Well that’s certainly not the way we had all envisioned this week going. After winning five straight, the Preds dropped a game they had no business losing, won a game they had no business winning, and then just flat out got out-played to wrap things up this week. While going 1-2 isn’t ideal, it’s no reason to panic, like I’ve seen some of Preds social media doing. It was a rough week against some pretty good hockey teams. These things will happen over the course of a season. The big thing is can the team right the ship and get back into the win column? I think the Predators have proven time and time again, they are more than capable.
SIXTY MINUTE EFFORT
One thing we’ve seen the Preds do from time to time over the years is building up a lead and then trying to coast to the finish. How many times have we seen this come back to bite them? It happened again as the Preds had a 4-2 lead going into the third against the San Jose Sharks. The Preds sat back and let the game come to them instead of attacking and the Sharks skated away with a 5-4 victory. It’s infuriating to see this happen again and again. This team plays its best when they are in attack mode. It’s a long season, but you’d like to see the Preds realize every point is valuable.
FIL’S ON FIRE
The lone bright spot from this week is Filip Forsberg. He’s carrying this team on his back right now. The man had 5 goals and 1 assist this week, including a hat trick in the loss to the Oilers. If not for Forsberg, the Preds offense would be pretty dismal right now. Forsberg is typically a slow starter so seeing him off to a scorching start has to be promising for a franchise that has never had a 40 goal scorer. I’m calling it now, Forsberg is reaching that mark this year.
SECONDARY SCORING (OR LACK THEREOF)
We’ve mentioned it before, but right now no one is consistently scoring for the Predators outside of JOFA. The Preds have to get more out of players like Smith, Turris, Fiala, Jarnkrok, Sissons, and Bonino if they plan on making a run this year. Laviolette has been tinkering with the lines trying to get something jump started. He’ll need to figure something out and quick.
PREDS THREE STARS OF THE WEEK
First Star – Filip Forsberg – I really should just make Forsberg all three stars, but I won’t. He is playing like a man possessed right now. Five goals this week, including a hat trick. He is the Predators offense right now.
Second Star – Viktor Arvidsson – Any other week and Arvi would be the #1 Star. He had three goals and 2 assists in 3 games this week. Gotta love watching Arvi play balls to the wall night in and night out. He’s just a fun player to root for, even if he’s only had one good season.
Third Star – Ryan Johansen – Remember how I said JOFA was the only line producing right now? Well Johansen went and dished out 6 assists over the three games this week. That’s how you get the Three Stars all from the same line. They’re clicking right now, and Johansen has a large part to do with that by setting up Forsberg and Arvidsson.
THE WEEK AHEAD
Another week with a one game road trip surrounded by two home games. The Vegas Golden Knights come to town to start things off on Tuesday night. Then it’s a quick trip to Tampa to face off with the Lightning and back home to wrap things up with the Boston Bruins on Saturday night. Not an easy week by any means, with three quality opponents on the schedule. The Preds will need to up their game to avoid another disappointing week.
Be sure to check out the Talking Preds Podcast. New episodes almost weekly. Be sure to follow along on Twitter and Facebook for live tweeting during the games along with something new we’re trying out. For certain games, I’ll be jumping on live during intermissions, pre-game, or post-game with thoughts on the game. Love to have some good hockey discussion so follow along and let me know what you guys think.
Herbie Brooks is the Lead Nashville Predators Analyst for SoBros Network. He knows three things: beating Commies, winning Gold Medals, and having great hair. Follow him on Twitter: @SoBroHerbie_B
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