NASHVILLE, TENN — The Nashville Predators ended their season on a high note, routing the slumping Dallas Stars 5-1 Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena. Ryan O’Reilly led the way with a three-point night, notching a goal and two assists, while Juuse Saros turned aside 29 shots to backstop the win.
Despite Dallas jumping out to an early lead—Mason Marchment scoring just 16 seconds in—Nashville responded with a flurry. Jordan Oesterle and Jakub Vrana scored 49 seconds apart to flip momentum, and Justin Barron’s late first-period tally gave the Preds a 3-1 cushion heading into intermission.
Jonathan Marchessault and O’Reilly added insurance goals, while Filip Forsberg chipped in with two assists. It was a rare offensive outburst for a team that struggled to find the back of the net most of the year.
The Stars, who’ve now dropped seven straight (0-5-2), looked out of sync again, especially on the power play—finishing 0-for-6 on the night and 1-for-14 over their last four games. Jason Robertson left early in the second period after taking a hard hit into the boards from Michael McCarron and did not return.
Jake Oettinger made 17 saves through two periods before giving way to Casey DeSmith, who stopped 12 shots in relief. Dallas finishes the regular season on a sour note and heads into a first-round matchup with Colorado searching for answers.
