Hynes, Preds Facing Next Challenge as Stretch Run Continues

John Hynes has already seen plenty in his time behind the Nashville bench over the past seven weeks, but a new situation has arisen.
Until this week, the Predators hadn't won three consecutive games under their new head coach. That feat included a home-and-home sweep against St. Louis over the weekend. Then, as is customary in the NHL after a back-to-back set, the Preds had the following day off with another outing coming Tuesday.
Nashville came into the night looking to find a balance between the high from the weekend and the reality of their place in the standings, still looking up at a Wild Card spot.

There was every reason to believe the Predators could find a way to win a fourth-straight contest for just the second time this season, but by the end of the night - the scoreboard reading 4-1 in favor of the visitors - that high from Sunday evening was long gone.
Of course, a loss was also a possibility, as it is every night in the NHL, but that doesn't make it any easier to take.
"We came off a weekend where I think everyone feels good. We had a day off [Monday], and I didn't have a great day off, because you're worried about where the mindset of your team is." Hynes said following Tuesday's loss. "A lot of times, you can get lost. You can get lost in a big win and you can get lost in success. The second that happens, you get complacent. You just lose your edge a little bit and you lose your hunger. It's human nature, but that's something that - we didn't handle the situation as well as we need to.
"But, it's the first time we've seen it. We have bounced back after some bad losses, but we didn't bounce back and play the game, be prepared to play the game, the way you need to after two big wins and three in a row. That's an area we certainly have to address and we have to improve."

The Predators have two days to evaluate before another back-to-back set arrives on Friday and Saturday, first in Chicago and then back at home against Columbus. And just as the separation from a massive victory on Sunday to an effort than turned out to be less than satisfactory on Tuesday wasn't up to standard, the Preds will now need to find a way to reverse that outcome when they get back to work.
"I've talked about it a lot this year, that a two-game win streak or two-game losing streak really doesn't matter going into the next game," Preds forward Rocco Grimaldi said. It's not going to help you win the next game, it's not going to make you lose the next game, each game is its own animal. We knew that [Carolina] was probably the hardest-working team in the League, and they showed us why they have that reputation."
Hynes has harped on his club's mental fortitude and the ability to believe in the process of what they are doing as a key to success. They've done that recently, entering Tuesday's outing as winners of seven of their last 10 games.
At this juncture, when every game and every point carries so much weight, a loss like the one suffered Tuesday may seem deflating on the outside. But within the Nashville room, there are no other options - the Predators have to make that defeat a one-time deal.

"It's a little bit of a double-edged sword," Preds defenseman Jarred Tinordi said. "[Even after wins], you don't want to be feeling too good. There's so much hockey left to play, and the reality of it is we're not in a playoff spot right now. But, this group is figuring out that the way we play [when we're at our best] is going to win hockey games. When everyone's dialed in and committed to playing that style of game, usually it's a good outlook for us."
In a season full of adversity, what's a bit more? There are 23 games left over the next seven weeks of the season. As their new slogan says, the Predators have no choice but to "embrace the grind."
"[We get better] by doing the right things and continuing to progress so our confidence grows," Preds forward Kyle Turris said. "Ultimately, when we play together as a team with confidence and everybody's contributing, we win games. That's how we move forward."