Adam Vingan

avingan@tennessean.com

The Predators' lineup for Saturday's game against the Penguins was without several key players as the team dealt with a bout of apparent food poisoning, but Nashville overcame it in a 5-1 victory against Pittsburgh.

"Last night, we got into a situation where we suspect that we're dealing with some food poisoning in Detroit. ... We've got a lot of guys that are sick right now," Predators general manager David Poile said Saturday morning. "Everything was fine yesterday, and it all happened just before and then during the game and after the game and it's continuing today."

Asked what caused the widespread illness, Poile said that he "heard it was the chicken soup" served during the pregame meal.

Two Predators players, center Ryan Johansen and forward Craig Smith, left Friday's 5-3 loss to the Red Wings with what the team then referred to as an "illness." Johansen didn’t return following the first period, and Smith left soon after, taking three shifts in the second period before exiting the game. Multiple players appeared affected in the locker room following the game.

"I didn't notice anything actually before the game," Predators defenseman Roman Josi said before Saturday's game. "I think some guys felt a little weird before the game, but nobody was really throwing up yet. ... First, it was just one guy, and we were like, 'Oh, one guy's probably just sick,' but then there was more and more. Obviously, a tough situation."

Johansen played Saturday, but Smith, Predators center Mike Fisher and goaltender Pekka Rinne were among those who sat out. Five players from the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League made their season debuts, with goaltender Juuse Saros making 34 saves to earn his first NHL victory.

Predators players that were healthy enough to speak Saturday morning said that they had never experienced such an episode.

"We were going down pretty hard last night," Predators forward James Neal said. "I've never seen that many guys get sick."

Said Predators defenseman P.K. Subban: "I've never seen anything like that or anything close to it, but like I said, these things happen a lot for teams during the season. I'm happy to know that it's happening to us right away rather than dealing with it later in the season. Hopefully, this is the last time we have to deal with something like this. But these things happen. It's just a matter of how you respond."

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