The tides are beginning to turn for the Nashville Predators toward the end of 2025, as they have won four of their last five games and are on a back-to-back streak.
Thursday, they knocked off the Florida Panthers, 2-1, in overtime for their first victory over the Panthers since the 2023-24 season. Steven Stamkos had the game-winning goal, which was his fourth goal in five games.
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The Predators face a hefty task on Saturday in Raleigh against the Carolina Hurricanes to extend their winning streak.
Here is everything you need to know for the Predators Saturday evening tilt.
Who: Nashville Predators (10-13-4, 8th Central) at Carolina Hurricanes (16-8-2, 2nd in Metropolitan)
When: 6 p.m. CST
Where: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
TV: FanDuel Sports Network South
Radio: 102.5 The Game
Line (via BetMGM): Predators (+1.5) Hurricanes (-1.5). Over/under 6 (-110/-110)
The Predators’ penalty kill has been impressive all season, but it arguably had its best showing in the win against the Panthers. The unit killed off 6-of-6 penalties en route to the victory.
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The performance was so impressive that Steven Stamkos, who scored the game-winner, gave the team’s postgame award to the entire PK unit. Nashville’s penalty kill is now tied for 10th in the NHL at 82.1%, killing off 69-of-84 penalties.
The effort is even more impressive considering that Cole Smith, one of the unit’s top killers, has been out for the last two weeks. In addition, the Predators have been taking fewer penalties compared to the last few seasons.
Nashville has 232 penalty minutes, which ranks 19th in the league. Usually, the Predators are one of the league leaders in that category. The Predators have dropped the gloves only six times so far. At this time last year, there had been 10.
Ryan O’Reilly has been rock-steady for the Predators all season, but has really begun to pick up momentum over the last few games. He has eight points in the last five games after failing to record a point in the previous four games.
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He leads the Predators in scoring, sitting at 21 points. O’Reilly had multi-point performances against the Red Wings (three points), Blackhawks (two points), and Panthers (two points). He’s truly been living up to his nickname, Factor, over the last few games.
Adding in Steven Stamkos’ recent success, recording six points in the last five games, it seems that the Predators are finally finding an offensive identity. Nashville has also scored four goals or more in three of its last five games.
Mar 25, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Nashville Predators right wing Luke Evangelista (77) celebrates his goal against the Carolina Hurricanes during the third period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
The Hurricanes have consistently been one of the best teams in the NHL over the past few seasons, but the Predators have their number in the regular season, winning five of their last six against Carolina.
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In their last meeting, on March 26 in Raleigh, Luke Evangelista scored twice and Juuse Saros recorded his 200th career win, making 34 saves in a 3-1 victory. It’s a matchup the Predators have dominated even if both teams are in different spots in the standings.
Unlike Nashville, Carolina has struggled as of late, dropping three of its last five, including a 5-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. Toronto had a 2-1 lead at the end of the first period before it scored three unanswered goals.
The Hurricanes are still one of the better teams in the league, sitting at second in the Metropolitan Division with 34 points. Seth Jarvis is tied for 10th in goals with 16 in 26 games played.
Nashville: Justin Barron (lower body, injured reserve), Ozzy Weisblatt (upper body, injured reserve), Nick Perbix (upper body, day-to-day), Zach L’Heureux (lower body, injured reserve), Cole Smith (upper body, injured reserve).
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Carolina: K’Andre Miller (illness, questionable), Jesperi Kotkaniemi (ankle, injured reserve), Jaccob Slavin (lower body, injured reserve), Pyotr Kochetkov (lower body, day-to-day), Charles-Alexis Legault (hand, injured reserve).
