Nashville Loses in Shootout Against Ottawa

Through the first four games of the season, the Predators have struggled to assemble a well-rounded game across all three periods. On Saturday night, in its fifth outing of the campaign, Nashville had arguably its best performance to date. However, Ottawa sent the game to overtime in the final minutes of regulation before stealing the win in a shootout. The Predators closed out a three-game road stretch with their second overtime loss of the trip, falling to the Senators 3-2.

Over the last three outings, Nashville has struggled at times. First, Nashville fell apart late, surrendering a comeback to the Maple Leafs in an overtime loss on Tuesday. The Predators responded by producing a strong rally of their own in Thursday's win over the Canadiens. Tonight's stumble brings the trip full circle, Nashville ends the road trip 2-1-2 for the season.

Nashville gained an early edge, much like the Toronto matchup, scoring the first two goals of the game in the opening frame. Ross Colton opened up scoring with his first goal with the team, followed by Jonathan Marchessault, who notched his first of the season. Vitali Pinchuk made his NHL debut and quickly made an impact, recording an assist on the Colton score.

Defensively, the Predators produced their most physical showcase of the season. Nashville introduced new defenseman Jayden Stuble, who was acquired in a trade with Montreal on Friday. Additionally, the Predators opted to sit goaltender Juuse Saros after two gargantuan efforts this week. In his place was Matt Murray. The Predators' netminder for Saturday's game was making his first start since Jan. 8, 2024, with the Dallas Stars.

Murray had a solid showing in place of Saros, the league's second-leading goaltender in total saves this year. Given Nashville's punishing defense tonight, the team required comparably less exertion than Saros' nightly efforts.

Across the first 58 minutes, Murray's shield cracked just once. Tim Stutzle was the one to put the Senators on the board. He found the back of the net during a power play halfway through the middle frame. Aside from that, Ottawa's shot attempts were fairly limited, finishing the game with just 20. However, the Predators' shot attempts slowed down as the game progressed as well. Through overtime, the Predators only totaled 18 shots of their own.

It seemed like Nashville would hang on for the victory, but Ottawa evened the score with an empty net at its back. The Senators capitalized on the extra player, and Drake Batherson scored a game-tying goal with less than a minute and a half in regulation.

A frantic Nashville team nearly surrendered the matchup in the final seconds of regulation as the Senators entered a power play in the final 15 seconds of the period due to a Roman Josi penalty. Murray held firm for a last-second save to force overtime. Nashville managed to kill the penalty in the extra frame, but remained in defense mode for the majority of the stretch after entering outmanned.

Still tied after an extra five minutes, the Predators moved on to their first shootout of the season. Ryan O'Reilly offered a promising start, scoring on the first attempt, something none of his teammates would replicate. Ultimately, Stutzle and Shane Pinto's scores for Ottawa sealed the game.

Nashville is stuck dealing with inconsistent play and a lack of an identity. Just two nights after showcasing stellar late-game skills, the team fell apart in a similar fashion to Tuesday's defeat.

Nashville will have time to regroup before returning home, when we will see what the team has learned from this three-game roller coaster. The Predators will host the Golden Knights at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday in Nashville.