The Nashville Predators were facing a Western Conference opponent in an important home game with two valuable points on the line. They outshot their opponents 41-24, including two shorthanded chances, seven power-play shots, and 32 shots on goal at even strength. Filip Forsberg and Philip Tomasino scored in the third period – and Nashville lost in regulation by a final score of 4-2.
Stop me if you’ve heard this story before.
The Predators’ loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday in their final game before the All-Star Break followed an all-too-familiar script: Nashville generated an abundance of scoring chances but left too many of them unfinished.
“I loved our effort,” head coach Andrew Brunette said after the loss. “I thought we did all the things that make us a good team, and unfortunately, we didn’t finish. I thought we created a lot. I thought we played with a lot of pace. I thought we had the puck most of the game. The power play missed some opportunities but gave us some momentum, and that’s all you can ask.”
According to Natural Stat Trick, the Predators had 4.45 expected goals for, while the Kings had 2.07. Nashville also had 17 high-danger scoring chances compared to Los Angeles’ seven. The box score just didn’t match the final result.
“That’s been the rhetoric here,” Brunette said. “It feels like a lot of games that we’ve left feeling pretty good about ourselves, and we really got nothing out of it.”
What the Predators Are Missing
It’s a tale as old as time – the Predators are doing all the right things, but they’re not getting rewarded. What, then, is to blame for the disappointing results?
“I think it’s just the confidence to finish,” Brunette said. “We’ve got a lot of guys squeezing sticks. I think we put ourselves in opportunities to win the hockey game. I think we created more than our fair share, and they didn’t go in. You’ve just got to keep plugging and keep knocking on that door before you’re busting that door open. And we’re really kicking the crap out of it; it just hasn’t opened.”
Related: Predators’ Loss to Vegas Shows Why They Aren’t Contenders – Yet
To be fair, generating chances is half the battle – and right now, it’s the only half that the Predators are winning. Nashville ranks fifth in the NHL with 107.34 expected goals for. Both Forsberg and Roman Josi rank among the top 20 skaters in the league for the most shots on goal. Still, the Predators have been outscored 26-15 in their last eight games.
“We don’t always get the results, but there’s very few nights I leave the building thinking that we didn’t have the effort,” Brunette said. “It just hasn’t always worked out our way. But to me, it’s a good feeling. We should feel good. Like I said, we’re knocking on the door. Sure, it would have been nice to get a win [against Los Angeles]; it would have put us in a great position. But there’s lots of hockey left.”
Predators at the All-Star Break
The Predators are limping into the All-Star Break, having lost five of their last six games and fallen out of a playoff spot. Brunette believes the break is coming at an auspicious time, particularly for his team’s veteran players.
“I think for some of our older guys, this little break can re-energize them,” Brunette said. “I’ve been very demanding on them. They’re kind of hitting a wall here a little bit, so I think they’re getting a nice little break, a refresh.”
It could be argued that Brunette is relying too much on the veteran core and denying his younger players opportunities to contribute key minutes in games. As a result, the former are visibly burnt out while the latter are stagnating in their development. Based on Brunette’s comments after Wednesday’s game, however, that could soon be changing.
Related: How the Predators Can Fix Cody Glass’ Broken Season
“Our young guys showed some signs of life here,” Brunette said. “[Tomasino] and [Cody Glass] and [Tommy Novak] should feel good going into the break because we’re going to need them. We’ll need the effort they gave us tonight in the next 30 [games] to give us any kind of chance.”
Brunette’s Expectations Down the Stretch
The Predators have left a number of points on the board through their first 51 games, which may come back to haunt them in the latter half of the season. Still, Brunette’s outlook is overwhelmingly positive.
“I’m excited for them,” Brunette said. “They should feel good about their game, and we’re going to need them down the stretch… I’m excited for the last 30. I think we’ve put ourselves in a great position, and it’s going to be fun.”