A very late arrival to the Predators this year — due to prolonged contract negotiations — forward Luke Evangelista picked up an immediate vibe following his first practice Monday.

The last time Evangelista had been around his teammates was the end of last season, when the Predators were slogging through a death march.

A painfully poor campaign led the Preds to be officially eliminated from playoff contention three weeks before the season ended, and Nashville wound up finishing a whopping 28 points off the postseason pace in the NHL’s Western Conference.

“When you’re out of the race that long, it feels like groundhog day,” Evangelista said. “You’re not playing to get in the playoffs toward the end of the year. You don’t have that energy and that atmosphere.”

As dismal as that feeling wa

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