Kevin Lankinen turned away 30 shots and Yakov Trenin put Nashville on the board, but the Predators ultimately fell to the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 on Friday evening at PNC Arena.
The result sees Nashville conclude their preseason slate with a 1-4-1 record as they get set to kick off the 2023-24 regular season in Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
Play-By-Play
The Hurricanes took advantage of an early power play and got on the board first, as Teuvo Teravainen powered a shot past Lankinen at 5:34 of the first period.
Nashville applied far more pressure in the second period, outshooting their opponent 11-6, and the effort paid off. With just over six minutes to go in the frame, Trenin notched Nashville’s lone goal on the evening, throwing a puck in from the faceoff circle and finding the back of the net.
However, Carolina responded quickly, and with less than a minute to go in the second period Seth Jarvis deposited a loose puck into the back of the net to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead over the visitors. Another quick pair of goals from Martin Necas and Michael Bunting would pad the home team’s lead late in the third period and ultimately hand Nashville the 4-1 loss.
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Roster Report*
Of the 26 players attending Preds training camp, 20 dressed to play on Friday. The roster for the game can be found here.
They Said It
Head Coach Andrew Brunette on Nashville’s effort:
“I liked 45 minutes of our game. I thought we played with a really good pace and thought parts of the game we did a little bit to them what they do to us usually. So I think we did some good things. There were just some little details, and a few little areas - like the turnovers that caused his three goals. [We were] a little bit lazy on the back check and kind of gave them opportunities. And they're too good of a team to give away three goals and think you have a chance of winning.”
Brunette on the continued progress out of training camp:
“I think we're getting better every day. I think we're grasping things. I thought we'd play really fast. There's still lots of stuff to clean up, but there's a lot of positives to take out of it. The relentlessness on the puck, especially in the second period carried over in parts of the third and I was really happy with that.”
Trenin on the effort against Carolina:
“I think we had a good effort, but not enough to win. In the first they outplayed us, but in the second we played better and faster and supported each other and played with purpose. And I think in the second we played better, we led them in shots and almost scored twice, but just didn't have enough push in the third.”
Up Next
The Predators head to Tampa Bay to kick off the 2023-24 season with a showdown against the Lightning. Puck drop is at 4:30 p.m. CT and the game will be broadcast on ESPN/ESPN+ and ESPN 102.5 The Game.
