Copyright NHL.com
STOCKHOLM -- No one is more familiar with what a trip to the NHL Global Series, to Stockholm specifically, can do for a team than Steven Stamkos. When Stamkos and his Tampa Bay Lightning team went overseas early in the 2019-20 season, it had such an impact on them, on their bonding, on their psyches, that the word "STOCKHOLM" ended up emblazoned on the Stanley Cup rings they won months later. It's something the Nashville Predators could use now. "With where we are as a group, we have to think of it that way," Stamkos said. "We have to think about, OK, this could be something that could lead to a run that gets us back in the mix. And that's really all we're thinking about, is just trying to accumulate as many points as we can. I think we have to think of it that way, that this can be something. "It can't just be another two games. We have to dig in a little bit and try to get some momentum here." And while no one is claiming that the Predators (5-9-4), who have lost five straight (0-3-2), are ready for Stanley Cup talk at this point, they also believe that their two games against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2025 NHL Global Series Sweden presented by Fastenal can do wonders for them. As Filip Forsberg said, reflecting on Stamkos's experience in Stockholm, "I would love a post-Sweden bump." What would help the most, of course, would be for the Predators to record two wins. They'll have chances against the Penguins at Avicii Arena on Friday (2 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, SN-PIT, NHLN, SN) and Sunday (9 a.m. ET; FDSNSO, SN-PIT, NHLN, SN). As defenseman Brady Skjei said after a 6-3 loss to the Rangers on Monday, "I think it's gone a little too long here. We need to get back in the win column here very soon. That's the No. 1 thing." If Forsberg and defenseman Adam Wilsby, Nashville's two Sweden-born players, were any indication, the Predators got a chance to at least start that reset on the plane. Both said they slept well, the seven hour-plus flight from New York to Stockholm giving them a chance to slough off the disappointments of the early season and change their view, literally and figuratively. "I think it's a nice little breath of fresh air for our group," Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. A needed breath of fresh air, from disappointments that just keep adding up. "We're not in the spot where we want to be," Forsberg said. What especially has been frustrating for the Predators is that it's not always one thing. It's inconsistencies in their game all over the ice, games when they can't score, games when their defense is leaky, games when their power play can't connect, games when their penalty kill lets them down. It has been everything. That has been the case since last season, since they started with five consecutive losses despite the high-profile offseason additions of Stamkos, Skjei and forward Jonathan Marchessault. The season-long struggles led to them finishing with the third fewest points in the Western Conference (30-44-8). "The results have been [like last season], but the process feels a lot better, which is sports," Forsberg said. "It's hard to sit there and say that. But look at the standings. … Just comparing a little bit to last year is that at times I felt like we didn't have a chance. Here we play good teams every night and we're right there." Forsberg believes that the key to turning things around starts with fixing their power play, which is tied for 23rd in the NHL at 17.5 percent after Matthew Wood scored twice on the man advantage in a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers on Monday. They're 3-for-8 on the power play in the past two games after scoring three power-play goals in their previous five games. The Predators are 30th in scoring at 2.56 goals per game, though they have scored seven goals in their past two. It's not enough, but it's something. "It's tough," Forsberg said. "We all had the taste of success at some point, whether it's guys winning Stanley Cups or having great regular seasons, making playoff runs, all that stuff. So you know the feeling you're chasing. That's the good feeling that you want all the time. "And obviously being where we are now, that's the opposite of that, in a way. But at the same time it's still somewhat early, even though this is kind of movement month. November is usually when things kind of happen for teams and Thanksgiving is something that people always talk about, like you want to be in the mix." The Predators are four points behind the Utah Mammoth for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. It's a period that feels close and so far away. Which is one reason that this trip feels well timed. They are getting away, spending time together, trying things -- Swedish meatballs, pickled herring -- that they have yet to try, sharing those experiences. They are a literal world away from the NHL this week. They're crossing their fingers that it's exactly what they need. "For the group I think it's refreshing in a lot of different ways," Brunette said. "We get to take a step back. We played I think nine (games) in 16 nights, lots of travel, some back-to-backs. Obviously a tough loss last night, some tough losses along the way where we've played pretty well and didn't get results. "I think for us it's take a step back. As a group, it's a great opportunity to bond together. These are the types of things in a season that you can really take advantage of as a group, as a team. These can be defining moments. For us, I hope it is a defining moment."
