Going 1-4 on the longest road trip of the season may not be ideal but the Nashville Predators are back home for five straight home games. Over the next 21 days, Nashville has nine of their next 10 games in Bridgestone Arena only going to St. Louis on Nov. 24.
Before Nashville’s first game back home head coach Andrew Brunette said forward Cody Glass was a game-time decision after missing the last eight games. Brunette also stated that defenseman Ryan McDonagh was still day-to-day after missing the last three games.
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Nashville also lost forward Samuel Fagemo on waivers this weekend after playing just four games for the Predators. Fagemo was a healthy scratch for nine games in Nashville. He scored one goal — his first game of the season versus San Jose — for a short stint with the Predators.
The Los Angeles Kings re-claimed Fagemo after placing him on waivers on Oct. 2. Fagemo was part of the King’s excursion to Australia in the preseason and after lengthy traveling now goes back to California as he reports to the Kings AHL team the Ontario Reign.
Brunette would like to see his special teams units pick it up a notch as they begin a long stretch of home games. He saw his team go 3-for-20 on the powerplay and 12-for-17 on the penalty kill during the five-game trip.
Brunette’s team also was outscored 21-14 with 11 goals against coming at even strength.
“I guess be better. Didn’t like the last two games and the games before. We gotta correct it,” Brunette said. “It’s really important and it’s a vital piece of us scoring right now. Five on five we’re having a little hard time so If we can get some on the powerplay it definitely would help. I’ve said there’s a lot of work to be done there. It’s not an overnight solution but hopefully, we take a step tonight.”
On the flipside, the Predators goaltenders saw a near split between Juuse Saros and Kevin Lankinen in the last five games. Lankinen played in two games picking up Nashville’s lone win on the road over the Edmonton Oilers who have had struggles of their own lately.
“I think that was much needed, we’ve been struggling against those guys for a little bit,” Lankinen said of his win. “Being able to shut those guys down felt pretty good and it’s good to build on.”
The Finnish native said the Predators play best when their identity is in full effect and mentioned how he wants to see his team relentlessly hold onto the puck.
Photo courtesy of Nashville Predators.
After seeing action in three games and starting in two Lankinen has a key component for himself as he gets ready to play or even backup Saros. Every netminder is different but this is how he does it.
“The key is to be locked in at the right moments,” Lankinen said. “It’s a long day, it’s a long game, If you’re laser-focused for three hours that’s draining on yourself. You have to find those moments, whether if it’s the timeouts or intermissions to kind of let loose a little bit and then regather yourself and I think that’s a skill too.”
As the Predators move on from their disappointing trip it’s crucial to keep looking ahead at the next game and focus on what’s controllable.
“I think it’s always a good reality check knowing where we’re at,” Lankinen said. “In the long run, you usually get what you deserve. I think we can play a lot better. We weren’t at our top in the last few games there but it’s a long season, it’s a learning process for the whole team. At our best, we know we can beat anybody in this league.”
Nashville does not have a back-to-back until Dec. 2-3 but Lankinen may find himself getting the chance to start while the Predators are home.
As always stay tuned for all the action right here on 102.5 The Game with Pete Weber back on the headset and his analyst Jay More along for the ride. Max Herz has the pre and postgame as well as intermission reports.
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