Oct 11, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) celebrates goal with center Brady Martin (44) against the Utah Mammoth during the first period at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
The Nashville Predators have completed the first week of the 2025-26 season.
Through five games, the Preds have a 2-1-2 record for six points, good for second in the Central Division. They have lost just once in regulation: a 7-4 road defeat against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 14. The other two losses came in overtime to Utah and Montreal.
The sample size may be small, but there are numerous positive and negative aspects to the Predators’ first week of action. Here are three takeaways from the week.
The Predators Are Ahead Of Last Season’s Pace
Things couldn’t have started off much worse for Nashville in 2024-25. The club began 0-5 in the season’s first week before winning its next two.
Filip Forsberg, who ended up leading the Preds in scoring, was averaging a point per game through the first five. The offense was averaging 2.00 goals per game while opponents were averaging 4.60.
Juuse Saros sported an 0-4 mark with a 3.64 goals-against average and .875 save percentage.
After six games this season, Erik Haula (2-2-4), Jonathan Marchessault (2-2-4) and Roman Josi (1-3-4) each have four points. Haula, Marchessault and Nick Perbix are in a three-way tie for the team lead in goals with two.
The Preds are averaging 2.80 goals per game while giving up a 3.00 average to the opposition.
Saros has been lights-out with a 2-0-2 record, 1.94 goals-against average and .935 save percentage. Backup Justus Annunen suffered the only other OT loss, allowing four goals in Toronto.
To say the Predators look like a team who could contend for the playoffs is unrealistic, as the overtime loss against the Canadiens Thursday in Montreal proved.
The Preds held a 2-1 lead until Cole Caufield scored with just 19 seconds left in regulation to require overtime, then tallied the golden goal to give the Habs a come-from-behind win.
“(It) sucks when you're 19 seconds away from pulling out of the win and you only get one point,” Preds forward Steven Stamkos, who scored his first goal of the season, told reporters following the loss.
The goal-scoring hasn’t come in bunches, and the defense, while showing some flashes, has had costly breakdowns. Nevertheless, the Predators will take what progress they can get.
Special Teams Have Had Mixed Reviews
Last season, the Predators finished 18th in the NHL on the power play at 21.9%. Through six games in 2025-26, it has been abysmal.
The power-play unit is 2-for-19 through five games. It snapped a string of 13 consecutive chances without a goal when Stamkos scored on a power play at the 11:36 mark of the third period in Montreal.
The Preds were 0-for-6 with the man advantage in their 4-1 victory in Ottawa against the Senators Oct. 13. It didn’t affect the outcome in that game, but through the course of an 82-game season, that won't be the case.
the Preds had the chance to put the game against the Senators out of reach with a 1-0 lead in the third period after David Perron went off for tripping, but failed to convert.
"We've got to put teams away in those situations, especially when you get a power play in the third period," forward Jonathan Marchessault said after the Ottawa win.
Such paltry numbers are sure to turn around to some degree. With Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Ryan O'Reilly making up the first unit, the Preds have to get better production.
Meanwhile, Nashville’s penalty-kill unit has been near-perfect. Entering the Montreal game, the Preds successfully killed off 11 of 12 penalties (91.7%), good for sixth in the league. They were a perfect 3-for-3 against the Habs. The only chance they failed to kill was a 6-on-4 against Ottawa.
The stellar play of the PK has thus far rolled over from last season, when the Preds finished seventh in the NHL at 81.5%.
Juuse Saros Has Been Money
Some eyebrows may have been raised when the Predators inked goaltender Juuse Saros to an eight-year, $61.92 million contract in July 2024. After posting a 2.98 GAA and .896 SP in 2024-25, the doubters got louder.
Saros has been spectacular in the four games he has started. Even in the heart-breaking 3-2 overtime loss to the Canadiens, he made a number of crucial saves amid a barrage of shots during sequences when the Preds’ defense failed to protect him.
The Finnish netminder has answered the bell in the early going, but even a great goaltender can’t do everything by himself. The back end has failed to protect both Saros and Annunen in key situations.
Such was the case in Toronto, when at least four of the Maple Leafs’ goals were scored when Annunen had little help.
"We probably weren't all that sharp around the front of the net," Preds head coach Andrew Brunette said after the 7-4 loss. "Those stick battles weren't quite to our standard. A little bit slow early."
If Saros continues to be great, the Preds will be in most games. At some point, however, the defense must be stronger around the net, especially when closing out an opponent.
Read the full article here
