Preds Top 20, No. 5: Luke Evangelista Lights the Lamp Twice in Vancouver

Jan 09, 2024

The Nashville Predators 2022-23 season has officially come to an end, and what a season it has been. From momentous firsts to bittersweet farewells, this year was full of memorable moments both on and off the ice.

We've already taken a look back at the Top 10 goals scored by the Predators this season. Now, we're counting down the Top 20 moments and milestones that highlighted a special season of hockey in SMASHVILLE.

We'll take our trip down memory lane in chronological order, so we'll head north to continue our countdown at No. 5.

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On Feb. 28, Luke Evangelista became the third prospect to make his NHL debut with the Predators during the 2022-23 season, joining Juuso Parssinen and Yaroslav Askarov. Evangelista quickly made an impact for the Preds, both at even strength and on the power play, and he scored the first two goals of his NHL career a week later at Rogers Centre in Vancouver.

With the Canucks leading 3-1, Evangelista scored on a rush rebound at 8:31 of the third period to bring the Predators within one. He then deflected Tyson Barrie's slap shot from above the right face-off circle with 3:05 remaining in the game to tie the score at 3-3 and send the game into overtime.

"I was getting a bunch of chances there and I was gripping the stick a little tight, but I was just happy to be able to bury one tonight," Evangelista said after the game. "I've felt pretty good about my play. My mentality is that I'm just trying to earn one more game at a time. So, I felt like I was contributing in other ways, but I think at some point you do have to produce, so it was good to get a couple there tonight."

Tweet from @PredsNHL: First of many. Congrats Luke! pic.twitter.com/Kqq4KIaskN

Nashville would have to settle for one point in a loss, as Vancouver's Elias Pettersson scored the lone goal in the shootout for the 4-3 final. Still, Evangelista's first and second career NHL goals came in clutch, helping the Predators erase a two-goal deficit in the third period and salvage a crucial point as they remained in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Just two weeks after his first multi-goal game in Vancouver, Evangelista scored two goals just 40 seconds apart as part of a career-high four-point effort (2g-2a) on March 21 at Buffalo. In doing so, he became the fourth rookie in franchise history to record multiple games with at least three points in the same season and the second rookie in Predators history to record a four-point game. All four of his points against Buffalo came in the second period, tying a franchise record for points in a single frame. Three of those points came in a span of 6:01, marking the fastest a rookie has ever done so for the Predators.

"That was a really cool feeling," said Evangelista, a Toronto native. "Buffalo is pretty close to home and [I had] a bunch of family here. And those were key goals. We were only in the second period, so there was a lot of time for them to come back. So to score the two of those on the same shift, it was a really cool feeling."

Evangelista would go on to finish the season with 15 points (7g-8a) in 24 games with Nashville. Following the conclusion of the Predators season, he returned to Milwaukee, where he led the Preds AHL affiliate with 15 points (4g-11a) in 16 games during the Calder Cup Playoffs.

Worth a click:

No. 20: Cody Glass Makes the TeamNo. 19: Roman Josi's HomecomingNo. 18: Perfect in PragueNo. 17: Return of the Mustard CatNo. 16: Nashville's 900th Franchise WinNo. 15: Juuso Parssinen's NHL DebutNo. 14: David Poile Reaches 1,500 WinsNo. 13: Bridgestone Arena's 'Remarkable' ReopeningNo. 12: Roman Josi Becomes Nashville's All-Time Leading ScorerNo. 11: Filip Forsberg Joins the 500-Point ClubNo. 10: Juuse Saros Sets Franchise Saves RecordNo. 9: Juuse Saros Shines at NHL All-Star WeekendNo. 8: P.K. Subban Returns to SMASHVILLENo. 7: David Poile Hands the Reins to Barry TrotzNo. 6: Nashville's Busy Trade Deadline