Could Mental Lapses Be the Nashville Predators’ Biggest Roadblock to Victory?

Well, here’s the deal—the Nashville Predators found themselves on the wrong side of yet another nail-biter, dropping their sixth game this season by a single goal, losing 5-4 to the Dallas Stars at their own Bridgestone Arena. It was a thriller, no doubt, with the Predators holding on to a lead deep into the third period, only to unravel in just under a minute thanks to a couple of defensive blunders that let Dallas seize momentum and ultimately, the win. Luke Evangelista’s effort early on pumped life into Nashville’s attack, tying things up 1-1, and then Nicolas Hague notched his inaugural goal with the team, setting the stage for Filip Forsberg’s go-ahead score just seconds later. The offense was humming, but the back end faltered when it mattered most—classic story for this squad so far. Steven Stamkos electrified the crowd with a power-play one-timer to reclaim the lead for Dallas, and from there, the Stars’ quick counters sealed the fate of the home team. Let’s unpack the key takeaways from this rollercoaster of a loss. LEARN MORE

The Nashville Predators drop their sixth one-goal game of the season in a 5-4 result to the Dallas Stars on Saturday at Bridgestone Arena. 

The Predators had a lead in the third period, but two defensive breakdowns allowed the Stars to tie the game and take the lead. The goals were 47 seconds apart. 

Luke Evangelista jump-started the Predators’ offense in the first period to tie the game 1-1. In the second period, Nicolas Hague scored his first goal as a Predator, tying the game at two. 27 seconds later, Filip Forsberg gave Nashville a 3-2 lead. 

Giving away the lead again in the third period, Steven Stamkos scored on the power play with a one-timer to take the lead back. Dallas responded with two quick goals and closed out on defense for the win.

Here are three takeaways from the Predators loss to the Stars. 

The Predators haven’t been blown out too many times this season. They’ve lost by three goals or more just five times this season, meaning that the Predators have won or had a real chance to win in 12 of their games this season. 

The loss was another example of a mental error costing Nashville points. Montreal had two late goals from Caufield and Jonathan Marchessault’s blocked empty net shot. Vancouver and Utah, it was Nashville giving their opponent an inch and then taking a mile to score a game-winner in overtime. 

Saturday, the defense broke down midway through the third period for less than two minutes. 

Colin Blackwell is walking into the Predators’ zone untouched and going behind the net before passing it out to a wide-open Adam Erne in the slot for the goal.

Nearly a minute later, Mikko Rantanen stretches passes to Wyatt Johnston entering the zone, and he quickly finds Sam Steel on the weak side for the goal. It’s two situations in which the Predators were chasing the puck rather than following the play. 

Stamkos pointed out that this was a game where the offense was clicking and that it was a defensive lapse that proved costly. Throughout the early season, the Predators’ defense has been the stable of the two. 

Over the last few years, Nashville has finished among the most penalized teams in the league, following that “Smashville” identity. However, given the current struggles, penalties are becoming a serious issue. 

The Predators went to the box five times, three of which were in the first period. While the penalty unit was efficient once again, killing 4 of 5 penalties, the odd-man situations put the Predators on the back foot. 

Instead of looking to score, the Predators are spending most of their time trying to prevent their opponent from finding the back of the net. Nashville was outshot 7-4 in the first period, but still managed to leave the first 20 minutes with a 1-1 tie. 

Dallas’ penalties started to pile up in the third period, seeing Stamkos convert on the one-timer opportunity for the lead. However, the unit is still struggling, even when it finds the back of the net. 

Blackwell took a tripping penalty with four minutes left in the game, while the Predators were down a goal, and they could not score. On the night, Nashville’s power play was 1-for-4. It’s an improvement, but it’s still not enough. 

The Predators’ backup goalie, Justus Annunen, is still winless in the early season, sitting at 0-3-1. He started in all four of the games.

Three of the four games were decided by a goal. A power-play goal decided a loss to the Stars on Oct. 26 in the third period. The overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild, 3-2, was on a controversial rebound goal with the net dislodged. 

In the rematch against the Stars, it was two quick goals that prevented Annunen from picking up that coveted first win of the season. 

He’s faced 78 shots and made 68 saves for a goals-against average of 3.70 and a save percentage of .872. Annunen hasn’t been tested as much as starter Juuse Saros, who leads the league in total saves and is second in total shots faced. 

Up next: Nashville Predators at New York Rangers on Monday, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. CST