Forward laments Nashville's poor effort as the team ranks last in the NHL with 2.33 goals per game.

The Nashville Predators have a goalscoring problem. 

In Friday's overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, they scored two or fewer goals for the 15th time this season. They are averaging 2.33 goals per game, which ranks dead last in the NHL.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Head coach Andrew Brunette came in last season and revamped the Predators' offense, which had a top-10 finish in goals per game (3.22) and earned a trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. General manager Barry Trotz doubled down on his commitment to building a winning culture, locking up goaltender Juuse Saros on an eight-year contract and spending $108 million in free agency this past offseason to bring in prolific scorers and serial winners in Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei.

And yet, 24 games into the season, here they are, with a 7-12-5 record and a -20 differential, seven points out of a playoff spot. What's worse is that the lack of offensive production seems to be the least of Nashville's problems.

Stamkos, visibly frustrated after the Predators' loss to Tampa Bay – the second consecutive game in which they coughed up an early lead, only to fall 3-2 in overtime – seemed to be at a loss for words.

"It was just average," Stamkos said of Nashville's effort in the loss. "That was a game that was winnable for us. I don’t even know what to say right now, to be honest.”

In acknowledging the Predators' offensive struggles, Stamkos made some pointed remarks regarding the team's work ethic.  

"We're a team that struggles to score goals," Stamkos said. "When you're a team that struggles to score goals, you can't afford to take nights off. You can't afford to not work... It's OK to be frustrated because we're not scoring. But you counter that by work ethic and getting into the game in different ways. If you're not scoring, what else are you doing out there? What else can you do to help your team win? I've just felt like, for whatever reason, in these stretches, we tend to go the other way."

When asked about the possible reasoning behind the Predators' consistent failure to put the puck in the back of the net despite having so much veteran leadership and goalscoring prowess on the roster, Stamkos appeared to be making a concerted effort to remain tactful in his response.

"I have some thoughts on that, but... yeah," Stamkos said, taking a lengthy pause before continuing. "(We've) got guys that can put the puck in the net, for sure, but we need to find ways to generate. Guys getting open, seeing things, finding seams. It's tough... The hardest thing to do in the NHL is score goals. Obviously, we've got guys that have done it... but we need to find a way, myself included."

Stamkos was brought in to be a veteran leader for the Predators, but it's a difficult task in a new system. Although he included himself as someone who needs to be held accountable, for the team's lack of success, his comment about having "thoughts" on the reasoning behind their scoring woes implied that he felt that there were certain individuals – players, coaches or both – who deserved more of the blame.

Brunette, for his part, seemed to agree with Stamkos' assessment of the team's poor work ethic. When asked if the Predators' effort was an issue in Friday's game, Brunette described the team as being "half in" during the game.

“It’s been a lot of sleepless nights,” Brunette said. “It’s there, like I said. Like, you see it. We just don’t have that extra determination and will to grab it. We kind of wait for it a little bit. A little bit of parts of our game where we’re waiting for things, waiting for the puck instead of working for the puck. And the only way that you’re going to get out of this is work. I think we’re confusing waiting and working a little bit, a lot of our guys.”

The more the Predators keeps losing, the more difficult it becomes to diagnose what is plaguing a team that, for all intents and purposes, should be much better than their offensive stats would indicate. Is it a culture problem? Coaching? Lack of accountability or buy-in from the players? In reality, it's probably a lethal combination of all of the above.

Trotz remains staunchly committed to Brunette, so a coaching change seems highly unlikely (which, at this juncture, makes sense). If change is to come from within, it needs to start with the players – all of the players – being held accountable when they fail to produce. 

Of Nashville's so-called star players, only Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg have managed to produce with any kind of consistency. The rest should be held to the winning standard they were brought in to uphold, even if it involves roster shake-ups in the form of healthy scratches and limited ice time. These moves send a message, and the onus is on the coaching staff to make them. 

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