There is plenty to look at after the Nashville Predators dug their way out of a three goal deficit to win over the Vancouver Canucks in a shootout.
It was a wild weekend for the Nashville Predators as they clawed their way back into their game against the Vancouver Canucks Saturday night. Nashville found themselves down 3-0 after a disastrous first period but went on to find a way to tie the game in the third period and eventually get the shootout win.
While this was certainly not a win that would earn the Predators any style points, recovering from a tough start and getting a win is reassuring when it comes to a team still trying to find its footing early in the season.
Some who are not yet sold on the direction Nashville is taking may look at a rough game like this and extrapolate that winning two points provides Head Coach John Hynes and General Manager David Poile with a false sense of reassurance about the team. Certainly Hynes has a handful of issues to address before Tuesday's game against the Seattle Kraken, but there is something to be said for getting a hard fought win.
Juuse Saros had his worst start to a game this season and ended the game saving the most shots so far of 2022-2023. Navigating the lows and highs of those 65 minutes and coming out with two points should earn Saros some credit.
Two unexpected players who showed up big, not just in the game against the Canucks, but in the Calgary win as well, were Nashville's recent call ups from Milwaukee. Both Jordan Gross and Mark Jankowski impressed Hynes in training camp, but neither made the final Preds roster once they returned from the Global Series. Since joining the team, Jankowski got Nashville on the scoreboard first against the Flames and Gross earned his first two NHL goals in Saturday's win.
Even though there was nothing pretty about Saturday's two points, Nashville gained ground in the Central Division standings and walking out what it takes to overcome early mistakes and find a way to get a win. Execution and special teams need to improve as the Predators face the Seattle Kraken Tuesday night and the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. Getting two wins in a row over Calgary and Vancouver could give the team the momentum they'll need to close out this west coast road trip well.
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