Preds Handed 6-1 Defeat by Oilers at Home

The Nashville Predators dropped a 6-1 decision to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday at Bridgestone Arena.

Juuse Saros, who had allowed just one even-strength goal through three games entering Tuesday’s contest, allowed three straight in the first period against Edmonton. He was replaced in net by Kevin Lankinen at the start of the second period.

Leon Draisaitl got things going with a power-play goal – his 23rd goal in 24 career games against the Predators – giving the Oilers a 1-0 lead at 8:11 of the first period. Zach Hyman then tapped in a shot from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at 13:38 to give Edmonton a two-goal lead.

Nugent-Hopkins buried a quick shot at 16:45 to extend Edmonton’s lead to 3-0. Just over a minute later, Connor McDavid made an impressive spinning play through the Predators defense and lasered a shot past Saros to put the Oilers on top, 4-0, heading into the first intermission.

Tommy Novak got one back for the Preds with a power-play goal in the opening minutes of the second period. With McDavid in the penalty box for cross-checking against Luke Evangelista, Novak fired a shot from the point past Edmonton goalie Jack Campbell to cut the Oilers lead to 4-1. 

Draisaitl responded with his second power-play goal of the night at 7:53 to make it 5-1, and Warren Foegele added a goal of his own to give Edmonton a 6-1 lead after two periods.

PREDS STANDOUTS

Tommy Hockey: Novak’s goal was his second power-play tally through four games this season, having scored once on the man advantage in last week’s season opener at Tampa Bay. His goal on Tuesday vs. Edmonton was also the 20th of his NHL career. Ryan O’Reilly and Philip Tomasino were credited with assists on the tally.

Ekky Comes Home: Mattias Ekholm received a standing ovation and a moving video tribute as he returned to Bridgestone Arena for the first time since being traded to Edmonton on Feb. 28, 2023. Ekholm was selected by the Predators in the fourth round (102nd overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft and played the first 719 games of his career with Nashville – the third-most games by a defenseman in franchise history. He recorded 268 points (62g-206a), appeared in 75 career playoff games  and was an alternate captain with the Predators from 2017-23.

THEY SAID IT

Novak on the loss:

“We only scored one, so it's not going to be enough for us to win, especially against that team. It’s probably not as bad as the scoreboard shows. We had some chances; we just need to capitalize and not give them these free goals, these little breakdowns that they're capitalizing on. We’ve just got to clean that up.”

Novak on how the Preds offense can improve:

“We’ve got to get greasier goals and start converting on a lot of these little plays that we're having – bearing down and being harder in front of the net. Clean up those little breakdowns 5-on-5.”

Roman Josi on the matchup against Draisaitl and McDavid:

“If you give them a little time, they're going to score – especially those two guys. Obviously, they're world-class players. It felt like we gave them too much… They’re going to get their chances, but you can't give them easy chances and it felt like we did that a little bit and those two guys are going to make you pay.”

Josi on how Nashville can generate more offense:

“I think whenever you don't score, you’ve got to find a way to get to the net and kind of get a dirty goal and just get it there – maybe get a tip, get a rebound. That's kind of how we get back to scoring goals. At the end of the day, it’s a 6-1 game, so we’ve got to be better in a lot of areas. But when you’re not scoring, you’ve got to keep it simple and get a dirty one.”

Josi on moving forward after the loss:

“These kinds of games always sting. I think it'd be good for us to look at it tomorrow. Come back and make adjustments and talk about what happened. But I think after that, you’ve got to look forward. We’ve got a big game in New York against another really fast and skilled team. That's just how it always is during the season – you play every other day, and after games like that, you’ve got to find a way to turn the page after.”

Head Coach Andrew Brunette on the loss:

“I really liked our will and our effort. It just has to be a little smarter… We really have to make sure we take care of business in certain areas, and we didn't.”

Brunette on the team’s effort:

“It's hard for me to really get too disappointed in them because they are giving an effort, and I think when you work that hard and play that hard – as a coach and a coaching staff and as an organization – good is going to come. We just have to learn some of these lessons and move forward, because we did a lot of good things in the game. The little details of the game cost us.”

UP NEXT

The Predators head to the Big Apple for a Thursday night matchup against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. The puck drops at 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on Bally Sports South, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio.