O’Reilly lays into himself after latest Preds loss: ‘Can’t make a six-foot pass to save my life’

O’Reilly Criticizes Himself After Predators' Loss

Nashville Predators veteran Ryan O’Reilly took full responsibility following the team's 3-1 defeat to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. Despite scoring Nashville’s only goal, O’Reilly was displeased with his overall performance.

O'Reilly's Self-Assessment

“I’m a 1 centre, turn the puck over everywhere, can’t make a six-foot pass to save my life,” O’Reilly told reporters. “We’re not going to have much success if I’m playing pathetic like that. I’ve had one good year in my career. I don’t have an answer, that’s for sure.”

Career Highlights and Current Struggles

The 34-year-old forward has scored 309 goals and accumulated 834 points across 1,168 career games, including winning the Stanley Cup in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues. This season, he has recorded six goals and ten points in 16 games.

However, O’Reilly was part of the Predators team that underperformed last year, finishing third-last in the Western Conference despite major offseason acquisitions.

Call for Leadership and Improvement

After the recent string of poor games, O’Reilly urged himself and other veteran players to improve their effort and leadership to reverse the team’s fortunes.

“The last few games, I’ve been making mistakes left and right,” he said. “You can’t expect to win like that. There’s frustration everywhere. Guys are working, a lot of guys are working. It falls on leadership and we have to be the ones to get over it.”

Recent Team Challenges

Nashville also faced a tough break in Tuesday’s overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild, where the Wild scored after the net had come off its moorings, a rare and unusual situation contributing to the defeat.

Author’s summary: Ryan O'Reilly candidly accepts blame for the Predators' struggles, emphasizing leadership and accountability as keys to improving their disappointing season.

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TSN TSN — 2025-11-07

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