Three Takeaways from the Predators' 6-3 Loss in Winnipeg
The Predators' power play struggled, the slot was lava, but Filip Forsberg and Phil Tomasino scored.
Three Takeaways from the Predators' 6-3 Loss in WinnipegNashville wrapped up a 1-4 road trip Thursday night with a 6-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets. While Filip Forsberg scored twice and Phil Tomasino got back in the lineup and back on the scoresheet, the loss didn't do much to punctuate the road trip with anything but a question mark about where this Predators team is in the reset process.
Preds Player of the Game
Filip Forsberg scored twice, but when Forsberg scored was almost as important as the goals themselves. The Jets went up early with a "group effort" goal that appeared to go in off the skate of Tyson Barrie. Just two and a half minutes later Forsberg scored after a beautiful move from the blue line into the slot to even up the game. After the Preds gave up three goals in the second period, Forsberg scored a wicked wrist shot after an innocuous zone entry as four on four play wrapped up.
The goals were important to keep Nashville in the game, but Forsberg was the Preds player of the game for more than that. Nashville has needed a player who can make plays that interrupt their opponent's momentum. Barry Trotz believed Forsberg was the offensive player who could make those type of plays, and the new GM planned the offensive part of this retooling around Forsberg providing that. Forsberg has been generating offensive chances, and his response goals were highlights of an otherwise up and down game.
Missed Momentum Moment
While Forsberg was able to interrupt momentum at points in the game last night, perhaps the defining moment(s) of the loss came when Nashville didn't capitalize on the opportunities to get back in this game.
Nashville went 0/5 on power play chances and surrendered the man advantage with penalties of their own at times. The power play is clearly still a work in progress, but with every penalty kill the Jets gained momentum. Not only did Nashville not convert on the man advantage, they also didn't pressure Brossoit enough when they were up a player.
The aftereffects of power plays and penalty kills last longer than two minutes. Nashville missed a chance to turn the tide in this game with an anemic power play.
Get to the Net
Letting Brossoit off easy didn't just happen on the power play. Nashville never really got bodies in front of the net in last night's game. Park a Ryan O'Reilly or Michael McCarron there and second and third opportunities open up, but the Predators didn't sustain enough offensive zone time or have players in that gritty area enough to generate rebound chances or screen Brossoit. Pretty goals do not count for more than gritty goals, and the slot is not lava. The Predators need to go there and clean up the garbage.
Quick Notes
...Phil Tomasino scored his first goal of the season which may help raise his stock with head coach Andrew Brunette
...Roman Josi played 28:47 last night, the most time on ice he's played in any game this season
...The Sherwood, Novak, Evangelista line was held to no points in last night's game but still generated some solid offensive chances
...Nashville will play their next five games at Bridgestone Arena