It really feels like the Nashville Predators have already lost a handle on the 2025-26 season without even completing the first quarter of regular season games and the 2025 NHL Global Series up next.
The Predators are sitting near the bottom of the overall league standings, with only the Calgary Flames below them. A troubling repeat of last season, even though going into it the veterans in particular like Steven Stamkos preached how important it was to forget about last season as a one-off.
Heading into Sweden for a pair of games against the Pittsburgh Penguins offers the Predators an opportunity to mash the reset button and commit to not letting things go down this dark road again. A strong performance on the international stage can do wonders for the team's overall psyche, and the old saying goes that winning cures all.
The Predators and Penguins have 39 all-time meetings in the regular season, with Nashville winning 15 of those. And of course no diehard Predators fan will ever forget the 2017 Stanley Cup showdown that saw the Predators lose in six games.
Being more disciplined and better execution at the fundamentals is what the Nashville Predators have to get back to in Sweden
The Predators have to get back to first defending better and being a more discliplined team. They're inflicting a lot of wounds on themselves without making the opponent do too much on their own. They have to get back to forechecking relentlessely to win puck battles and force opponent giveaways to create scoring chances.
This team just doesn't have enough raw offensive skill to manufacture goals any other way than to win the forechecking battles. You start chipping away in that area, then you give yourself a chance. But if the offensive limitations persist, which is fully expected, then you have to hang your hat on disciplined defensive hockey and much better execution on special teams.
The penalty kill was a ringing endorsement for the Predators first several games, but now it has slumped as well back down to 13th. Still not bad, but was in the top-10. The power play also isn't the worst, but is outside the top-20 at 17.5 percent.
You have to hang your hat on special teams and excel in these areas to make up for the lack of goal production at even strength. I actually really am starting to be a little encouraged by the power play, including Matthew Wood doing great work here with two power play goals and three power play assists. Five of his 10 points have come on the power play.
When Roman Josi hopefully returns in the next couple of weeks, the expectation is that he can put a jolt of energy back into this offense by having that leader to exit the zone and create scoring rushes on the other end. But you need to plug the holes and keep the ship from sinking on the entire season until Josi gets back.
This actually might be the best thing for the damaged Nashville Predators right now. To get away from home and go on this extended trip to Sweden for the Global Series. They'll end up having four days off between games before their first meeting of two in Sweden against the Penguins, who are a top-10 scoring team and a top-10 defensive team in goals surrendered.
Quite frankly, you need both of these games in Sweden. You need to sweep these two games and show the national stage you still have a pulse and that this team is still fighting for Head Coach Andrew Brunette.
This could every well be Brunette's last stand. If the Predators get embarrassed on this global stage and show very little fight like they have recently, it will be hard for GM Barry Trotz to ignore it anymore. He has shown a lot of loyalty to Brunette, but his patience has to be hanging on by a thread.