1. Scoring Depth and Lineup Consistency
It is no secret that the Fil Forsberg, Ryan O’Reilly, and Gus Nyquist line has been the strongest and most consistent line on the Predators, but if they want to beat offensive powerhouses such as The Vegas Golden Knights, the LA Kings, the Dallas Stars, and the Edmonton Oilers, it is vital that the other three lines find a way to contribute.
There are several forwards who are capable of scoring goals in dire situations, but recently, these players have been having scoring slumps. Tommy Novak was one of the players who had a great start to the season in regards to goal scoring, but ever since coming back from his injury, he has yet to find the back of the net.
It is very important that Novak and his linemate Luke Evangelista are able to finish on their scoring chances. They are able to get to the net, but both players have been having trouble finishing their plays.
Another pair that the team needs scoring from is Michael McCarron and Phil Tomasino. The two have been paired together relatively consistently, but ever since the loss to Dallas, neither have helped on any scoring chances.
In order to get more depth from the bottom three lines, it is important that Brunette start to find some consistency in the lineup and lines. Cody Glass has been a healthy scratch very frequently in the last few games, and it is important that Brunette finds a way to use the former Golden Knights first round draft pick.
If Brunette can start to find some consistency in the lineup and what lines he puts out every night, it will also allow the players to build chemistry with each other and find what dynamics work for them. If the lines keep changing, we will see fewer goals from players like Trenin, Sissons, and Parssinen.
Almost every player other than the top line has been relatively invisible in the past few games, and that needs to change very quickly if this team wants to find success in the upcoming month.