Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly (90) greets goaltender Juuse Saros following a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames on November 1, 2025. JOHN RUSSELL/NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Ryan O’Reilly is a three-time NHL All-Star who helped the St. Louis Blues capture a Stanley Cup title in 2019, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player.

The 34-year-old Nashville Predators center holds 834 points in 1,168 career games. He’s on pace to make nearly $100 million across two decades in the league.

None of those facts were on O’Reilly’s mind following Thursday’s 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at Bridgestone Arena, even though he scored his team’s lone goal 1:44 into the game.

It was Nashville’s sixth defeat, including two overtime losses, over the last seven games. O’Reilly did not hold back from expressing his frustrations, aiming most of the blame at himself.

“Obviously (we) had a chance to take full control of the game, and we didn’t,” he said. “They pushed back, and it didn’t happen (for us). I know for myself, I’m the No. 1 center and I just turn the puck over everywhere. Can’t make a six-foot pass to save my life …

“We’re not going to have much success if I’m playing pathetic like that. It’s stupid. I don’t know the answer. I’ve had one good year in my career … I don’t know. I don’t have any answer, that’s for sure.”

The quickest Predators goal of this season (1:44 into the game) is also one of their weirdest.

Ryan O’Reilly appeared to deflect the puck off his arm/elbow after Filip Forsberg’s wrister hit Philly defenseman Jamie Drysdale.pic.twitter.com/vucYL1PZOz

— Russell Vannozzi (@RussellV_MSP) November 7, 2025

While the responsibility for the Predators’ recent struggles doesn’t fall entirely on O’Reilly, his disappointment is understandable.

The anemic Predators (5-7-4) have managed more than two goals on only five occasions this season. It’s a continuation of the scoring woes the team experienced last year when they averaged 2.59 goals per game and finished with the third-fewest points in the NHL.

Finishing was the problem on Thursday.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Nashville had more scoring chances (33 to 21), high-danger chances (19 to 9) and expected goals (3.64 to 2.21) than Philadelphia, yet it didn’t translate to results.

“It’s nice having the puck in the offensive zone, but when you don’t win games, it’s disappointing,” O’Reilly said. “I’m pissed off. I just want to win games. It’s as simple as that.”

The Flyers (8-5-1) made the Predators pay for a pair of defensive mistakes. Fedor Svechkov was unable to close out on Cam York early in the second period, allowing York to set up Matvei Michkov for a goal from close range. Later in the frame, Michael McCarron’s giveaway in the Predators’ defensive zone became Noah Cates’ go-ahead goal for Philadelphia.

Nashville didn’t offer a counterpunch.

“I thought we had a lot of opportunities to score. Some of them you can’t believe they (didn’t) go in,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said, “… it’s a broken record right now. It just feels that’s kind of what we’re dealing with, so we’ve got to find a way to break through it.”

O’Reilly and the Predators must turn the page quickly. They face Dallas at home on Saturday, travel to New York to play the Rangers on Monday and then head to Sweden for the NHL Global Series against Pittsburgh on Nov. 14 and 16.

“There’s frustration everywhere, but guys are working,” O’Reilly said. “A lot of guys are working and doing what they can. It falls on the leadership and the big guys. We have to be the ones to get (us) out of it.”

Follow Russell Vannozzi on X/Twitter @RussellV_MSP. For the latest Nashville Predators stories, be sure to sign up for the Main Street Nashville email newsletter.