Takeaways From Predators’ 3-2 Shootout Loss vs. Senators

The Nashville Predators (2-1-2) lost a close shootout battle to the Ottawa Senators. The debut of Jayden Struble, Vitali Pinchuk, and Matt Murray didn’t pay off with a victory, although it was on the road against a playoff-caliber Senators team.

It started off strong at first. Nashville took a 2-0 lead thanks to Ross Colton scoring his first goal in Nashville and Jonathan Marchessault scoring a goal on the power play. The Predators then proceeded to stop the Senators from taking a shot on goal for 22 straight minutes.

Unfortunately, that’s where the fun ended. Tim Stutzle scored a goal on the power play in the second period, then Drake Batherson tied it up with 1:23 left in the third period. Both teams went scoreless in overtime, then in the shootout, at 1-1, Shane Pinto scored the game-winning goal. Steven Stamkos tried to tie it up, but Linus Ullmark made the save, and the Senators won.

Jayden Struble’s Debut

Alright, let’s talk about the Jayden Struble trade. The Predators acquired Struble from the Montreal Canadiens for a 2027 second-round pick. It’s a steep price right now, but Struble is 25, has restricted free agent (RFA) rights, and is a good young defensive defenseman for Nashville, something the team desperately needed.

He made his presence known in the Senators’ game. At about 13:34 in the third period, he made a great sliding block on a Senators’ centering pass. Overall, he recorded six hits and two blocked shots in the 19:12 of ice time he had in his Nashville debut.

Struble had an interesting 18 hours after getting traded; not every player gets traded a day after facing the team they were traded to. However, Struble is excited to produce. “It’s been weird,” said Struble. “That was my first time getting traded, so it’s different. It’s a different experience, but happy to be part of the team and excited to get going.”

A Day of Fantastic Debuts

Struble wasn’t the only player to make his debut in Nashville. In fact, two other players made their debut with the Nashville Predators, with one making his debut in the NHL.

Center Vitali Pinchuk was signed from the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in April, and he finally got to make his NHL debut. He was excellent: he had a great assist to Ross Colton, where he retrieved the puck and took it out of a tight situation. It was Colton’s first goal in a Nashville uniform, and you’ve gotta credit Pinchuk for his great play.

Goaltender Matt Murray (not the one who won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins) also made his Nashville debut, and he was sharp as well. He stopped 18 of 20 shots for a .900 save percentage. It was the first game he’s played since Jan. 8, 2024, and he really showed up for it.

Predators head coach Andrew Brunette had a lot of praise for Murray. “This is why you love sports. When you’ve been in the game as long as I have, there are moments like that where guys waited for his turn, and we haven’t gotten him in. He steps in, he plays great, we just feel a little bit bad that we didn’t pull the win out for him because he played so good. So, credit to him. He’s been a true pro ever since I’ve known him for the last three years, and to come in and play that way is pretty incredible,” said Brunette.

Still a Sour Ending

There are a ton of positives to take from this game and this road trip overall. After all, Nashville had to travel out of the country to face two teams that made the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season and one that has the talent to make it this season, and they got four points out of it.

Still, it’s hard to be overly positive after two losses, especially in the way Nashville has lost them: blown leads. Against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville had a 4-2 lead at 13:30 in the second before giving up three unanswered goals. It happened again vs. the Senators; the Predators had a 2-0 lead, then lost it in a shootout.

Steven Stamkos was definitely disappointed with the result, and I don’t really blame him. “It’s disappointing,” said Stamkos. “You look at it two ways. You get four out of six on the road, which is pretty good, but we find ways to close those games at six out of six, and you’re feeling a lot better about your game.”

Jonathan Marchessault, who scored a power-play goal to make it 2-0, spoke on the matter as well. “We had a pretty good start of the game, but I feel it’s been a little common in the past few games that we kind of lay off the gas a little bit and let teams back in the game,” Marchessault said. “One point is good, but I mean, at the end of the year, they’re pretty hard to get those points, so it would be nice to be able to close on games.”

Schedule/Standings

Nashville finally returns home this week. They have a three-game home stand against the Vegas Golden Knights (Oct. 13), the San Jose Sharks (Oct. 15), and the St. Louis Blues (Oct. 17). Their next road game won’t come until Thursday, Oct. 22, when they will face the Boston Bruins.

With six points, they’re fifth in the Central Division, just two behind the Utah Mammoth. They’re also tied for a wild card spot in the Western Conference with the Colorado Avalanche and Seattle Kraken, but it is very early in the season.