The Nashville Predators collected their second consecutive loss at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks last night in Nashville. While several Nashville chances dot the highlight reel, the scoreboard still highlights some glaring weaknesses in Nashville’s play.

First Period – Goaltending woes continue

Under the direction of John Hynes, it is very clear that the Nashville offense has been stronger and more controlling in terms of creating chances. However, even with a hot start last night, the Predators still failed to capitalize on their chances. This was partially due to some fantastic play from Anaheim goaltender John Gibson, but it still raises some serious issues with the Preds ability to follow through.

Anaheim was able to net two quick goals on Nashville nearly two minutes apart from each other, occurring at 10:01 and 12:22 into the first frame. A series of quick passes allowed Ducks Defenseman Josh Manson to leave the Nashville defense staggered and send one over the glove Saros. 

The second goal was part of a frustrating trend that has come up: poor puck control at the net.

Adam Henrique was able to follow up on the backside of Saros after a save, pulling the puck from between the legs and into the net. What seemed to be a good penalty kill on Fabbro’s hooking call quickly became another example of this issue. As has been seen recently, the Nashville defense stood idly by, assuming the play has ended, while the puck just slides right by.

Viktor Arvidsson was able to bat down a shot from Roman Josi just ninety seconds after Anaheim’s second goal, seemingly keeping the Preds in the game through the first, but chance after chance to equalize came up short.

Second Period – Ducks get another

Strong chances for both teams continued throughout the entire second stanza, but it was at 9:52 that Rickard Rakell was able to put a rebound past Saros after a few strong saves.

While Saros was fully extended in his attempt to make the final save, Anaheim beat him to the draw. Even though Nashville had the numbers down low, they did not seem prepared for the shot from Rakell.

This can usually be wiped away as a great play by the offense, but the Nashville lines here seemed low on energy and attention for this play. Not exactly what you would hope to see in a team fighting for points and a playoff spot.

Despite the extra tally, Nashville did keep some serious energy on ice throughout the remainder of the second period with strong chances from both Arvidsson and Grimaldi in hope of stuffing one past Gibson

Third Period – Preds fail to rally

After the second intermission, the Predators came back out onto the ice seemingly unmotivated. Despite the defense being able to hold up for quite awhile, it was a bad break on the boards that allowed a shorthanded, breakaway chance for Ducks Center Derek Grant. Grant blew past the Nashville defense, putting one through the five hole of Saros.

Nashville continued their disconnected play for seven minutes, until a strong, shorthanded chance from Mikael Granlund.

A quick band-and-forth pass between Granlund and Trenin gave just enough space for Granlund to go top shelf on Gibson.

This shows just how skilled and effective Nashville’s offensive lines can be, but it still raises the question of “Where was that calm and collected play earlier?”

The Nashville offense seemed to fight back for the remaining few minutes of play, but Granlund’s goal ended the scoring for the night and the Preds fell 4-2.

Looking back…

The Preds have to be a full 60-minute team, no question about it.

I was interested by a quote from Rocco Grimaldi collected by The Athletic’s Adam Vingan on how dead the bench gets when they are down one or two goals. He remarked that “it’s going to happen”. It seems that no one in the locker room has risen as a clear, morale-boosting leader. There’s a strong lack of players like Mike Fisher to have in the team’s corner, and leaders on the stat sheet don’t mean a lot if they can’t rally a team around them.

We know the pieces are there, it’s been said all season, but the time of dreaming of a 70-point season from Duchene is over. 

These tallies from the opposing team are clearly demoralizing for the bench, but game nights in Nashville just don’t feel the same anymore. Jeers and complaints can be heard ringing from the entire upper deck, from seasoned fans and first-timers as well.

While the Hynes system seems to be energizing the team, it looks like a lack of leadership and motivation may be what holds this team back.

Looking forward…

The Preds look to pick up a win against the Buffalo Sabres this Saturday, January 18th at Bridgestone Arena. You can catch the game at 7:00 PM CST on Fox Sports TN and 102.5 The Game here in Nashville!