It was a night of milestones for the Nashville Predators en route to a dominant 5-1 victory over the visiting Calgary Flames on Tuesday night. Rookies Reid Schaefer and Ozzy Wiesblatt scored their first career NHL goals and veteran Steven Stamkos notched his 1,200th career point as the Music City squad looks to escape the bottom of the standings.
That's also where you will find the Calgary Flames, as both teams are now tied at 22 points on the season, good for dead last in the NHL. However, this is the rare case of both fanbases being pleased with the 5-1 result.
The Nashville Predators, on paper, should be a strong team. A roster with Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi, Jonathan Marchessault, Steven Stamkos, and Ryan O'Reilly backed up by multi-time All-Star goaltender Juuse Saros should not be mired down in the basement of the NHL. The Preds' latest win is their third in the past four games, and they seem to be heading in the right direction, much to the delight of the Nashville faithful.
Calgary, on the other hand, belongs at the bottom. You only have to look as far as last night to see poor defensive play, loose puck hesitation, missed assignments, and a lack of offensive threats. It's quite clear to Flames fans: they're playing like a last-place team, and their record reflects it. But it's not all negative in Calgary. Finishing last means the greatest odds of winning the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery and controlling the first overall selection in next year's entry draft.
Nashville and Calgary aren’t the only teams playing in the basement either. The Vancouver Canucks have only 23 points on the year, with the St. Louis Blues just ahead with 25, setting up a season-long battle to finish dead last.
While a 5-1 loss certainly stings for the Flames players, coaches, and management, many Flames fans are starting to embrace the losing. The more losses, the better the organization's chances of picking first in the 2026 draft, and seeing projected first overall pick Gavin McKenna in the red and yellow.