Schaefer Scores Winner Late in Regulation as Preds Prospects Come Back to Beat Hurricanes

Reid Schaefer scored the game-winning goal with just 34 seconds to play in regulation, and the Nashville Predators came back to beat the Carolina Hurricanes by a 3-2 final on Saturday afternoon at the NHL Prospect Tournament in Tampa.

Cole O’Hara and Kalan Lind also scored for Nashville, and the result gives the Preds prospects their second satisfying victory in as many days.

“What a gutsy win for the guys,” Milwaukee Admirals Head Coach Karl Taylor said. “That’s a hard team to play against with basically Carolina's farm team. They track and they're on top of you. It takes a while to get comfortable with that…but a great job of the guys sticking together, finding a way to stay around things. The goalies gave us a chance when we had breakdowns, and then a big goal at the end by [Schaefer].”

Carolina had a 1-0 advantage through 20 minutes of play courtesy of a power-play goal, but late in the second, the Predators evened the score when Cole O’Hara got a piece of a Hayden Barch point shot that found its way into the net for a 1-1 tie.

But moments later, the Hurricanes potted their second goal on the man advantage to take a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. The final period, however, belonged to the Preds.

After Lind deked forehand to backhand on a breakaway to even the score once more early in the third, Nashville continued to push, and with less than a minute to play, they found a way.

Joakim Kemell, who scored on the power play in Friday’s win, found defenseman Ryan Ufko with a cross-ice feed, and the blueliner sent a beautiful dish back to the doorstep where Schaefer tapped in the game-winner. Carolina put the puck in the net with an extra attacker moments later, but the goal came just after the final horn had sounded to give the Preds their second win in Tampa.

“I think it all starts with Kemell with that nice crossfeed pass to Ufko,” Schaefer said of his goal. “And then, obviously for ‘Uffy’ to find me there back door is a good play all around.”

“As the game went on, we kind of found our feet a little bit, and then made some good plays,” O’Hara said. "Held onto the pucks a lot more, kind of put pucks behind the D made it hard for them…and good to see [Schaefer] bury it.”

Oasiz Wiesblatt, whose brother, Ozzy, made his NHL debut for the Preds last season, was also a noticeable participant on Saturday. The scrappy forward was in on just about every scrum after the whistle, and following a slick goal in the bonus shootout following the game, Wiesblatt made sure to celebrate in the vicinity of the opponent, much to the enjoyment of his teammates.

“Yeah, he's a Wiesblatt, for sure,” Schaefer smiled. “Obviously, his brother plays similar, so he's a fun guy to watch out there. He's an energizer, he brings guys into the fight. So, he's a fun player to watch.”

“He was great,” Taylor said of Wiesblatt. “Their guy kind of gave it to our bench there in the shootout, and Oasiz wasn't going to miss that opportunity to return the favor. So, he's real competitive, and he might be related to someone that might have done the same thing. I appreciate what he brings.”

From here, the Preds will enjoy a well-earned day off Sunday before finishing the tournament on Monday against Florida. After stringing together a pair of wins, Nashville will be looking to end the showcase just how they’ve started it - and they’ll be ready for the opportunity.

“To come together with that short [amount of] time, it's pretty cool to see,” Schaefer said. “There are great players on our team, and I think just the chemistry is building within lines and throughout the lineup. So, it's fun hockey, and we're looking forward to Monday.”

Notes:

T.J. Semptimphelter started Saturday’s game for the Predators and made a number of key stops through the first half of regulation time. Ethan Haider took over midway through the game and also only gave up one goal in the win.

After a day off on Sunday, the Preds rookies will finish their time at the Prospect Tournament on Monday when they face the Florida Panthers at 11 a.m. CT. Stream the game live on NashvillePredators.com and stay tuned to @PredsNHL on social media and @brooksbratten on X for updates through the rest of Rookie Camp.