NASHVILLE - The Nashville Predators got their preseason lick back on Tuesday after losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday . The Predators played a strong third period and defeated the Lightning 3-2 in overtime in the second game of the preseason schedule.
"I think it was a lot of our first exhibition games, and kind of had to raise our battle level and realize it was a real game, and it was a great team effort," Mathew Wood said. "Everyone raised their compete level, and that's what the coaches were asking of us, and I think everyone really bought in."
The Lightning opened each of the final two periods on the front foot offensively, with Tampa Bay forward Jeffrey Viel scoring in the first five minutes of both. Nashville dug back into each frame, manufacturing dangerous offensive chances, but they couldn't find the back of the net as the Predators fell into a 2-0 deficit.
The momentum finally shifted in the third period as the second line of Filip Forsberg , Matthew Wood , and Nils Hoglander got busy. Forsberg generated numerous chances without scoring a goal, but Wood finally got the job done at 13:30 in the last period by redirecting Ryan Ufko 's blue-line blast past Dennis Hildeby to cut the Lightning lead in half.
"Yeah, it was a couple of great plays by Fil [Forsberg] and Nils [Hoglander], and I just couldn't bury one," Wood said. "I found myself in the hole, and Uffy [Ryan Ufko] made a great shot, and I was able to tip it in."
Wood wasn't done as he put the Predators on his back and tied the game with less than three minutes to play in regulation after taking Jack Achan's neutral zone pass to the goal by himself. He skated hard at Hildeby, picking out the bottom right corner to even the preseason contest.
"Well, they were all over it all night for the most part," Andrew Brunette said. "Especially the second two-thirds of the game. It was just going to be a matter of time. I think Fil hit, I don't know how many chances. He missed those chances. I don't know how many he had in tight. Woody was around there too on the breakaway. Those guys, if they get those chances, that's a very positive sign, usually they'll score. So it was just a matter of time before they went in."
Preseason rules called for a five-minute, four-on-four, sudden death overtime period to settle the issue, and the home side took advantage of the third period momentum by continuing to pressure Tampa Bay. Third-line center Felix Nilsson got down and dirty in the Lightning corner, causing some chaos and creating a turnover deep in Tampa Bay's zone. Nilsson weaved past three Lightning defenders and beat Hildeby on his near side, sending the home fans home happy.
"Not our best game, but we found a way to win," Nilsson said. "Obviously, some great efforts from Woody and I, maybe with a little bit of luck, but I'm happy to score the OT winner."
Matthew Wood -Nashville's second-line center was all over the ice in Bridgestone Arena. He mustered six shots on goal, scoring two goals, both in the final period, to bring the Predators back from a 2-0 deficit. He played the second-most minutes of any Nashville forward, tallying a hit and a blocked shot to go along with his offensive efforts.
Felix Nilsson -Nilsson found the game-winning goal halfway through the five minute overtime period when he stole the puck deep in Tampa Bay's zone and worked his way in front of the net, beating three Lightning defenders in the process. Nilsson played the fourth-fewest minutes of any Nashville forward, but made a big play in overtime, sending the home fans home happy.
Jutus Annunen -Annunen got off to a strong start with a first-period shutout, but the Lightning got to him in the second and third periods to take a 2-0 lead. He ultimately kept Nashville in the game and allowed the offense time to get in rhythm, stopping 25 shots and finishing with a .926 save percentage.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nhl/predators/onsi as Nashville Digs Deep For Overtime Preseason Victory .
