The Who, What, and Where of the Predators' Win Over Shesterkin and the Rangers

Nashville needed a strong performance to finally pay off, and that happened last night against Igor Shesterkin and the New York Rangers.

The Nashville Predators entered last night's game against Chris Kreider, Adam Fox, and Igor Shesterkin with a 1-3 record that didn't tell the full story of the Preds' performances so far this season. Head coach Andrew Brunette felt the team left points the board in their close games against Tampa Bay and Boston, but a humbling 6-1 loss to the Oilers on Tuesday had the team focusing on a few specific areas of improvement. The slight course correction by Brunette paid off against former Predator head coach Peter Laviolette and his New York Rangers team. It is no mystery how the Predators went about getting the win.

The win tonight was a total team effort, but Cole Smith got the Predators on the board with two first period goals. Tonight Smith started on the fourth line and showed why he is a valuable depth piece to have on the ice. In 2022-23, Smith played 69 games for the Predators and scored four goals and 17 points. He didn't have much puck luck last season but contributed on the penalty kill and stepped into the enforcer role when the team needed it. 

Smith gained confidence from his NHL opportunities last season and put a lot of work in this offseason. It showed with a strong performance in training camp. One area of his game he focused on in the offseason was his shooting, and the investment paid off with a net front "greasy" goal and a breakaway score on Shesterkin that gave Nashville an important two goal lead after the first period. 

One of the big questions coming into this new season was what would happen with the power play. Nashville lost power play staples Ryan Johansen and Matt Duchene in the offseason, and the new power play units have been adjusting to a new look on special teams.

Brunette took over responsibility for the power play, although he was hesitant to own up to it early on. 

"We'll see what it does. If it's not doing very good, it's not me," Brunette said tongue in cheek when asked who was coaching the man advantage. 

The power play has looked pretty good, but the looks haven't converted to goals often enough in the first four games. Nashville went 2/17 before last night's game including an 0/7 struggle against the Boston Bruins on October 14. 

The Predators didn't capitalize on their first power play chance in the first period. Early in the second, Filip Forsberg, Luke Evangelista, and Ryan O'Reilly connected with quick passes to make it a 3-0 game while Adam Fox sat in the penalty box and watched.  Later Forsberg scored his first goal of the season with an incredible individual effort on another power play opportunity. 

After the loss to Edmonton, Brunette talked about the team needing to get to the front of the net. 

"We're a little reluctant to get to certain areas," Brunette said. "At the end of the day, the puck always has to get to a certain area. Bodies have to get there."

"Pucks always have to get to a certain area to score. We're just not probably around it enough for the second and third opportunities."

Tonight the team put bodies around the net. Smith's first goal was cleaning up a loose puck in the blue paint and McCarron was hovering nearby as well. Luke Evangelista was net front and ready for a rebound on the two power play goals as well. 

With the exception of two penalties late in the second period that gave the Rangers a five on three, the Predators played a solid sixty minute game. Juuse Saros stopped 23/24 shots he faced, and the team made the necessary adjustments after a tough loss at home Tuesday night. 

Next up, the Predators will face the San Jose Sharks at home Saturday night.