“I kind of threw my hands on my head,” Haula said of Evangelista’s goal. “I mean, I think Luke said it himself many times on the ice. The ‘OMG’ was thrown a few times by himself. So, great goal, such a critical time in the game, and then being able to close it out, just a good feeling.”

“I’m not really surprised with the skill,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said of Evangelista. “I kind of see it. I think the moment was big… It’s fun to watch a player grow in front of our eyes, and he’s getting more confident, feeling more comfortable every game. I’ve always known he’d make those plays. It was fun to see him during a big moment. And I know, obviously a Canadian, Toronto boy, Hockey Night In Canada against the Leafs, I don’t think it gets any better than that.”

Stamkos added an empty netter, and even though the Leafs got back to within one with the goaltender pulled once more, Smith iced it with a score of his own to finish the night – and one of the more entertaining outings of the season.

“Saturday night in Smashville – it was a fun game to play in…and be a part of,” Brunette said. “I thought the crowd was electric. That was a really fun, entertaining hockey game, either way. It’s big to get the win. We haven’t had all that many great feelings this year. We’re starting to get a few more great feelings, and tonight was a great feeling.”

The Predators were enjoying the win for a moment – and deservedly so – but the focus had already begun to shift to a meeting with the New York Rangers less than 24 hours from now.

Four points in the standings are better than two, and the Preds would love nothing more than to replicate this feeling again – one that they’ve had more often than not as of late.

“There’s still a lot [of games] to go here, but I think we’re responding well,” Bunting said. “We’ve definitely [had] more wins than losses [lately], so that’s good, but we’ve just got to keep building. Next game’s a new game, and that’s our motto, and that’s our mindset. Put this one behind us – enjoy it tonight – but tomorrow’s a whole new day.”

“They’re not all going to be pretty…but we’re just trying to find ways to get points, keep climbing,” Evangelista said. “Obviously, they get the first one there, but we were able to battle back and [have] a huge third period. I mean, they’re desperate, we’re desperate – we had to match that desperation. Fortunately, we did, and we were able to get a big win there in the third.”

Notes:

Jonathan Marchessault did not play on Saturday and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Tyson Jost rejoined the Nashville lineup as a result, and the Preds had no healthy scratches against the Leafs.

Per NHL PR, Steven Stamkos factored on a game-tying goal for the 226th time in his career and tied John Tavares for the seventh-most instances among active players. Sidney Crosby leads the list with 314.

Stamkos (1g-1a) recorded his 1,209th career point and tied Bernie Nicholls for 50th place in NHL history.

Nashville’s back-to-back weekend set concludes tomorrow evening when they host the New York Rangers for the final home game of the 2025 calendar year inside Bridgestone Arena.