Watch: Steven Stamkos scores in preseason debut for Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators lost their first two preseason games by scores of 3-2 and 6-2 in a doubleheader against the Florida Panthers in Sunrise, Florida.

Despite the losses, the Predators' star offseason acquisition, Steven Stamkos, scored a power play goal in the second game.

The Predators sat most of their top players — including Filip Forsberg, Roman Josi and goalie Juuse Saros — to allow their draft picks and prospects to get playing experience. The Panthers split their stars up for the two games, with Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett playing in Game 1 and Aleksander Barkov and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky playing in Game 2.

Two other newcomers for Nashville, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei, did not play in either game.

Steven Stamkos scores power play goal for Nashville Predators

In his preseason debut for Nashville, Stamkos paired with Tommy Novak and Luke Evangelista on the top line, skating at both wing and center.

He also got his first crack at the power play, scoring on a lightning-quick one-timer from his familiar spot to the right of goaltender Chris Driedger. Evangelista assisted on the play with a nice cross-ice pass.

Stamkos finished with two shots and one goal in the game, winning 43% of his faceoffs.

Power play scoring was a big reason why general manager Barry Trotz signed Stamkos to a four-year deal in the offseason. Stamkos scored 19 power play goals for the Tampa Bay Lightning last season and has scored 10 or more power play goals in 13 of his 16 NHL seasons.

Scott Wedgewood allows four goals in first 18 minutes with Nashville

Also making his Predators debut was goalie Scott Wedgewood, who did not impress quite as much as Stamkos did.

Wedgewood allowed four goals in the first 18 minutes of the first period, digging the Predators a large deficit in the second game of the doubleheader.

While some of those goals could be forgiven — three of them came with the Predators killing a penalty — at least two were pucks he probably should have stopped. The third goal, by Jesper Boqvist, slipped through Wedgewood's pads after the initial save was made. The fourth goal, by Gustav Forsling, was a lobbed wrist shot from the blue line that Wedgewood missed.

Wedgewood finished with 17 saves on 23 shots.

Signed to be Saros' backup, Wedgewood went 16-7-5 with an .899 save percentage in a backup role for the Dallas Stars last season.

Fedor Svechkov suffers apparent leg injury, did not return

Late in the second period during the first game, forward Fedor Svechkov suffered an injury and was removed from the game. On the replay, it appeared as if contact with a Panthers player caused Svechkov to roll his ankle while he was skating with the puck.

Svechkov was down on the ice in pain, then taken to the locker room. The Panthers broadcast reported he was unable to put any weight on the leg as he was taken off the ice.

He did not return to the game.

Svechkov, 21, was taken No. 19 overall by the Predators in the 2021 draft. He signed his entry-level contract after leaving Spartak Moskva (KHL) in 2023. Last season, he scored 16 goals and 23 assists in 57 games for the AHL Milwaukee Admirals.

Svechkov, who is not expected to be a major contributor for the Predators this season, suffered a leg injury in February and missed two months. He returned in time for the Admirals' playoff run, where he scored six goals and six assists.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Steven Stamkos scores in preseason debut for Predators vs Panthers