Having won nine of their last 13 games, the Nashville Predators [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/nashville-predators]faced a big road test against the Minnesota Wild [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/minnesota-wild]Tuesday at Grand Casino Arena. They passed the test with flying colors. Steven Stamkos netted the game-winner in overtime to give Nashville a 3-2 victory over the Wild. Stamkos got the golden goal in his 1,200th career NHL game, avenging an earlier overtime loss to the Wild earlier this season in overtime on a controversial goal. It was the final game before the Christmas break and the start of a seven-game road trip for the Predators, who were facing a Wild team that was coming off a loss to the Colorado Avalanche [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/colorado-avalanche]. Brock Faber got the Wild on the board first, with an assist from the newly-acquired Quinn Hughes, who was playing in his sixth game with Minnesota after coming over from Vancouver [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks]. Ryan O’Reilly tied the game 1-1 for Nashville on a power-play goal, then assisted on another man advantage tally from Roman Josi for a 2-1 lead at 17:07 of the first. Joel Eriksson-Ek tied things up for the Wild 2-2 at the 0:52 mark of the middle frame. This game had a little of everything: fast action, chippiness, great goaltending and timely goals. Here are three takeaways from the game. THE PREDS’ POWER PLAY IS COOKING. Instant reaction to the Nashville Predators' 3-2 overtime win in Minnesota against the Wild on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. Stephen Kerr/The Hockey News For much of this season, the Preds’ power play was anemic at most times, downright embarrassing at others. Not so lately. One would hardly recognize the power-play unit, which has now scored in seven of the last nine games. After Brock Faber put the Wild on top 1-0 seven minutes into the opening frame, Nashville tied the game on a power-play goal at 14:28. Steven Stamkos fed Luke Evangelista, who tried a between-the-legs shot. Ryan O’Reilly got the rebound past Wild netminder Filip Gustavsson to tie the score 1-1. Evangelista and Stamkos earned assists. The Preds went back on the man advantage when Vladimir Tarasenko went off for tripping at 16:07. This time, it was Roman Josi who made the Wild pay, with helpers from O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg. On the night, the Preds power play went 2-for-4. The officials were busy whistling on both teams, with six penalties through the first 40 minutes an seven for the night. The Preds went a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. STAMKOS HITS ANOTHER MILESTONE Dec 21, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos (91), center Ryan O'Reilly (90), and left wing Filip Forsberg (9) celebrates the win against the New York Rangers during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/7ca9de3c-6969-4f66-a18d-6b47713ce85c.jpeg] Dec 21, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos (91), center Ryan O'Reilly (90), and left wing Filip Forsberg (9) celebrates the win against the New York Rangers during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images The first year-plus hasn’t exactly gone as planned for Steven Stamkos, but the Predators forward has turned on the afterburners of late. Coming into Tuesday night, Stamkos had nine points (6g-3a) in his last six games and 15 points (10g-5a) in his last 13 games. Stamkos had another big night against the Wild with two points including the game-winner and hit another career milestone in the process. The 35-year-old skated in his 1,200th career NHL contest. With his two points on the night, he becomes one of five active players to average at least a point per game through 1,200 contests. The others: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin and Patrick Kane. Impressive company, but there's more. Stamkos also became the second Predators player to record a point in his 1,200th career game, joining Scott Hartnell (1-0—1 on Nov. 3, 2017). Stamkos became the third player in Preds history to score the winning goal in three consecutive games, after Mike Fisher (3 GP from Jan. 23-31, 2012) and Steve Sullivan (3 GP from Jan. 5-9, 2007). The Preds are certainly hoping the game-winners keep coming for the veteran forward. VETERAN POINT STREAKS CONTINUE Speaking of veterans, one of the biggest reasons for the Preds recent hot stretch has been the play of vets like O’Reilly, Forsberg and Stamkos. With his two points against Minnesota, O’Reilly extended his point streak to eight games, while Forsberg now has a nine-game point streak after getting an assist on Josi's goal. With the above-mentioned Stamkos on his current stretch, the veteran leadership is finally stepping up. Up Next: The Preds will be on Christmas break before heading to St. Louis to take on the Blues [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues]Saturday night.
