The Predators have also dropped both games they’ve played against the Oilers so far this season.

From there, it’s on to Vancouver to face the Canucks, who are off to another impressive start at 7-3-3 and 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. However, most of Vancouver’s success has come on the road, where they’re 6-1. At home, they’re just 1-2-3.

Statistically, the Predators finish the trip with their easiest opponent, the Seattle Kraken. Currently sitting at 6-8-1 through 15 games, the Kraken haven’t exactly been a juggernaut. However, considering that the last time Nashville saw Seattle, they were handed a 7-3 loss in arguably one of their worst performances of the season, nothing can be taken for granted.

The Predators may be at a crossroad

As it stands, the Predators are four games under .500 (if you don’t count their overtime loss as a “true” loss) and have five upcoming road games. While it may be unrealistic to expect them to return home having won all five contests – though they did just that last season after the infamous 9-2 loss to the Dallas Stars, which sparked an eight-game winning streak and a franchise-best 18-game point streak – if they can take four of five games, they could claw their way back to a near .500 record. That would change the outlook of the season and give a huge boost to the team’s confidence.

Brunette and the players often talk about taking incremental steps toward the standard they’re striving to maintain. Winning on the road, especially in some of the league’s most hostile environments, would still be just one step, but it would be a massive one.

In times of adversity, Brunette often mentions how small moments in a game can sway the outcome one way or the other. As dire as it sounds, and as crazy as it seems with 67 games still remaining, this feels like a “save your season” type of moment. The next stretch of games could dictate whether this season goes south or gets back on track.

All eyes will be on the Predators as they head west, including those of general manager Barry Trotz. He’s already used the word “rebuild” due to the team’s struggles. To clarify, the rebuild plan means giving more time to younger players, rather than the traditional approach of trading veterans for draft picks and prospects.

Regardless, the idea of pulling the plug on a season that was supposed to mark Nashville’s return to competitive hockey feels all too real right now. For the good of both the Predators and their fans, let’s hope Trotz doesn’t need to follow through on that plan. But if Nashville looks as bad on this road trip as they have to start the season, it might be the best move for the team’s present and their future.