The Nashville Predators fell behind early and couldn’t recover, losing 4-1 to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday at Climate Pledge Arena. This marked the start of a challenging five-game stretch for the Predators in the new 2026 calendar year, forcing them to play catch-up.
Roman Josi reflected on the game, noting, “I looked good in the third, but the start was clearly our issue. It’s tough to come from behind, especially against a defensively strong team. We need to start strong and maintain that momentum like we did later in the game.”
The Kraken opened the scoring roughly four minutes in when Matty Beniers capitalized on a turnover by Nick Perbix, assisted by Ryker Evans. Jamie Oleksiak extended Seattle’s lead midway through the period with a long wrist shot, followed just 10 seconds later by Beniers’ second goal, finished off from a Jordan Hebert rebound.
Seattle managed to score three goals on only six shots, while Juuse Saros stopped 19 of 22 attempts but still allowed four goals. Josi put the Predators on the board via a power-play goal in the second period, marking Nashville’s third straight game with a power-play score.
In the final minutes, with Saros pulled for an extra attacker, Jared McCann secured the win for the Kraken. Despite holding a slight shooting edge (25-23) and minimal penalty time (two minutes), Nashville couldn’t capitalize enough to stay competitive.
This loss dropped the Predators to fifth place in the Central Division with an 18-18-4 record. Utah State, which Nashville had beaten earlier in the week, upset the New York Islanders, increasing the pressure on Nashville.
Nashville wraps up their seven-game road trip with two remaining games against the Calgary Flames on Saturday and the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. Josi commented, “Calgary is tough at home, and Edmonton plays hard there, too. We know when we’re playing well, but tonight’s start wasn’t it. We need to correct that immediately.”
Fan Take: This game highlights how critical strong starts are in hockey, especially against disciplined teams like Seattle. For fans, it underscores the unpredictability and intensity of the sport, showing that even powerhouse teams must stay sharp from the first whistle to contend in a competitive season.
