Steven Stamkos made the difference when the Nashville Predators needed it most, and his old team had to watch it happen.
Nashville edged the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4 in a shootout Saturday afternoon, a win that snapped the Predators’ two-game skid and came in a game that also gave Juuse Saros a rest, with Justus Annunen doing enough in net to help finish the job. The Lightning came in having dropped two of their previous three, and the matchup carried extra attention because of Nikita Kucherov’s trade request. It also featured Stamkos against Tampa Bay for the opening puck drop, adding another layer to a game already loaded with strange timing.
The Predators also got a boost from their lineup tweak, and it may have been the kind of move that sticks. Nicolas Hague was a healthy scratch, and Nashville looked better for it.
Hague’s season has been rough, with a 41.6 CF% and 41.8 xGF%, and the Predators had been outscored 10-3 with him on the ice. He brings size and physicality on the back end, but the results have not been there.
Andrew Brunette has been using 11 forwards and seven defensemen to keep him in, though Saturday showed the value of a more standard 12/6 setup. That alignment opened the door for Reid Schaefer to return, and he rewarded the move right away by scoring the game’s first goal.
Stamkos then took over late. The stat line shows a minus-2, but that doesn’t tell the full story.
He was one of Nashville’s strongest forwards by expected goals at 66.5%, and he came through with the tying goal late in the third period before burying the shootout winner. Brunette said he leaned over to Stamkos, knowing his history against Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, and asked if he wanted Nashville’s fourth shootout attempt.
"He said, 'Yeah, I've got it.' That tells you all you need to know."
There’s also a reason Adam Edstrom keeps standing out in this lineup. A big power forward who can still chip in offensively is becoming a rarer commodity, but he’s making the most of his opportunity. Chris MacFarland’s trade for Edstrom, which cost a fifth-round pick and Massimo Rizzo, has already looked like one of the best moves of his early tenure.
In Other News...
What Shane Wright Really Brings To The Predators Now
The Predators added a familiar name with plenty of pedigree when they landed Shane Wright from Seattle, a move that gives Nashville another young center to evaluate as it keeps reshaping its forward group. Wright, taken fourth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, had already logged time with the Kraken and their AHL affiliate before the deal, so this is less about introducing a prospect and more about giving a former top pick a new runway.
For Nashville, the appeal is obvious: Wright arrives with a different kind of resume than Matthew Wood, the 2023 first-rounder who went the other way after his rookie season with the Predators. It is the sort of swap that can alter the long-term picture for both clubs, and for the Predators it leaves one obvious question hanging over the move: what exactly can Wright become in a new setting? [Read more 🡒]
Predators May Be Signaling A Bigger Roster Shift Than Expected
The Predators may be inching toward a move that says as much about their direction as it does about the players involved. Nashville and Seattle are reportedly working on a trade centered on winger Matthew Wood and center Shane Wright, a deal that would fit with the Predators broader effort to get younger and reshape the roster after a season in which both players have provided limited offense.
Nothing is done yet, but the framework is notable because it points to a front office willing to make a meaningful swap rather than wait for things to sort themselves out. For Nashville, the appeal appears to be in the long view, with the organization weighing a reset that could bring a different age profile and a different timeline, even if the exact pieces still have to be finalized. [Read more 🡒]
Predators Already Face A Tough Decision On Vitali Pinchuk
Vitali Pinchuks start in Nashville has been a quiet one, and the early signs have not been encouraging for a player who was supposed to be trying to carve out a role at center. The 24-year-old has one assist in five games, and his ice time has trended downward as the Predators continue sorting out how he fits into their lineup.
The bigger question now is whether that limited runway has already put his future in doubt. There is at least some belief around the league that Pinchuk could be open to a change of scenery if the opportunities keep drying up, which leaves Nashville weighing whether to keep waiting on his development or explore a move before the situation gets even murkier. [Read more 🡒]