The boys will return home with some confidence.
After dropping back-to-back games in awfully close performances, the Nashville Predators secured a win in their final game of a five-game road stint, concluding with a 4-3 final in a shootout. Ryan O'Reilly scored the shootout winner, Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault tallied two points, and Juuse Saros saved 36.
"It was obviously a hard-fought game," Forsberg said. "Great win and way to stick with it. Back and forth, just to stick with it. Obviously, an important game. They're all important right now."Nashville Predators
The Predators [30-28-9] continue pushing a wild card spot after missing playoff action last season. Currently, the team sits two points behind the second wild card in the West. They'll have to compete with the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks as the season nears its end.
"These are always tricky games. After a long road trip there's a little bit of a trap game," Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. "Hopefully we'll understand, and I believe we understand, the meaning of Thursday night's game against Seattle, a team that we're chasing. I think we'll be ready to go, but we got to make sure our focus is sharp because of our hard games to play."Nashville Predators YT
Erik Haula got things going for Nashville on its first power play attempt of the night. It is his first goal since the 6-3 win against the Bruins March 5. The Jets would tie it up with 40 seconds left in the first period thanks to Josh Morrissey. It was another rough period for the Predators as they finished it outshot 14-7, a common theme on this road trip.
Winnipeg continued the pressure in the second frame, scoring a power play goal of their own at 14:51. Forsberg, who took the penalty that resulted in the goal, responded nearly five minutes later with a wild one-timer parallel with the net.
Matthew Wood displayed his own skills with a top shelf snipe off a toe drag. The rookie continues to impress as he now has six goals and eight points in his last 10 games.
What a shot by the rookie 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Cc5Yd0lCUu
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) March 18, 2026
"It was a great play by Fil and Marchy and just kind of able to put it in and it was a big win for the team," Wood said."Nashville Predators YT
"I think he's been playing with a lot of confidence up the middle. He's using his size and his speed up the middle, gets a little more involved," Forsberg said. "[It was a] great shot. It's some stuff that we see in practice all the time. It's been fun watching."Nashville Predators YT
The Jets tied it at three with 1:01 left in the game to force overtime. A scoreless fourth stanza prompted a shootout, the Preds second of the road trip. O'Reilly was the only one to score and Nashville took the two points in the standings.
"It's disappointing, that goal, and giving them a point. But same time, we'll take our shootout point," Brunette said. "We've been watching [O'Reilly] for three years and he always rises to the big occasions."Nashville Predators YT
Saros stood tall in 65 minutes of play and stood taller in the shootout as stopped all three Winnipeg shooters, including covering the net on Kyle Connor's attempt where he rung the post.
They'll look to bring this confidence into a two-game homestand starting with Seattle on Thursday and Vegas on Saturday. A win against the Kraken will be crucial since they currently occupy the second wild card spot in the West.