Team Blue Tops Team Gold in First Scrimmage of Preds Training Camp

Team Blue was the side to be on Friday night at the Smashville Strong Scrimmage presented by Vanderbilt Health.
The Blue squad was victorious over Team Gold by an 8-2 count at Bridgestone Arena in the first of two scrimmages scheduled during training camp wth plenty of scoring to speak of.
Viktor Arvidsson and Mathieu Olivier each tallied twice for Team Blue, while Ryan Johansen, Tommy Novak, Yannick Weber and Sean Malone also chipped in for the victors. Yakov Trenin and Luke Kunin scored for Team Gold on the evening.

All four goaltenders saw action in the scrimmage as well. Pekka Rinne and Juuse Saros each played the first two periods for Blue and Gold respectively; Rinne gave up one goal for Blue and Saros surrendered six through two periods. Connor Ingram (Gold) and Kasimir Kaskisuo (Blue) played in the third period for their teams.
With a short camp and no exhibition games to play, there was heightened importance placed on the opportunity to scrimmage and get players into game action - some for the first time in 10 months. Those observing for the Predators had plenty to see, and the contest certainly served its purpose.
"The pace of play was strong, and I thought the competitive level was strong," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. "Even though one team was getting a little bit lopsided there, they still dug in and kept playing. This is the first time they've played a situation like this [in a while], and it was good for us… It was a really good dress rehearsal for us. The individual players got into some routines, we were able to do that as a staff also, and now we'll evaluate the video, we'll go through our player evaluations and we'll build again tomorrow. It's just like we've talked about day by day - you take some good things, take some bad things, but we've got to continue to come back to work tomorrow and then continue to build."
In particular, the line of Johansen, Arvidsson and Filip Forsberg, which has had success for the Preds over multiple past seasons, was back together, and they seemed to pick up right where they left off after an impressive showing during the Stanley Cup Qualifiers last August.
"As a line, we know where we are in our individual game, but we have to play the right way, we have to lead by example a little bit, and I think we did that tonight," Forsberg, who had a multi-point effort, said. "We played fast, played direct in all three zones, really up and out of our own zone and attacked the net pretty hard in the offensive zone. I think it was an overall just great, hardworking effort which is what we have to bring every night."
Friday night delivered a look at some potential line combinations and defense pairings in game action as well. In addition to the trio of Johansen, Forsberg and Arvidsson, Luke Kunin skated with Calle Jarnkrok and Colton Sissons, Olivier was with newcomers Nick Cousins and Brad Richardson, and Eeli Tolvanen saw some time with Yakov Trenin, plus Tanner Jeannot and Michael McCarron.
On the blue line, the familiar pairings of Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis, and then Mattias Ekholm and Dante Fabbro were intact. Mark Borowiecki and Matt Benning skated together, and Jarred Tinordi was paired with Alexandre Carrier.
For a player like Olivier, who hadn't been in an actual game situation since March when his season was shut down with the Milwaukee Admirals, the rust wasn't as apparent as he thought it might be, and that was a positive as he tries to make an impression and secure a spot on the Nashville roster.
"I felt pretty good out there," Olivier said. "I was fortunate enough to not feel that 10 months off, and I think that's due to mostly the offseason and the people that helped me prepare for that. I think the mindset was definitely a big part of it as well - just not to think too much about it, come on the ice and try to do your thing, same as always."
With training camp essentially halfway over - and with only one scrimmage and three more scheduled practices remaining until Opening Night, time certainly isn't dragging on. The Predators have had plenty of chances to see what they like, what they want to improve and what's still on the docket in the coming days.
And as Olivier and the rest of his teammates know, simply getting better every day is paramount.
"We can't waste a day here," Olivier said. "It's [less than] one week before we have to prepare for [Opening Night against] Columbus, and so, every day here is a must win, if I can say it like that. Even though we're not playing games every day, you have to be your best every day to have a chance to maybe get something here."
Notes:
Matt Duchene, Rocco Grimaldi, Erik Haula and Mikael Granlund (immigration) did not play in Friday's scrimmage. The first three players are in Nashville and have skated with the team. Haula arrived recently after his wife gave birth, while Duchene and Grimaldi had previously been ruled "unfit to practice." Head Coach John Hynes said Friday he was hopeful there would be some additional players available for Sunday's scrimmage.
The Predators return to practice on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena followed by a second scrimmage on Sunday night (at 7 p.m. CT; watch on NashvillePredators.com). Nashville is scheduled to open the 2020-21 season on Jan. 14 when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets.