DCHL Portal

Slow Start Sinks Predators in Physical Home Loss to Utah Mammoth

Game Two: Mammoth 3 vs Predators 2

10/11/2025 • Neil Burkholder

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A late push wasn’t enough for the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night, as early mistakes and a sluggish offensive start led to a 3–2 loss to the Utah Mammoth at Bridgestone Arena. Despite third-period momentum, Nashville fell to 0–2–0 on the young season.

Utah's disciplined, defensive structure disrupted Nashville’s rhythm early, and the Predators spent much of the night chasing the game. Tommy Novak opened the scoring at 15:04 of the first period off a rebound, and Utah doubled its lead early in the second when Colton Parayko hammered a low shot through traffic.

Nashville finally responded in the final second of the second period when Oskar Sundqvist buried a gritty goal at the doorstep off a setup from Mark Jankowski and Jacob Trouba, giving the Predators a spark heading into the third.

But just as momentum shifted, a costly boarding penalty to captain Jacob Trouba at 3:17 of the third gave Utah an opening. On the power play, Aleksander Barkov buried a cross-crease finish that stood as the game-winner.

Rookie winger Eduard Šalé pulled Nashville within one at 17:33 with a clean snipe over Jake Oettinger’s blocker, but a final-minute push wasn’t enough as Utah locked down the neutral zone to close out the win.

Quotes from the Locker Room

Jacob Trouba, on the third-period penalty:

"That one’s on me. I can’t put us in that spot. The margin is thin in this league—one mistake can swing a game, and that’s what happened. I take responsibility for that."

Eduard Šalé, on Nashville’s late surge:

"We believed we were going to tie it. The bench had energy, the building had energy. But we have to start like that, not wait until the third. That has to change."

Head Coach Lane Lambert, on the team’s overall performance:

"The compete was there late, but we didn’t dictate enough of the game. Utah played their structure, and we let them control too much of the pace early. We’re not interested in moral victories—we need results."

Game Breakdown

Nashville was held to just 18 shots on goal, struggling at times to find clean entries or sustained offensive pressure. The Predators were outshot 29–18 and held 0-for-1 on the power play. Defensive coverage improved as the game went on, but discipline issues hurt—Utah finished 1-for-4 on the man advantage, making Nashville pay when it mattered most.

Goaltender Jake Allen was solid with 26 saves, including multiple stops to keep his team alive late. Nashville's young forwards Šalé and Tuomaala again injected speed and energy, while veterans Sundqvist and Jankowski anchored a strong forecheck.

Still, the inability to generate offense in the first 40 minutes left Nashville chasing yet again. Through two games, the Predators have scored just three total goals—all after the halfway mark of each game.