SALT LAKE CITY − Beating the Utah Hockey Club in a shootout doesn't do much for the Nashville Predators this season − but it could help build momentum for the next one.
"We hung in there," Predators coach Andrew Brunette said Thursday at the Delta Center following a 4-3 win. "It was a gutsy road win for us."
The Predators were down 2-0 in the second period, then fought back to take a 3-2 lead on Ryan O'Reilly's goal at the 3:17 mark of the third period. Utah's Dylan Guenther tied the game to send it into overtime, eventually leading to Filip Forsberg's winner in the shootout.
"There's no quit here," said defenseman Nick Blankenburg, who scored a power play goal in the second period. "We're just trying to build towards something at this point. We're not making the playoffs, so just trying to learn and grow through this process."
The Predators, who were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention on March 27, will finish the season with the third best odds to win the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. Regardless of how the final three games finish, the Predators will have an 11.5% chance to earn the top pick in the draft lottery.
Next up, Nashville (29-42-8, 66 points) visits the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday (9 p.m. CT, FanDuel Sports Network).
Predators' overtime penalty kill sets up shootout win vs Utah
Though Forsberg's shootout winner − a slick forehand to backhand deke that easily beat Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka − won the game for Nashville, it wouldn't have happened without some tough minutes by the Predators' penalty kill.
Fedor Svechkov was called for hooking on defenseman Mikhail Sergachev with 2:10 left in overtime, forcing the Predators to fend off a 4-on-3 advantage for Utah.
Defensemen Brady Skjei and Justin Barron played nearly all of that two minutes, blocking shots and jumping into passing lanes to protect goaltender Juuse Saros. Utah finished with zero shots on goal during their power play, with Barron registering three blocked shots.
"We did a good job not running out of position," Brunette said of the penalty kill. "Sometimes in 4-on-3, they try to bait you out a little bit. We stayed pretty tight. I really liked our stick details."
Nashville has the ninth best penalty kill in the league with an 81.1% success rate, ...
