Funny thing though, this game of hockey. Sometimes, when it seems all hope has been lost, a different kind of outcome arrives.
The trip hasn't been perfect for the Preds - they are 2-2-1 through five of their eight games away from home - but despite five out of a possible 10 points thus far, Nashville has actually played quite well overall.
A 4-1 victory over the defending champions on Monday afternoon in Tampa seemed to be a culmination of recent games with better efforts that showed what the Predators still remain capable of, even with seemingly half their normal roster on the shelf.
For the youngsters, the opportunity to gain NHL experience is welcome, and all things considered, the Predators have liked what they've seen out of some future mainstays.
"They're good players, and that's why they're in the organization," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said of the rookies. "These kids aren't rushed into the process either, and that's how you want to be able to develop young players. They need to go through experiences, get some NHL games…and some guys, come in and play, some guys don't get an opportunity right away, but we have a good organization and we have a good coaching staff. The way that you bring young players along is you don't feed them to the wolves in the NHL. You need to make sure that they're ready, that they understand all the rigors of pro hockey, the preparation, the competitive level in certain areas, and that's why these kids have come in and then helped us be a competitive team through this process."
There will be growing pains too, but that's all part of the process. Hynes and his staff, in collaboration with Nashville's AHL coaches and player development coaches, work consistently with each of the young players in the organization, especially those who are making their foray into the NHL. The process is continuous, and while each player on the roster - rookie or veteran - always has something they can improve upon, now is the time to make sure the youths know what is expected.
"You're always trying to teach and work with guys, whether they're veterans or rookies," Hynes said. "Lots of times with the veteran players, I think they sometimes understand quicker some of the things that we want, or if they do something really well or they make a mistake, I think that they recognize that situation sometimes quicker and understand why things happened. With younger players, it's more about the why - why they need to do certain things, or why certain things occurred, good or bad, and that's really where you have the teachable moments with the younger guys. You may have more repetitive situations with younger guys or rookies where you're maybe working with them on the same things more repetitiously than you have to do with veteran players, and I think that's sometimes the biggest difference in the development of an older guy versus a young guy."