The Florida Panthers dropped a pair to the Nashville Predators in the preseason-opening doubleheader at the BB&T Center.
Nashville took the first game by a 5-0 count with goaltender Juuse Saros stopping all 24 shots he faced. Tom McCollum made 3 saves in the 7:15 he manned the net.
The Predators got a first period power-play goal from Calle Jarnkrok and a second period marker from P.K. Subban to take a two-goal lead after forty minutes.
Former Panther Rocco Grimaldi, Filip Pyrochta (shorthanded) and Frederick Gaudreau tallied in the third to make it a rout.
Pyrochta, who drew an assist on Grimaldi’s goal, was the only player to produce two points in the game.
Michael Hutchinson went the distance in goal for the Cats and finished with 26 saves. Jared McCann led Florida with four shots.
In the nightcap, the Panthers fell by a 5-3 count, thanks to a superb performance by the Music City trio of Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen and Kevin Fiala, who each posted four points.
Nick Bjugstad carried over some Da Beauty League magic and bagged the Cats first goal of the preseason 14:59 into the first period.
Forsberg tied the tilt with a power-play marker 7:36 into the second, with the assists going to Ryan Ellis and Fiala.
Defenseman Jacob MacDonald restored the lead to Florida with a goal 4:30 later. The helpers went to grinders Anthony Greco and Derek MacKenzie.
Johansen would light the lamp from Fiala and Forsberg and then Fiala scored from Dan Hamhuis and Johansen to give the Predators a 3-2 lead after forty minutes.
Samuel Montembeault would take over for James Reimer in the third and he got beaten by Forsberg at the 8:57 mark with the assists going to Fiala and Johansen.
Prospect Patrick Baijkov pulled one back for the Panthers with a late power-play goal, from Dryden Hunt and Owen Tippett, at 19:12 before Forsberg completed his hat trick into an empty net with the assists again going to… you guessed it, Fiala and Johansen.
Reimer made 16 saves on 19 shots in his two periods of play, while Montembeault stopped 7 of the 8 shots he faced.
Pekka Rinne turned aside 12 of 13 shots and Troy Grosenick made 11 saves on 13 shots splitting time in goal for the Predators.