Preds' second line needs to step up
You can attribute the Predators’ firstround victory to a variety of factors. But something clearly was missing.
Absent were Kevin Fiala, Kyle Turris and Craig Smith, who comprised one of the NHL’s most productive lines this season. They were a non-factor offensively, which can't happen again if the Predators hope to beat the Winnipeg Jets in their second-round series.
"We need to be better," Turris said. "Obviously we want to be contributing and making an impact. We've got to do a better job come second round here."
The acquisition of Turris last November brought stability to the Predators’ forward lineup.
He, Fiala and Smith found instant success, outscoring opponents 32-13 at even strength during the regular season. They benefited from cushy assignments, starting a league-high 69.25 percent of their shifts in the offensive zone, according to the Corsica website.
But against the Avalanche, Turris, Fiala and Smith didn't combine for a goal in six games when together. The chances were there, but the finish wasn't.
"I thought we had some good looks," Smith told NHL.com. "I don't think it's lack of work. I think we're working and definitely think we're trying to do the right things."
Predators coach Peter Laviolette dissolved the unit to start Game 6 by removing Fiala and replacing him with Calle Jarnkrok.
"I played really bad," said Fiala, who scored a career-high 23 goals this season. "I played not good. Those two guys, I think, played good. You need three guys for a line to make it happen, and I wasn't there for them. I've just got to play better. I didn't compete and skate enough."
The Predators need all three of them to rebound against the Jets, whose top-six forward group is supremely skilled.
Winnipeg, like Nashville, has two imposing lines — Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler; Nikolaj Ehlers, Paul Stastny and Patrik Laine — that can take over a game and series.
"I'm sure that they want to feel those contributions, too," Laviolette said of Turris' line. "That's one of our lines that can produce a lot of points. I've known, too, that through the course of going long and deep in the playoffs that it's not always the same players. Different players and different lines, they find their way through certain points of the playoffs.
"There's a lot of confidence from me in that group. I think through the course of a long series, you'll see their production and their contributions."
Reach Adam Vingan at avingan@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamVingan.