It had been nearly a month since Matthew Wood had scored a goal.

Most of that isn’t his fault. The Nashville Predators had been off three weeks for the Olympic break, finally getting back to NHL play against the Chicago Blackhawks on Feb. 26.

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But in the 25 games prior to the break, Wood had just one goal and four assists. The 21-year-old rookie, who started the season with 10 points in his first 11 games, had cooled off significantly. He was even sent back to Milwaukee and the AHL, playing three games for the Admirals while the rest of the team was either in Italy or took time off.

The work paid off, apparently. Wood scored the game-tying goal in the third period for Nashville (27-24-7, 61 points), setting up an eventual 4-2 win over their division rivals at Bridgestone Arena.

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Juuse Saros, Predators return to NHL play vs Blackhawks after Winter Olympics break

Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) fights for the puck with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov (55) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

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Juuse Saros, Predators return to NHL play vs Blackhawks after Winter Olympics break

Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) fights for the puck with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov (55) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

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Juuse Saros, Predators return to NHL play vs Blackhawks after Winter Olympics break

Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) celebrates his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks with defenseman Nick Blankenburg (37) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

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Juuse Saros, Predators return to NHL play vs Blackhawks after Winter Olympics break

Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) moves the puck towards the net against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

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Juuse Saros, Predators return to NHL play vs Blackhawks after Winter Olympics break

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight (30) defends against the Nashville Predators during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

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Juuse Saros, Predators return to NHL play vs Blackhawks after Winter Olympics break

Nashville Predators right wing Luke Evangelista (77) trips chasing the puck with Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov (55) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

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Juuse Saros, Predators return to NHL play vs Blackhawks after Winter Olympics break

Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) celebrates his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

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Juuse Saros, Predators return to NHL play vs Blackhawks after Winter Olympics break

Nashville Predators right wing Luke Evangelista (77) looks the pass the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

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Juuse Saros, Predators return to NHL play vs Blackhawks after Winter Olympics break

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight (30) defends against Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly (90) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

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Juuse Saros, Predators return to NHL play vs Blackhawks after Winter Olympics break

Nashville Predators center Steven Stamkos (91) shoots the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

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Juuse Saros, Predators return to NHL play vs Blackhawks after Winter Olympics break

Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) hands the puck to pediatric cancer ambassador Ellie Hazlewood after a ceremonial puck drop before a game against the Chicago Blackhawks at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026.

“A huge goal by (Wood) on the power play,” coach Andrew Brunette said. “To me, that was the biggest goal of the game. That power play didn’t look great and he was able to capitalize on the one really good chance. A heck of a shot.”

The goal, scored with Nashville down 2-1 in the third period, came on the Predators‘ first power play of the game. The top unit wasn’t able to generate any quality chances, but then, with the second unit on the ice, a loose puck came to Wood in the slot. Using all of his 6-foot-4 frame to gather the puck, he wired a wrist shot by goaltender Spencer Knight’s shoulder to tie the game.

“It was a great feeling,” Wood said. “It’s nice to come back from the break and get off on the right foot.”

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Wood’s tying goal set up Ryan O’Reilly’s go-ahead goal with 3:16 left. An empty net goal by Steven Stamkos made it a 4-2 final for the Predators, who are now within two points of the final wild card for the NHL playoffs.

URGENCY: Why Nashville Predators have increasing sense of urgency in return from Olympic break

Though the goal should give Wood a confidence boost, his approach is moderation.

“Confidence can be tough if it only comes from goals,” Wood said. “You’ve got to try and find other ways to build that.”

Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Matthew Wood’s tying goal was huge for Predators vs Blackhawks