Ryan O’Reilly hit the 20-goal mark, but the Nashville Predators fell to the Utah Hockey Club by a 7-3 final on Monday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result sees the Preds fall to Utah for the first time in three tries this season with their penultimate game of the campaign now complete.
Luke Evangelista and Michael Bunting also found the back of the net for Nashville, and Preds defenseman Ryan Ufko made his NHL debut, but the scoreboard didn’t swing the home team’s way in game No. 81.
“I think it was honestly a weird game,” Bunting said. “If you think about what happened, we felt like the whole second period, we were on the [penalty] kill. We were able to kill off a few, which was huge for us. Obviously they got one, and on the 5-on-3, that is what it is… I thought we worked hard and we fought to get back in it. It was an unfortunate bounce on the fifth goal - that's just unlucky.”
“We showed really good grit there in the second period,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “I think we put ourselves in a position to get into a game like we've done so many times this year, but a little disappointed in the power play, and just not grab the momentum when we need it there.”
After O’Reilly gave the Preds a 1-0 lead on a power play in the opening period, Utah scored four unanswered - two in the first frame and two more in the second stanza - but Nashville didn’t go away.
First, Evangelista returned with a full face shield after taking a puck to the face and beat Utah goaltender Matt Villalta at the side of the net, and then Bunting tapped in a loose puck in the crease to pull the Predators to within one through two periods of play.
However, that was as close as Nashville got before Utah added three more goals in the final frame - including an empty-netter - to finish things off. Now, with just one more game to go on the schedule, the Predators will prepare to face Dallas on Wednesday with the hope of entering the offseason on a positive.
“Just coming in with a positive attitude,” Bunting said. “Obviously, this year hasn't gone the way we would hope. We'd obviously hope to be playing in the playoffs coming up and it stings every time, not to be able to make them. But, yeah, come in with a positive attitude, have fun with this group that's in here right now and play in front of our fans one last time and try to get a win for them. So I think that's the mindset, and that's how we have to go into it.”
“Just build off of it,” Ufko said of his debut. “It was unfortunate that we lost. But, I can be a lot better. I'm sure everyone in here would say the same thing. So, just to remember this as a stepping stone and to build off of it. The pace of play was a bit faster, so to try to continue at that pace, I think that'll be good for me.”
Notes:
Prior to Monday’s game, the Predators recalled defenseman Ryan Ufko from Milwaukee and the rookie made his NHL debut against Utah. Ufko recorded 20 shifts in 15:37 of ice time spent mostly alongside Marc Del Gaizo, a pairing that also saw time together previously in Milwaukee.
Ufko’s recall was necessary due to defenseman Andreas Englund missing Monday’s game due to illness.
Nashville’s final game of the 2024-25 season comes on Wednesday night when they host the Dallas Stars at Bridgestone Arena for Fan Appreciation Night.
