In their first game after the bye week and all star break, the Nashville Predators fell to the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2. The game featured two teams who recently underwent coaching changes. Both teams entered the game out of playoff position, so points are of the utmost importance. After a back and forth first period that saw Mikael Granlund quickly respond to a William Nylander goal, the second period saw the Maple Leafs close it out with a 4-1 lead. Nashville showed a little more energy in the third period and fed off a Viktor Arvidsson goal, but it wasn’t enough.

Both Roman Josi and John Hynes were please with their first period, but both also noted that the second period is where things completely went wrong.

For a team that is in desperate need of points, this was obviously not the way to begin the push to the playoffs following the bye week and All Star Break. Nashville also has one of the most difficult schedules in the league to close out the season based on opponent win percentages. Up next, the Washington Capitals. Another opportunity for this team to prove they have some fight in the first of a back-to-back.