from Adam Vingan of The Tennessean,

Here was an opportunity Saturday against the Coyotes to properly start the latter half of the regular season and put the unexceptional first 41 games behind them. Instead, Nashville's listless offense resurfaced in a 4-0 loss, the latest setback in a confounding season.

"It's tough to answer," Predators forward Filip Forsberg said when asked why these performances have become the norm. "We haven't been playing as good as we wanted really at any point of the year so far. I don't know. It's just not good enough."

The Predators' 19-16-7 record speaks for itself. They barely resemble the team that at this point last season was leading the NHL. And because of the regulation loss Saturday, the Predators are no longer in possession of a playoff spot as the idle Avalanche overtook them in the Western Conference standings because of their higher number of wins.

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Below are the game highlights...