The time to say goodbye to 2025 has arrived, and the Nashville Predators will try to spoil the party this afternoon when they take on the Vegas Golden Knights from T-Mobile Arena with a 2 p.m. CT puck drop. Today’s outing on New Year’s Eve is the first of three meetings between the Preds and Knights this season and the first since both clubs made a notable trade last summer.
Preds defenseman Nic Hague will return to Vegas today, and the Preds will face former teammates Colton Sissons and Jeremy Lauzon following the deal that saw the trio exchanged for each other in June.
Hague and the Predators will look to finish out the year with another win after coming back to defeat the Utah Mammoth on Monday night in Salt Lake City - a victory that saw Steven Stamkos score twice in the third period for his 598th and 599th career goals.
“This is the time of the year that can really either propel your season or sink you in a hole that is tough to get out of,” Stamkos said following the win. “So, we know the way the schedule is right now being on the road for this many games, and we need to collect as many points as possible. We didn't really love our effort in St. Louis, so to come back and just kind of grind a win out; it’s a tough building to play in, and we found a way tonight.”
“We’re always trying to get better as a group and build as a team, but I think you see flashes of [what we’re capable of],” Hague said Tuesday in Vegas. “I think what we’ve been doing well is starting to get to that level a little bit more consistently and keep moving forward, and we’ve found some success because of it. We know what our game looks like when we’re on and what we need to be doing, and key for us is repeating that night in and night out and sustaining it for 60 minutes.”
The Good Guys:
In addition to his two goals, Stamkos also added an assist in Utah, while Roman Josi and Luke Evangelista scored as well. Juuse Saros made 28 saves in net for his 15th win of the season.
Ryan O’Reilly, who assisted on both Stamkos tallies, continues to lead the Preds with 34 points (11g-23a), followed by Filip Forsberg with 16 goals and 30 points. Evangelista has 21 assists and 27 points, and Stamkos leads the Preds with 17 goals on the season. Saros is 15-12-3 in net; Justus Annunen is 2-5-1.
The Opposition:
Vegas has dropped five of their last six outings, including a 5-2 loss to Minnesota on Monday. Jack Eichel (12g-29a) leads the Golden Knights with 41 points, followed by newcomer Mitch Marner (9g-31a) with 40 points. Both Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev have 15 goals apiece. Sissons has three goals and five points with his new club, while Lauzon has five helpers and 37 penalty minutes. Carter Hart, who took the loss on Monday, is 4-2-3 since signing with Vegas, while Akira Schmid is 11-3-4.
All-Time Meetings:
The Preds are 9-9-3 all-time against Vegas, including a 4-5-1 mark in Nevada. Nashville is 4-5-1 in the last 10 versus the Golden Knights and 1-3-1 in the last five at T-Mobile Arena.
Notables Versus Vegas:
Jonathan Marchessault played 514 games for Vegas from 2017-24, recording 417 points (192g-225a). He won the 2023 Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe with the Golden Knights.
Nic Hague was selected by Vegas in the second round (34th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft. He played 364 games for Vegas from 2019-25, recording 83 points (20g-63a); he won the 2023 Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights.
Erik Haula played 91 games for Vegas from 2017-19, recording 62 points (31g-31a).
Golden Knights forward Colton Sissons was selected by Nashville in the second round (50th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft. He played the first 690 games of his NHL career with the Predators from 2013-25, recording 221 points (95g-126a).
Vegas defenseman Jeremy Lauzon played 187 games for Nashville from 2022-25, posting 28 points (10g-18a) and 811 hits.
Golden Knights Assistant Coach Joel Ward played in 230 games for the Predators from 2008-11, tallying 98 points (40g-58a).
Milestone Watch:
Steven Stamkos is one goal from 600 in his NHL career.
Erik Haula is one assist from 200 and three games from 800 in his NHL career.
The Predators are three games from 2,100 as a franchise.
Watch & Listen:
Coverage for today’s contest begins at 1:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic and Chris Mason will have the call on the television side. Max Herz and Hal Gill will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network.
