March 26, 2026 — The Nashville Predators dropped a 4-2 decision to the New Jersey Devils at Bridgestone Arena, falling behind early and never recovering despite a brief second-period rally. Nico Hischier led New Jersey with two goals, including the go-ahead power-play tally in the third period that sealed Nashville’s fate in front of 17,159 fans. More Sports News
The Devils struck first when Jesper Bratt netted his 19th goal of the season at 18:02 of the first period, assisted by Jack Hughes and Jonas Siegenthaler. Nashville stayed within one heading into the second, but New Jersey extended the lead when Hischier tallied his 25th of the year early in the second frame. The Predators answered with consecutive goals from Reid Schaefer and Steven Stamkos to tie the game at two — but a third-period power-play goal by Hischier at 14:07, his 26th of the season, proved to be the winner. Timo Meier added an empty-netter with 33 seconds remaining to close it out.
Goaltending
Justus Annunen started in net for Nashville and kept the Predators competitive, stopping 26 of 29 shots before the empty-netter. Jacob Markström earned the win for New Jersey, turning aside 16 of 18 shots for the shutout of regulation.
| Goalie | DEC | GA | SA | SV | SV% | SO | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justus Annunen | L | 3 | 29 | 26 | .897 | 0 | 58:18 |
| Jacob Markström | W | 2 | 18 | 16 | .889 | 0 | 60:00 |
Special teams and possession
Nashville was held scoreless on its power-play opportunities while New Jersey converted once on the man advantage — the decisive Hischier goal in the third period. The Predators were also penalized for too many men on the ice in the second period. The Devils finished with a 30-18 shot advantage and out-attempted Nashville at 5-on-5, controlling 55.2% of shot attempts compared to Nashville’s 46.2%.
Point scorers
Stamkos led Nashville with a goal and six shots on goal in 18:11 of ice time. Schaefer provided energy on the fourth line, scoring his sixth of the season in 9:12. For the Devils, Bratt finished with a goal and two assists, while Hughes and Siegenthaler each added two helpers.
| Player | G | A | PTS | +/- | SOG | Type | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Stamkos (NSH) | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 6 | EV | 18:11 |
| Reid Schaefer (NSH) | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 1 | EV | 9:12 |
| Luke Evangelista (NSH) | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 2 | EV | 15:44 |
| Nicolas Hague (NSH) | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 1 | EV | 21:35 |
| Fedor Svechkov (NSH) | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 0 | EV | 10:44 |
| Nico Hischier (NJD) | 2 | 0 | 2 | +2 | 3 | EV/PP | 18:06 |
| Jesper Bratt (NJD) | 1 | 2 | 3 | +1 | 1 | EV | 18:41 |
| Jack Hughes (NJD) | 0 | 2 | 2 | +1 | 7 | EV/PP | 23:08 |
| Jonas Siegenthaler (NJD) | 0 | 2 | 2 | +1 | 1 | EV | 20:03 |
| Connor Brown (NJD) | 0 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 0 | EV | 20:36 |
| Simon Nemec (NJD) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | EV | 17:18 |
| Timo Meier (NJD) | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 4 | EV | 18:39 |
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