Predators Practice Report 12/28: Line Rushes, Spicy Drills, and a Goaltending Update

The Nashville Predators practiced this morning at Bridgestone Arena before heading to Detroit for tomorrow night's game against the Red Wings.

After a disappointing loss last night to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Nashville Predators took the ice at Bridgestone Arena before traveling this afternoon to Detroit where they will face the Red Wings Friday night in their first game of a back to back. 

Andrew Brunette and the team reviewed last night game and talked about what needs to be addressed going forward. 

"Some of the things that creeped in our game could be corrected a little bit," Brunette said after practice. "Today was a day of a little bit of correction."

Getting over a lackluster performance isn't always easy for athletes, and Ryan O'Reilly is no exception. He shared his perspective on the postgame frustration and how he turns the page, literally and figuratively. 

"Definitely it was tough to sleep last night," O'Reilly said. "I think it's always so funny how it is though. You win, you find ways to win and you sleep so much better. You get to bed after losses like that, and your mind just races of all the little things that happened." 

"You try to turn the page. You try reading a book or something like that. I read a few pages, tried to take my mind off it."

What did O'Reilly pick up to read last night? The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin. 

The focus today was on cleaning up little areas in practice and preparing for the game in Detroit tomorrow night. 

"I think we've got to be a little more consistent with our overall play in general," O'Reily said of the upcoming game. 

These were the forward lines at today's practice:

Forsberg - O'Reilly - Nyquist

Trenin - Sissons - Pärssinen

Smith - McCarron - Tomasino

Sherwood - Novak - Evangelista

Glass was the extra skater. 

Tyson Barrie was not in attendance for practice today, and the Predators announced that he is day-to-day with an upper body injury. Kevin Lankinen was also not on the ice today at practice and is day-to-day with illness. 

Yaroslav Askarov practiced with the team again today, and according to Andrew Brunette the plan is to take Saros, Lankinen, and Askarov on the roadtrip. Lankinen is expected to practice with the team tomorrow and will be evaluated then. With a back to back this weekend, Brunette is hoping Lankinen will be available to play. 

The Predators wrapped up practice today with a small space puck battle drill.

This drill always gets the energy up and whichever team loses the drill has to take a fast lap. There were physical battles today between teammates as they battled for puck possession and a chance at a shot. 

After practice, the players talked about the teammates that provide big challenges during this particular drill. 

"I think it's actually Pärssinen," Tommy Novak said. "He's the guy I would least like to go against just because he likes to reverse hit and he can handle the puck too. It's hard to get it from him for sure."

Kiefer Sherwood said that Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly, and Roman Josi pose a tough challenge in a drill like that but pointed out that every player offers a unique challenge. 

"These guys are pretty skilled," Sherwood said. "Factor [O'Reilly], Gus [Nyquist], they've got really good sticks. Fil's hands are deceptive. He can shake you really quickly. You go against Big Mac [Michael McCarron], Smitty [Cole Smith], or Siss [Colton Sissons], they're going to grind more. You gotta be smart about your body positioning because those guys get their nose over the puck."

"Everyone's pretty skilled in their own right. Everyone has their own strengths."

O'Reilly agrees with the challenge that Filip Forsberg presents in a one on one battle like that. 

"Just his size and how creative he is with his puck handling," O'Reilly said. "His overall possession, the way he handles the puck is so elite that it's so tough to get it off of him. I'd be playing a lot of defense there, wouldn't be a lot of offense that's for sure."

The Predators will travel to Detroit this afternoon ahead of tomorrow night's game against the Red Wings.