The Nashville Predators' season hit a new low against the Columbus Blue Jackets an 8-4 loss at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday.
For a team that's been out of the playoff race since January, that's difficult to do.
The Predators (27-40-8, 62 points) allowed a season-high for goals, while allowing the Blue Jackets to skate unimpeded in their own zone for 60 minutes. Kirill Marchenko's hat trick complemented two-goal performances each from Adam Fantili and Sean Monahan as the Blue Jackets had no problem maneuvering through the Predators' defense.
Columbus fired 37 shots on net, though most of those were made in the first two periods − the Blue Jackets let off the gas somewhat after Kirill Marchenko completed his hat trick in the third period.
One of the reasons for the defensive meltdown? Another poor performance from goaltender Juuse Saros.
Juuse Saros struggles again for Nashville Predators against Columbus Blue Jackets
Saros, who earned his league leading 29th loss, made 19 saves on 26 shots for a .731 save percentage. That's down from his season save percentage of .898 and a career average of .915.
At least three of the goals on Tuesday were ones Saros should have stopped. Monahan's first goal to make it 3-0 was caused by Saros inadvertently knocking the puck into his own net. Monahan's second goal was a product of Saros overplaying the angle, allowing Monahan to tuck the puck neatly in behind him for the score. Another goal, scored by former Predators defenseman Dante Fabbro, was shot through a screen, but wasn't a difficult shot for most goalies to stop.
The defensive issues were not all on Saros. At least three goals were directly related to turnovers by the defense and complete lapses in coverage. But according to Natural Stat Trick, the Blue Jackets generated 3.72 expected goals in the game, yet they scored eight. That's almost always an indictment of goaltending.
If anything, the loss helps the Predators' chances at a high pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.
But the trend of poor defense and disappointing goaltending from Saros continues.
Next up, Nashville plays at the Dallas Stars on Thursday (7 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network).
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our ...