The poor start by the Nashville Predators this season boiled over during practice before their matchup against the visiting Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
Nashville forwards Michael McCarron and Luke Evangelista got into a physical altercation while battling for the puck in the corner during a 2-on-2 drill Friday, forcing teammates to step in and separate the players.
“I probably shouldn’t have done that,” Evangelista said. “(McCarron’s) a good dude.”
Tensions are high after Nashville was blanked 3-0 by the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday, capping a five-game road trip in which the Predators went 1-2-2 and tumbled to the bottom of the Central Division standings.
“When you’re not feeling it like we are, there’s going to be some frustrations,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “That’s where we are at. It’s boys being boys. Kind of old-time hockey. It’s emotional, it’s an emotional game.”
Evangelista also was practicing with more determination than usual after he was a healthy scratch for the first time this season on Wednesday.
“Just trying to practice hard and compete, trying to find my way back in the lineup,” he said. “But I don’t want to get anyone hurt, just let my emotions get to me a little bit.”
The Predators have been shut out four times this season, including twice in the past three games.
“Obviously, scoring is hard to come by right now,” Brunette said. “Our margins for mistakes are so small.”
Nashville is averaging just 2.30 goals a game, which is last in the NHL.
“Something’s obviously got to change if we want to get out of this hole,” Predators forward Ryan O’Reilly said. “We’ve got to put the puck on net.”
The Jets will play the second game of a back-to-back set after beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 on Friday night to open a six-game road trip. The result gave them back-to-back wins following their first two-game losing streak of the season.
“Full team win,” Winnipeg forward Kyle Connor said. “That’s kind of been the story of this team this year.”
Connor Hellebuyck made 17 saves in the victory, so Eric Comrie will start in goal against Nashville, his fifth start of the season and third this month. He most recently was in net on Nov. 14, making 25 saves in a 4-1 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“Early in the game, late in the game, he kept us in that one,” Jets forward Mason Appleton said after the game.
Comrie won his other three starts this season — against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh. Comrie faced the Predators for the only time of his career last March 7 for the Buffalo Sabres and allowed four goals on 24 shots in his team’s 4-2 loss.
Connor got into his first NHL fight on Friday, taking on Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby early in the third period. He then scored his team-leading 13th goal of the season into an empty net at the 18:49 mark to seal the win and give him his first Gordie Howe hat trick.
“I was aware of it,” Connor said of that hat trick, which comprises collecting a goal, an assist and getting into a fight in the same game. “It was a cool moment for sure.”
