Nashville Predators at Vegas Golden Knights
NHL game between the Nashville Predators and the Vegas Golden Knights on Dec 31, 2025. Final score: Nashville Predators 4, Vegas Golden Knights 2.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Dec 31, 2025 |
| Venue | T-Mobile Arena |
| Nashville Predators score | 4 |
| Vegas Golden Knights score | 2 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Reid Schaefer | L | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10:33 | 0.05 | 1.45 |
| 2nd | Pavel Dorofeyev | R | 0 | 2 | 3 | 18:36 | 0.42 | 1.38 |
| 3rd | Michael McCarron | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 12:44 | 0.08 | 1.37 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Nashville Predators–Vegas Golden Knights) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 05:35 | VGK | Mark Stone | Pavel Dorofeyev, Noah Hanifin | 5v4 | 0–1 |
| 1st 09:06 | VGK | Ben Hutton | Tomas Hertl, Pavel Dorofeyev | 5v5 | 0–2 |
| 1st 11:20 | NSH | Nick Perbix | Luke Evangelista | 5v5 | 1–2 |
| 1st 15:37 | NSH | Steven Stamkos | Filip Forsberg, Luke Evangelista | 4v5 | 2–2 |
| 1st 16:21 | NSH | Reid Schaefer | Brady Skjei, Michael McCarron | 5v5 | 3–2 |
| 2nd 11:52 | NSH | Michael Bunting | Nick Blankenburg, Erik Haula | 4v5 | 4–2 |
Team Comparison
| Nashville Predators | Vegas Golden Knights | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 4 | 2 |
| Shots on goal | 19 | 31 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 1.83 | 4.31 |
| High-danger shots | 18 | 22 |
| Corsi % | 41.0% | 59.0% |
| Power play | 2/6 | 1/3 |
| Faceoff % | 52.3% | 47.7% |
| Hits | 26 | 26 |
| Blocks | 18 | 11 |
| Giveaways | 12 | 17 |
| Takeaways | 7 | 4 |
Nashville Predators Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reid Schaefer | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10:33 | 0.05 | 1.45 |
| Michael McCarron | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12:44 | 0.08 | 1.37 |
| Michael Bunting | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 14:21 | 0.16 | 1.37 |
| Luke Evangelista | R | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 17:19 | 0.21 | 1.33 |
| Cole Smith | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15:51 | 0.14 | 1.01 |
| Brady Skjei | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 24:08 | 0.02 | 1.00 |
| Filip Forsberg | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19:56 | 0.25 | 0.85 |
| Nick Perbix | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 19:45 | 0.06 | 0.72 |
| Erik Haula | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18:16 | 0.35 | 0.66 |
| Steven Stamkos | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19:32 | 0.30 | 0.64 |
| Adam Wilsby | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:00 | 0.05 | 0.52 |
| Nick Blankenburg | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 18:17 | 0.00 | 0.51 |
| Roman Josi | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20:31 | 0.06 | 0.09 |
| Nicolas Hague | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:34 | 0.00 | -0.04 |
| Ryan O'Reilly | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23:13 | 0.10 | -0.14 |
| Fedor Svechkov | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 8:24 | 0.17 | -0.22 |
| Matthew Wood | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:22 | 0.00 | -0.27 |
| Tyson Jost | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9:03 | 0.08 | -0.37 |
Vegas Golden Knights Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pavel Dorofeyev | R | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 18:36 | 0.42 | 1.38 |
| Noah Hanifin | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 29:59 | 0.35 | 1.16 |
| Ben Hutton | D | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 16:19 | 0.09 | 1.05 |
| Tomas Hertl | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19:03 | 0.16 | 1.02 |
| Mark Stone | R | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 21:33 | 0.57 | 0.63 |
| Colton Sissons | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12:21 | 0.06 | 0.44 |
| Brandon Saad | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 14:46 | 0.63 | 0.43 |
| Kaedan Korczak | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 20:13 | 0.10 | 0.41 |
| Ivan Barbashev | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:05 | 0.15 | 0.36 |
| Keegan Kolesar | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7:30 | 0.10 | 0.09 |
| Brayden McNabb | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10:24 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| Jeremy Lauzon | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:02 | 0.01 | -0.05 |
| Mitch Marner | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 23:39 | 0.10 | -0.25 |
| Alexander Holtz | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:45 | 0.00 | -0.27 |
| Braeden Bowman | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12:36 | 0.36 | -0.28 |
| Reilly Smith | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:34 | 0.22 | -0.44 |
| Brett Howden | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14:16 | 0.00 | -0.55 |
| Zach Whitecloud | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19:32 | 0.00 | -0.73 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justus Annunen | Nashville Predators | 29 | 31 | 93.5% | 0.94 | W |
| Akira Schmid | Vegas Golden Knights | 15 | 19 | 78.9% | -2.20 | L |
Analysis
The Nashville Predators defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4–2 on Dec 31, 2025.
Vegas Golden Knights generated 4.31 expected goals to Nashville Predators's 1.83 — Vegas Golden Knights owned the better of the chances but Nashville Predators took the game, the kind of split that usually means finishing or goaltending decided it.
Reid Schaefer led all skaters with a Game Score of 1.45 on 1 goal, 2 shots on goal.
Justus Annunen stopped 29 of 31, worth 0.94 goals saved above expected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Nashville Predators vs Vegas Golden Knights game?
The Nashville Predators beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4–2 on Dec 31, 2025.
What was the final score?
The final score was Nashville Predators 4, Vegas Golden Knights 2.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Reid Schaefer led all skaters at 1.45, on 1G, 0A and 2 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
Vegas Golden Knights generated 4.31 expected goals and Nashville Predators generated 1.83, so Vegas Golden Knights created the better chances. The scoreboard went the other way, which points to finishing or goaltending.
What were the shot totals?
Nashville Predators put 19 shots on goal and Vegas Golden Knights put 31. High-danger chances went 18 to 22.
How did the goaltenders play?
Justus Annunen stopped 29 of 31 (0.94 goals saved above expected); Akira Schmid stopped 15 of 19 (-2.2 goals saved above expected).