Due to damage at Bridgestone Arena, the Nashville Predators have postponed their last two home games. How might this unexpected break affect the Preds?
The Nashville Predators were set to face off against Central Division rival Colorado Avalanche for a Friday afternoon showdown at Bridgestone Arena, but early that morning a water main break flooded the Arena causing the NHL to postpone the game.
A few hours later, the NHL announced that the Saturday evening game against the Columbus Blue Jackets would also be postponed due to flooding and damage. The Predators are scheduled to play at home Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks, but there has been no official word yet whether that game will be played.
Nashville was heading into the Avalanche game after a loss to the Detroit Red Wings Wednesday night in which the Preds had a definite edge statistically but couldn't get any of their high danger chances past a hot Ville Husso. For the month of November, the Predators went 6-3-1 earning 12 points in their ten games. After going 3-6 in October, Nashville seemed to have finally found something resembling a groove.
Postponing two games could be a blessing or a curse for the Predators. On the one hand, the extra break gives Nashville time to continue tweaking a power play that has improved this month from its disappointing performance at the beginning of the season. It gives Head Coach John Hynes a chance to see how his most recent line adjustments work with more practice time together, and it also gives banged up players like Mark Jankowski, Yakov Trenin, and Mark Borowiecki extra recovery time.
However, extra time off hasn't always been favorable for teams, and Nashville is no exception. The Predators earned 9 of 10 points at home this month, and missing two games at home when they are playing well at Bridgestone interrupts the positive momentum the team had started to build.
Kevin Lankinen got the start in net in the game Wednesday night against Detroit. If the Predators are able to host the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday night, it will be over a week since Juuse Saros played a game in net. Saros, who has a reputation for being a slow starter, finally seemed to be back to form in November after a rough start to the season. In his last five starts, Saros earned a .926 average save percentage, and the Predators can't afford to see him take a step back after too long a rest.
Extra time off did the Predators no favors last season. After the scheduled week off for the All Star Break in February, the Predators went 2-4-1 setting themselves up for a battle down the stretch for an eventual playoff spot. Nashville already has a five day break scheduled in early December, and it isn't likely the NHL will be able to reschedule the Avalanche and Blue Jackets games in that stretch. With this unexpected break and another five days off next week, it will be challenging for Nashville to build back momentum.
It isn't easy to predict how these postponed games will affect the Predators when they return to the ice, possibly as soon as Tuesday against the Ducks. The extra time to clean up mistakes and give lines a chance to work together in a practice setting may pay off for the Predators. On the other hand, Nashville had built momentum this month, and the interruption could be a setback for the team when the next puck finally drops.
How the team handles the last several days will be a reflection of the mental toughness that John Hynes preaches to his team. Perhaps the Predators can make the best of the situation and return to the ice better rested and hungry to continue a winning month.