3 least impressive Nashville Predators players from 5-2 loss to Ottawa Senators feat. Juuse Saros

The Nashville Predators were on the wrong side of a 5-2 loss against the Ottawa Senators on Monday night at the Bridgestone Arena. The Senators rode a three-goal third period to notch their fifth straight win.

Filip Forsberg opened the scoring for the Nashville Predators with Jonathan Marchessault adding the other tally. Meanwhile, the Ottawa Senators got goals from Adam Gaudette, Jake Sanderson, Shane Pinto, David Perron (PPG), and Ridly Greig (EN).

With that in mind, here’s a look at the three least impressive Nashville Predators players from their loss.

3 least impressive Nashville Predators players from loss to Ottawa Senators

#3 Ryan O’Reilly

The Nashville Predators veteran center had a tough outing against the Senators. Despite registering an assist on the night, Ryan O’Reilly was a minus-2 in over 17 minutes of ice time. He hit the ice for 22 shifts, getting just one shot on goal.

O’Reilly has had somewhat of a subpar season, notching 30 points in 49 games. While he’s on pace for a 20-goal season, the Predators hoped that O’Reilly could produce far more offensively.

On the defensive side of the equation, O’Reilly is a minus-15 on the year, showing that he’s not quite as defensively sound as the team hoped he could be.

#2 Steve Stamkos

Speaking of veteran centers, Steven Stamkos has not been the impactful offseason acquisition the Nashville Predators hoped he would be. On Monday night, Stamkos was a minus-2 in a little over 14 minutes of ice time.

While Stamkos got three shots on goal, he failed to make a significant offensive contribution for the Predators. On the season, Stamkos has 33 points in 52 games. Stamkos’ numbers are not terrible, but they are not quite what Nashville expected from one of the offseason’s biggest free-agent signings.

#1 Juuse Saros

Another one of the Preds’ huge offseason signings, Juuse Saros failed to be the difference-maker for the Preds. Saros gave up four goals on 38 shots. While Saros can’t be blamed for every goal, he wasn’t the lights-out goaltender he could be.

Jake Sanderson’s goal in the second period was a good example of how Saros wasn’t on his game. Here’s a look:

The point shot got through traffic, beating Saros easily. While the screen in front of Saros played a key role in the goal, Saros could have made a positional save. Saros wasn’t in the right spot and the Senators got lucky on a soft goal.

The Predators will get a break after playing three games in four nights, taking on the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on Friday night.