It might be a season of growing pains for the Nashville Predators.
"We're learning things the hard way on the road," coach Andrew Brunette said following the Predators' 5-4 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena on Oct. 6.
What's the hard way? How about losing a three-goal lead in the second period, a 4-2 advantage in the third period, then losing in overtime on an Auston Matthews goal.
"Taking penalties at the end of the first, the start of the second, that derailed us a little bit and gave them momentum," Brunette told reporters. "The building got going. We're just a little inconsistent with the puck, not quite battle ready on the puck like we have been."
Matthews' goal capped a four-point performance for the Maple Leafs'
captain, and it ruined a hot start for the Predators (1-1-1, 3 points), who had goals from Nils Höglander and Steven Stamkos to build an early lead.
"It's early in the season, but we're not afforded the luxury to wade into this," Brunette added. "We lost too many puck battles as the game went in the middle of the ice. We know better. They're correctable, just got to go back and understand we can't take penalties on the road and that was a big focus. A little disappointing that that happened."
The good news? Steven Stamkos is off to a hot start for Predators
Last season, the Predators only had one line that could score consistently. Through three games this season, they have at least two.
Against Toronto, Nashville's top line with Stamkos, Ryan O'Reilly, and Alex Kerfoot accounted for one goal at even strength, with Stamkos adding another on the power play. The second line with Höglander, Filip Forsberg, and Matthew Wood accounted for two goals, with Höglander scoring both.
While a balanced offensive attack will be important for Nashville this season, the real key is Stamkos.
If the Predators are going to push for a playoff spot this season, they'll need another productive season from Stamkos. Last season, he led the Predators with 14 power play goals and was second on the team with 28 even strength goals. That's more what Nashville expected when they signed him to a four-year deal in 2024, and it helped them come within four points of a playoff spot in April.
So far, Stamkos is picking up where he left off. He leads the Predators with three goals, including two on the power play.
Next up, the Predators visit the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 8 (6 p.m. CT, The Spot Nashville 28).
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com, follow him on X at@alexdaugherty1 or check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville Predators 'learning things the hard way' in OT loss to Toronto Maple Leafs
