Why Andrew Brunette said Nashville Predators put goaltender Scott Wedgewood in tough spot

One of the Nashville Predators ' newest additions made an immediate impact in a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars in the season opener Thursday night.

Unfortunately for goaltender Scott Wedgewood, it was not the impact fans at Bridgestone Arena were hoping for.

Wedgewood, starting in place of injured Juuse Saros, allowed four goals on five shots in the second period, building a three goal lead for the Stars the Predators were unable to overcome.

"We put (Wedgewood) in a little bit of a tough spot," Predators coach Andrew Brunette said after the game.

At Thursday's morning skate, the Predators did not commit to a starting goaltender after announcing that Juuse Saros' had a day-to-day injury on Wednesday. Wedgewood seemed likely to start, with third-string goalie Matt Murray backing him up.

In fact, Wedgewood, who was signed to be the backup goaltender over the summer, did start, forcing one of their newest players into a big time role in the season opener.

"He didn't see a lot of rubber early, and then when he did, they were pretty high quality," Brunette said.

After stoping all six shots he faced in the first period, Wedgewood allowed goals on three consecutive shots in the second period as Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, and Mason Marchment built a 3-1 lead for the Stars.

All three were high danger scoring chances for the Stars − quick touch wrist-shots launched from the slot, within about 10 feet of the net.

"It was a little bit self-inflicted, especially in that second period where we made some poor decisions," Brunette said.

Poor decisions gave way to poor execution on the Stars' fourth goal. Marchment fired a tough angle, low speed shot from the wall that snuck over Wedgewood's pads − not a shot that was particularly dangerous, but one that went in nonetheless.

"One of those ones that you want back," Wedgewood said about the Stars' fourth goal.

Things improved for Wedgewood in the third period as he stopped all nine shots he faced. Simultaneously, the Predators' offense roared to life − Tommy Novak and Ryan O'Reilly scored to make it give Nashville a chance with just under two minutes left.

"It wasn't the best second period, but we kept ourselves in the fight and had a chance to win in the end," Wedgewood said.

A flurry of shots by Nashville late in the period came close to tying the game − including two off the post by Ryan O'Reilly and Steven Stamkos − but Dallas escaped with the win.

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With Saros' status still in doubt for the next game − at Detroit on Friday − Wedgewood says he's ready to show he can bounce back.

"I pride myself on staying in the fight and coming back," Wedgewood said. "We just try to get better every day and hopefully it will show up on the ice."

Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com . Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1 . Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds .

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Andrew Brunette said Nashville Predators put goaltender Scott Wedgewood in tough spot