Knights end 2025 on down note in falling to Predators 4-2

LAS VEGAS — With the calendar ready to flip to 2026, the Golden Knights found themselves looking at the future as they closed out 2025 Wednesday afternoon at T-Mobile Arena.

However, the recent past continued to haunt them.

The Knights hosted a Nashville Predators team that was scuffling early but appears to have found themselves of late. The Preds, who had former Golden Knight Nic Hague in their lineup on New Year’s Eve (Jonathan Marchessault was out with an injury), had won seven of their last 10 to get back to .500 (17-17-4).

And after Monday’s stinker against Minnesota which saw Vegas fall behind 5-0 in the second period en route to a 5-2 defeat, it didn’t make sense to dwell on the past. But the same woes that have caused the Knights to struggle — leaky goaltending, shoddy defense and a lack of two-way play from some of the forwards — came into play once again as Nashville overcame a 2-0 deficit with four unanswered goals and went on to post a 4-2 win.

“We’re not relaxing,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We gave up long-range goals to Minnesota and we gave up long-range goals (Wednesday). That has to stop. We’re not getting in the shooting lanes. We’re not boxing out in front. That’s what’s happening. Those pucks have to stop going in against us.”

Prior to puck drop, Team Canada announced its Olympic roster for Italy. Three Golden Knights — forwards Mark Stone and Mitch Marner and defenseman Shea Theodore were selected along with two former VGKers — forward Nick Suzuki and goaltender Logan Thompson. Cassidy is an assistant coach with Team Canada as is former Knights coach Pete DeBoer. Both coached Thompson during his time in Vegas.

“I thought Mitch would be automatic and I thought Stoney would be automatic,” Cassidy said of the selections. “I thought Shea, because he got hurt so early, I had a little concern. But I think everyone had him open the roster when we started talking about individuals. So I’m happy for Shea. He deserves to be there.”

The U.S. Olympic roster will be announced Friday. Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin are expected to be named to the 25-man squad.

There was some disappointing news on the Olympic front as it was being reported that center William Karlsson, who was expected to represent Sweden, will not be able to participate due to injury. Karlsson hasn’t played for the Knights since Nov. 8 and remains on IR with a lower-body injury. Karlsson, 32, missed last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off as well after being injured. This was likely his last chance to play for his country in international competition.

But that paled in comparison to the disappointing second half of December for the Knights. Vegas had just one win since its successful Metropolitan Division road trip earlier in the month which saw them go 4-0-1. They finished 1-4-2 from Dec. 17-31 and allowed 29 goals during that span. Stone's power play goal and defenseman Ben Hutton's tally gave the Knights an early lead but they were unable to hold it.

“We need to stay in games longer, keep them tighter and win some of those,” Cassidy said. “You don’t want a one-goal swing to turn into two or three. That’s what happened the last couple of games.

They also lost defenseman Brayden McNabb to injury after McNabb had an open-ice collision with Michael Bunting in the second period and did not return. If McNabb, who has played in 298 consecutive games, is out for any length of time, it’ll mean the Knights will be without their top defensive pairing as Theodore remains sidelined with an upper body injury and missed his seventh consecutive game Wednesday.

Cassidy said he wasn’t sure about McNabb’s availability for Friday when the Knights meet the Blues in St. Louis. He said it was an upper-body injury and thought Bunting was guilty of interference on the play.

Looking for a bright spot? It came from Hutton, whose first-period goal was his sixth of a season, a career high. But it was quickly overshadowed by Nashville’s Steven Stamkos, who reached his own personal milestone with his 600th career NHL goal following his power play tally that tied the game 2-2.

Maybe the upcoming annual “Dad’s Trip” Friday in St. Louis and Chicago will get the Knights going. More important, perhaps the return of Eichel to the lineup will get Vegas off on the right foot in 2026. Because 2025 sure ended on the wrong one.