Predators find themselves in a cold spell during home stand

The Predators had been playing great hockey as they were on a seven-game point streak. They are now on a two-game losing streak and their issues are in the spotlight.

The Nashville Predators were a point-collecting machine since the start of the 2018 portion of the season. The Predators’ managed to come away with points in all but two of their games from January 2nd to February 13th. On paper, that’s amazing, but it had Predators fans fooled.

During that point streak, the Predators had eight overtime games out of the fifteen games that ended with at least one point. Their overtime record was 4-4. In those games, they were playing sloppy and had to overcome deficits just to at least escape with a point.

The more memorable one was the comeback vs the St. Louis Blues. The Predators trailed 3-0 heading into the third period. To everyone’s surprise, they scored three goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation to force overtime, then Filip Forsberg capped it off with a penalty-shot goal in overtime to win it.

They knew they escaped with one there. The Blues had them beat. Finally, enough was enough, and the mighty point streak was set on fire and the truth was revealed: the Predators are struggling. They took a painful 4-3 loss to the Flames at home and followed that up with a lousy 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings to complete their first two-game losing streak at home since Dec. 19 and Dec. 21.

The Predators now find themselves in a bit of trouble. They now trail the Winnipeg Jets in the Central Division by two points. They have some wiggle room behind them, as the Dallas Stars trail them by five points. However, it would help to end the losing streak tonight vs the Ottawa Senators, as there are three Central Division teams that could easily catch up.

What Are Their Issues?

The Predators have been spectacular at goal-tending. Both Juuse Saros and Pekka Rinne are playing lights out. However, the Predators aren’t helping them out much. Their net-front presence could use some improvement.

The front of the net is a really crucial part for defenses to defend. It is considered a high-percentage area. However, the Predators are allowing many shots in that area, and they would be in more trouble if it weren’t for a great goalie guarding the net. Pekka Rinne has a 91% save percentage guarding goals from that high danger area, according to The Hockey Writers. The league average is about 78%.

The offense isn’t as consistent as it could be. The Predators have had a hard time finding shots on goal in 5-on-5 situations. That means they aren’t scoring as much. They were on a roll before Forsberg’s injury and suspension. Then, things seemed to tailor off a bit.

What if the Predators continue struggling?

We shouldn’t overreact here. The Predators went through a rough patch towards the end of the 2017 portion of the season. They heated back up again, and are now back on the not-so-pleasant side of things. Although, sometimes struggling at this portion of the season could hurt a team.

Other teams are starting to heat up. The playoffs are on the horizon, so if you go into a slump, it’ll be hard to pick yourself back up. Of course, the Predators will win more games from this point, but if the struggles continue, it could hurt their chances of winning the division and having home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

As I stated before, let’s not overreact. I believe they will fix this. Peter Laviolette is a great coach and he will find a way to right the ship. Let’s just see how the Nashville players respond to the adversity.

The Predators face the Ottawa Senators tonight at 7 p.m. central time on Fox Sports Tennessee.