The Nashville Predators had their first preseason challenge this afternoon against the Presidents Trophy winning Florida Panthers at Bridgestone Arena in the first game of a double header.
The Nashville Predators had their first preseason challenge this afternoon against the Presidents Trophy winning Florida Panthers at Bridgestone Arena in the first game of a double header.
Florida had several big names on the ice for the 3:00 PM game. Sergei Bobrovsky was in net for the Panthers, and Aaron Ekblad, Alexsander Barkov, and Carter Verhaeghe suited up against the Preds.
Predators fans got their first official glimpse of newcomer Nino Niederreiter who played on the top line with Ryan Johansen and Philip Tomasino. Connor Ingram started in net for the Predators. A few noteable Nashville players on the ice as well were Egor Afanasyev, Luke Evangelista, Eeli Tolvanen, Dante Fabbro, and Mark Borowiecki.
Game Recap
The story of the first period was special teams. Florida committed an early penalty, but Nashville was not able to capitalize on the man advantage. Nashville's Jimmy Huntington returned the favor sending Florida on the power play at 9:08, but the Panthers man advantage yielded nothing. Nashville had one more chance on the power play in the first period, but it was Florida's Eetu Luostarinen who scored a shorthanded goal with less than a minute to go in the opening period giving Florida a 1-0 lead.
The second period started much as the first period ended - with a Panthers score. An errant pass trickled past Ingram to make it 2-0. Nashville bounced back quickly with a breakaway goal by the young Finnish forward Just Pärssinen. Phil Tomasino and Spencer Stastney were credited with the assists.
A statement 5 on 3 penalty kill boosted the energy in Bridgestone Arena as Michael McCarron, Mark Borowiecki, and Dante Fabbro did the dirty work in front of Connor Ingram to prevent Florida from scoring on the two man advantage. Fabbro looked especially dialed in with a diving block in front of the net and a blocked shot under duress.
Nashville tied the game at 11:45 in the second period on a wide angle shot by defenseman Roland McKeown. Juuso Pärssinen earned his second point of the game with the assist.
Halfway through the second period, Devin Cooley took his turn in net and had several pad saves to keep Florida off the board for the rest of the second.
The final period began with a Panthers goal after sustained offensive pressure. Cooley did a solid job keeping the puck out of the net initially, but the puck hopped over his pads less than three minutes into the third giving the Panthers a 3-2 lead.
It appeared Nashville would get another chance to practice their power play after Phil Tomasino was slashed, but the powers that be called not only the slash but also goalie interference on Tomasino after he skated into - and nearly through - Florida netminder (and Knoxville native) Mack Guzda. The four on four expired with no damage done for either side.
The Predators spent time pinned in their own zone in the middle of the third period and needed an offensive push to tip the ice. The line of Tomasino, Niederreiter, and Johansen stepped up as Johansen deflected the puck in the net to tie the game once again with just 5:15 left in regulation.
The teams played 3 on 3 in overtime. Eeli Tolvanen made a terrific play in the neutral zone to recapture the puck and give the Predators time in the offensive zone. Devin Cooley came up with key saves to keep the score tied until the final second when a Barkov shot deflected off of Carrier's stick to eke out an overtime win for Florida.
Final shot on goal count: Nashville 25, Florida 32
Game Notes
Jusso Pärssinen
Pärsinnen is a Finnish player that has been generating buzz this summer in Nashville with strong play at both development camp and rookie camp. His smart play and physicality were on display in this first game of today's double header as he recorded one goal and an assist. While there may not be a roster spot coming available this season in Nashville, this is a name Preds fans need to file away.
The Defenders
Responsible defensive depth was an issue last season, but this afternoon the defenders stepped up with solid play. Alexandre Carrier is in regular season form and will thrive again on a pairing with Roman Josi when they are reunited on the blue line. Mark Borowiecki could be relegated to an extra defender role in the regular season, but he showed today that his game is as physical as ever with tough hits and blocked shots. Dante Fabbro was key on the five on three penalty kill, and Spencer Stastney's responsible play may have flown under the radar.
The Goaltenders
Devin Cooley had a strong performance, especially in the overtime period where he stopped four good shot chances before unfortunately surrendering the winning goal with one second remaining. Connor Ingram may wish to have the second goal back that trickled past him but looked solid in net otherwise.
Eeli Tolvanen
Lack of offensive production was an issue for Tolvanen last season, and it is likely he won't be a second line fixture in 2022-2023. Despite not scoring in this preseason game, Tolvanen showed yet again that he does a lot of things right on the ice. His game is physical, he is winning puck battles, he is creating offensive chances. This season he will need those chances to convert into points.
Niederreiter, Johansen, and Tomasino
Johansen scored a goal while Niederreiter logged the assist, but fans may feel a little let down by the lack of flash and production with this trio. Do not be disheartened. There is plenty of chemistry developing on the Nino/Joey/Tomo line that is going to pay off if they stay together come the regular season.
The Nashville Predators return to the ice at 7:00 PM for the second game of this preseason double header against the Panthers.