Preds Regrouping, Building On Positives Ahead of Game 2 in Carolina

Sure, the Nashville Predators would prefer to be the owners of a 1-0 series lead in their first-round matchup with the Hurricanes, but that's just not the way things shook out Monday night in Carolina.
Instead, a 2-2 tie entering the third period in Game 1 turned into a 5-2 victory for the Hurricanes and left the Preds wanting more in those final 20 minutes.
Every result at this time of year - win or loss - is magnified, and rightfully so. The Preds know they have to be better than the effort they put forth in the first outing of the series, but every day - especially in the Stanley Cup Playoffs - offers a chance to get better.

On Tuesday, the Predators took advantage of that opportunity with the goal of punching back in Game 2 on Wednesday night before heading back to Nashville.
"The playoffs are all about not getting too high, not too low, and I think the message, even if we would've won last night, would have been the same," Preds defenseman Mattias Ekholm said Tuesday following team meetings and off-ice workouts at PNC Arena. "We're just trying to focus on learning the lessons from last night and then move on and look forward to a big opportunity coming up tomorrow. Obviously, the mindset when it comes in is to grab two, but if you can do a split on their home ice, that'd be huge."
That work is easier said than done, but after facing Carolina for the ninth time overall in 2020-21 after eight regular-season meetings, the Predators certainly know what to expect from the opposition. Monday night certainly wasn't all bad either - Nashville jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a goal from Filip Forsberg, and Erik Haula evened the score at 2-2 in the second stanza with the fourth-seeded Predators trading chances with the top team in the Central in front of a hostile crowd of 12,000 in Raleigh.
The third period is where mistakes were made that ultimately cost the Preds, but there are also positives to build on as the team regroups before the puck drops again.

"When you come into a big playoff game, there's kind of some nerves and all that you've got to get out, and I think that's on both sides, but at the same time, I thought we handled the first period really well," Ekholm said. "We got to our game, and I think even when they came with their forecheck, I thought we solved it pretty good. I think we did it the way that we want to play, so obviously if you look at that first 20 [minutes], that's where we've got to get to. Conversely, you see in the third, we kind of need to be better. There's lessons to be learned, but at the same time, we're not trying to get too low and get too high here. We know what we have to do, and we've just got to go out tomorrow and execute."
The Predators could have some different individuals who are working toward that goal in the lineup tomorrow, but the team entered the series expecting that to be the case no matter the result in Game 1 simply because of the number of healthy options available to the group.
However, no matter who dresses for Game 2, Nashville's bench boss stressed the need for improvement among those who are sure to be back in there as well.
"There's a lot of performances within our lineup that need to be better from last night," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. "We've talked a lot about lineup changes and who's in and who's out, but there's lots of players that are in the lineup that don't really ever come out, and they need to be better. You need your guys that you're expecting to be in your lineup every night, carry big minutes, play hard matchups, there needs to be better [play from them].
"We're talking about subbing certain guys in… and we can make those decisions, but the players that are in your lineup every night that you count on to play important roles, play big matchups, to be difference makers in the game, there needs to be elevation in those players. If that gets better, then our team is going to be able to be a better team and be more competitive as the series continues to move on, but first and foremost, that has to take place regardless of any other small lineup decisions you make."

The Predators know they're capable of making those improvements, too. As Hynes explained Tuesday, this group has been in a similar situation many times over the course of the past month as they worked to clinch their spot in the postseason.
Those lessons learned at critical junctures are coming back into play, and the Predators know going down by two games isn't going to do them any favors. Rather, they have other plans before jetting back home.
"We've been in situations before, particularly coming down the stretch, where you've had some losses, and [we've been able to bounce back]," Hynes said. "We lost in Chicago, came back and played one of our best games [of the season]. We didn't have the opportunity to clinch in Columbus, we came back again in a big Dallas game and we were ready to go. Like we've talked about, it's not getting too high or too low, but really understanding what needs to change and what needs to get better. We had a good day today, we had a good conversation, and then tomorrow we'll get back into our routine with all the areas that we have to be better and have a strong focus level on game day. That hasn't changed down the stretch, and there's a reason we did it down the stretch. We've been in this situation before, and the response has always been excellent."