“Frustrating,” “disappointing” and “unacceptable” were among the descriptors used by the Nashville Predators following their 4-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. “We’re at a stage where we’re going to dictate where we are here for the next two weeks,” head coach Andrew Brunette said. “Tonight, we dictated that we weren’t going to be that interested to be in the playoffs.”
Despite the result, however, young forwards Cody Glass and Tommy Novak proved to be bright spots against the Devils. The former assisted on both of Nashville’s goals, while the latter found the back of the net for his second goal in as many games.
Predators Shifting Positions
Two of Nashville’s most promising young centers have suddenly found success at new positions. Shifting from center to the wing significantly lessens a player’s defensive responsibilities and allows him to simplify his game, and it has paid off handsomely for Novak and Glass.
“It’s not too big of a deal,” said Glass, who played opposite Novak on a line centered by Michael McCarron. “When you’re playing out there, it’s kind of reading off each other no matter what. Sometimes I’m back first; sometimes I’m not. We all read off each other. We’re all smart hockey players. I play with [Novak] quite a bit now, so I’ve started to learn where he’s going to be at times. It’s good to get that chemistry. It doesn’t matter where I play; I’m going to try my hardest to put myself in a position to try and succeed.”
The positional shuffle appears, at least for now, to be just what the doctor ordered for two of the Predators’ slumping young forwards looking to regain their confidence after early injuries threatened to derail their seasons.
“I think [Glass] is feeling it a little bit,” Brunette said. “You’re kind of happy for him to get rewarded… It’s a positive. I think he and Tommy are kind of getting out of their funk a little bit. I thought they had good chemistry together. They were the guys that were going tonight, and it’s fun to see them get going because we’re going to need it down the stretch.”
Glass, Novak Heat Up
Glass first drew a high-sticking penalty in the first period that led to Nashville’s first power-play opportunity. The Predators’ top power-play unit set up and pressured Devils goaltender Nico Daws with five shots and several deflections before Ryan O’Reilly cleaned up a loose puck on Glass’ rebound to give the Predators a 1-0 lead at 4:04.
After Jack Hughes tied it up for the Devils off the rush early in the second period, Novak put the Predators back in front 2-1 at 7:01 when he took a lead pass from Roman Josi and beat Daws with a wrist shot from the slot. Glass was awarded the secondary assist on Novak’s 10th goal of the season, which was his 10th of the season and his second in as many games.
With assists on O’Reilly and Novak’s goals, Glass recorded his first multi-point game of the season. He now has three points (all assists) in his last five outings. Novak, for his part, extended his point streak to four games (two goals, three assists).
Glass and Novak’s Heroics Not Enough
While the improvements to his game have been a welcome development, Glass remained visibly frustrated following Tuesday’s loss. “[I had] a tough stretch at the beginning of the year with injuries and stuff like that, but I feel like I’m coming along,” he said. “But it sucks when you lose. You don’t want to lose games; you want to win. And if I can trade that for winning, I’d 100 percent do it.”
The loss to New Jersey moved the Predators to 27-24-2 on the season. They remain just outside the final Western Conference wild-card spot, two points behind the eighth-place St. Louis Blues.
“It’s unacceptable,” Glass said. “Especially with 30 games left, a playoff push. We’re right there in a playoff race. Like I said, it’s unacceptable. We had a meeting before the (All-Star) break. We didn’t want this to happen. Hopefully, we learn quick from it. Don’t want to dwell on it too much, but we need better.”
Up Next
The Predators face another tough challenge at home on Thursday (Feb. 15), when they host the Central Division-leading Dallas Stars at Bridgestone Arena. The Stars will be looking for their third straight win as the Predators try to recoup two crucial points in their playoff push.
More must-reads: