Nashville Predators Drop Faceoff Battle as New Jersey Devils Cash In Late at Bridgestone Arena

The Nashville Predators entered Bridgestone Arena at 34-29 with 2 points, and the New Jersey Devils arrived at 37-32 with 4 points. The Devils left Nashville with a 4-2 result in a game that ended at 10:34 PM EDT.

First period

The Nashville Predators finished the opening period without a goal as the Preds recorded 18 shots for the game and ended with an 11 percent shooting rate. The New Jersey Devils struck for 1 period goal while generating 30 shots in the game, and the Devs logged 21 hits.

Second period

The Preds produced their 2 period goals in the middle frame while Steven Stamkos recorded 1 goal on 6 shots in the previous game. Luke Evangelista contributed 1 assist in the previous game as Nashville totaled 3 assists in this matchup, and the Predators finished with 13 hits. The Devils answered with 1 period goal and went 1-for-3 on the power play while Nashville went 0-for-1 with 1 shot on its lone man-advantage. The Nashville Predators vs New Jersey Devils turning point showed up in the special-teams ledger as the Devs generated 4 power-play shots and Nashville did not score on its 1 opportunity.

Third period

The Preds went scoreless in the third period as New Jersey scored 2 period goals and added 1 empty-net goal in the game. Justus Annunen posted 26 saves in the previous game, and Nashville’s goaltending line in this one showed 26 saves on 30 shots with 4 total goals against. The Devils controlled the dots with a 65 percent faceoff win rate while Nashville finished at 35 percent, and the Devs ended with 30 faceoffs won. Nashville’s penalty total reached 5 as the Predators logged 26 penalty minutes, and New Jersey took 1 minor for 2 penalty minutes. The game-changing plays Nashville Predators vs New Jersey Devils included New Jersey finishing with 17 blocked shots while Nashville recorded 13 blocked shots and ended at minus-6 in plus-minus.

By the numbers

The Nashville Predators vs New Jersey Devils final score reflected New Jersey’s 13 percent shooting and Nashville’s 14 giveaways against 3 takeaways for the Preds. What went wrong for Nashville Predators showed up in possession swings as Nashville had 13 giveaways and New Jersey had 5 takeaways, and the Predators finished with 16 faceoffs won to New Jersey’s 30.

The Preds are scheduled to host the Montreal Canadiens at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on 3/28/2026 at 7:00 PM EDT, with viewing on ESPN+ and FDSSO. Run it back with the Predators next game window, and share this article with other Preds fans.