Unexpected Combination Of Wood, Marchessault, Forsberg Giving Predators Late Season Boost

A line centered by Matthew Wood, with Filip Forsberg and Jonathan Marchessault on the wings, being the Nashville Predators' best combination would've sounded unheard of even a month ago. 

Wood had been reassigned to Milwaukee ahead of the Olympic break and Marchessault continued to struggle to get his game going. Meanwhile, Forsberg kept his game consistent as one of the Predators' top scorers. 

Now, deep into a playoff push, the trio has been the Predators' most unexpected assets as of late in keeping postseason dreams alive.

Both Wood and Marchessault have six points in nine games this month, and Forsberg joining the duo helped him snap a four-game pointless skid.

In Thursday's 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken, he netted his 30th goal of the season to surpass the mark for the sixth time in his career. 

A superstar, a rookie and a third liner sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it's been anything but that for Nashville.

"They feed off each other and all have high hockey IQ," Predators head coach Andrew Brunette said on the combination. "They're all offensive thinkers. They got some size with Fil (Forsberg) and Woody (Wood), and Marchy (Marchessault) finds the little holes all over the ice. When Woody's skating through the middle of the ice, he has a great space for those guys to make plays and do their thing." 

For Wood, the biggest thing about going down to Milwaukee for two weeks was getting some time to reset and recharge, build his confidence, and heal some minor bumps and bruises.

During his short stint with the Admirals, Wood logged 3 points in three games before receiving the call-up back to Nashville at the end of the Olympic pause. 

Upon returning to Nashville, Wood took on a new role down the middle, opposite of where he had been on the wings. While it may seem like a bit of a transition, Wood said he has played at center for the majority of his career.

And with a 6-foot, 4-inch frame, he's exactly what the Predators are looking for to expand upon their center depth. 

"I grew up playing center. I played in junior and a little bit in college, but I'm comfortable wherever," Wood said. "I obviously want to continue to play center, but if they want me to play wing, I'll play wing." 

Despite being together for only a few games, the camaraderie on the line is strong, and it was on full display against the Kraken. 

 Ryker Evans boarded Wood, and Marchessault wasted no time dropping the gloves and standing up for his rookie linemate.

Nashville has been close this entire season, but adding the element of an "odd trio" line getting the job done has only made the Predators a tighter team.

 "It just shows a character of him and the whole team," Wood said. "Everyone has each other's back. These are important games, and we're all in it together. It's great to be a part of."