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Predators Nightmare Season Continues

The Nashville Predators continued their nightmare season with their eighth straight loss.

Jacob Punturi

Dec 7, 2024; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros (74) falls akwardly in a play during the third period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
Dec 7, 2024; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Nashville Predators goalie Juuse Saros (74) falls akwardly in a play during the third period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images / Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images
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The Nashville Predators would love to wake up from this nightmare of a season. It's gone the exact opposite way that management envisioned during the offseason, and there's no signs of it improving during the 2024-2025 campaign.

The nightmare continued for the Predators when they gave up three goals in the second period of a 4-3 defeat to the Calgary Flames. The loss was the team's eighth straight defeat in regulation or overtime. While the team has technically earned points in three of those contests by losing in overtime, this losing streak feels just as deflating to the season.

Recently, the team's head coach Andrew Brunette spoke about the frustrations the season is causing. Alex Daugherty of the Tennessean shared some interesting comments from the Predators coach. When Brunette was asked about the possibility of scratching more popular players, he was brutally honest about the entire team's level of play not being good enough. The problem is that you can't just scratch players to scratch them, and Brunette is frantically trying to strike a balance that motivates and holds players accountable.

"I could probably scratch every guy on the team," he said. "But unfortunately, we need players going. At different times, it for sure crosses your mind. But they have to earn it, you can't just do it to do it. It's a false thing to do where you try to create something...players see right through that."

The one saving grace of late is that the Preds may finally have a first line finding chemistry. Free agent signings Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault have played decently well when paired with Predators star Filip Forsberg. In the team's most recent defeat, the trio combined for five points. Marchessault scored two goals, both assisted by Forsberg. Stamkos added an assist of Marchessault's first goal as well.

It's a faint silver lining though, as the Predators continue losing. The team's eight-game losing skid is bound to continue if the team continues playing this poorly, meaning there's no end in sigh to this nightmare season in Nashville.

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Jacob Punturi
JACOB PUNTURI

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