Nov 16, 2025; Stockholm, SWEDEN; Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) talks with Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly (90) against the Pittsburgh Penguins in a Global Series ice hockey game at Avicii Arena. Per Haljestam-Imagn Images
The 2025 NHL Global Series in Stockholm, Sweden, is over, and the Nashville Predators are in the same position now as when they arrived: coming off a disappointing loss.
The Preds were hoping for a sweep following their late-game heroics against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, but once again couldn’t generate momentum from a victory.
Sunday’s 4-0 shutout loss was a complete reversal of Friday’s 2-1 overtime victory at Avicii Arena.
It was the first time Nashville has been shut out this season, and the first four-goal loss of the campaign.
The Preds will have some time to readjust to the Central Time Zone and get some rest once they return home. Their next game won’t be until Saturday, when they host the Colorado Avalanche at Bridgestone Arena.
Here are three observations from the trip and what could be ahead for the Predators moving forward.
For a few days before the Global Series opener, Filip Forsberg and Adam Wilsby got to show off their home country to the rest of their teammates. Excursions included Swedish cuisine and a boat tour along with visits to a candy store and pastry shop.
The biggest highlight of the trip may have been a visit to the Karolinska Children’s hospital in Stockholm, with Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly as the main attraction.
It was a real high point for the players as much as the kids. After Forsberg took on a young patient in an NHL video game, O’Reilly suddenly appeared plucking a guitar.
Decked out in Hockey Fights Cancer jerseys, Forsberg and O’Reilly helped the kids take their minds off the individual illnesses they were dealing with, at least for a while. Even GNASH, the Preds’ mascot, was there to liven things up.
“We’ve had a lot of fun,” Forsberg told reporters after Sunday’s game regarding the off-ice part of the trip. “Seeing the kids at the children’s hospital was real special as well.”
As important as this two-game Global Series was for the Preds, it was also a reminder that there is life outside of the wins and losses.
After Steven Stamkos fired in the game-winner in overtime Friday, the Preds’ forward talked about using that as momentum to build on.
“You obviously hope you’re in a better position, but we’ve decided to use this as something that can spark the season,” Stamkos told reporters following Friday’s game. “It certainly lightens the mood going into the next game when you get the first one. Now, you just try to be greedy and get both.”
That clearly did not happen Sunday. The Penguins came out firing in the opening period, scoring three goals before the Preds knew what hit them.
Even in the 2-1 overtime victory on Friday, the Preds’ offense failed to convert on numerous opportunities, showing many of the same struggles it has endured most of this season.
It was almost inevitable the Penguins would make adjustments from Friday to Sunday. Once again, the Preds failed to make the necessary adjustments of their own.
“All the things we talked about that we did on Friday,we did not do (Sunday),” Preds head coach Andrew Brunette told reporters. “They have a bigger sense of urgency, the puck meant more to them than us in that (first period). Tough way to start a game.”
Brunette’s comment about lack of urgency raises more questions than answers. How is there not a sense of urgency in a season that is spinning out of control fast? Where was that spark from Friday’s heroics Stamkos was talking about? Will the six days between games once the team arrives back home be a blessing or a curse?
If a spark is to be lit, the box of matches is getting mighty empty.
For the short answer to that question, all one has to do is look at the schedule. The Colorado Avalanche will visit Bridgestone Arena next Saturday.
The more complicated, and less defined, answer lies in the direction of the team itself.
Ask the fans, and they’ll gladly offer solutions: fire Brunette, trade the high-priced veterans, let the young guys get a shot.
If fixing the Preds was that easy, general manager Barry Trotz could just push a button and the team would make a miraculous turnaround. The stark reality is, fixing the team will neither be easy nor an overnight process.
However, one thing should be clear to Trotz and the rest of the team brass: standing pat is not an option. Waiting for things to change with the club’s current roster and coaching staff will more than likely yield the same disappointing results of this season and last.
Trading Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Filip Forsberg or other veterans won’t immediately repair the season, but the Preds must get younger and begin building a better future. Trotz should keep his phone handy and at least listen to offers between now and the trade deadline.
As for Brunette, a coach can only do so much to prepare his team to play the best hockey it can on a consistent basis. Nevertheless, that clearly has not happened in Smashville since the team’s late playoff run in 2023-24.
Brunette has had a suitable sample size of games to put a winning product on the ice with the blend of young players and veterans Trotz has given him. He’s also had enough time to put a plan in place and get his team to buy in to that plan.
Whether Brunette’s players have tuned him out or no longer believe in his philosophy is hard to judge. What’s clear is the Preds’ ability to play fundamentally sound hockey on a consistent basis has eluded them, with the same problems occurring over and over.
Will the Predators make a coaching change during the six-day gap between games? Only Trotz has the answer. Let the waiting begin.
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