Predators' Head Coach Andrew Brunette Calls Win Over Blackhawks "Step in the Right Direction"
Nashville snapped a four game losing streak defeating the Chicago Blackhawks Saturday night, and while head coach Andrew Brunette sees rooms for improvement he said the win was a step in the right direction.
Predators' Head Coach Andrew Brunette Calls Win Over Blackhawks "Step in the Right Direction"Saturday afternoon's game against the Chicago Blackhawks was just Nashville's sixteenth game of the season, but it had a vague "must win" feel as the Predators found themselves at the bottom of the Central Division and on a four game losing streak. The Predators had one of their worst performances of the season in their November 7 loss to the Calgary Flames. Their losses November 11 to the Arizona Coyotes and November 14 to the Anaheim Ducks saw the Predators turn two goal leads into losses at home. The win Saturday over Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks may not have been a perfect game, but it was enough to get Nashville a win and two valuable points.
Although there are still things he wants to correct, Andrew Brunette was pleased for the team after the 4-2 win.
Brunette was happy the team got the win, but he admits there are still areas that the Predators need to improve on if they want to defeat upcoming teams like Colorado, Calgary, St. Louis, and Winnipeg.
"I think we're still growing," Brunette said in his postgame comments. "It really was better, but still needs to be better."
A quick start for the Predators was interrupted early by a penalty by Alexandre Carrier, and it took the team some time after the penalty to get to their game before Yakov Trenin scored at 12:07. Brunette also said the team needs to improve when it comes to understanding different moments in the game like late in the game, stretches of play after a goal, and late in periods.
"I thought it was a step in the right direction," Brunette said. "I thought we found our way through the game and showed pretty good resilience in different parts of the game."
The Predators will need to clean up mistakes and work on game management as they face the 11-5 Colorado Avalanche and former Predator Ryan Johansen tonight at Bridgestone Arena.