The Nashville Predators have played 14 games in 25 days before finally getting two days off Wednesday and Thursday. The time off helps with not just physical fatigue but the mental fatigue that comes with a lot of hockey.
The Nashville Predators have just wrapped up one of the season's tough stretches of hockey. Since November 18, the Predators have played every other day with two weekend back to backs in December as well. Add in travel to five road games through the last 14 games, and managing fatigue becomes an important part of coaching decisions for Andrew Brunette and his staff.
The coaching staff has done a great job," Roman Josi said of managing the fatigue level for the team through this stretch. "We haven't had too many practices. Morning skate, game, day off, morning skate, game. It's a lot of travel obviously in between, too."
It isn't just the physical fatigue the players deal with through busy stretches of the season. There is also a mental fatigue that comes with playing that many games in a condensed period of time. Analyzing and correcting mistakes from the previous game, preparing for the next opponent, staying mentally sharp and in the moment during games can lead to mental fatigue that can be as challenging to push through as the physical fatigue.
Todd Richards, assistant coach for the Predators, talked about the mental fatigue players deal with on 102.5 The Game's Robby and Rexrode show this morning.
"Sometimes it's not so much the physical side of it. It's more of the mental side of it," Richards said.
The two days off the team has this week are important for mental recovery as well.
"Giving them a break to relax, enjoy the family, whatever they do where they can unwind a little bit, take a step away from the game and kind of recharge that way," Richards said.
The players know that a packed schedule of games is par for the course in an 82 game season.
"It's not like we're the only team going through it," Filip Forsberg said of the busy game schedule. "At the same time, it's been a lot of travel, a lot of one game home, one game away type of schedule. That obviously continues, but it'll be nice to get an extra day in between."
The fact that the team has been able to push through the mental and physical fatigue and find ways to win eleven of their last fourteen games certainly helps the players push through.
It definitely helps when you're winning," Michael McCarron said when asked about the demanding game schedule.
Being able to push through the fatigue and grind out the last two wins over Montreal and Philadelphia has been big for the Predators.
"That's a great sign," Gus Nyquist said of securing wins at the end of a tough fourteen game stretch. "We are finding ways to win even though we haven't had our best maybe as of late. But a lot of hockey, and nice for two days in between."
What does Roman Josi focus on when he gets a little more time off to mentally recharge?
"My kids," the captain said. "Once you're home, you're home and the kids are amazing at that. They don't care what happened in the game. They don't care about anything that happens in hockey. It's fun to play with them and it gives me a ton of energy being home and being around the kids. They're definitely the best recovery."
The Predators had Wednesday off and held a limited optional skate this morning before heading to Carolina tomorrow where they will take on the Hurricanes in their first game of another weekend back to back.