The Nashville Predators got some help Tuesday night when center Mike Fisher and defenseman Francis Bouillon returned to the lineup making their season debuts.

The Predators lost the game by a 3-1 score to the San Jose Sharks at Bridgestone Arena in front of 15 121 fans in attendance.

Despite the loss, Bouillon was thrilled to have that first game under his belt.

“I was a little bit nervous at the beginning,” Bouillon admitted, adding ”but after a few shifts it felt normal out there. It was really fast and I’m probably going to need a few more games, but so far it was good.”

Bouillon said he tried to keep things simple after being out of the lineup for such a long time. The defenseman has not played a game since suffering a concussion in January.

There was a scary moment for Bouillon in the second period. Sharks forward Brad Winchester tried to check Bouillon but his elbow caught the  5’8 Bouillon in the head. Winchester was assessed a penalty for the illegal check to the head.

“He’s a big boy and I’m pretty small. It was a high elbow, but no problem. I’m still here and I need to think about the next game,” 36 year old said.

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