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Three Takeaways From The Predators' Prospects 4-1 Victory Over Carolina

Nashville's future stars opened the season with an emphatic victory over the Stanley Cup champions.

Joe Gaither

Predators Prospects vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Predators Prospects vs. Carolina Hurricanes / @PredsNHL on Twitter

The Nashville Predators packed up their young players and headed to North Carolina for the weekend to play in the 2026 Prospect Showcase against the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Predators opened the weekend with a 4-1 victory over Carolina's prospects as T.J. Semptimphelter and Ben Hrebik combined between the pipes to frustrate the Hurricanes' offense. Semptimphelter started the contest and pitched a 30-minute shutout before yielding to Hrebik in the crease for the final 30 minutes.

Michel Myloserdnyy, a 6-foot-7 defenseman without a contract, got the scoring started early in the second period, putting home a rebound off of a David Edstrom post shot to put the Predators ahead 1-0.

Nashville doubled its lead later in the period on a power play. Cole O'Hara found Felix Nilsson at the top of the Hurricanes' offensive zone in space. Nilsson skated to the center of the zone, drawing a defenseman in the process. O'Hara skated into the space Nilsson created and received the puck without a Hurricane in sight. He skated to the net and fired a wrist shot past Ruslan Khazheyev for what turned out to be the game-winning goal.

“They gave me some room to walk in, and that was nice,” O’Hara said to Brooks Bratten. "Just shot it and nice to see it go in.”

The Carolina Hurricanes turned up the pressure in the third period and found a goal as Zachary Lansard scored off a Predators turnover, cutting Nashville's lead in half. The Predators hunkered down for most of the third period before drawing a fourth power-play with under four minutes remaining. Nashville didn't score with the man advantage, but Aiden Fink gave the visitors breathing room with a breakaway goal, using his speed and firing the puck past Khazheyev's far side. Vitali Pinchuk put the icing on the cake, scoring an empty-net goal in the final minute.

Three Stars of The Game

T.J. Semptimphelter

Semptimphelter started the game in goal for the Predators and handed a clean sheet to Hrebik after facing shots throughout the first 30 minutes. Semptimphelter's final save was his best as Hurricanes Chase Lefebvre found space in the middle of the defense and got one-on-one with Semptimphelter. The Nashville goaltender got big and made a glove save, leaving the ice with confidence.

Aiden Fink

Fink was aggressive throughout the game, and his speed was evident even before his breakaway goal. The Hobey Baker Award finalist finished last season with the Milwaukee Admirals and showed he's a dangerous player with the puck in his hands. Carolina's commentators were fixated on his all-white hockey stick and theorized Fink could be a trendsetter after his goal.

“I knew we were on the power play, and then the power play was ending, so I kind of came back in the D zone, and I saw Oasiz [Wiesblatt] see me,” Fink said to Brooks Bratten. “So, I kind of did a little jump, he chipped the puck to me, and then I saw a lot of ice right in front of me. I saw a guy come to my left, and just took the shot and it was a good shot.”

Ben Hrebik

Hrebik entered the game in the second period and continued the strong goaltending that Semptimphelter started. He turned away numerous shots over the final 30 minutes, allowing a single goal midway through the third period, seconds after a defensive turnover in the Predators' zone. Hrebik held strong in the third period as the Hurricanes mounted pressure, trying to equalize, and looked even better in the exhibition shootout after the game. Carolina sent 10 skaters to the centerline, and Hrebik denied all ten.

Three Takeaways From Nashville's 4-1 Victory

Nashville's Goaltending Future is Strong

From Tomáš Vokoun to Pekka Rinne and now Juuse Saros, the Nashville Predators have always had strong play between the pipes. The Predators showed two of their three goaltenders on Sunday. T.J. Semptimphelter and Ben Hrebik split goaltending duties, only conceding one goal off a defensive turnover. Hrebik showed particular prowess during the shootout, turning away 10 penalty takers without allowing a goal.

Vitali Pinchuk Is Dangerous

Nashville's big free-agent signing from the KHL looked as advertised in his first action with the Predators. Pinchuk scored the game's final goal after the Hurricanes pulled Ruslan Khazheyev, but he was probing Carolina's defense as a consistent offensive threat throughout the game.

Kalan Lind Brought The Fight To Carolina

Kalan Lind showed his toughness in the first period by aggressively forechecking in Carolina's zone. He knocked Charles Alexis Legault to the ice, and the pair immediately began to scrap. Alexis Legault has three inches and 40 pounds on Lind, but Lind held his own before they both hit the ice and were seperated.

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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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