Nashville's bench boss says the team deserves its winless start for trying to play "firewagon hockey."

The Nashville Predators have lost three straight games to open the 2024-25 season, with each loss stinging slightly more than the last.

After dropping their Opening Night matchup against the Dallas Stars by a final score of 4-3, they were shut out 3-0 by the Detroit Red Wings on the road and routed by the Seattle Kraken at home.

"We deserve to be what we are right now," head coach Andrew Brunette said after Tuesday's 7-3 loss to the Seattle.

Offensively, the Predators have left much to be desired with just six goals in three games, but Nashville's most glaring issue in the loss to Seattle appeared to be its defensive incompetence. 

The Predators were a complete disaster in the defensive zone against Seattle, as one might expect considering the seven goals scored against them. From missed assignments to badly timed offensive rushes, Nashville gave the Kraken too many open paths to the net and left goaltender Juuse Saros out to dry.

The myriad tactical issues on defense, Brunette said, were the result of the Predators getting away from their identity of being a team that's hard to play against.

"We're trying to play firewagon hockey," Brunette said, referring to the style of play in the NHL in the 1980s and 1990s that prioritized high-octane offense at the expense of sound defense. "We're trying to be cute. We're trying to show how talented we are to everybody. But we're not really playing with a purpose."

The overly aggressive approach from the Predators forwards has resulted in far too many off man rushes for their opponents. Though Brunette said after the Seattle game that the the Predators are generating chances at a decent clip, they are being too careless with the puck and giving the advantage to their opponents.

"When we get behind in games, we get careless," Brunette said. "Try to make the extra play, turn nothing into something. And unfortunately, it's going the other way."

The Predators will have a chance to right the ship Thursday when they host the Edmonton Oilers, who got off to a similarly rocky 0-3 start before earning their first win of the season Tuesday in overtime against the Philadelphia Flyers. 

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