The Nashville Predators’ six-game winning streak has put Andrew Brunette in a spot coaches know all too well: if it’s working, do you really touch it?
That question has gotten sharper because the surge has come while Jonathan Marchessault has been sidelined since Halloween and Nicolas Hague has been stuck in the press box. Marchessault now appears healthy again, and Hague is the kind of veteran who will need a game at some point. But with the lineup humming, Brunette is staring at an uncomfortable choice.
For now, the simplest answer is also the safest one. The Predators are rolling, the forward groups are clicking, and Vintali Pinchuk has earned the right to stay in the lineup. Pulling him out in the middle of this run would be a tough message for a young player who has helped keep things moving.
Brunette, though, can’t avoid the issue forever. Eventually, Marchessault and Hague have to come back into the mix, which would solve their need to play but could open up some tricky conversations if the team’s form changes.
The coach seems content to leave things alone while the streak lives on, but Friday night against the Vegas Golden Knights could change the equation. If the streak ends there, Sunday suddenly becomes a much bigger decision point.
Right now, Brunette can justify staying the course because the results are backing him up. Keeping the lineup intact is the obvious move, and he’s fortunate to have that luxury.
If the Predators had gone 3-3 over the last six, holding veterans out would be a much harder sell. Instead, he gets to ride the hot hand and let the wins do the talking.
Hague’s scratch wasn’t exactly out of nowhere, either. He had been struggling before sitting out, and Brunette made the right call by giving him a night off.
Still, nobody could have predicted that one lineup change would line up with a six-game winning streak. It’s not as simple as saying one move caused all of this, but that’s how it can feel when the defense is playing this well.
Marchessault’s situation is just as delicate. The 35-year-old has only five points in 14 games, and that kind of production isn’t enough for a player whose game depends on scoring.
If he could slide lower in the lineup and still be effective as an energy forward, the issue would be easier to manage. But that’s not really his style.
When he isn’t producing, the team feels it. And when someone else steps into that spot and gives them more, the results are hard to ignore.
In Other News...
Predators Hot Start Just Complicated Nashvilles Long-Term Forward Plans
The Predators fast start has given new management plenty to like, but it has also sharpened the questions hanging over the forward group. Under GM Chris MacFarland, Nashville has already remade much of its roster, and the early returns have been encouraging with six straight wins and a spot near the top of the division. The emphasis has been on tightening things up defensively, while the front office takes stock of how the newcomers fit into the bigger picture.
Jonathan Marchessault, Ryan OReilly and Steven Stamkos are all part of that longer conversation, even if nothing appears close to happening right away. Nashville is still in the evaluation phase, weighing the value of established veterans against the direction of the roster and the way the team has opened the season. For now, the Predators can enjoy the results on the ice, but the way this forward group looks a few months from now remains very much an open question. [Read more 🡒]
Predators Streak Faces Its Toughest Test Yet Against Vegas
The Predators keep rolling into one of the leagues more demanding matchups, carrying a six-game winning streak into a visit from Vegas. Nashville has also gotten an offensive boost from newly acquired Shane Wright, while Juuse Saros is expected to get the start after another strong season in goal. Its the kind of stretch that can start to tell you a lot about a team, and this one has a chance to say plenty.
Vegas is hardly an easy landing spot for a hot streak, either. The Golden Knights have won four straight after shaking off a recent slump and are coming off a 5-3 victory, so both clubs arrive with momentum and some confidence in their game. The betting market points to a tight, lower-scoring night, which fits the way these teams have been trending, but the bigger question is whether Nashville can keep the run going against a team that has found its footing again. [Read more 🡒]