May 17, 2021; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Nashville Predators left wing Erik Haula (56) is congratulated by center Matt Duchene (95) and defenseman Mattias Ekholm (14) after his second period goal against the Carolina Hurricanes in game one of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PNC Arena. James Guillory-Imagn Images
After three days of training camp and several scrimmages, the Nashville Predators finally got to play a game against an opponent other than themselves, with a split-squad doubleheader against the Florida Panthers Sunday at Bridgestone Arena.
Nashville took the first game 5-0, then hung on for a 5-3 victory in the second game.
While Florida went almost exclusively with AHL and ECHL players in both games, the Predators had a nice mix of veterans and prospects.
Still, the two wins give the Preds some much-needed momentum as they prepare for the regular season. For veterans whose spots on the roster are locked up, Sunday was a chance to get the rust off and get in game shape. For others, the games offered an opportunity to give head coach Andrew Brunette and general manager Barry Trotz something to think about when finalizing those roster spots.
Here are seven players who stood out in the doubleheader.
Erik Haula Is Back For An Encore
It’s been a while since Erik Haula has scored a goal in a Nashville Predators uniform: May 17, 2021, to be exact.
That day, Haula tallied a goal in Game 1 of the Preds’ playoff series against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Haula doubled that output on Sunday, scoring two goals in the Predators’ 5-0 Game 1 victory.
At the 3:41 mark of the middle frame, Haula tipped in a shot from the slot off a pass from Jonathan Marchessault on a power-play goal that gave Nashville a 2-0 lead. Marchessault and Brady Skjei each picked up assists.
Then in the third period, Haula took a rebound off the boards, went behind the net and put in a wraparound for his second of the game and a 4-0 Preds lead.
The native of Pori, Finland was traded to the Predators from the New Jersey Devils in the off-season, and already looks glad to be back in Smashville.
The Birthday Boy Gets A Goal
Reid Schaefer had two reasons to smile on Sunday: he scored a goal, and it was his 22nd birthday.
The Edmonton, Alta. native took a redirect in front of the net at the 12:19 mark of the second period to increase the Preds’ lead to 3-0 in Game 1. Adam Wilsby was awarded a helper.
Schaefer, whose action was limited much of last season with the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals, said before the doubleheader he’s hoping to make an impact. Trotz mentioned Schaefer during the off-season when discussing the Preds’ roster for 2025-26.
Sunday’s performance didn’t hurt those chances.
Rolston Gets His First
Last season, Ryder Rolston was picked up by the Admirals, and he posted 13 goals and 31 points over 57 games.
Rolston had never played in an NHL game until Sunday, and notched his first goal in Game 1. It turned out to be the Preds’ first goal of the pre-season.
At the 5:24 mark of the opening frame, Rolston came down the right side, fired a shot, got his own rebound and tickled the twine to put the Predators ahead 1-0.
A fifth-round pick (139th overall) by the Colorado Avalanche in the 2020 NHL Draft, Rolston was traded to Chicago in 2021 before the Blackhawks dealt him to Nashville in 2024. It’s a long shot for the 23-year-old forward to crack the NHL roster this season, but he showed promise in his first pre-season action.
Stamkos Strikes
Perhaps no player is hoping for a bounce-back season more than Steven Stamkos.
The 35-year-old forward saw his goal-scoring dip from 40 in 2023-24 with Tampa Bay to 27 in2024-25 after signing a four-year, $32 million contract with the Predators.
Stamkos tallied his first goal of this pre-season in Game 2. With just over a minute left in the opening period, he rifled in a shot from the right side. Matthew Wood deserves kudos after setting Stamkos up with a beautiful dangles pass in front, putting the Preds in front 2-1.
Wood’s Eventful First Goal
Wood followed up his nice feed to Stamkos with his first NHL goal, although the official scoring went back and forth as to whether he actually got credit for it.
At the 13-24 mark of the middle frame, Wood fired a shot from the top of the left circle and found the back of the net.
At first, the official scorer ruled the puck deflected off Filip Forsberg, who was credited with his second tally of the night. Later, the score sheet was changed once again to credit Wood with his first goal.
Either way, the tally put Nashville up 4-1.
Wood also picked up a secondary assist on Forsberg’s previous goal, feeding O’Reilly below the goal line to give him three points on the night.
Wood, who joined the Predators for six games late last season, scored a couple of goals in a team scrimmage on Friday. His pre-season is off to a rousing start.
Juuse Saros and Justus Annunen looked solid in their first taste of pre-season action.
Annunen combined with Matt Murray to stop all 19 Florida shots in Game 1. Before giving way to Magnus Chrona midway through the middle frame of Game 2, Saros stopped nine of the 10 shots he faced, including several key saves following the Panthers’ goal to open the scoring.
