The Nashville Predators are looking to bounce back in a Saturday night game against the host Ottawa Senators.
The Predators are stuck in a season-long six-game losing streak (0-3-3) and will need to improve their offense if they want a chance to turn things around.
Nashville has not scored more than two goals in any of the six games and is near the bottom of the NHL with just 2.2 goals per game this season.
“I think it’s a different night, same result kind of thing,” Alexandre Carrier said after Thursday’s 3-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. “We’re trying to produce more offense. We’re trying, but I think we’ve got to get a bit more greasy in front of their net.”
During their losing streak, key offseason signings Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault have only scored one combined goal.
The Predators played without Ryan O’Reilly for the first time on Thursday. O’Reilly, their third-highest scorer, is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
Saturday’s game will wrap up a four-game trip for the Predators, who have struggled on the road, with just two wins away from home (2-8-4).
Despite a 3-5-2 record in their last 10 games, the Senators are feeling positive after beating the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 at home on Thursday.
The game was heading to overtime before Josh Norris scored his second goal of the game with 43 seconds left to win it.
Ottawa’s coach, Travis Green, praised his team after the important win.
“Every once in a while, you play a game in the middle of the season or whatever that you can tag as a big game,” Green said. “And you know it’s obviously a division rival, a team we’re behind, and a team you want to get two points against. I thought we deserved to win tonight and especially how the first two periods went.”
Ottawa’s lead disappeared when former Senator Alex DeBrincat scored a four-on-three power-play goal early in the third period.
“We saw some important character there in the end when we had a lot of momentum most of the game, and then they tied it up,” Nick Jensen said. “And we saw in the past where that kind of takes a lot of air out of our tires a little bit, but it didn’t really change how we played, and I think we got rewarded for that.”
The Senators are in the middle of a four-game homestand.
Special teams might be a big factor in the game since both teams have been giving up goals on the penalty kill. Even though the Predators have an 87.5 percent penalty-kill rate for the season, they have allowed a power-play goal in four straight games. The Senators have given up a shorthanded goal in six consecutive games.
