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Recap: Nashville Predators blown out by Florida Panthers for 8th loss in 9 games

For a second straight game, the Nashville Predators were behind the ball less than 20 seconds into a game and could not recover.

Sacrificing a goal 11 seconds into the game was just the beginning as the Predators were blown out by the Florida Panthers, 8-3, on Monday at Bridgestone Arena. 

It's the most goals the Predators have allowed in a game since they lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 8-4, on April 1, 2025, and it's their eighth loss in nine games. 

 Similar to their loss to the Avalanche on Saturday, the goal scored in the first minute of the game came off a dump into the zone and the opponent loading up the left side of the ice. 

Carter Verhaeghe got to the puck first after it was dumped into the Predators' zone off the face-off and was able to find A.J. Greer on the left side of the slot for a quick shot and score.

On the second goal, Sam Reinhart shoved Nick Perbix off the puck behind the net before moving it to Uvis Balinskis and then Evan Rodrigues for the goal. 

Filip Forsberg and Fedor Svechkov both scored in the first period to tie the game at two. It was Svechkov's first goal of the season and just his second point of the year. 

Jesper Boqvist scored 59 seconds later to give the lead back to the Panthers and Sam Bennett scored off a rebound to restore Florida's two-goal lead. All in all, there were six goals in the first 20 minutes of the game. 

Nov 24, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Florida Panthers left wing Brad Marchand (63) and Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) battle for the puck during the second period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

In the second period, Gustav Forsling scored a shot from the point to bump the Panthers' lead to 5-2. Goalie Juuse Saros was pulled for Justus Annunen after allowing five goals on 15 shots. 

Nick Blankenburg responded on the power play two minutes into the third period to cut the Panthers' lead back down to two and possibly start a Nashville rally. It was just the 11th Predators power play goal this season 

The comeback effort was silenced as Florida scored three unanswered goals, walking away with a whopping 8-3 victory. 

Nashville had a wide 39-26 shot advantage and won 57.1% of its face-offs. It had also converted on 1-of-3 power play opportunities and was in the box just twice. Florida also gave away the puck 15 times and the Predators outhit the Panthers, 25-19. 

Florida also had just four shots in the second period and seven in the third period, meaning that it scored four goals on 11 shots in the 40-minute stretch. 

Statistically, Nashville was the better team, but its defense faltered at every turn. This was the second time this season that Saros had been pulled and Annunen is still winless on the year. 

Saros made 11 saves on 16 shots. Annunen had seven saves on 10 shots. 

The Predators have been outscored 15-3 in their last three games, and have not won at home since Nov. 1. If Nashville doesn't defeat the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, it'll finish the month of November 1-5-1 at Bridgestone Arena. 

It faces two road challenges next in the Detroit Red Wings (Wednesday) and the Chicago Blackhawks (Friday). Detroit is second in the Atlantic Division and Chicago has a surprising start to the year at 10-8-4. 

The Predators need some momentum, as they are ranked dead last in the NHL with 16 points in 22 games. 

Up next: Nashville Predators (6-12-4) at Detroit Red Wings (13-9-1) on Wednesday, Nov. 26 at Little Cesars Arena at 6 p.m. CST 

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Panthers light up scoreboard in Nashville, take down Predators 8-3

The Florida Panthers hit the road on Monday for a quick business trip to Tennessee.

Playing their only game away from Sunrise in the span of about a month, Florida took on the Nashville Predators and came away with a resounding 8-3 road victory.

The Cats got off to a great start, scoring right off the game’s opening faceoff.

After the puck was dumped into the Nashville zone by Seth Jones, Carter Verhaeghe picked it up below the goal line and came back behind the net before sending a quick pass toward the slot.

A cutting A.J. Greer one-timed the puck past the blocker of Juuse Saros to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead just 11 seconds into the game.

Florida continued to keep the pressure on, and just over five minutes later, they doubled their early advantage.

Defenseman Uvis Balinskis had a great look from the slot that was stopped by Saros, but Evan Rodrigues was in a great spot at the side of the crease to snap home the rebound and give Florida a 2-0 lead at the 5:42 mark.

Exactly 70 seconds later, Filip Forsberg scored a frustrating goal from a sharp angle.

The weak shot from the right corner somehow got between Daniil Tarasov and the goal post, putting the Predators on the board just under seven minutes into the game.

A rebound goal by Fedor Svechkov would tie the score at the 10:32 mark of the opening frame after a backhand from the slot off the stick of Ozzy Weisblatt was stopped by Tarasov.

Jesper Boqvist’s third goal of the season would put the Panthers back in front less than a minute later.

His breakaway attempt slid right through the legs of Soros to give Florida a 3-2 lead exactly 59 seconds after Svechkov’s goal.

Florida’s two-goal lead would be restored with just over four minutes left in the period.

Coming into the Predators zone on a rush, Greer’s shot from the left boards was kicked out by Soros, but an attempt to clear the rebound by Svechkov went off the shins of Sam Bennett before fluttering into the net to make it 4-2 Cats.

Florida made it a three-goal advantage just 84 seconds into the middle frame when Gus Forsling’s point shot grazed the leg of Nick Perbix on its way past Soros.

That would mark the end for Nashville’s starting goaltender, as Justus Annunen replaced Soros after Florida scored on five of its 16 shots on goal.

An early third period power play would give the Predators an opening back into the game, and they took it.

Right off the draw after a Jeff Petry tripping penalty, Nick Blankenburg’s long wrist shot found its way through a maze of bodies and past Tarasov at the 2:11 mark of the final frame.

It didn’t even take three minutes for the Panthers to answer, and it was Greer netting his second goal of the game, once again off a primary assist from Carter Verhaeghe.

Sam Reinnart got in on the fun near the midway point of the period while both teams were skating four-on-four.

Catching the Predators in a line change, Evan Rodrigues came into the offensive zone and fired a shot that went off the pads of Annunen, but the rebound went right to Reinhart at the side of the net.

His 13th goal of the season and 11th in his past 14 games gave the Panthers a comfortable 7-3 lead.

A snakebit Carter Verhaeghe got in on the fun before the Cats got out of Dodge.

Greer made a great ally-oop pass that Verhaeghe sped down the ice to catch up with, and his patient backhand went over Annunen’s glove to make it 8-3 Florida.

It was just Verhaeghe’s third goal of the year, and his first since Oct. 21 in Boston.

For Greer, the assist was his third point of the night and gave him a career-high +5 on-ice rating to go with his career-high-tying two goals.

On to the Flyers.

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Photo caption: Nov 24, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Florida Panthers center Jesper Boqvist (70) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Nashville Predators during the first period at Bridgestone Arena. (Steve Roberts-Imagn Images)

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Despite Sabres' Surge, Buffalo Faces Long Road Back To Relevancy

Uuko-Pekka Luukkonen (right); Ryan McLeod (right) --  (Mark Konezny USA TODAY Images)

Fans of the Buffalo Sabres came into this season hopeful they’d end the team’s record of 14 consecutive seasons with no Stanley Cup playoffs. Instead, the Sabres have wailed and flailed on their way back to an all-too-familar place: at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

The Sabres’ season will soon have reached its midpoint, and the only thing the Sabres have achieved is notoriety. This is why we’re not falling for Buffalo’s great team results, as they’re using only a small sample size. Talk to us when the season is halfway through and the Sabres have crawled their way back to relevancy.

Until then, y’all better believe fans are going to be incensed at Buffalo’s futility at climbing out of the hole the Sabres have dug for themselves. Nothing else matters. No roster changes or building for the building for the future. This is truly a win-or-bust season if ever there was one.

The days of Sabres management spinning their wheels and pleading for fan patience are at an end. And this is the only issue that matters. Every game, without fail, will dictate the reception players get from the paying customer. And if you’ve missed the post-season for a decade-and-a-half, your fans are going to start to ignore you as a team and instead take up a hobby – you know, putting tiny ships in a bottle, or kicking rocks. Things like that.

Sabres Win Again, But Buffalo Fans Need To See Many More Wins Before Getting ExcitedSabres Win Again, But Buffalo Fans Need To See Many More Wins Before Getting ExcitedThe Buffalo Sabres' recent win streak is a spark, but a long, tough schedule demands sustained excellence to truly ignite their playoff hopes.

Something else to be mindful of – the Sabres have little room for error. They can’t afford injuries, as their lack of NHL depth is clear. They also can’t afford prolonged stretches of games where they lose four or five in a row. The Atlantic Division will maul you, so the Sabres have to be aware they have to hit the gas and really climb up the Eastern rankings.

There can be no more excuses. No more looking to the future. All that matters in Western New York is ending that embarrassing playoff drought. And through the first quarter of the season, they’ve shown they’re not worthy of being a playoff team 

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Rangers snap four-game losing skid with 3-2 win over Blues

NEW YORK (AP) — Alexis Lafreniere scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and Igor Shesterkin made 20 saves as the New York Rangers snapped a four-game skid with a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Monday night.

Lafreniere put the puck past Blues netminder Joel Hofer 40 seconds into the final period for his fifth goal this season.

Vincent Trocheck and Adam Edstrom also scored for the Rangers, who won for just the second time in 10 home games. New York is 2-7-1 at Madison Square Garden. Vladislav Gavrikov and Adam Fox each had two assists.

Dylan Holloway and Brayden Schenn scored for St. Louis, and Hofer made 17 saves.

Holloway opening the scoring late in the first period.

Trocheck tied it midway through the second, taking a pass from Jonny Brodzinski and firing the puck past Hofer for his fourth goal.

After Lafreniere made it 2-1, Edstrom increased the lead with 11:04 left in the third. Schenn got the Blues within 3-2 with 1:15 remaining.

The Rangers had to kill off a four-minute high-sticking penalty assessed to Brett Berard in the third. Berard made his season debut following his recall from Hartford of the AHL.

The Rangers (11-12-2) — who played without injured captain J.T. Miller for the second straight game — are still last in the Metropolitan Division.

Up next

Blues: At New Jersey on Wednesday to conclude a five-game trip.

Rangers: At Carolina on Wednesday.

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Devils outlast Red Wings, 4-3, snap three-game losing skid

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Connor Brown had a goal and an assist each and the New Jersey Devils beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on Monday night in a matchup of two of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference.

Alex DeBrincat, James van Riemsdyk and Dylan Larkin scored for Detroit.

New Jersey scored three goals in the first period on just eight shots for a 3-1 lead after one, snapped a three-game losing streak, and got its first win in regulation since beating the Los Angeles Kings 4-1 on Nov. 1.

The Devils’ previous four wins occurred in either overtime or the shootout.

New Jersey’s Jacob Markstrom made 32 saves, 13 in the third period.

Hischier scored his fourth goal in five games and added an assist on Meier’s first-period goal for the 102nd multipoint game of his Devils’ career.

Cody Glass snapped a 1-1 tie for New Jersey in his first game back after missing the previous four games with an upper-body injury. He replaced Juho Lammikko on the Devils third line.

Van Riemsdyk, who grew up in New Jersey, scored a power-play goal in his 1,100th game that got the Red Wings to within 3-2 in the second period.

Moritz Seider added two assists for Detroit, who lost for just the second time in its last seven games.

Brown moved the Devils’ lead to 4-2 from Dawson Mercer later in the second period before Larkin scored his 13th goal in the third period.

Cam Talbot had 15 saves for Detroit.

Up next

Devils: Host St. Louis on Wednesday night.

Red Wings: Host Nashville on Wednesday night.

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Shohei Ohtani to participate in World Baseball Classic, but will the Dodgers star pitch?

Toronto, Ontario, Saturday, November 1, 2025 - Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player.
Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani delivers during Game 7 of the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Nov. 1. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Shohei Ohtani will once again represent Team Japan in next year’s World Baseball Classic.

Whether or not he pitches in the international tournament, however, remains unclear.

On Monday, Ohtani announced on Instagram he is planning to participate in the WBC for the second time in his career.

In the 2023 WBC, he won tournament MVP with a .435 batting average and 1.86 pitching ERA, helping Japan to that year’s title. He punctuated the event with his memorable strikeout of Mike Trout for the final out in the championship game.

Read more:How much did they fetch? Dodgers historic homers by Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith and Miguel Rojas sell at auction

“I’m happy to play again representing Japan,” Ohtani wrote in Japanese on Monday.

The question now is whether Ohtani will pitch in the event, which takes place in March, just five months removed from his heavy postseason workload during the Dodgers’ run to a second-consecutive World Series title.

At this point, no decision on that front has seemingly been made.

After spending the first half of the 2025 season limited only to designated hitting duties while completing his recovery from a 2023 Tommy John procedure, the 31-year-old Ohtani resumed his two-way role over the second half, making 14 pitching starts for the Dodgers from June to September while increasing his workload one inning at a time.

By the postseason, he was fully built up for full-length starts, and went on to throw 20⅓ innings over four playoff outings — including a 2⅓ inning appearance on shortened three days’ rest in Game 7 of the World Series.

Oftentimes, pitchers who are that heavily taxed during a deep playoff run will consider sitting out a WBC the following year because of the early ramp-up required to throw in the tournament takes place during spring training.

However, the WBC is of supreme importance in the Japanese baseball community; more significant even than the World Series. And Ohtani is the face of the county’s iconic Samurai Japan national team, which will be trying to win its fourth WBC title.

Shohei Ohtani celebrates with his teammates after striking out Mike Trout.
Shohei Ohtani celebrates with his teammates after striking out Mike Trout to secure Japan's World Baseball Classic championship win over the United States in 2023. (Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press)

Ohtani is expected to hit in the event, coming off a career-high 55-homer season that helped him earn a third-consecutive MVP Award and the fourth of his MLB career.

But there remains no indication about whether he will pitch, nor if such a decision has been made between him and the Dodgers (who can’t block Ohtani from participating in the event, but could request he either not pitch or follow strict usage rules given he missed the first half of last season on the mound).

It is unlikely that decision will be made until closer to the tournament.

The Dodgers’ two other Japanese pitchers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, face a similar dynamic leading into next year’s WBC.

Yamamoto made 30 starts in the 2025 regular season, the most of his MLB or Japanese career, then threw 37⅓ more innings in six outings during the playoffs — including his heroic back-to-back victories in Games 6 and 7 of the World Series.

Sasaki missed most of his rookie MLB season with a shoulder injury, but returned late in the year and became the team’s de facto closer in the playoffs. Next year, he is slated to return to the starting rotation.

Read more:Dodgers need an outfielder. Cody Bellinger is a free agent. Could a reunion be possible?

Like Ohtani, they are both key cogs in the Dodgers’ 2026 pitching plans, which, as manager Dave Roberts alluded to during a promotional tour in Japan last week, could make the WBC something of a potential complication.

“We’ll support them,” Roberts told the Japanese media. “But I do think that the pitching, it’s a lot on the body, the arm. The rest will be beneficial for next year, for our season. But we understand how important the WBC is for these individual players and for the country of Japan.”

The Dodgers could choose to block Sasaki’s participation in the WBC, since he spent much of last year on the 60-day injured list, but have not yet given any indication about whether they would do so.

The club can’t do the same with Yamamoto, but could still try advocating for him to be used more conservatively in the tournament coming off his especially burdensome October performance.

For now, at least, what is known is that Ohtani will participate in some capacity.

But whether he, or his Japanese Dodgers teammates, will pitch in the tournament will remain a subplot as the offseason progresses.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

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Knicks use big second half to put away Nets, secure second road win of season

The Knicks picked up their 12th consecutive win over the Nets, 113-110, on Monday night at Barclays Center. 

Here are some takeaways...

- Mike Brown turned to a smaller lineup with Mitchell Robinson (illness) and OG Anunoby (hamstring) sidelined, as Josh Hart received his first start of the season alongside Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns. 

- That group got off to an extremely sloppy start on both ends of the floor. The Knicks shot 4-of-14 from the field over the opening few minutes and continued giving up open looks from downtown, allowing Brooklyn to hold a slim two-point advantage when the first quarter came to a close (26-24). 

Noah Clowney got off to a strong start for the Nets, leading the team with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting. 

- New York's second unit of Hart, Towns, Tyler Kolek, Jordan Clarkson, and Ariel Hukporti got them going early in the second. Even with Brunson resting on the bench, they were able to put together a commanding 11-0 run to open their largest lead of the first half, at the time (eight). 

The Knicks looked like they were ready to put this one away as they pushed the advantage out to as many as a dozen, but Brooklyn answered back with a late first-half surge, and they were able to cut it all the way back down to a one-possession game heading into the break (51-48). 

Both teams shot a combined 25 percent from behind the arc over the first two quarters (NY 3/14, BKN 7/26). 

- Things were back-and-forth coming out of the break before the Knicks took over and opened a comfortable double-digit advantage that they never looked back from. New York scored a game-high 38 points in the third quarter while shooting 64 percent from the field, including 5-of-9 from behind the arc. 

- Towns led the way in perhaps his best offensive showing of the season, finishing with 37 points on 14-of-20 shooting (just 3-of-4 from three) while reeling in 12 rebounds and dishing three assists. The big man did have a bit of a scare after falling hard on his hip on a drive to the basket early in the fourth, but he returned to the court after a timeout.

Brunson had 27 points, Bridges chipped in 16 points, and Hart did it all (seven points, 12 rebounds, seven assists). 

- Jordi Fernandez's young and hungry squad showed much more fight this time compared to the last meeting. Clowney finished with a career-high 31 points on the night including seven threes, Drake Powell pitched in 15 on 5-of-10 shooting, and big man Nic Claxton had eight points. 

New York picked up their second road win of the season in seven tries. 

Game MVP: Karl-Anthony Towns

The big man dominated the paint all night, finishing with a game-high 37 points. 

Highlights

What's next

The Knicks close their road trip with an NBA Cup matchup with the Hornets on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.

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Red Wings Drop Tight 4-3 Decision To Devils Despite Major Shot Disparity

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The Detroit Red Wings dominated the New Jersey Devils in the shot totals on Monday evening, but unfortunately for Detroit, they didn't lead where it matters.

The Devils escaped with a 4-3 victory in regulation at Prudential Center despite a furious late-game push by the Red Wings to try and knot the score.

Following the final horn, multiple scraps broke out on the ice between the two clubs. 

With the setback, the Red Wings dropped to 13-9-1 so far in their centennial campaign. 

The Devils found the back of the net first thanks to a deflection goal from Timo Meier, only to have Alex DeBrincat score his second goal in as many games to tie things up.

The Devils then scored twice in short order thanks to Nico Hischier and Cody Glass, taking a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.

New Jersey native James van Riemsdyk brought the Red Wings back to within a goal with his second tally of the season in the second period, but a brutal turnover by defenseman Travis Hamonic soon afterward resulted in Connor Brown restoring New Jersey's two goal lead.

The Red Wings pressed for the equalizer, and made it a one-goal game again as Dylan Larkin buried a shot from the slot past goaltender Jacob Markstrom.

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Detroit also felt they should have been on the power-play late in regulation, but Jonas Siegenthaler's blatant interference on Lucas Raymond in the neutral zone was somehow missed by both referees. 

It was a rare subpar outing for goaltender Cam Talbot, who finished with 15 saves on the 19 shots he faced. Markstrom was far busier, turning aside 32 of the 35 shots Detroit fired his way. 

The Red Wings will return home to face the Nashville Predators on Wednesday evening. 

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Sharp and Uzan shine in OT as No. 3 Houston outlasts Syracuse 78-74 at Players Era

Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan each scored 26 points, teaming for all 11 of No. 3 Houston's points in overtime, in the Cougars' 78-74 victory over Syracuse on Monday in the opening round of the Players Era. Uzan, playing in his hometown, scored six points in OT and Sharp had five to keep the Cougars (6-0) undefeated. Chris Cenac Jr. scored all eight of his points after halftime and had 12 rebounds.

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Patrick Kane Achieves Yet Another Career Milestone With Red Wings

The Hall of Fame credentials for Detroit Red Wings forward Patrick Kane are already guaranteed, and he's added yet another impressive milestone to his resume.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

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With an assist on teammate Alex DeBrincat's first period goal on Monday evening against the New Jersey Devils, Kane moved past former Red Wings forward Brendan Shanahan for sole possession of 29th place in the NHL's all-time points list with 1,355. 

Kane, who has 860 career assists, is just 35 shy of passing Phil Housley for the most in the career of an American born player.

Speaking of former Red Wings, he's also just 20 points away from passing Mike Modano for the most points in the history of the NHL by an American born player. 

Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum