Two teams that are struggling will face off when the Nashville Predators host the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
The Flames come into Nashville with just one win in their last seven games (1-4-2), while the Predators have gone winless in their last seven (0-4-3).
Although the Flames were expected to miss the playoffs this season, their recent decline has been disappointing. The Predators had high hopes for this year after adding three experienced veterans to a team that made the playoffs last season. However, they are now trying to avoid finishing last in the league standings and are 12 points behind a playoff spot.
“I can’t speak for everyone, but personally, you just try to focus on the next game,” said Nashville defenseman Luke Schenn. “You obviously can’t change the past, and it seems like a crazy mountain to climb if you start looking at the big picture, so one day at a time, and just try to focus on what you can do to control the outcome and try to play as good as you can individually.”
The Predators are returning home after finishing a four-game road trip with a 3-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. They have scored only 11 goals in their seven-game losing streak and have scored just once in their last two games, with that goal coming late in the Ottawa game with less than two minutes remaining.
“It’s tough,” said coach Andrew Brunette. “I thought the effort was there (in Ottawa). A couple mistakes there … and when you’re not scoring goals, they’re hard to recover from. … We’ll break free at some point.”
The Flames are coming off a 6-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Sunday. The game was tied 2-2 early in the third period before Calgary gave up four unanswered goals in the final 15 minutes.
“We had stretches where I liked what we were doing, we had some good zone time,” said coach Ryan Huska. “But how we were away from the puck, with the odd-man rushes against … I mean that, to me, is the difference between winning and losing and that’s where we’re struggling a little bit on the road.”
The Flames were in seventh place in the league standings on Nov. 23, but now they are out of a playoff spot. Calgary has not won any of its last eight road games and has a 3-7-4 record away from home.
“We’re not in a bad spot, so I think we can’t get frustrated,” said forward Jonathan Huberdeau. “We’ve got to stay positive and find a way to get a win. This is our last road game before Christmas, so I think that’s the one we need to focus on.”
While the Predators are working to fix many parts of their game, the Flames’ biggest issue is their lack of offense. Even though their power play has been effective in the last 10 games, Calgary has gone a franchise-record 25 games without scoring more than three goals. The last time the Flames scored four or more goals (excluding shootout wins) was in their third game of the season on Oct. 13.
“We have to find a way to hit the (offensive blue line) with a little bit more speed, make sure we’re hungrier for the loose pucks,” said Huska. “And when you have the stretches of zone time that we had (Sunday), you have to find a way to capitalize and get a little bit more inside.”
