Paul Skrbina

Roman Josi is the first to acknowledge he has some work to do -- on his post-goal celebrations, at least.

The Predators captain glided alone toward the goal to end practice Wednesday, pushed the puck past goalie Miroslav Svoboda and made good on his penalty shot attempt.

Then he spilled to the ice, flat on his back, mid-jubilance.

The fall earned him some applause and some laughter.

"You saw that? It was nice, huh?" Josi said with a laugh Friday before the Predators faced the Tampa Bay Lightning in the preseason home-opener at Bridgestone Arena. "I got a little too excited. It was a game-winner."

Josi had no such problems keeping his balance Friday night, when he scored the Predators' only goal, of the power-play variety, midway through the second period of their 5-1 loss.

After a summer that lasted longer than he wanted thanks to a second-round exit from the playoffs, Josi is glad to be back on the ice, even when his back is on the ice.

The trials and tribulations of the preseason can wear on players, but not so Josi. He said he skated twice a week for most of the summer before ramping it up to four or five times a week with his hometown team in Switzerland.

"It's the first time we're all getting back together," Josi said. "Preseason, the results don't matter as much, but you want to win games. It brings a good feeling to the season. You take those games seriously."

First impressions

Some players have no choice but to.

With a roster that's mostly set, coach Peter Laviolette won't have many tough decisions to make when it comes to who will be on it.

That doesn't mean he has his back to the future.

"There’s always a spot if somebody earns it," Laviolette said. "If somebody comes in and they clearly outplay somebody, that’s what it’s all about."

Laviolette used Viktor Arvidsson as an example.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder went unpicked in three drafts before the Predators chose him in the fourth round in 2014. He's managed 61 points in each of the last two seasons.

"(He) is a guy that has made a good impression and it might not have stuck right away," Laviolette said. "But eventually ... he worked his way up and earned his spot. There's always that opportunity to make a good impression and force the issue.

This season, players such as Frederick Gaudreau, who showed some flashes during the playoffs in 2017, are fighting for spots. Not to mention forward Eeli Tolvanen, who has just three NHL games on his resume but has shown promise that he's league-ready after the team picked him in the first round in 2017.

"Training camp is all about evaluation, seeing where everybody is at," Laviolette said. "Putting some things together you might want to see with the big club.

"We’ve got a number of guys who are in that situation. Even the guys who are here, it’s a chance to say they want a little bigger piece of the pie."

Teaming up for Hurricane Florence relief

The Predators will face the Hurricanes at 7 p.m. in a preseason game Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena.

But before then, the teams are teaming up to help provide hurricane relief efforts for people in North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Florence.

The Predators’ first televised preseason game will include fundraising efforts beginning with the pregame show at 6:30 p.m. on Fox Sports Tennessee.

The Predators Foundation will host an online auction from Saturday-Tuesday. Text RELIEF to 52182 to participate.

Reach Paul Skrbina at pskrbina@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter @PaulSkrbina.

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