The Nashville Predators (27-24-8) looked to continue their momentum against the Dallas Stars (36-14-9), leading 2-0 at the end of the first period. Unfortunately, the Predators slowly blew the lead and lost on a heartbreaking goal in overtime.
The first period consisted of only Predators. Michael Bunting scored on the power play at 14:26, and Steven Stamkos ripped home goal No. 30 of his season at 15:35 to make it 2-0 to Predators.
It wasn’t until the 16:18 mark of the second period that a Wyatt Johnston goal came on the power play. That power play was set up by Ryan O’Reilly stopping Oscar Back, and the costly mistake made it 2-1.
In the third period, the Dallas Stars finally earned the tying goal at 5:31, with Nathan Bastian scoring the tying goal.
The overtime period ended at the 1:47 mark with Jason Robertson knocking in a rebound from Miro Heiskanen into the goalmouth to seal the comeback victory 3–2.
The Predators and Stars played extremely close, with Nashville scoring two more shots than Dallas (27-25). It’s admirable that the Predators are playing close to the Stars, especially since the Stars are one of the best teams in the NHL, but the Nashville faithful were hoping to earn two points to one.
Stamkos continues his comeback season
The most positive thing from this match was that Steven Stamkos continued his wonderful season. In the summer of 2024, he was signed to a four-year, $32 million contract to give the Predators a jolt. They had just come off a surprising Stanley Cup Playoff appearance in the 2023-2024 season, and they were looking for more.
Unfortunately, the Predators haven’t reached the playoffs since, reaching a low point in the 2024-2025 season. Stamkos was okay, with 27 goals and 26 assists in 82 games, but the Predators wanted something more.
This season he has revived his scoring ability. Stamkos now has thirty goalswho leads the Predators. It is unknown if Stamkos will remain with the Predators at the trade deadline, but if he is traded, it was fun to see him fulfill his potential in a Predators uniform.
Rough stretch for Brady Skjei
While Stamkos is committed to the Predators, you can’t say the same for Brady Skjei. The Predators signed him to an obscene seven-year contract worth $49 million after he led the Carolina Hurricanes defense in points during the 2023-2024 season.
In the 2024-2025 season, Skjei was below average, scoring 10 goals and 23 assists in 82 games and posting a minus-24 plus/minus. However, this season was ugly. Skjei has recorded just four points in the past 20 games dating back to January 1 and just one point in eight games since January 27. In this game against Dallas, he also had a minus-2 plus/minus.
He has a shooting percentage of just 1.1%. Skjei has a no-movement clause in his contract, so the hope is that he will eventually find his game. If not, the Predators may have to think about buying him out this season or next.
Is this the end?
It is believed that the Predators will likely sell at the NHL trade deadline. With the team hitting rock bottom in the 2024-2025 season, many media pundits expected the Predators to compete for the first overall pick, and they desperately need a generational talent like Gavin McKenna.
Surprisingly, the Predators have accomplished so much that they are 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 scoring 70 or more points.
Still, sellers at the deadline usually have a clear loss before the deadline, showing that they probably don’t have time left to become legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. This loss felt like that for the Predators. They played hard, but the better team won the match.
Related: 4 teams that should be on 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 AthleticsFebruary 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 will happen, but this team could look very different by the end of the first week of March.
Program and ranking
The Predators are on 62 points, just three clear of the Seattle Kraken, the last wild card team in the Western Conference. They return home to play another Cup team in the Detroit Red Wings (March 2) to start the month of March.
They’ll hit the road to take on the Columbus Blue Jackets on March 3 and then return home to play the Boston Bruins on March 5. With the trade deadline taking place on March 6, the Predators could look very different in their March 7 road game against the Buffalo Sabres.
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