Overtime Decider
The Nashville Predators secured a narrow 3-2 victory against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, thanks to a decisive overtime goal by Felix Nilsson. The win improved Nashville’s record to 1-1-0 with 2 points, while Tampa Bay fell to 1-0-1 with 3 points.
The game remained tightly contested through regulation, with neither team able to establish control until the final minutes of the third period. Tampa Bay struck first in the second period when Jeffrey Viel capitalized on a wrist shot assisted by Zemgus Girgensons, giving the Lightning a 1-0 lead.
Viel continued his offensive surge early in the third period, scoring his second goal of the game with assistance from Pontus Holmberg and Tomas Kralovic, extending Tampa Bay’s advantage to 2-0.
Nashville's Rally
Nashville mounted a comeback late in the third period, fueled by two quick goals from Matthew Wood. Wood opened the scoring for the Predators with a tip-in goal, assisted by Ryan Ufko and Roman Josi, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Moments later, Wood tied the game at 2-2 with another wrist shot, this time assisted by Jack Ahcan.
The back-and-forth action kept the crowd of 17,690 at Bridgestone Arena on edge as regulation time expired.
With the score deadlocked, the game moved to overtime. Felix Nilsson emerged as the hero for Nashville, scoring his first career goal with a wrist shot. With no assists credited, Nilsson’s effort proved sufficient to secure the win for the home team.
