Few imagined the Nashville Predators starting the season this way.

With a record of 3-5-3 through 11 games, the Predators have amassed nine points, only one more than the 30th-placed Arizona Coyotes - a team Peter Laviolette's club lost to this past week.

Much was expected of a club that added P.K. Subban and Ryan Johansen over the past calendar year, but at least one player believes the Predators may be coasting on the belief that they're good instead of proving it to be true.

"I think we took it for granted that we knew coming into the season we had a lot of talent," forward Colin Wilson said, according to Adam Vingan of The Tennessean. "Since I've been here, the reason why we always win games is the way that we worked. I think we've just gotten away from that, thinking we're going to win based on talent. It's just not the way it works in this league."

For Johansen, who is seen as the first-line center the Predators have long sought, it's not about playing harder, but smarter.

"It's not like we're going out there and not working," he said. "We're just not working smart enough. Everybody goes out there 98 percent of the time and works, but we're just not doing the right things on the ice that create turnovers and make the work evident."

And for those willing to place the blame solely on poor goaltending, that hasn't been the issue as of late.

Two of Nashville's wins have come against Chicago and Pittsburgh, which is no small feat. But at the same time, the Predators also have a league-low shooting percentage of 4.98 in five-on-five play, which isn't helping matters.

The good news for Nashville is it's still fairly early, and the team sits only two points out of a wild-card spot.

However, the Predators play in arguably the best division in the NHL, and have zero time to waste in terms of turning things around.

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