The Nashville Predators kicked off their West Coast road trip with authority Friday night, delivering a statement win against the NHL’s top team. A 7-3 thrashing of the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena not only handed Colorado its first regulation home loss of the season, it also served as a reminder: this Predators squad, when locked in, can go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league.
Ryan O’Reilly led the charge with a vintage performance-netting a hat trick and adding an assist for a four-point night. Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg each chipped in with three points of their own, while Juuse Saros stood tall in net, turning aside 39 of 42 shots in a game that saw plenty of action in all three zones.
“To give that team their first regulation loss here is something to be proud of,” O’Reilly said postgame. “We can compete and play with any team, beat any team in this league when we're all working together.”
And it didn’t take long for Nashville to show they meant business. Just 30 seconds into the game, the Predators had already fired off three shots on goal-the third one, from O’Reilly, found twine and gave Nashville an early 1-0 lead.
Colorado, as expected, responded quickly. Brock Nelson tied it up just over a minute later, redirecting a Brent Burns shot past Saros for his 23rd goal of the season.
But O’Reilly wasn’t done. Midway through the first, he attempted a pass across the slot to Luke Evangelista, only to have it deflect off Colorado defenseman Samuel Girard and sneak past Mackenzie Blackwood.
It was a heads-up play and a fortunate bounce, but one that put Nashville back in front.
Nelson answered again for the Avalanche, tipping in another point shot-this time from Josh Manson-to knot things up at 2-2. By the end of a fast-paced first period, it was the O’Reilly and Nelson show, each accounting for both of their team’s goals.
The second period saw both teams tighten up defensively, but O’Reilly broke the deadlock early in the third, deflecting a shot from Evangelista to complete the hat trick. That goal not only gave Nashville the lead again, but also seemed to ignite the team heading into the final stretch.
“He does everything,” said Forsberg. “He’s first out the door on the penalty kill.
He’s taking all the big faceoffs and clearly producing well. Leads the team in points and then has a big game like that against his old team.
It’s fun to watch.”
Nashville kept the pressure on. Less than five minutes later, Michael Bunting capitalized on a breakaway chance, beating Blackwood to give the Preds a two-goal cushion. They entered the second intermission up 4-2, fully aware that Colorado wasn’t going away quietly.
And the Avalanche did push back. Early in the third, Martin Necas found space between the faceoff circles and ripped one past Saros, trimming the lead to 4-3.
But Nashville didn’t flinch. They absorbed the pressure, killed time, and waited for their opportunity.
That opportunity came after an interference penalty on Colorado gave the Predators their first power play of the night. Forsberg didn’t waste it-finding a shooting lane and snapping one home to restore the two-goal lead with just under five minutes to play.
With time winding down, Colorado pulled their goalie for the extra attacker, but it backfired. Steven Stamkos added an empty-netter at 2:56, and even after a slashing call left Nashville shorthanded, Michael McCarron managed to bury another empty-net goal-this one with the Preds skating 4-on-6-to seal the 7-3 win.
“There were up and down moments in that first half of the game,” said head coach Luke Richardson. “But I thought our guys came out and played a real solid team effort in the third period. Really driven and wanted to show not just ourselves, but everybody else in the hockey world where our team has come from the beginning of the year-and it's a long way.”
With the win, Saros now sits tied for second in the league in victories with 19. O’Reilly’s four-point night brings his season total to 43, and the Predators, now 23-20-4, remain firmly in the hunt for a playoff spot. They’re just one point out of the second Western Conference wildcard and have a chance to leap in tonight when they face the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.
If Friday night was any indication, this Predators team isn’t just fighting for a spot-they’re proving they belong.