NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Rangers persisted throughout a black-and-blue battle against the Predators on Saturday night, but didn’t do enough on the scoreboard. 

It was a miracle that every Rangers skater played until the final minute of this 2-1 loss to the Predators at Bridgestone Arena, who set the physical tone early and used it to their advantage to avoid a third straight loss. The Rangers showed the same fight, just not the same offensive output. 

“We got our chances,” captain Jacob Trouba said after the loss, which dropped the Rangers to 7-6-3 on the season and counted as goalie Jaroslav Halak’s fifth defeat in five starts. “I think the goalie played well. It’s one of those, it’s frustrating. All we can do is keep playing and keep generating shots, keep generating chances and hoping things turn for us here.” 

Both of Nashville’s goals were scored by players who had been recalled from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, in the past couple of weeks. The Rangers were right on the Predators’ tails for much of the game, holding a 35-18 edge in shots on goal — and they just barely missed the mark in an attempt to tie the score after Filip Chytil made it a one-goal game in the second period. 

The Blueshirts have just as much brawn as they do skill, which they have proved time and time again. And that muscle was needed in front of a raucous crowd that served as a reminder why Nashville is dubbed “Smashville.” It may have been the Predators who initiated the rough-and-tumble pace, but the Rangers didn’t just hold their own, they presented their own challenge as a physical force. 

Maybe the Rangers would benefit from tapping into their Black-and-Blueshirt ways on a consistent basis. 

“I think we showed it tonight that we can play that style of hockey,” Vincent Trocheck told The Post. “Games that are tight like that — 2-1 games, 1-0 games — are important. Especially come playoff time. I thought we played pretty well in an atmosphere like that. It’s nice to see us respond.” 

Tensions began to escalate in the second period, which the Rangers entered trailing by a goal. Ryan Lindgren dropped his gloves in pursuit of Predators center Ryan Johansen, but the referees got in the way. Shortly after that, Jeremy Lauzon went after Lindgren and got in more than his fair share of licks, sending the 24-year-old defenseman to the Rangers’ locker room with blood dripping down his face. 

The Rangers then briefly lost Sammy Blais, who blocked a hard shot and appeared to be in immense pain before limping to the locker room. Both Blais and Lindgren returned to the Rangers’ bench before the second intermission, but it was clear the entire lineup was feeling the effects of the Predators’ physical play. 

Just when it appeared the game had settled down, Mika Zibanejad blasted a shot that nailed Jimmy Vesey right in the face behind the Predators’ net. Vesey had a harsh mark on his face and had to be tended to by Rangers trainer Jim Ramsey, but the forward remained on the bench and didn’t miss a shift. 

“That was a scary one,” Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said. “But he said he was fine, so there was no issue there.” 

Ryan Reaves, who drew back into the lineup in wake of Vitali Kravtsov sitting out with a stomach bug, did what he does best in a game in which the Rangers needed it. In a heavyweight tilt with Tanner Jeannot, Reaves took the Predators forward down in convincing fashion. Reaves has slid down the depth chart and served as a healthy scratch in the previous three games, but the Rangers benefitted from the bruising wing’s presence in this one. 

The Rangers aren’t always going to have Reaves. That shouldn’t matter. They clearly have all the fight they need, and should use it more.