Nashville's issue is easy to spot. The Predators have lost 3 straight and won 1 of their last 5, and they scored exactly 2 goals in each of those 3 losses. Before the Sharks game they were averaging 2.67 goals a game. Steven Stamkos is carrying the offense with 7 points through 6 games. Roman Josi has 6, and Adam Edstrom of all people is tied with Stamkos for the team lead with 3 goals. Andrew Brunette spent the week talking about puck management after Vegas turned Nashville's giveaways into a 5-2 win. In his words, the Preds had 'taken care of the puck really well until' that night.
The losing streak is a bit kinder than it sounds. 2 of the 3 losses went to a shootout: 3-2 in Ottawa, then 3-2 to San Jose after Stamkos tied it at 19:59 of the 3rd. Before Vegas ended it, Nashville had a 4-game point streak. Still, the Sharks game showed the same old problem. San Jose led 2-0 well into the 3rd, and the Preds' home offense didn't wake up until the last 11 minutes. Saturday ends a 3-game homestand that has produced 0 regulation wins.
Nashville's injury list is short and mostly about depth. Mavrik Bourque is listed out, and the Preds had been dressing 11 forwards and 7 defensemen while he was day-to-day with an upper-body injury. The club's Oct. 15 preview also listed goaltender Annunen as day-to-day. The Blues' list is much longer, and most of it is on defense. That's the matchup in a sentence: a St. Louis team that can outscore people but gives up a lot of shots, against a Nashville team that has trouble finishing even when it gets the puck to the net.
Neither team has looked like a playoff club yet. Both have spent stretches in the 3rd period chasing games they let get away early. The Blues' road trip has gone loss, win, loss, and this game decides how it ends. For Nashville, the job is simple: play 60 minutes without the 2-0 hole and see if Stamkos and Josi get some help.