One missing element of Predators' offense could return in near future

The absence of consistent scoring in recent games has brought to mind what else is missing for the Nashville Predators. Make that, who is missing.

“I’d say at a time like this, we think about two players who aren’t in our lineup right now,” general manager David Poile said. “One is playing in Russia, and one is practicing and trying to come back from injury.

“A lot of what ails us today is directly related to the fact that we don’t have those two players.”

The good news for the Predators is that one could be back in the lineup before the end of the month. The other, however, remains on the other side of the planet and offers no possibility for relief.

Steve Sullivan, who has averaged more than a point per game in 150 career appearances for Nashville, practiced again Friday morning, and following the workout met briefly with Poile.

The 34-year-old who has been sidelined since February, 2007 by a back injury, said that he intended to practice with the team again Sunday and Monday (the Predators play Calgary, 2 p.m. Saturday at the Sommet Center). At that point – barring a setback – he will meet again with Poile and coach Barry Trotz and set a timetable for his return.

“The league has gotten a lot faster, but (Sullivan) still looks fast,” Trotz said. “It’s going to take time. He’s not going to come in with a (Superman’s) ‘S’ on his jersey. He’s going to come in and try to be a productive player in this league.”

No Nashville player ever made a more immediate impact than Sullivan, who had 10 points in the first three games after he was acquired in a trade with Chicago on Feb. 16, 2004. In 2005-06, he became one of just two Nashville players to score more than 30 goals in a season when he had 31.

Similarly, no Predators’ draft pick was as prolific at the start of his career as Alexander Radulov, the team’s first choice (15th overall) in 2004. Radulov scored 44 goals in his first two NHL seasons. He set franchise records for goals (18) and points (37) by a rookie in 2006-07 then added 26 goals last season.

By comparison, David Legwand had 26 goals, Martin Erat had 25 and Scott Hartnell had 10 total in their first two full seasons.

Radulov, however, became a case study in relations between international hockey federations when he signed with a team in the start-up Russian league, the Continental Hockey League, last summer while still under contract with the Predators.

Next weekend, he will participate in that league’s inaugural All-Star game.

“We kind of lost him for nothing,” captain Jason Arnott said. “You definitely miss that creative ability on the offense, no question.”

Nashville has scored just 18 goals in the last 12 games and has fallen to the bottom of the Western Conference in goals scored for the season. At the same time it has dropped out of the all-important top eight in the conference standings (it as 13th at the start of play Friday).

At their current pace, the Predators will score 202 goals this season, their fewest in five seasons.

“You can look back, but we’re not going to do that,” Trotz said. “… Nothing’s going to be easy. It’s a good league. There’s lots of parity. It’s hard to score and we’re just going through a drought right now.”