The Nashville Predators had their most dominant game of the season against the Calgary Flames on Dec. 2, and if you ask coach Andrew Brunette, there’s a good reason why.
Vanderbilt football coach Clark Lea, fresh off the Commodores‘ first 10-win season in school history, talked to the team before the game.
“We kind of knew it would be a good game when Clark Lea came in,” Brunette said after the 5-1 win, the Predators‘ largest margin of victory this season. “His energy’s contagious. He’s outstanding. So that kind of set us on the right foot going into the game.”
But it wasn’t just Lea’s presence that provided mojo. The news of the day, that the top high school quarterback Jared Curtis had flipped his commitment from Georgia to Vanderbilt, had Lea buzzing.
“You have the hottest coach in college football right now, arguably the best coach, who came in before the game and said he just got a prized recruit,” Brunette said. “He said it would be a good day today for us and for the city of Nashville.”
Curtis, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound dual-threat prospect, is the No. 1 quarterback nationally and No. 4 player overall from the 2026 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. It’s an unprecedented recruiting win for Vanderbilt and the reverberations were apparently felt in Bridgestone Arena.
The Predators (9-13-4, 22 points) put together arguably their best game to date. Five different players found the scoresheet, including two rookies scoring their first NHL goals. Steven Stamkos scored to notch point No. 1,200 in his career. Jonathan Marchessault broke a 10-game goalless drought. Juuse Saros made 27 saves for his eighth win of the season.
It was a dominant performance, and even if it was over an inarguably weak Flames team, something the Predators can cling to in another disappointing season.
“It was a special night for a lot of people. That’s what makes the game great. And to cap it off with a win is even better,” Brunette said.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex atjdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.