A 6-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning may indicate that the Nashville Predators’ offense is on the rebound, but the truth is that they haven’t gotten much going lately.
They’ve been held to low shots on goal totals the last three games and have lost four of their last six.
With James Neal a late scratch for that last game and other Predators seemingly a little bruised in that lopsided win, there is one plus for Nashville as they face the Panthers in Florida tonight: they’ll get a look at forward prospect Vladislad Kamenev in his NHL debut.
The 20-year-old was a second-round pick (42nd overall in 2014) and is putting up solid numbers in the AHL, with 24 points in 31 games.
He won’t be asked to lug useless linemates up and down the ice, either. Kamenev is slated to line up with solid (if streaky) forwards Colin Wilson and Craig Smith today.
An interesting opportunity for Kamenev, and he could gain some favor with management if he helps the Predators earn some points to close out a back-to-back set in Florida.
In other news surrounding that game, James Reimer’s playing for Roberto Luongo ... who might have been hurt during warm-ups?
A warm-up skate injury? #NSHvsFLA https://t.co/FRfNDtLuV7
— Thomas Willis (@TomAWillis) January 7, 2017