Nashville Predators On SI

Nashville's Prospects Trade Fights and Goals, Beat Tampa Bay 3-1

The future Predators played with an edge and finished the 2026 Prospect Showcase with a win over the Lightning.

Joe Gaither

Oasiz Wiesblatt high-fives the bench after he scores against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2026 Prospect Showcase.
Oasiz Wiesblatt high-fives the bench after he scores against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2026 Prospect Showcase. / @PredsNHL

The Nashville Predators finished the 2026 Prospect Showcase 2-0 after taking down the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 on Monday.

Nashville brought the energy and edge to Invisalign Arena, instigating fights with the Lightning prospects in nearly every stoppage of play. Oasiz Wiesblatt set the tone early as the 5-foot-9 forward squared up with 6-foot-5 Grant Spada four minutes into the action. Spada got the better of Wiesblatt, but the Predators bench got the memo and turned up the pressure.

Despite the Predators controlling the pace and the puck throughout most of the first period, the Tampa Bay Lightning struck first as Connor Kurth tapped a rebound past Isak Posch to take a 1-0 lead. Nashville defenseman Michel Myloserdnyy threw a log on the fire after he was called for cross-checking in the final minutes of the period. The Nashville invitee yelled at the Lightning bench, "Who wants some?" implying he was ready to fight all comers.

Nashville's offense found its skates in the second period. The Predators got the most of the possession and capitalized on their second power play of the game as Vitali Pinchuk found David Edstrom for an equalizer in the 12th minute. Weisblatt got Nashville on a second power play after taking a stick to the face, but the Predators didn't take the lead until after the four-minute major had expired. Myloserdnyy one-times a Wiesblatt pass from behind the goal, scoring his second goal in two days to take the lead.

The final minute of the second period was total chaos as Wiesblatt once again found himself in the middle of a scrum. A Lightning player hit him in the back, kicking off the second major fight of the game and ending the period with four-on-four hockey.

The fighting continued in the third period as, five minutes into the frame, Hiroki Gojsic and Aiden Foster went toe-to-toe. Gojsic connected with a few strikes, but Foster ultimately took him down. Wiesblatt completed his Gordie Howe hat-trick in the 12th minute of the final frame, scoring off a Gojsic pass from behind the net to give the Predators a 3-1 lead.

Myloserdnyy got his first-period question answered after delivering a crushing hit in the neutral zone as Tomas Kralovic stepped up to defend his fallen teammate. Myloserdnyy pulled Kralovic's sweater over his head and sent a message before going to the penalty box for fighting.

The Lightning pulled Harrison Meneghin with three minutes remaining, but that only invited more madness. Cole O'Hara looked to score an empty-net goal, but Pinchuk was cited for interference, negating the goal. This took time to sort out as more fighting ensued after the apparent goal. Pinchuk brought the pain to Cooper Flinton, raining right-hands down from his 6-foot-3 frame, while Owen Murray lost his battle to Dyllan Gill.

The Predators won the game 3-1, but like yesterday's game with Carolina, Tampa Bay and Nashville held a penalty shootout. Weisblatt, O'Hara, and Felix Nilsson all scored, and Posch stood tall in goal as the Predators won the shootout 3-2.

Three Stars Of The Prospects Game Between Nashville and Tampa Bay

Oasiz Wiesblatt

Wiesblatt was a bundle of energy throughout the 60 minutes in North Carolina. He scored the game's final goal, got the game-winning assist, and was constantly scrapping with the Tampa Bay Lightning as he kept the energy high. Wiesblatt scored in the penalty shootout and appropriately emulated UFC fighter Conor McGregor as he celebrated.

Michel Myloserdnyy

Myloserdnyy left a strong impression at the Prospect Showcase, scoring two goals in two games as an invitee. He followed Wiesblatt's lead and leaned into physicality, delivering crushing hits and winning his one-on-one fight.

Isak Posch

Posch continued the Preds' strong goaltending, conceding just a single goal over three periods. Posch held the Lightning scoreless on three power plays and stopped a handful of breakaway chances. He turned away three Tampa penalty takers in the shootout, ensuring the Predators won both the game and the shootout.

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Joe Gaither
JOE GAITHER

Joe Gaither covers the Nashville Predators for Nashville Predators On SI. He also oversees videos and podcasts for Alabama Crimson Tide On SI/BamaCentral. He began his sports media career in radio in 2019, working for three years in Tuscaloosa covering the University of Alabama and other local high school sports. In 2023 he joined BamaCentral to cover a variety of Crimson Tide sports and recruiting, in addition to hosting the “Joe Gaither Show” podcast. His work has also appeared on the Boston College, Miami, Missouri and Vanderbilt college On SI sites.

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