Preds Look for Improved Effort in Los Angeles

The Nashville Predators don't have to wait long for redemption after a 6-1 loss to the Anaheim Duck; in fact, they'll get that opportunity this evening against the Los Angeles Kings. There are a few areas in particular the Preds say they can be better, starting right from the opening puck drop.
"Just the battle level and the things we do, I think we can be more physical with the game inside of just competing on the battles," Head Coach Peter Laviolette said after Thursday morning's team meeting. "Physicality with checking defensively, tightness and gaps, just making sure that we're doing the right things defensively can all help."
Captain Mike Fisher also alluded to the team's lack of physicality in last night's game, as well as at certain points during the season.

"We're not physical enough, and we're easy to play against, and you could see it last night, but that's up to us," Fisher said. "It's not about huge hits or fighting, it's about winning battles and playing smart, playing hard as a team, as a line, and we just haven't had that consistency. We've seen it, we know we're capable of it, it's just finding that right now has been a struggle and something that we need to be better at."
Sometimes having a game the very next night after a poor effort is a good thing, and while the Predators are ready to move on from the start to their road trip, there are also elements from the loss they'll be using to fuel the effort in Los Angeles.
"Just working and being ready for the game; it seems like when we're playing desperate, our backs are against the wall a little bit, but it's just too hard to not bring your A-game," Fisher said. "We need everyone to do that to be successful. We know we're going to find it, we're just in a little bit of a downturn, but we're going to find it… This is where you learn, you learn about your group, you learn how to be successful as a group, and we're going to find it.
"We're going to learn from it, and we know that's not us as a group. That's not who we are, but we get an opportunity tonight to show everyone what we're all about."