Latest news with #Predators'
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi discusses concussion recovery, status for next season
One of the biggest questions for the Nashville Predators this summer is the health of captain Roman Josi. Josi, who missed the final 25 games of the season, suffered what was called an upper-body injury after he was hit by Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett on Feb. 25. Advertisement At the Predators' end-of-season media availability, Josi confirmed it was concussion-related, and said he should be ready to play in 2025-26. "I'm progressing really well and now I've got a lot of time off now," he said. "I'll definitely be playing when the season starts." Josi said he has experience with this injury and knows what he needs to get back on track. "It's something I've dealt with before," he said. "Some stuff I'm still dealing with. But it's been good. I've had a couple months now to recover. I'm feeling better and better." Advertisement Unfortunately, concussions are becoming common for Josi. He missed the final 15 games of the 2022-23 season with a concussion, and has missed other games in his career after taking hits to the head. It was previously reported that Josi had as many as five concussions prior to 2023. BRUNETTE BACK? What Andrew Brunette said about his future as Nashville Predators coach "I'm not concerned about that, to be honest," Josi said of his concussion history. "I've dealt with it before. I got some really good answers, really positive. Some stuff that I can work on. I'm not concerned about it. I have been getting better." After getting hit by Bennett, Josi said the team's performance and position in the Western Conference standings did not play a part in not returning to the team this season. Advertisement "It was a question of taking care of my health. With those things, you want to be careful," he said. "If I was healthy, I would have played. It was never what I wanted, to sit out the rest of the season. If I felt like I was healthy to play, I would have played." Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@ Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Predators' Roman Josi updates concussion recovery, status next season
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nashville Predators' Jonathan Marchessault scores goal in emotional return to Vegas
For several of the Nashville Predators' biggest offseason acquisitions, it has been a season of homecomings. In October, forward Steven Stamkos returned to face his old team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. In March, defenseman Brady Skjei returned to Raleigh to play the Carolina Hurricanes. Advertisement On Saturday, it was forward Jonathan Marchessault's turn. Marchessault, who spent seven seasons in Vegas (2017 to 2024), scored a goal in the Predators' 5-3 loss to the Golden Knights, playing as a visitor at T-Mobile Arena for the first time in his career. Nashville (29-43-8, 66 points) and Vegas (49-22-9, 107 points) headed in opposite directions this season — the Golden Knights wrapped up the Pacific Division title with the win, and the Predators have been eliminated from postseason contention since late March. But the return of Marchessault was an emotional moment for Golden Knights fans, who know how integral he was in their success as an expansion team. Advertisement During the first TV timeout of the game, Vegas honored Marchessault with a video tribute. After the moment, Marchessault gave a customary skate onto the ice, waving thank you to the fans. In the third period, he scored to get the Predators within one. Skating into the Vegas zone with forward Zach L'Heureux, Marchessault crashed the far side of the net and directed L'Heureux's centering pass in for his 20th goal of the season. Marchessault, 34, scored 192 goals and 242 assists in 514 games with the Golden Knights. In 2022-23, he helped lead them to their first Stanley Cup championship — he also was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player during the playoffs. In summer 2024, he scored a five-year, $27.5 million deal with the Predators. In his first season with Nashville, he has 20 goals and 34 assists, skating 18:04 minutes per night. Advertisement The Predators conclude their season with two home games. On Monday, they host the Utah Hockey Club (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network) before finishing the season on Wednesday against the Dallas Stars. Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@ Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Predators' Jonathan Marchessault scores in emotional return to Vegas
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nashville Predators' Jonathan Marchessault scores goal in emotional return to Vegas
For several of the Nashville Predators' biggest offseason acquisitions, it has been a season of homecomings. In October, forward Steven Stamkos returned to face his old team, the Tampa Bay Lightning. In March, defenseman Brady Skjei returned to Raleigh to play the Carolina Hurricanes. On Saturday, it was forward Jonathan Marchessault's turn. Marchessault, who spent seven seasons in Vegas (2017 to 2024), scored a goal in the Predators' 5-3 loss to the Golden Knights, playing as a visitor at T-Mobile Arena for the first time in his career. Nashville (29-43-8, 66 points) and Vegas (49-22-9, 107 points) headed in opposite directions this season — the Golden Knights wrapped up the Pacific Division title with the win, and the Predators have been eliminated from postseason contention since late March. But the return of Marchessault was an emotional moment for Golden Knights fans, who know how integral he was in their success as an expansion team. During the first TV timeout of the game, Vegas honored Marchessault with a video tribute. After the moment, Marchessault gave a customary skate onto the ice, waving thank you to the fans. In the third period, he scored to get the Predators within one. Skating into the Vegas zone with forward Zach L'Heureux, Marchessault crashed the far side of the net and directed L'Heureux's centering pass in for his 20th goal of the season. Marchessault, 34, scored 192 goals and 242 assists in 514 games with the Golden Knights. In 2022-23, he helped lead them to their first Stanley Cup championship — he also was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player during the playoffs. In summer 2024, he scored a five-year, $27.5 million deal with the Predators. In his first season with Nashville, he has 20 goals and 34 assists, skating 18:04 minutes per night. The Predators conclude their season with two home games. On Monday, they host the Utah Hockey Club (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network) before finishing the season on Wednesday against the Dallas Stars. Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@ Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Predators' Jonathan Marchessault scores in emotional return to Vegas
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Nashville Predators season hits new low with worst defensive performance of season
The Nashville Predators' season hit a new low against the Columbus Blue Jackets an 8-4 loss at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday. For a team that's been out of the playoff race since January, that's difficult to do. The Predators (27-40-8, 62 points) allowed a season-high for goals, while allowing the Blue Jackets to skate unimpeded in their own zone for 60 minutes. Kirill Marchenko's hat trick complemented two-goal performances each from Adam Fantili and Sean Monahan as the Blue Jackets had no problem maneuvering through the Predators' defense. Columbus fired 37 shots on net, though most of those were made in the first two periods − the Blue Jackets let off the gas somewhat after Kirill Marchenko completed his hat trick in the third period. One of the reasons for the defensive meltdown? Another poor performance from goaltender Juuse Saros. Saros, who earned his league leading 29th loss, made 19 saves on 26 shots for a .731 save percentage. That's down from his season save percentage of .898 and a career average of .915. At least three of the goals on Tuesday were ones Saros should have stopped. Monahan's first goal to make it 3-0 was caused by Saros inadvertently knocking the puck into his own net. Monahan's second goal was a product of Saros overplaying the angle, allowing Monahan to tuck the puck neatly in behind him for the score. Another goal, scored by former Predators defenseman Dante Fabbro, was shot through a screen, but wasn't a difficult shot for most goalies to stop. The defensive issues were not all on Saros. At least three goals were directly related to turnovers by the defense and complete lapses in coverage. But according to Natural Stat Trick, the Blue Jackets generated 3.72 expected goals in the game, yet they scored eight. That's almost always an indictment of goaltending. If anything, the loss helps the Predators' chances at a high pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. LOTTERY PICK: How loss to Flyers helps Nashville Predators' odds in 2025 NHL Draft lottery But the trend of poor defense and disappointing goaltending from Saros continues. Next up, Nashville plays at the Dallas Stars on Thursday (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network). Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@ Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Predators' season hits new low with worst defensive result of season
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How loss to Flyers helps Nashville Predators' odds in 2025 NHL Draft lottery
For those hoping the Nashville Predators will have a high draft pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, Monday's 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center was an important result. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale scored for Philadelphia, and goaltender Ivan Fedotov made 28 saves, stopping all six of the Predators' shots in the third period to secure the win. With the loss, Nashville (27-39-8, 62 points) remains in 30th place in the NHL. It is six points behind the Seattle Kraken and Buffalo Sabres and nine points behind the Flyers in the NHL standings. A regulation win over the Flyers would have put them within striking distance of the bottom three with only six games remaining. But with the loss, Nashville has made a big step toward clinching the third-best odds at winning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 draft, with Money Puck giving it an 11% chance. The Chicago Blackhawks (18.4%) and San Jose Sharks (20.6%) are the only teams with better odds. Finishing third-worst in the league standings would guarantee a top-five pick for Nashville — teams cannot move more than two spots below their finish, according to lottery draft rules. This would be the Predators' first top-five pick since 2013, when they took defenseman Seth Jones with the No. 4 selection. Monday's matchup with Philadelphia was the only remaining game for Nashville against a team competing for a top draft pick — all eight of the Predators' final matchups are against teams in 23rd place or better in the NHL, with most opponents competing for a playoff spot. The date of the NHL's lottery draft draw has not been set. The 2025 NHL Draft is set for June 27-28. GET ANIMATED: An inside look at upcoming animated sports broadcast with the Nashville Predators and NHL Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@ Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How the Predators' loss to Philadelphia helps their draft lottery odds
