Predators - 2, Panthers - 5: First Period Florida Flurry Too Much to Overcome

Jake Livingstone and Tye Felhaber scored for Nashville, but four first period goals were too much for the Nashville Predators to overcome.

After an early afternoon 5-0 loss, the Nashville Predators took the ice for game two of their double header against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, FL. The late game would see a few more veteran players in the lineup for Nashville, but Roman Josi, Filip Forsberg, Ryan McDonagh, Ryan O'Reily, Luke Schenn, and Tyson Barrie sat out again. 

The first period began with an early power play chance for the Predators as Josh Davies headed to the penalty box for a trip on Jasper Weatherby. The Predators' power play pressured Babrovsky with a handful of shots on goal, but the two minutes expired with no score. Nashville followed up their power play with sustained offensive zone pressure, and five minutes into the game led in shots on goal 5-0. 

The Predators momentum didn't last. The Panthers got on the board at 8:25 as Kevin Stenlund tapped the puck past Saros during a net front scrum. Less than two minutes later, Sam Bennett added a second close range goal cleaning up rebound in tight to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead.  At 14:34, defenseman Niko Mikkola's shot went off a Predator and made it past Saros, and with less than two minutes remaining in the first period, Dmitry Kulikov's net front pass bounced in off of Nashville's Auston Roest. The first period ended with the Panthers up 4-0 and leading 17-8 in shots on goal. 

The Predators best chance of the game after twenty minutes came in the first two minutes of the second period as Zachary L'Heureux had a breakaway chance, but Sergei Bobrovsky came up with the save. At 3:30 Alexandre Carrier headed to the penalty box for a hook, but the best chance in the five on four came on a Yakov Trenin shorthanded opportunity. Again, Bobrovsky made the one on one save before the teams returned to five a side. 

Nashville finally got on the board as Jake Livingstone weaved through traffic and scored at 9:36 to give the Predators their first goal of the day. Just past midway through the period, each team changed goaltenders as Mack Guzda replaced Bobrovsky and Yaroslav Askarov took his place in the Nashville net. The Predators earned another power play chance late in the period as Casey Fitzgerald headed to the penalty box, but Nashville couldn't convert on the man advantage. The teams headed into the second intermission with a score of 4-1.

Nashville began the final period with offensive opportunities but was unable to score on Guzda. Yaroslav Asakrov had to make a big save on former Predator Nick Cousins, and the teams battled up and down the ice exchanging shots. Florida's best chance came on a two on one with Nick Cousins and Matthew Tkachuk, but Askarov made the save. 

With 2:20 remaining in the game, Denis Gurianov connected with a cutting Tye Felhaber who scored to get the Predators within two. Immediately, Askarov abandoned the net in favor of an extra attacker. Nashville threatened, but Dmitry Kulikov lofted the puck nearly 200 feet into the empty net to give Florida a 5-2 win and the sweep of the Predators in today's preseason doubleheader. 

Predators - 0, Panthers - 5: Nashville Penalties Lead to Four Power Play Goals

Troy Grosenick and the Yin and Yang of Goaltending Tandems

Andrew Brunette's Message to a New Predators Team: "It's a Clean Slate"