The penalty box is no stranger to the Nashville Predators.
Over the last 10 years, the Predators have racked up the fifth-most penalty minutes in the NHL with 8,534, including this season. The trend has held that Nashville plays some of its best hockey with an aggressive touch.
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However, this season was different. The 2025-26 campaign was the Predators’ best, going 38-34-8, but they nearly made the playoffs, falling four points short of the Los Angeles Kings for the final Wild Card spot.
In that 82-game stretch, Nashville posted 719 penalty minutes, its lowest PIM total in an 82-game season since the 2018-19 season.
The Hockey News Nashville Predators has spent the entire season tracking the Predators’ individual penalties taken from the opening night to the final buzzer in April. In total, the Predators committed 351 infractions for 713 PIM and allowed 42 short-handed goals.
Nashville penalty kill executed at an 85% efficiency, its fourth best effort over the last 11 seasons. On average, the Predators were in the box nearly four times per game.
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Here are the most surprising trends we found.
It should come as no surprise that former Predators center Michael McCarron, despite being traded in March, led Nashville in penalty minutes with 73. He led the Predators in interference (four), roughing (six), and fighting (five) infractions.
McCarron tacked on two more fights for a total of seven this season, which is his lowest total since 2022-23, when he had two fights. McCarron was the only player to drop the gloves more than three times, ahead of Nic Hague (three fights) and Ozzy Wiesblatt (two fights).
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Despite the most penalty minutes, only one McCarron penalty cost the Predators a goal.
While McCarron had the most box time, centers Erik Haula and Steven Stamkos tied for the Nashville lead in total penalties called with 29 each. Haula led the Predators in slashing (five), tripping (six) and high-sticking (five) calls.
Stamkos also had five slashing calls and followed Haula closely with four tripping penalties, four high-sticking penalties and five hooking penalties.
Apr 17, 2019; Dallas, TX, USA; A Dallas Stars fan holds up a sign as Nashville Predators defenseman RomanJosi(59) sits in the penalty box during the third period in game four of the first round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Roman Josi and Hague were two of six players who eclipsed 20 total penalties taken this season, but the pair were missed the most when having to sit.
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Of the 21 total penalties taken by Josi, six resulted in goals, which leads the roster. Hague closely follows with 26 total penalties taken; five have resulted in goals. Stamkos and Wiesblatt are third on that list with four goals allowed each on penalties taken.
Josi’s holding call against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 10 allowed Chicago to score the game-winning goal in a 3-0 loss. Hague’s delay-of-game penalty against the Dallas Stars on Oct. 26 paved the way for Dallas to score the game-winning goal in a 3-2 loss.
When it comes to the severity of the penalty taken, Matthew Wood’s tripping infraction against the New Jersey Devils on March 26 may have been the most costly of the season.
The call led to the Devils scoring with 5:53 left in the game to break a 2-2 tie. New Jersey added an empty net goal in the final minute. The loss snapped Nashville’s longest winning streak of the season (five games) and led to a three-game losing streak in the final month of the season.
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The PK has been a staple of the Predators for a very long time and their 85% efficiency was the sixth best in the NHL.
That ability to play so well with a man down peaked during a five-game stretch in which they committed 30 penalties but allowed just four goals. Against the Winnipeg Jets on Nov. 29, the PK went 6-of-6 and the following game against the Calgary Flames, the unit was 6-of-7.
Nashville’s PK thrived against the Flames this past season, killing off 7-of-7 infractions in a 4-3 win on Jan, 3. In three meetings against Calgary, the Predators were 3-0-0 and killed an impressive 16-of-17 penalties.
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From March 28 to April 7, a six-game stretch, the Predators’ PK unit was a perfect 24-of-24, which included their second 7-of-7 performance in a 6-3 win over San Jose and a 6-of-6 performance in a 5-0 win over Anaheim, which was Nashville’s only shutout win of the season.
Offensively, Nashville had the fifth most goals in the league playing short handed, with seven. Ryan O’Reilly lead in that category with two short handed goals. He was also part of a unique situation in a 4-1 win over the Golden Knights on March 21 where his high sticking infraction saw Tyson Jost score a shorthanded goal and Vegas net a power play goal.
However, the unit did have its low points. A 3-2 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild on Nov. 4 saw the Predators’ special teams unit kill off just 1 of 3 penalties, proving that infractions had cost them the game.
Its worst statistical performance came in a 3-2 loss to the Sharks on April 13, when Nashville posted its only 0% performance of the season, failing to kill its lone penalty of the game.
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Oct 26, 2024;Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators fans make the “fang fingers” sign in celebration of a penalty on Columbus Blue Jackets in the second period at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Casey Gower-Imagn Images
Nearly half of Nashville’s total penalties we’re slashing, tripping, hooking or roughing calls, which is usually the norm around the league. Interference, high sticking and holding were not far behind, making up 23% of the overall total.
However, there seven different penalties that the Predators were called for a combined 11 times that qualified as unique, making up about 2% of the overall total.
Luke Evangelista sat for three of those infractions, twice for too many men and once for goalie interference. Wiesblatt had the only other goaltender interference penalty.
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Josi had the only holding-the-stick penalty of the season; Wiesblatt was the only player to get called for kneeing; and Michael Bunting sat for the Predators’ only elbowing penalty of the season. Bunting also had one of the Predators’ two embellishment penalties, with the other committed by Fedor Svechkov.
Lastly, Nashville had three boarding calls the entire season.
