O'Reilly Impressed With Ufko's First NHL Goal, Contributions From Young Preds

Ryan O’Reilly needed a moment to process what he had just witnessed - and then he realized he had to grab Ryan Ufko’s souvenir. 

The veteran centerman, who recorded a secondary assist on the rookie defenseman’s first NHL goal on Tuesday night in Seattle, had a front row seat to one of the most impressive inaugural tallies in quite some time. 

On display was a combination of skill and finesse that saw Ufko deke around defenders on his way to the Seattle net before completely undressing the Kraken goaltender to score what proved to be the game-winning goal in Nashville’s 4-2 comeback win. 

Initially, O’Reilly began to join the rest of his bewildered teammates for a celebration, but he soon turned back to retrieve a very special biscuit. 

“It took me a sec to clue in, because I was just like, ‘What just happened?’” O’Reilly laughed Wednesday afternoon following Preds practice in Vancouver. “Like, I was just trying to pick the guy going to the net, and I turned around and the goalie was in the corner and the puck was in the net. But that’s one of the nicest first goals I think I’ve ever seen. To be able to do that ‘dipsy’ like that was very impressive. But, then obviously I clued in and got the puck for him.”

O’Reilly, along with Steven Stamkos, Roman Josi and Jonathan Marchessault were the other teammates on the ice, a decent collection of star players to celebrate one’s first goal with. Marchessault, who passed the puck to Ufko, simply mouthed “Wow” as the rookie began to skate toward the bench for his line of congratulatory fist bumps. 

And for O’Reilly, who has 1,215 games of NHL experience compared to Ufko’s four, that tally was one to remember. 

“He's very slippery,” O’Reilly said of Ufko. “He’s got great hands and is very deceptive. After a few games watching him play, you can see it. When he got the puck there, coming with speed, he was just loose. And he dangled three guys and the goalie there, and it was really impressive. It was a great move, but I could see he's got a ton of skill and deceptiveness. I was just going to the net and just trying to make some room, and he just slipped through everyone put it in. So, it was an incredible play. A huge goal for us as well.”

Ufko’s marker helped Nashville get to within one point of Seattle for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference and keep them very much in the thick of a playoff hunt. Following a nerve-racking week that saw four Predators players dealt away ahead of last Friday’s NHL Trade Deadline, a number of rookies and second-year skaters were recalled from Milwaukee to Nashville, Ufko being one of them. 

All that collection of players has done through three games since the deadline is not only keep the Preds in things until the final horn, but they’ve made sure this group is anything but out of the postseason conversation.

And if Ufko’s goal was any indicator of what’s to come, it’s going to be a very intriguing ride of meaningful hockey in the final 18 games of the regular season. 

“I think for our group, obviously, we all know what happened, and a lot of guys got moved, but there's a great opportunity for young guys to step up and prove themselves,” O’Reilly said. “That was a huge goal in probably the biggest game of the year for us; a four-point swing. We have a terrible start, but to kind of respond like that, and for ‘Uffy’ to step up and get that huge game winning goal was massive. 

“It’s nice to see those young guys step up and contribute. If we're going to get into the playoffs, it's going to be everyone. Us veteran guys have to lead the way, and the young guys have to bring the life and the energy. And obviously it was just a huge play by ‘Uffy’ there.”