Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly sports a cut on his nose after taking a stick to the face during a 4-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on March 21, 2026 at Bridgestone Arena. RUSSELL VANNOZZI/MAIN STREET NASHVILLE

Trying to convince Ryan O’Reilly to attach a visor to his Nashville Predators gold helmet is as futile of an effort as encouraging a young child to eat their vegetables.

It’s just not going to happen with any regularity.

Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights at Bridgestone Arena did nothing to cause O’Reilly to change his stance. Shortly after absorbing Shea Theodore’s stick with his face and drawing a double-minor penalty, O’Reilly’s bloodied nose turned into a Steven Stamkos power play goal.

That eased some of the sting, according to O’Reilly. He’s one of four remaining visor-less NHL veterans since the league began requiring them for new players in 2013-14.

“Oh yeah, absolutely,” he said. “When you get hit, you always hope it’s a (four-minute penalty). You don’t want to be injured too badly, but when you go on the power play and get a goal too, that’s taking advantage of those moments.”

Behind 39 saves from backup goalie Justus Annunen, the Predators momentarily moved into the Western Conference’s second wild card spot ahead of Saturday’s late results. It’s the first time they’ve occupied a playoff position since Oct. 25.

O’Reilly contributed all over the ice for Nashville’s third straight win and, in a roundabout way, had a hand in each of the four goals.

Besides the wound to his nose, O’Reilly used his stick to win an early faceoff and set up Stamkos’ first goal, committed a penalty that led to Tyson Jost’s first career shorthanded tally and angled his skate blade to redirect a centering pass from Stamkos into the Vegas net.

O’Reilly is known by his coaches and teammates as “Factor” for a reason.

“He does everything for our team,” Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. “On the ice, off the ice, on the bench. He says the right things, does the right things. Loves the big moments, plays big in the big moments. That was all on full display today.”

Take the game’s opening goal for example.

The left-handed O’Reilly knew he’d have enough leverage against Vegas right-handed center Jack Eichel to quickly get the puck to the slot, so he asked Stamkos to be ready. The play worked to perfection, with Stamkos drilling a snapshot past Vegas goaltender Akira Schmid.

“Factor is kind of the general out there on the ice,” Stamos said. “He saw that, and kudos to him. He executed it.”

O’Reilly, fresh off stitches from a separate facial injury that occurred March 3 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, is a key reason why the Predators still have a chance for a postseason run. His 64 points, 40 assists and plus-7 rating are team highs.

The 35-year-old pointed to Predators rookies like the surging Matthew Wood and recent callups Zachary L’Heureux and Ryan Ufko for refueling an otherwise tired group.

“To be honest with you, I’m kind of feeding off their energy,” O’Reilly said. “I think (when) the trades happened and we kind of got dismantled a little bit, we were all kind of disappointed, and then the young guys came up. Their life, excitement and (happiness) to be here kind of sparked us and has given us that belief.”

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