Nashville Predators Puck Drop: Heating Up After Slow Start

Welcome to The Puck Drop, a weekly roundup of all things Nashville Predators. We look at news stories, social media posts, and everything else regarding YOUR NASHVILLE PREDATORS. It’s a jam-packed edition of The Puck Drop this week. Lots to get to, including some NHL firsts for Connor Ingram and Philip Tomasino.

The 2021-22 NHL season is in full swing. The Predators got off to a slow start to begin the season but are beginning to turn things around.

In their first five games, Nashville only managed one win, a 2-1 victory over the L.A. Kings. And while they have been in the mix for those games, they couldn’t gain any ground and pull out some victories.

After a pretty sloppy loss against the Winnipeg Jets, in which goaltender Juuse Saros had a rare bad showing, the Predators ramped up their game, defeating an undefeated Minnesota Wild team in a 5-2 victory.

On Tuesday, a tough San Jose Sharks team sporting a 4-1-0 record came to town looking to rack up another victory. Building on the momentum from the victory over the Wild, the Predators got off to a great start early and never looked back, securing the win.

The victory over San Jose gave Nashville back-to-back wins and improved their record to 3-4-0 on the season. The Predators’ next matchup will be at home in Bridgestone facing the 3-2-1 New York Islanders, who are coming off of a 2-0 win against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Connor Ingram’s first NHL start for the Nashville Predators

Goaltender Connor Ingram had quite a weekend. On Sunday, he got his first NHL start, picked up the victory, and was named the game’s first star.

Ingram stopped 33 of the 35 shots he faced, earning a 2.02 GAA and a .943 SV%. He became only the second goaltender in Predators’ history to pick up a win in his first NHL start. The first Predators goaltender to accomplish that feat was none other than Pekka Rinne.

Ingram’s win came nine months to the day after he took a leave of absence from the team and entered the NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program for undisclosed reasons. His story is one of perseverance through tough times and taking care of yourself to achieve your dreams.

Philip Tomasino makes an impact

Another player experienced a couple of NHL firsts. Philip Tomasino started in his first NHL game on opening night and scored his first NHL goal in only his second start. In his next game, he scored another goal and registered his first assist in the NHL. So far, he has racked up three points in five appearances.

Fans have eagerly awaited Tomasino’s arrival on the Nashville Bench. He is positively impacting the team and making the most of his time on the NHL roster.

With the wait finally over, we are seeing Tomasino get his chance to help the Predators win. The future is bright for this young player.

Outdoor hockey is coming to Nashville

As was previously announced, the NHL’s Stadium Series is coming to Nashville in February. The Predators will host the Tampa Bay Lightning in an outdoor rink set up in the middle of Nissan Stadium.

Last week, the Predators hosted a press conference/photo opportunity to make the announcement official. In addition to Predators President Sean Henry and Nashville Mayor John Cooper, Captain Roman Josi and Mattias Ekholm were in attendance and made brief statements.

Joining Ekholm and Josi were Lightning defensemen, Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh. The Stadium Series matchup will take place on February 26, 2022.

Former Predators honored in first return to Bridgestone

Saying goodbye to players who move on to other teams is sometimes tough and a bit awkward, especially if the entire fanbase loved those players. Since the beginning of the season, we have had not one, but two former players make their return to Bridgestone wearing another team’s sweater.

The first to return this season was Viktor Arvidsson, who now plays for the L.A. Kings. Arvy was definitely a fan-favorite deserving of a video tribute. He even took a small skate around, waving at the fans in appreciation.

Nick Bonino, traded to Minnesota before the 2020-21 season and now playing for San Jose, returned to Bridgestone on Tuesday. Bonino was another fan-favorite that everyone hated to see go when he was traded.