Predators GM isn't rushing to add forward amid scoring drought

Nashville Predators general manager David Poile isn't rushing to score on the trade market, even as his team struggles to score on the ice.

Shut out in their past three games, the Predators have failed to score a goal over the last 213 minutes and 47 seconds of play, the longest goalless drought in franchise history by close to 40 minutes.

Still, Poile believes in his group, and won't make changes based on the small sample size of futility.

"Goal-scoring is the single one area that's probably the hardest thing to accomplish in the National Hockey League," Poile said Tuesday, according to Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. "We're suffering mightily the last three games. ...

"(But) I believe in the players and I believe in their abilities, and we've already seen them do it before. Hopefully, (with) determination, perseverance, hard work and maybe a little more puck luck, things will turn around for those guys. When it does, I think most other aspects of our game are in really good shape, so we should be able to take advantage of their scoring."

For the season, the Predators are averaging 2.55 goals per game, good for 18th among all 30 NHL teams. This is down from last season, where the same group posted a 14th-ranked 2.76 goals a game.

That Poile would be asked about improving the forward corps reflects how loaded Nashville is on defense and in goal, with added firepower up front potentially raising the Predators to true contender status.

For now, he's willing to wait it out.

"If you're going to pick an area you'd like to improve, it probably would be our forwards," Poile conceded.

He added, "If anything, it's just being probably a little bit more consistent ... (the need for scoring) has just been accentuated by the fact that it's been a three-game drought."

Should Poile's Preds be shut out again Wednesday, it would mark the first four-game scoreless streak since the 1928-29 season.