Predators clinch Stanley Cup Playoff berth in OT loss to Jets

NASHVILLE – Kyle Connor scored at 1:52 of overtime to give the Winnipeg Jets a 4-3 win against the Nashville Predators, who clinched a berth into the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a point at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday.

Connor took a pass from Mark Scheifele on a 2-on-1 rush and beat Juuse Saros with a snap shot from the bottom of the left face-off circle.

Schiefele had a goal and two assists, and Connor Hellebuyck made 45 saves for the Jets (48-24-6), who have won four straight games.

“[Hellebuyck] stood on his head,” Scheifele said. “He made those saves look easy and he kept us in that one. We didn’t play our game. We were just whacking the puck around and just giving them transition. That’s not the way we want to play.”

Ryan O'Reilly, Tommy Novak and Spencer Stastney scored, and Saros made 18 saves for the Predators (45-29-5), who have lost three of four (1-2-1).

“It’s the first one off the checklist,” O’Reilly said. “Obviously, to make the playoffs is a huge accomplishment. I think we’re proud as a group. Guys worked hard for this. Of course, it would’ve been nice to win that one, but I thought we showed great resilience tonight. We stuck with it. I thought we owned them for most of the game. To get in the playoffs, that’s the first step. It’s a big step and something to be proud of, for sure.”

Novak gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 4:05 of the first period, shifting the puck from backhand to forehand around Hellebuyck and putting it in at the left post.

Gabriel Vilardi tied it 1-1 at 6:51 with a power-play goal. He took a pass from Scheifele below the left face-off circle, put the puck between his legs and lifted it over Saros’ shoulder.

“Pretty nasty goal, for sure,” Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo said. “That one is going to be on the highlight reel. We’ll see that one a lot. He’s got great hands in tight. We’ve seen it all year, and we’ve missed him there when he hasn’t been there. He’s such a key on the power play, sucks a lot of guys in, and then if you give him room, he’ll do something like that. That was an amazing goal by a top player for our team.”

Scheifele gave the Jets a 2-1 lead at 8:19, beating Saros with a backhand in front on a partial breakaway after receiving a lead pass from Tyler Toffoli.

DeMelo pushed it to 3-1 at 12:46 with a snap shot from the slot off a centering pass from Morgan Barron.

“We played well in the first, and we played really well after they tied it up,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said. “The in-between there wasn’t our best hockey, for sure, but we’ve played better than that and lost, so we’ll take that. Our goalie was outstanding.”

Stastney cut it to 3-2 at 7:34 of the third period when he batted in the puck in front after Roman Josi’s centering pass was deflected up in the air.

“I’ve been on a lot of teams in my career, and I haven’t been on a team that fights until the end like this,” Predators forward Michael McCarron said. “It’s a pretty special group. It was good to get that point tonight, and it definitely feels good that we’re heading to the playoffs.”

O’Reilly tied it 3-3 at 9:41 of the third period on a wrist from the slot off a pass from Roman Josi.

“Those are the ones as a kid you dream of scoring, just the big goals at the right time,” O’Reilly said. “It always feels good. To get that point and get us solidified was a good feeling.”

NOTES: The Predators have made the playoffs nine times in the past 10 seasons. ... Josi became the third active defenseman with multiple 80-assist seasons (96 in 2021-22), joining Erik Karlsson and Cale Makar.