What Has Happened to Tommy Novak in Playoffs for Predators?

Aside from the big guns on the Nashville Predators, Tommy Novak has been a story this season and last, coming in hot and keeping up the strong play to earn himself a contract extension.

Novak was solid this season and settled into a third line center role. He finished fifth on the team in points (45) behind Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Gustav Nyquist, and Ryan O'Reilly, amassing those points in just 71 games. He could have been a big difference maker in the first round series against the Vancouver Canucks, but instead, he is nowhere to be found.

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Through the first five games of the series, Novak has played under 11 minutes per game and recorded no points. He has recorded exactly one shot per game and is -1. Novak has been on the ice for one total goal at five-on-five or all strengths. It came in the first game and as the plus/minus implies, he was on for a goal against.

Novak also has four hits and five blocks in the series so far, so he's adding more to his game that we don't see from the regular season. In terms of Corsi For % and Shots For %, he has done well, but shots have not been in dangerous areas. Instead, when he's on the ice, the Predators are giving up better opportunities and having to be bailed out by Juuse Saros.

This is evident from Novak's expected goals for % (xGF%) of 41.93%, scoring chances for % (SCF%) of 33.33%, and high danger chances for % (HDCF%) of 22.22%. These are all very poor and where it matters, Novak is just not providing positive value like he has for the Predators through the last two regular seasons.

He needs to have a larger impact on the series if the Predators want to make it any further. Novak plays a big part on this team, but hasn't shown it through five games.

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