Predators' Luke Evangelista: Shakes off rust with assist
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Evangelista logged an assist and two shots on goal in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Mammoth.
Evangelista was a holdout throughout training camp while remaining an unsigned restricted free agent. He came off the non-roster list for the Predators' second game of the season and saw 13:28 of ice time in a second-line role with power-play usage. The lack of preseason action could lead to some unsteady play early in the year for the winger, but the Nashville offense will take all the help it can get. He had 32 points over 68 appearances in 2024-25.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Expected to play Saturday
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Evangelista (not injury related) has been activated from the non-roster list, according to the NHL media site.
After signing a two-year contract with the Predators last Friday and missing Thursday's 2-1 win over Columbus, Evangelista will likely make his season debut against the Mammoth on Saturday. The 23-year-old winger had 10 goals and 32 points in 68 regular-season games in 2024-25.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Not ready for opener
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Evangelista (not injury related) won't be activated from the non-roster list for Thursday's game versus the Blue Jackets, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.
Evangelista will need some time to get up to speed after signing his contract last Friday, which ended his absence from training camp. The 23-year-old winger's next chance to play is Saturday versus the Mammoth, but it's unclear if he'll be ready for that game.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Deemed non-roster player
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Evangelista was designated as a non-roster player Monday.
Evangelista missed most of training camp while holding out for a new contract, so he'll be on the non-roster list as he gets back up to speed. If the 23-year-old winger is ready in time to face the Blue Jackets on Thursday, he can be activated before puck drop. Nashville won't need to make a move to activate Evangelista, as they submitted a 22-player roster (13 forwards, seven defensemen, two goalies) ahead of Monday's deadline.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Inks two-year agreement
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Evangelista, who wasn't attending training camp because he was still a restricted free agent, signed a two-year, $6 million contract with Nashville on Friday, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic.
Evangelista had 10 goals and 32 points in 68 appearances with Nashville in 2024-25. Although the 23-year-old almost missed the start of the season because of his contract dispute, the price that the two sides settled on is one Nashville should be fairly happy with. Now that he's signed, Evangelista should enter the campaign serving in a middle-six role, and it wouldn't be shocking to see him take a step forward offensively this year. However, missing the vast majority of training camp might result in him being rusty for the start of the campaign, so it would be best to temper expectations for the early part of the season.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Absent for start of camp
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Evangelista isn't with the Predators for the start of training camp while he continues to negotiate a contract extension with the team, Emma Lingan of The Hockey News reports Thursday.
Evangelista has topped the 30-point mark in each of the last two seasons, most recently recording 10 goals, 22 assists, 28 hits, 22 PIM and 13 blocked shots while averaging 13:52 of ice time over 68 regular-season appearances in 2024-25. He entered the offseason as a restricted free agent, and the two sides haven't yet been able to strike a deal with under a month remaining before the start of the regular season.
Predators' Luke Evangelista: Generates helper Wednesday
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Evangelista notched an assist, four shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Wednesday's 5-1 win over the Stars.
Evangelista returned to steady top-six usage late in the season, earning four goals and nine assists over his last 14 contests. The winger had just 32 points in 68 outings this season, a small step back in pace from the 39-point campaign he had over 80 games a year ago. He added 134 shots on net, 28 hits, 22 PIM and a minus-2 rating in 2024-25. Evangelista will be a restricted free agent this summer -- the only one on Nashville's NHL roster -- so getting him a new contract is likely to be a priority for general manager Barry Trotz.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Eclipses 10-goal mark
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Evangelista scored a goal and recorded four shots on goal in Monday's 7-3 loss to Utah.
Evangelista lit the lamp midway through the second period to halt a four-goal run from Utah that spanned across the first and second frames. Evangelista's twine finder marked his 10th goal of the season, which secured his second consecutive year scoring at least 10 markers. Overall, the 23-year-old winger is up to 31 points and 130 shots on goal in 67 appearances this season. Despite struggling earlier this season, Evangelista is rolling with 12 points and 29 shots on goal in his last 13 games. The potential and skills needed to thrive at the NHL level are present for Evangelista, and he has a solid chance to break out in his third full season with the Predators if they elect to re-sign him.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Supplies two assists in loss
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Evangelista recorded two assists, three shots on goal and a plus-2 rating in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Golden Knights.
Evangelista has gone nine games without a goal, but he's supplied six assists in that span. He helped out on goals by Jordan Oesterle and Marc Del Gaizo in Saturday's contest. Evangelista is up to 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists), 126 shots on net, 28 hits and a minus-3 rating over 66 appearances this season. He's had more downs than ups in 2024-25, but the 23-year-old has played at a passable level since the start of March, which bodes well for next year.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Eight points in last seven games
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Evangelista picked up two assists Tuesday in an 8-4 loss to the Blue Jackets.
Evangelista hasn't been able to replicate his surprise season from last year, but he has picked up his pace with eight points (three goals, five assists) and 10 shots across his last seven games. in the short term, Evangelista might help desperate managers make a push to season's end.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Two goals in Carolina
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Evangelista scored two goals, one the game-winner, in Tuesday's 3-1 victory over the Hurricanes.
It's the second multi-point performance in the last three games for Evangelista and his first multi-goal effort of the season. The 23-year-old winger has been inconsistent recently -- he has four goals and eight points over the last 10 games, but he's been held off the scoresheet completely six times in that span.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Six points in last eight games
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Evangelista had a goal and two assists in a 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs on Saturday.
Evangelista has taken a step back in 2024-25 after putting up 16 goals, 39 points and 172 shots in 80 regular-season games last campaign. He has seven snipes, 15 helpers and 102 shots through 55 contests this year. However, this could be a bump in the road before growth occurs. Evangelista has six points and four assists in his last eight games, showing he might be turning the corner.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Pots empty-netter
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Evangelista scored an empty-net goal on four shots in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Kraken.
Evangelista ended his eight-game goal drought with the empty-netter. He picked up three assists in that span, including two in Tuesday's contest against the Bruins after a promotion to the top line at even strength. If he can stay in that spot, he's poised to finish big in 2024-25. That would be a welcome sight -- he's been limited to six goals and 19 points over 49 appearances after posting 39 points in 80 outings in 2023-24.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Produces two helpers in win
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Evangelista notched two assists and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Bruins.
Evangelista got a look on the top line with Steven Stamkos and Ryan O'Reilly, and the trio combined for three goals and eight points. The 23-year-old Evangelista has largely been limited to the third line this season, but he's getting a larger opportunity now that Gustav Nyquist is in Minnesota following a trade. Evangelista is up to 18 points, 85 shots on net and a minus-4 rating through 48 appearances. He had 39 points over 80 outings in 2023-24, so there's more scoring potential in the winger's game.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Offers assist in win
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Evangelista logged a power-play assist and two hits in Thursday's 2-1 win over the Jets.
Evangelista snapped a four-game point drought with the helper. He's been back in the lineup since the 4 Nations Face-Off ended after missing three games prior to the break due to a lower-body injury. For the season, the 23-year-old winger has struggled with consistency and has now dealt with some injuries that have made bouncing back more difficult. He's at 16 points (three on the power play), 83 shots on net and a minus-5 rating over 45 appearances.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Back in lineup Saturday
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Evangelista (lower body) is set to play against Colorado on Saturday, per Nick Kieser of 102.5 ESPN Nashville.
Evangelista missed three games due to the injury. He has five goals and 15 points in 41 appearances in 2024-25. Evangelista is projected to play on the third line alongside Thomas Novak and Mark Jankowski.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Unavailable Saturday
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Evangelista (lower body) won't play against Buffalo on Saturday, according to Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site.
Evangelista will miss his third straight game. He has five goals, 15 points and 79 shots on net across 41 outings this season. Evangelista's next chance to play will be versus Colorado on Feb. 22 after the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Out again Friday
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Evangelista (lower body) won't play Friday versus the Blackhawks, Brooks Bratten of the Predators' official site reports.
Evangelista will miss his second straight game with the injury. He's been battling a few lower-body injuries lately, so it's possible the Predators will opt to rest him for Saturday's game against the Sabres as well, with a two-week break set to follow. Joakim Kemell will draw into the lineup Friday for his NHL debut.
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Predators' Luke Evangelista: Not playing Monday
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Evangelista is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and won't play Monday versus the Senators.
Evangelista exited Saturday's contest in Pittsburgh and later returned, but he's unable to give it a go Monday. It's a tough break for the right-shot forward, as he recently returned from an eight-game absence due to a lower-body injury. Vinnie Hinostroza will replace Evangelista in the lineup Monday and slot in on the second line alongside Filip Forsberg and Ryan O'Reilly. Evangelista will have a few days to recover before Friday's road game against the Blackhawks.
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