The Golden Knights fell behind just 40 seconds into the game when Predators forward Ryan O’Reilly won an offensive-zone draw and quickly slid the puck back to Steven Stamkos, who buried a one-timer past Akira Schmid to give Nashville an early lead. Statistically, it’s a significant advantage for the Predators, who are 15-5-4 this season when scoring first.
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Vegas dictated the pace for much of the opening frame. By the 13-minute mark, the Golden Knights had outshot the Predators 15–2, yet Nashville remained the only team on the board.
Stamkos was called for hooking Jack Eichel with 5:28 remaining in the period, giving Vegas its first power play of the game. Entering the man advantage, the Golden Knights were 0-for-5 on the power play over their last two games, and that drought continued. Despite several quality chances in front, including a sharp wrister from Mitch Marner that was gloved by Annunen and another opportunity that rang off the crossbar, Vegas came up empty.
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