The Nashville Predators (27-24-8) looked like they were going to continue their momentum on the road against the Dallas Stars (36-14-9), boasting a 2-0 lead by the end of the first period. Unfortunately, the Predators slowly blew the lead, losing on a heartbreaking overtime goal.
The first period was all Predators. Michael Bunting scored on the power play at 14:26, and Steven Stamkos ripped goal no. 30 of his season at 15:35 to make it 2-0 Predators.
The second period only saw a Wyatt Johnston goal on the power play at 16:18. That power play was caused by Ryan O’Reilly holding Oscar Back, and the costly mistake made it 2-1.
In the third period, the Dallas Stars finally earned the equalizer at 5:31, with Nathan Bastian scoring the game-tying goal.
The overtime period ended at 1:47, with Jason Robertson taking in a Miro Heiskanen rebound into the goalmouth to seal the comeback win 3-2.
The Predators and Stars played extremely close, with Nashville garnering two more shots than Dallas (27-25). It’s admirable for the Predators to play the Stars close on the road, especially with the Stars being one of the best teams in the NHL, but the Nashville faithful were hoping to earn two points vs. one.
Stamkos Continues His Comeback Season
The most positive thing to come out of this game was Steven Stamkos continuing his wonderful season. In the summer of 2024, he was signed to a four-year, $32 million contract to add a jolt to the Predators. They had just come off a surprise Stanley Cup Playoff appearance in the 2023-24 season, and they were looking for more.
Unfortunately, the Predators haven’t reached the playoffs since, with them bottoming out in the 2024-25 season. Stamkos was alright, with 27 goals and 26 assists through 82 games, but the Predators were looking for a little more.
This season, he’s revived his goal-scoring abilities. Stamkos now has 30 goals, leading the Predators. It’s unknown if Stamkos will stay on the Predators during the trade deadline, but if he gets traded, it was nice to see him live up to his potential in a Predators uniform.
Rough Stretch for Brady Skjei
While Stamkos has panned out for the Predators, you can’t say the same for Brady Skjei. The Predators signed him to an obscene seven-year, $49 million contract after he led the Carolina Hurricanes defense in points in the 2023-24 season.
In the 2024-25 season, Skjei was below average, racking up 10 goals and 23 assists through 82 games and gaining a minus-24 plus/minus. This season, however, has been ugly. Skjei has had just four points in the past 20 games dating back to Jan. 1 and just one point in eight games since Jan. 27. In this game against Dallas, he also had a minus-2 plus/minus.
He’s boasted just a 1.1% shooting percentage. Skjei has a no-movement clause in his contract, so the hope is that he will eventually figure out his game, because if not, the Predators might have to think of buying him out this season or next season.
Is This the End?
The Predators have been considered likely to sell at the NHL trade deadline. With the team bottoming out in the 2024-25 season, a lot of media pundits expected the Predators to be in contention for the first-overall pick, and they desperately need a generational talent like Gavin McKenna.
Surprisingly, the Predators have overachieved to the point they’re just three points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. Sure, some of that has to do with the top-heavy nature of the conference, with only the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights boasting 70 or more points.
Still, usually sellers at the deadline have a distinct loss before the deadline that shows they are probably out of time to become legit Stanley Cup contenders. This loss felt that way for the Predators. They played hard, but the better team won the game.
Related: 4 Teams That Should Undergo a Fire Sale at the 2026 Trade Deadline
The Predators have a lot of valuable assets (from ‘NHL trade rumblings: Latest on Stamkos, O’Reilly, Kadri, Giroux, the Panthers, Canadiens and more,’ The Athletic, Feb. 26, 2026) to sell at the deadline. Stamkos, O’Reilly, Nick Perbix, and Bunting have all been mentioned as trade targets. It remains to be seen what happens, but this team could look a lot different by the end of the first week of March.
Schedule and Standings
The Predators find themselves at 62 points, which is just three away from the Seattle Kraken, the last wildcard team in the Western Conference. They head back home to play another Cup-contending team in the Detroit Red Wings (March 2), to start the month of March.
They head on the road to face the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 3, then head back home to play the Boston Bruins on March 5. With the trade deadline taking place on March 6, the Predators could look a lot different by their March 7 road matchup vs. the Buffalo Sabres.
