Browsing: Nashville

Up until Saturday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets, the Nashville Predators didn’t have a lot of issues when it came to starting off games.

In four of their first five games of the season, if Nashville wasn’t scoring in the first period, it was scoring the first goal of the game. The 7-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs was the only game out of the first five where the Predators didn’t have a first-period goal or score the first of the match.

Facing off against the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winners, the Winnipeg Jets, following that trend would’ve been critical for the Predators to keep pace with Winnipeg. That did not happen.

Steven Stamkos took a hooking penalty a minute into the game, allowing the third-best power play in the NHL to go to work and take a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.

Halfway through the period, Nino Niederreiter snuck past the defense and scored on a breakaway to make it 2-0 Winnipeg. Six minutes after that, Brady Skjei was called for hooking.

A disastrous first period put the Predators in a hole that they were unable to dig themselves out of, falling to Winnipeg, 4-1.

“We didn’t start on time,” Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. “We took a bad penalty right away against a really good power play and made a mental mistake on the second goal. It was a lot of things we’ve haven’t done this year so far that crept into the game a little bit.”

The Predators struggled to get the offense going in the first period as well, getting outshot 11-5 before registering 10 more shots in the second period. To Nashville’s credit, outside of a bad fight by Michael McCarron and a slashing peanlty by Roman Josi that led to a Jets goal in third period, the Predators evened out the game.

Throughout this four-game road trip, where the Predators posted a 1-2-1 record, Nashville has shown flashes that they can be a good team and play complete periods.

“You see the images of when we play a certain way and it’s a good picture,” Brunette said. “For us, going forward, we need to be a little more consistent with that from the puck drop. For the most part, through this trip, we have been.”

The biggest thing the Predators need to avoid is bad habits from last season. The power play needs to improve as it is sitting at a low 8.7% efficiency. Its offense needs to start scoring more, as its 15 goals for in six games is tied for the 10th lowest in the league.

Then there’s the penalty minutes. The Predators are smack dab in the middle of the league with 49 penalty minutes in six games, but it’s about the type of penalties that are taken and when.

McCarron, who was one of the league leaders in penalties and led the Predators in fights last season with nine, squared off against Logan Stanley when the Predators were down 2-0 in the second period.

While McCarron was likely trying to “fire up” the Predators, Nashville was playing predominantly better already than in the first period. It outshot Winnipeg 15-4 and went to the power play three times.

Returning to Nashville with a balanced 2-2-2 record, the Predators have a five-game home stand to take advantage of and potentially turn things around halfway through the first month of play.

Source link

Oct 16, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens center Nick Suzuki (14) plays the puck against Nashville Predators left wing Michael Bunting (58) during the third period at Bell Centre. David Kirouac-Imagn Images

The Nashville Predators concluded their four-game Canadian road trip Saturday night in Winnipeg against a Jets team that came into the game winners of their last three.

Whether that was a factor, or a case of fatigue after playing four games in six days, the Jets made things look easy with a 4-1 win at Canadian Life Centre.

“Not a good first period by us,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said following the game. ”[We] kind of came out sleepy. They were definitely the better team.”

It was by far the Predators’ most lethargic performance of the young season, dropping their record to 2-2-2.

Mark Scheifele scored a power-play goal, former Pred Nino Niederreiter scored another and Logan Stanley put the game away for the Jets. Vladislav Namestnikov added the final Jets goal, while Michael Bunting lit the lamp for the only Preds goal.

Scheifele put the Jets on top 1-0 with a power-play goal at 2:39 of the opening period off a setup from Kyle Connor. Scheifele set a new Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise record for total points with the tally.

Former Predator Nino Niederreiter increased the Jets lead to 2-0 at 10:25 of the first from a Vladislav Namestnikov pass. Stanley increased the lead to 3-0 with his second goal of the season at the 5:26 mark of the third. Namestnikov scored Winnipeg’s final tally, also on the power play, at 16:52.

Bunting scored the lone goal for Nashville at the 18:56 mark of the final frame.

Here are takeaways from the game.

New Look, Same Results

Jonathan Marchessault sat out Saturday night’s game with a lower-body injury. Preds head coach Andrew Brunette inserted Nick Blankenburg into the lineup for his season debut.

Blankenburg not only saw action at both defense and forward in an 11-forward, seven-defensemen look, but quarterbacked the power-play first unit.

The Preds were looking for any sign of life from a unit that was 2-for-19 coming into the game. The first and second units had some good looks and even a 5-on-3 opportunity, but once again failed in execution to get the final shot in the net.

During one power-play sequence in the second period, the Preds have several good shots, but Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck was up to the task. At one point in the period, the Preds had a 7-1 shots-on-goal advantage on Winnipeg, six coming on power plays.

On the night, the Preds went 0-for-4 with the man advantage, continuing a disturbing trend.

Even the penalty-kill unit, which hadn’t allowed a single 5-on-4 goal coming into the game, gave up two to the Jets, who went 2-for-3 on the power play.

The Offense Has Hit A Wall

After four goals each in Ottawa and Toronto to start the four-game road trip, the Predators offense has faltered, managing just three goals over the last two games.

Coming into Saturday, Erik Haula (2g-2a), Jonathan Marchessault (2g-2a) and Roman Josi (1g-3a) all have four points through five games, followed by Perbix (2g-1a), Filip Forsberg (1g-2a) and Luke Evangelista (3a) with three points apiece.

Marchessault is currently out of the lineup, Stamkos has only one goal through six games and Evangelista is still looking to light the lamp for the first time this season. Even Forsberg, who led the team in scoring last season, has fallen silent.

“We’ve got to keep building,” Josi said. “We’ve got to have better starts than we did today. And then we’ve got to find a way to score some goals… Our defense has been good. I think we still have a lot of potential offensively… The power play has to be better. We played well in the last two periods, but we’ve got to just find a way.”

There were some spurts against the Jets. Hellebuyck was tested on two different occasions in the second period Saturday, but slammed the door each time. The Preds outshot Winnipeg 15-4 in the period.

Bunting’s goal broke Hellebuyck’s shutout. Other than that moral victory, the net might as well be a brick wall.

Brunette, while pointing out the inconsistencies of the team’s play, nevertheless felt the four-game road trip had some positive things to build on.

“Well, I think you see the images of when we play a certain way, and it’s a good picture,” Brunette said. “So, for us going forward, we need to be a little bit more consistent with that right from the puck drop. And for the most part, through this trip, we have been. So, to me, it was a good road trip.”

Michael McCarron Drops The Gloves

If all else fails, fight.

The Predators were looking for anything to provide a spark. At 8:28 of the middle frame, 6-foot-6 Michael McCarron went toe-to-toe with 6-foot-7 Logan Stanley. Both received five-minute majors for fighting.

It was great entertainment for the fans at Canadian Life Centre, but it didn’t put the puck in the net for the Predators. In fact, Stanley got the last laugh by scoring his second goal of the season for a 3-0 Jets lead in the third period.

The Predators will limp back to Bridgestone Arena to start a five-game homestand that begins Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks.

Source link

Oct 11, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) celebrates goal with center Brady Martin (44) against the Utah Mammoth during the first period at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Nashville Predators have completed the first week of the 2025-26 season.

Through five games, the Preds have a 2-1-2 record for six points, good for second in the Central Division. They have lost just once in regulation: a 7-4 road defeat against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 14. The other two losses came in overtime to Utah and Montreal.

The sample size may be small, but there are numerous positive and negative aspects to the Predators’ first week of action. Here are three takeaways from the week.

The Predators Are Ahead Of Last Season’s Pace

Things couldn’t have started off much worse for Nashville in 2024-25. The club began 0-5 in the season’s first week before winning its next two.

Filip Forsberg, who ended up leading the Preds in scoring, was averaging a point per game through the first five. The offense was averaging 2.00 goals per game while opponents were averaging 4.60.

Juuse Saros sported an 0-4 mark with a 3.64 goals-against average and .875 save percentage.

After six games this season, Erik Haula (2-2-4), Jonathan Marchessault (2-2-4) and Roman Josi (1-3-4) each have four points. Haula, Marchessault and Nick Perbix are in a three-way tie for the team lead in goals with two.

The Preds are averaging 2.80 goals per game while giving up a 3.00 average to the opposition.

Saros has been lights-out with a 2-0-2 record, 1.94 goals-against average and .935 save percentage. Backup Justus Annunen suffered the only other OT loss, allowing four goals in Toronto.

To say the Predators look like a team who could contend for the playoffs is unrealistic, as the overtime loss against the Canadiens Thursday in Montreal proved.

The Preds held a 2-1 lead until Cole Caufield scored with just 19 seconds left in regulation to require overtime, then tallied the golden goal to give the Habs a come-from-behind win.

“(It) sucks when you’re 19 seconds away from pulling out of the win and you only get one point,” Preds forward Steven Stamkos, who scored his first goal of the season, told reporters following the loss.

The goal-scoring hasn’t come in bunches, and the defense, while showing some flashes, has had costly breakdowns. Nevertheless, the Predators will take what progress they can get.

Special Teams Have Had Mixed Reviews

Last season, the Predators finished 18th in the NHL on the power play at 21.9%. Through six games in 2025-26, it has been abysmal.

The power-play unit is 2-for-19 through five games. It snapped a string of 13 consecutive chances without a goal when Stamkos scored on a power play at the 11:36 mark of the third period in Montreal.

The Preds were 0-for-6 with the man advantage in their 4-1 victory in Ottawa against the Senators Oct. 13. It didn’t affect the outcome in that game, but through the course of an 82-game season, that won’t be the case.

the Preds had the chance to put the game against the Senators out of reach with a 1-0 lead in the third period after David Perron went off for tripping, but failed to convert.

“We’ve got to put teams away in those situations, especially when you get a power play in the third period,” forward Jonathan Marchessault said after the Ottawa win.

Such paltry numbers are sure to turn around to some degree. With Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan O’Reilly making up the first unit, the Preds have to get better production.

Meanwhile, Nashville’s penalty-kill unit has been near-perfect. Entering the Montreal game, the Preds successfully killed off 11 of 12 penalties (91.7%), good for sixth in the league. They were a perfect 3-for-3 against the Habs. The only chance they failed to kill was a 6-on-4 against Ottawa.

The stellar play of the PK has thus far rolled over from last season, when the Preds finished seventh in the NHL at 81.5%.

Juuse Saros Has Been Money

Some eyebrows may have been raised when the Predators inked goaltender Juuse Saros to an eight-year, $61.92 million contract in July 2024. After posting a 2.98 GAA and .896 SP in 2024-25, the doubters got louder.

Saros has been spectacular in the four games he has started. Even in the heart-breaking 3-2 overtime loss to the Canadiens, he made a number of crucial saves amid a barrage of shots during sequences when the Preds’ defense failed to protect him.

The Finnish netminder has answered the bell in the early going, but even a great goaltender can’t do everything by himself. The back end has failed to protect both Saros and Annunen in key situations.

Such was the case in Toronto, when at least four of the Maple Leafs’ goals were scored when Annunen had little help.

“We probably weren’t all that sharp around the front of the net,” Preds head coach Andrew Brunette said after the 7-4 loss. “Those stick battles weren’t quite to our standard. A little bit slow early.”

If Saros continues to be great, the Preds will be in most games. At some point, however, the defense must be stronger around the net, especially when closing out an opponent.

Source link

Aside from two empty net goals in the third period, the Nashville Predators’ defense struggled to support goalie Justus Annunen in their 7-4 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday.

On four of the five goals scored with Annunen in the net, the goalie had little to no support from the Predators’ defense in limiting the Maple Leafs’ scoring chances.

“We probably weren’t all that sharp around the front of the net,” Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. “Those stick battles weren’t quite to our standard. A little bit slow early.”

The first goal was more so on Annunen as a long shot from the point by Jake McCabe zipped through traffic, hit the right post and went in.

The second goal was where the Predators lack of defense started showing.

On a rush into the Predators’ zone, the Maple Leafs were able to get two players past the Predators’ defense and Ozzy Weisblatt on the right side. That allowed William Nylander to make a cross-ice pass to Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who tapped it in for the goal.

Nashville came back to tie the game in the second period, before Toronto took the lead off a goal from John Tavares, who scored from his knees right in front of Annunen. Roman Josi pressured Tavaraes into falling, but he had two Predator defenders on him when he had scored.

Josi also had an opportunity to clear the puck out of the crease before Tavares had scored.

The third goal saw Bobby McMann get in front of the Predators’ defense, fire a shot, get his own rebound and put it away to make it 4-3. On the goal, it had looked like Brady Skjei and Cole Smith had given up on the play before McMann fired the second shot.

The fourth goal saw the Predators turn the puck over in the neutral zone and get caught too high, allowing the Maple Leafs to go on a 2-on-1.

Justin Barron missed on the diving poke check, and the Predators had a little bit of a window to possibly break up the goal as Matthew Knies went for the extra pass back to Auston Matthews. Jonathan Marchessault got back, but not in time to prevent the easy tap-in goal from Matthews.

The Maple Leafs scored three of their five goals, with Annunen in the net, from below the face-off circles, meaning that they had no issue getting to the net. They also had 12 high danger chances.

Outside of the goals, the shot totals, face-off battles, hits and even penalty minutes were all pretty even. If Nashville’s defense had tightened up around the net, this could’ve been a different result.

The lapse also exposes just how critical Juuse Saros has been in the first three games of the season. Not only has the Predators’ starter made 89 saves on 94 shots, but he has kept the Predators in all three of their games.

In Nashville’s first two games, the team struggled in the second period, and it was Saros who allowed the Predators to have a chance to win to the end. Putting Annunen, the backup, in the net shows that the defense can’t constantly rely on Saros to bail them out.

Source link

Oct 14, 2025; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Nashville Predators forward Michael McCarron (47) celebrates with forward Cole Smith (36) after scoring a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

After a 4-1 victory in Ottawa against the Senators Monday afternoon, the Nashville Predators faced their first test of finishing a back-to-back on the road.

Tuesday night, the Preds traveled to Toronto for the second of a four-game swing through Canada. They fought hard, but came up short in a 7-4 loss to the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.

Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, John Tavares, Bobby McMann, Auston Matthews (2) and William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs.

Michael McCarron, Erik Haula, Roman Josi and Nick Perbix tallied the Preds’ goals. Josi scored his first goal in nine months after coming back from an upper-body injury and a POTS diagnosis.

HAULLLLAAAAAAAA pic.twitter.com/HEhtxpURC7

— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) October 15, 2025

The Maple Leafs were coming off two consecutive losses to the Detroit Red Wings, and took out their frustrations on the Predators. They built a 2-0 lead before the Preds roared back early in the second with two goals in 44 seconds to tie the score.

The Leafs answered with three goals of their own and staved off a spirited comeback by the Predators, who suffered their first loss in regulation and fall to 2-1-1 for the season.

“A little bit slow early, but we got to our game in the second period,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said during his media availability after the game. “I thought we played fast, thought we got in there, and we had some opportunities.”

Brunette scratched Brady Martin for the second game in a row. He told reporters earlier in the day this was part of Martin’s development plan.

With Martin sitting, Tyson Jost skated on a line with Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly. Ozzy Wiesblatt made his season debut and collected two assists on the night.

Here are three takeaways from the game.

The Preds Showed A Lot Of Heart

Toronto was desperate to play well in front of the home crowd, and showed it in the opening period.

The Preds couldn’t register a shot through the first six minutes, but finally began narrowing the gap and ended the frame with eight shots to Toronto’s nine. Problem was, two of the Leafs’ shots went into the net, and built a 2-0 lead.

The second period saw the Preds outshoot the Leafs 14-6, with McCarron and Haula bringing them even 2-2 with goals just 44 seconds apart.

Once again, Toronto refused to give in, and the Preds found themselves sinking in quicksand despite showing grit throughout the game.

“Probably gave up a little bit more than we wanted to…a couple weird bounces for them, but in saying that, we maybe shot ourselves in the foot a little bit,” McCarron said. “We gave up too many chances against. At the same time, we scored four goals, good PK. You’re going to run into some good teams here.”

The two teams traded a total of four goals in the final four minutes of the game. The Preds tallied eight goals in their first two road games, twice the number they scored in the first two home games combined. They left Toronto without a win, but didn’t allow the Leafs to run away from them.

Big Juice Was Outdueled

It was a battle of the backup goalies, with Justus Annunen getting his first start of the young season. Cayden Primeau was in net for the Leafs.

It was Primeau who came out on top, stopping 22 of 26 shots. Annunen saved 18 of 23 Leafs shots.

While Annunen kept the game from getting completely out of hand, he was out of position on McMann’s goal after Brady Skjei made a great defensive play on the initial shot. That gave the Leafs their two-goal lead back after the Predators had worked hard to get back in the game.

“There were times when I thought we carried the play and we looked great,” Perbix said. “We were pressing on them, leaning on them, and then we just kind of gave something up. There’s a team over there (that will) capitalize on almost every opportunity you give them. So we’ve got to tighten that up.”

Juuse Saros has been virtually unstoppable through his first three games, posting a 2-0-1 with a 1.64 goals-against average and .947 save percentage. No one is expecting Annunen to be Saros’s equal, and the No. 1 guy has to be rested once in a while.

One game is too small a sample size to judge, but Big Juice will need to have some big games to keep hopes of a turnaround season alive for the Preds.

The Power Play Has Lost Power

Stop us if you’ve read this before: the Preds’ power play was stalled again.

The unit seems to be more inclined to pass rather than take a shoot-first approach. They’re failing to get penetration and find consistent chances to score.

Nashville came into the game a paltry 1-for-15 with the man advantage, an Tuesday did nothing to raise that percentage. They didn’t have as many opportunities as they did against the Sens the day before, but failed in both their tries against the Leafs.

“You just got to flush it, got to move on from this one,” Perbix said. “Obviously, we’ll do some video, learn from this, from the mistakes we made, and build off the stuff that we did good, because I do believe there was plenty of good that we did out there.”

The penalty-kill unit didn’t have to work as hard, either, compared to the penalty fest in Ottawa. They successfully killed off both penalties and are now 11-of-12 through four games.

Their only blemish on the young season came Monday against Ottawa, when they gave up an empty-net goal on a 6-on-4. Otherwise, they are perfect in 5-on-4.

Source link

Oct 13, 2025; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators center Dylan Cozens (24) and Nashville Predators defenseman Nick Perbix (48) track the puck following a save by goalie Juuse Saros (74) in the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images

After getting three out of a possible four points in their two home games to open the season, the Nashville Predators took to the road to start a four-game road swing across Canada.

Their first stop was Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa Monday against the Senators in an early afternoon contest on Canadian Thanksgiving Day.

In the end, it was the Predators who gave thanks, coming away with a 4-1 victory to start the season 2-0-1 and notch their first road win. Jonathan Marchessault scored two goals including an empty-netter, while Ryan O’Reilly lit the lamp for the second time this season, and Cole Smith also got an empty-net tally.

The Preds started and finished strong, something that has been an issue for the team over the past year. Juuse Saros has looked unstoppable through three games, stopping 30 of 31 shots he faced on Monday.

After playing in the first two games, Brady Martin was a healthy scratch against the Senators. This is part of his development plan, according to head coach Andrew Brunette. He will most likely be back in the lineup for Tuesdayâ€s game in Toronto against the Maple Leafs.

Here are three takeaways from the Predators’ victory.

The Predators Showed Intensity Early

Through much of last season and the first two games of this young campaign, the Predators have had a tendency to come out of the gate sluggish.

Against the Sens, they showed some intensity early in the first period and did a nice job forechecking, creating turnovers and passing the puck.

There were some lags, of course, including a 10-minutes span during the middle frame when the Predators failed to get off a shot.

Marchessault finally got the Predators on the board at 12:21 of the period for his first goal of the season. Michael Bunting and Erik Haula each picked up an assist.

It was difficult to get into a consistent flow in the first period, with 14 penalty minutes assessed between the two teams. But the Preds showed some signs of taking the game to their opponent right from the start, which is especially important on the road.

The real test will come when Nashville plays the second of a back-to-back Tuesday in Toronto.

Special Teams Are Once Again A Mixed Bag

The Preds†penalty-kill unit came into Monday perfect in five chances through the first two games of the season. Aside from one blemish that netted the Sens’ only goal late in the third period, the PK was solid once again.

The unit was put to the test early against Ottawa, and successfully converted on three chances in the first period alone.

During a Sens power play for delay of game, Fedor Svechkov went to the sin bin for interference with 37 seconds left on the man advantage.

Roman Josi then went off for cross-checking Brady Tkachuk to put Ottawa in a 5-on-3. Cole Smith almost got a shorthanded tally for the Predators on a nice setup from Erik Haula at 5-on-4, but Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark denied him. Nashville got through the entire sequence successfully.

For the day, Nashville went 4-for-5 on the PK. Ridly Greig’s power-play tally at 17:57 broke the perfect streak of 9-for-9 on the season.

It’s a great start for a unit that finished seventh in the NHL at 81.5%.

The power play, however, continued to struggle. The Preds did not score on all six of their chances with the man advantage.

It wasn’t for lack of trying. Filip Forsberg was robbed twice by Ullmark on two great scoring opportunities after a breakaway on the first power play.

Steven Stamkos had another chance on a later man advantage when Shane Pinto went off for holding Forsberg. Once again, Ullmark was up to the task.

Including Monday’s game, the Predators power-play unit is 1-for-15 through three games. Fortunately, it hasn’t hurt them to a great deal to this point, but that will certainly change over the long haul if it doesn’t improve.

Goaltending Made A Difference Once Again

Coming into the season, there were questions about whether Juuse Saros could regain his form of 2023-24, when he posted a 2.86 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.

Through the first three games, the Finnish netminder has answered that question with a resounding YES. He has 88 saves on 93 shots faced, sporting a .945 save percentage.

On Monday, he stopped 30 of 31 shots and made numerous key saves, including one following O’Reilly’s goal.

Along with that, the Preds defense has backed him up well, blocking shots and making the difference in the two victories.

Source link

The day has finally arrived! After nearly six months, the Nashville Predators will return to the ice against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena at 7 p.m. CST.

The new season gives the Predators a fresh start after a disappointing campaign last season. This year’s roster will face multiple new additions, including the Predators 2025 fifth overall pick, Brady Martin.

With puck drop upon us, here is everything you need to know ahead of the Predators’ season opener.

– Nashville defenseman Nicolas Hague is out with an upper-body injury until at least Oct. 23.

– Nashville forward Matthew Wood is out with a lower-body injury until at least Oct. 11.

– Nashville forward Luke Evangelista is still figuring out details with his newly signed contract and was listed as “non-roster” on the Predators’ opening night roster announcement on Monday.

– Columbus defenseman Luca Marrelli is out until at least Dec. 16 with a shoulder injury.

– Columbus forward Jordan Dumais is out until at least Oct. 18 with a hip injury.

The Predators highest pick since 2013, Martin, is set to make his NHL debut on Thursday. Head coach Andrew Brunette confirmed on Wednesday that the center would play.

Martin said he has around 30 family members in town to watch him play. He is expected to center the Predators top line with Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly on the wings.

It’s a big moment that’s received some criticism, but the Predators feel confident in Martin’s capabilities.

Nashville Predators confident with Brady Martin centering Forsberg, O’Reilly line ahead of opening night
Brady Martin may have the biggest role of any rookie in the NHL on opening night.

A lot of the Predators hype from the 2024 offseason was derailed in October as they went 5-9-1 and lost their first five games. In wanting to have a chance to make the playoffs this season, the Predators will need to have a strong start out of the gate.

Nashville earned between both of its matchups against the Blue Jackets last season.

Its first meeting was one of the few games the Predators won in October, taking a 4-3 overtime win on Oct. 26.

The second meeting was an 8-4 blowout victory in favor of the Blue Jackets on April 1. That loss was in the middle of a six-game Predators losing streak at the end of last season.

Nashville has also not won on a traditional opening-night since 2019. It’s win over Columbus to open the 2020-21 season was in January in an abbreviated 56-game season. The Predators win over the San Jose Sharks to start the 2022-23 season was part of a double-header played in Prague, Czechia.

Nashville Predators Hope To Reverse Recent Opening Night Struggles
Apr 16, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators goaltender Juuse Saros (74) blocks the puck against the Dallas Stars during the second period at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Nashville

Forwards

Forsberg-Martin-O’Reilly

Kemell-Svechkov-Stamkos (potentially Evangelista at LW)

Bunting-Haula-Marchessault

Jost/Wiesblatt-McCarron-Smith

Defensemen

Wilsby-Josi

Skjei-Perbix

Stastney-Barron

Blankenburg

Goaltender

Juuse Saros

Game time: vs. Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. CST

Where: Bridgestone Arena, 501 Broadway, Nashville, Tenn.

Line (via MGM): Nashville -1.5, Columbus +1.5. Over/under 6

TV/streaming: FanDuel Sports Network South

Radio: 102.6 The Game

Tickets: Available via Ticketmaster starting at $37.50

Source link

Milwaukee Admirals forward Joakim Kemell (25) fires a shot past Chicago Wolves defenseman Joel Nystrom (9) in a game Friday, April 18, 2025, at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. © Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Nashville Predators needed a serious shot in the arm to finish off a pre-season that had them in a bit of a tailspin.

Joakim Kemell provided it in a big way in Saturdayâ€s 3-2 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at Bridgestone Arena.

If there were any doubts as to whether the 5-foot-11, 182-pound Finnish winger has put himself on the Opening Night roster, he may have erased them with his performance Saturday. The Preds were in danger of falling into another lackluster spell until Kemell changed the game in a heartbeat.

The 21-year-old may not have scored a hat trick in terms of goals, but he did have a trio of big moments in the game: an overtime winning goal, a secondary assist on another, and a crunching hit on a player three inches taller that caused the Hurricanes to lose their composure.

After Carolinaâ€s Sebastian Aho drew an unsportsmanlike misconduct penalty, Kemell got the puck at the blueline and passed to his right. Brady Skjei fed it back to Kemell, who tallied the golden goal on a one-timer at 4:44 of the extra frame. Skjei and Fedor Svechkov each picked up an assist.

Joakim Kemell speaks to the media following the 3-2 overtime victory over the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 at Bridgestone Arena. Video Courtesy of the Nashville Predators

“I like to shoot, so I hit the net and I can score sometimes,†Kemell said after the game.

A modest assessment, to be sure. But itâ€s what Kemell did earlier that had everybody in Bridgestone Arena buzzing.

Kemell delivered a massive hit to 6-foot-2 Andrei Svechnikov at center ice, causing the Russian winger to lose his stick.

This obviously didnâ€t sit well with the Canes. Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov took a swipe at Jonathan Marchessault, and Ahoâ€s unsportsmanlike misconduct set up a 4-on-3 man advantage for the Predators. Kemell made the most of the opportunity on the next shift.

“I mean, just a part of me,†Kemell said of his hit on Svechnikov after the game. “I like to play hard and I like to hit. I mean, that was good timing. I donâ€t know what to say… Good hit, good goal.â€

Predators center Ryan Oâ€Reilly is a 17-year NHL veteran, yet he was amazed by the intensity of Kemellâ€s hit.

“Thatâ€s one of the harder hits Iâ€ve seen in hockey, to be honest with you,†Oâ€Reilly said. “In overtime, you never really see that. That was pretty special.â€

Kemell contributed to the Predators†goal that put them ahead 2-1 at 4:59 of the second period, earning a secondary assist on Tyson Jostâ€s first unofficial goal as a Predator since being claimed on waivers Oct. 1.

Kemell played on a line with Jost and Svechkov, which had several quality shifts throughout the game.

“I’ve seen a lot of things, but I don’t think I’ve seen a hit like that in 3-on-3,” Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said. “Then, to get a goal after they were trying to get at him, was pretty fun to be a part of.”

Taken 17th overall by the Predators in the 2022 NHL Draft, Kemell provided the intensity when the team needed it the most. Whether it can carry over into the regular season remains to be seen, but it at least ended the pre-season on a positive note for the Predators, who have shown a propensity for lackluster play in their last three games.

“I hope we keep that feeling, because we worked really hard for that feeling (Saturday),†Brunette said.

A player is often judged by how he responds when something is on the line. In the case of Kemell, it’s a final roster spot.

With Luke Evangelista now signed and ready to join the team, that could affect Kemell securing a top-six forward spot. But Matthew Wood being placed on injured reserve with a lower-body injury may have kept the door open for Kemell. Saturday’s performance could have made those final decisions easier for the Preds†brass.

Source link

Nashville Predators fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief as forward Luke Evangelista has signed a new contract.

Friday it was reported by Frank Seravalli that Evangelista signed a two-year, $6 million contract, ending a three-month-long saga between the two parties. He was one of three restricted free agents left in the league that had not signed a contract for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

Evangelista has been seen as the Predators “future” according to Trotz. Last season, the 23-year-old scored 32 points in 68 games, a second straight season where Evangelista rattled off 30 plus points.

His production has climbed over the last three seasons and is poised for a breakout year. Evangelista was drafted 42nd overall in the 2020 NHL Draft out of the London Knights (OHL).

In July, Evangelista was extended a qualifying offer, but did not sign before the original offer had expired on July 15. Trotz said on July 1 that both parties were trying to determine the term of the contract, as the Predators wanted to extend it longer and Evangelista did not.

There were no updates until the start of training camp when Trotz said that trading Evangelista was is “not even a thought.” Evangelista did not report to training camp due to the contract disputes and ended up going back home to Toronto.

Throughout training camp, reports came forward that both parties with still far a part as the start of the regular season drew closer and closer.

However, both parties were able to reach an agreement at the eleventh hour. Despite the delay, this is a big confidence booster for the Predators’ front office to keep Evangelista in Nashville.

The Predators kick off the regular season on Oct. 9 against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Bridgestone Arena at 7 p.m. CST.

Source link

Nov 25, 2019; Nashville, TN, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Daniel Carr (26) celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout past St. Louis Blues goaltender Jake Allen (34) at Bridgestone Arena. Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Despite a slightly more spirited effort from the Nashville Predators in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes Sunday than what they showed the night before in Tampa Bay against the Lightning, the result on the scoreboard was the same: a loss.

Daniel Carr, in camp on a PTO, and Reid Schaefer scored for the Predators in a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Canes at Lenovo Center. Felix Unger-Sorum, Bradly Nadeau (two goals) and Charles Alexis Legault tacked on the other Canes tallies.

“I mean, no quit in this group,†Preds defenseman Nick Blankenburg said told reporters after the game. “I know some guys had a couple back-to-backs and late nights last night, and obviously a younger team coming on the road against just a hard-nosed Carolina team. I think there’s some things we can learn from and continue to get better at but, I mean, that’s what training camps are for, so just continue to build off it and go from there.â€

The Preds have just one pre-season contest remaining, a home game against these same Hurricanes next Saturday at Bridgestone Arena. The roster will be a bit thinner by then, so there isnâ€t much time for players on the bubble to show what they can do.

Here are some takeaways from the night.

The Younger Guys Took Center Stage

Predators head coach Andrew Brunette went with a less experienced lineup against the Canes than in the Tampa Bay game on Saturday.

Four players skated for the second straight night: Tanner Molendyk, Zach Lâ€Heureux and Ozzy Wiesblatt, who each made their pre-season debuts the night before. Fedor Svechkov also saw action for the second straight night.

Otherwise, it was young prospects or older players on PTOâ€s like Carr, who has spent the last four seasons playing in Switzerland.

If Carr’s name is familiar to Preds fans, heâ€s the same Daniel Carr who scored an overtime goal in a win over the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 25, 2019.

Though tentative in the beginning, the young guys picked up the pace as the game went along. Oâ€Hara, who assisted on Carr†goal, had a great chance in the third, but was stymied by Carolina netminder Cayden Primeau.

Oasiz Wiesblatt, making his pre-season debut, showed his physicality by getting in a scrap and drawing a five-minute fighting major in the third period.

“It was fun to see the Wiesblatt brothers play together,†Brunette smiled. “Oasiz is a fun player.â€

But the Canes proved too much in the end, outshooting the Predators in every period and 36-20 for the game.

“I thought the guys battled, battled all night,†Brunette said afterward. “I think there were some ebbs and flows of the game where we kind of carried momentum, and then they brought it right back to us. So, I thought guys did a great job.â€

With more cuts coming next week, it was the last chance for some to convince the coaching staff they deserve a longer look.

Kudos To The Penalty Kill, Low Marks For The Power Play

The Predators penalty-kill was put to the test this weekend, and came through for the most part.

After piling up 18 penalty minutes against Tampa Bay Saturday, the Preds added 15 against the Canes. They managed to kill five out of seven against the Bolts and went 4-for-5 against Carolina.

The power play was a different story. It struggled to get any traction, going 0-for-11 combined in the back-to-back. Both stats are pretty much in line with last season, when Nashville ranked 18th in the NHL on the man advantage and seventh on the PK.

The Predators have to hope the power-play unit reverses that trend once the regular season starts; otherwise, the struggle to score goals will roll over from 2024-25.

Tanner Molendyk Continues To Make His Case

With Nicolas Hague sidelined 4-6 weeks with an upper-body injury, all eyes are on several young players to pick up the slack on defense.

it was especially important for Tanner Molendyk to make a statement that he belongs in the mix for one of those final spots.

Playing for the second consecutive night was a good chance to see how Molendyk would respond to a back-to-back. He made a nice takeaway on Canes captain Jordan Staal in the first period that was quite impressive. He did get called for tripping less than four minutes into the game, but his play against a savvy veteran like Staal proves he has the tools; he just needs to play catch-up after coming bac from injury. Meanwhile, other candidates like Spencer Stastney, who suited up on Sunday, and Adam Wilsby, who played Saturday, are also vying for that spot.

Source link