1. Consistency with the line combinations and more chemistry
I see a lot more cohesion so far with this year's Nashville Predators team than I did this early last season. Lines 1 through 4 and even the defensive pairings are chipping in with a positive output.
No one saw a third line coming of Jonathan Marchessault, Erik Haula and Michael Bunting, but it's hard to deny how well this trio is playing together. They're fun to watch and get physical with their forechecking. Bunting is a menace when it comes to drawing penalties, Haula is showing he still has a lot left to give in the tank, and Marchessault looks much more comfortable taking that third line role.
There is also something to build off of with the second line that was much more predictable from the offseason, and that's having Steven Stamkos with Luke Evangelista and Fedor Svechkov. We haven't seen the results on offense yet from this line, but they should stick with it for a few more games before shaking things up.
The fourth line has also done its job with the mainstays Michael McCarron and Cole Smith, and newcomer Tyson Jost.
The top line is clearly an experiment right now with Brady Martin still in the mix. He didn't play in the 4-1 win over the Senators, and instead Joakim Kemell got the top line chance but saw just 9:46 of ice time.
Clearly Nashville is going to have to find a top line that works as the season wears on. It's probably not sustainable to not have a top line you can trust, especially against the more elite teams.
But for now through three games, Nashville has found a way to win games without a top line that is producing much offense. Again, not sustainable and Head Coach Andrew Brunette knows that.