The Nashville Predators came out on top in OT against Tampa Bay in Tuesday's preseason game at Bridgestone Arena.
The Preds scored three unsanswered goals to beat the Lightning 3-2 in the preseason home opener. Tuesday's victory came after a 2-1 loss to Tampa at Benchmark International Arena.
“I thought our compete level and our urgency rose, which is normal in an exhibition game,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “I think we're in such a hurry because it's such a short training camp, and sometimes we’ve just got to let it kind of organically get there with a little push instead of overreacting, but we'll continue to get better. I think everybody understands what's at stake. I think we're very focused on the first game, and this is a step in that direction.”
Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper said there was "more good than bad" from the night.
“It’s unfortunate, you want to walk away from the game with the win, but I think it was a growing moment for a lot of the players,” he said in a release.
Matthew Wood scored the first two goals for Nashville, and Felix Nilsson clinched overtime victory.
“I think there were a lot of guys that stepped up and did their thing,” Wood said. “Everyone has different roles, and I try to do mine the best I could, and I think everyone really stepped up… It was a great character win for us even though it was preseason.”
The Preds' preseason continues this week in Greensboro, North Carolina, to face the Hurricanes on Thursday. Then, the clubs will meet again Saturday at Bridgestone Arena in the preseason finale. Regular season begins next week.
