Filip Forsberg scored Nashville’s only goal as the Predators lost to the Edmonton Oilers 5-1 Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result ends Nashville’s four-game point streak (3-0-1) and sees them finish the first month of the season with a 3-6-1 record.

Nashville insisted on a better start on Thursday, but in the first shift of the game, the Oilers found the back of the net en route to an overall frustrating night for the home club.

“First shift,” Preds head coach Andrew Brunette said when asked where the game was against Nashville. “We weren’t ready to play. (It’s like) putting a square peg in a round hole here, saying this is a desperate team, and we have to match them. And (we) came out and fell short early on, and we chased the game again.

“Not good enough,” Preds defenseman Brady Skjei said of his team’s effort. “Obviously going down straight away and then just the first half was not the way we were supposed to play. It was too slow, then we got a glimpse of it in the second and then the third period, but getting one early was a bit of a delay breaker. So, this is definitely not a good play on our part.

Former Preds forward Viktor Arvidsson was the one to beat Juuse Saros to give Edmonton a 1-0 lead just 37 seconds into the game, but the Predators converted on the power play shortly after as Forbserg scored. an Oilers turnaround in front of Calvin Pickard.

However, Corey Perry put Edmonton back on top midway through the first period, then Leon Drasaitl added a third Oilers goal in the second period. Draisaitl’s second of the night came less than two minutes into the third period before Edmonton scored once again before the game ended.

With the first month of the season over and the Preds 10 games into the season, Nashville says concerns are growing as November rolls around.

“We’re a team that cares a lot — we want to win, we want to play hard, and I think … we’re disconnected right now,” Preds captain Roman Josi said. “We don’t play as a team, we don’t play as a unit of five and that makes the game even more difficult. You don’t escape, you don’t have scrambles, the forecheck doesn’t work, so everything goes wrong. We need to find a way to fix this.

The Predators will look to do just that before the Colorado Avalanche come to town on Saturday, and Nashville knows they simply have to be better in every area.

“Well, I don’t think it’s necessary to have (all) the answers (10 games into the season), but I think it takes desperation and determination, and I don’t “I can’t say we had that,” Brune said. “I think we think we’re going to be OK, and we’re OK, and it’s OK, and we’re good and all that kind of stuff. I don’t think we’re determined enough to be able to give chemistry a chance at the moment.

Remarks :

Preds forward Mark Jankowski missed Thursday’s game and is day-to-day dealing with a lower-body injury. Juuso Parssinen took Jankowski’s place up front, and defenseman Marc Del Gaizo also returned to Nashville’s lineup on Thursday.

In addition to Jankowski, forward Philip Tomasino and defenseman Dante Fabbro were scratched for Nashville.

The Predators continue their three-game homestand Saturday night by hosting the Colorado Avalanche at Bridgestone Arena before visiting the Los Angeles Kings on Monday.