Filip Forsberg had the best seat in the house for Matthew Wood‘s latest goal for the Nashville Predators.
Waiting in the slot for a pass, he watched as Wood fired a quick, hard wrist shot over Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic’s shoulder to give the Predators a 2-1 lead.
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“That shot was pretty,” Forsberg said of the goal, one of the half-dozen scored by Nashville in the 6-3 win over San Jose March 24 at Bridgestone Arena.
As the Predators continue to push for the playoffs, perhaps their biggest development has been Wood at center. The 21-year-old rookie is up to 16 goals and 10 assists in 60 games, but it’s his deployment in the middle of the ice that has transformed the top of the lineup.
“(Wood) is the one that facilitates a little bit of everything,” forward Jonathan Marchessault said on March 24. “For me and (Forsberg). He’s low and slow in the middle. Always available. We have a lot more possession with the puck. He’s a big guy, he has a good flair for what’s coming up ice when he has the puck . . . he’s a great goal scorer, he proved that already. He’s definitely a big difference for us right now.”
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
Nashville Predators right wing Matthew Wood (71) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
Nashville Predators right wing Matthew Wood (71) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
Nashville Predators right wing Matthew Wood (71) shoots the puck, scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks, during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
Nashville Predators right wing Matthew Wood (71) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
Nashville Predators right wing Matthew Wood (71) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
Nashville Predators right wing Luke Evangelista (77) scores a goal past San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic (33) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
Nashville Predators defenseman Brady Skjei (76) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks with center Ryan O’Reilly (90) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly (90) battlesSan Jose Sharks right wing Adam Gaudette (81) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
Nashville Predators right wing Luke Evangelista (77) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly (90) battles San Jose Sharks left wing Igor Chernyshov (92) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
Nashville Predators right wing Luke Evangelista (77) celebrates his goal next to San Jose Sharks defenseman John Klingberg (3) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
Nashville Predators defenseman Roman Josi (59) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
Nashville Predators left wing Filip Forsberg (9) celebrates his goal against the San Jose Sharks with center Fedor Svechkov (40) during the first period at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
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Nashville Predators, Steven Stamkos battle San Jose Sharks in chase for wild card
A catfish is removed from the ice before a game between the Nashville Predators and the San Jose Sharks at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
Trailing the play — that “low and slow” technique Marchessault mentions — is key for centers. While wingers are pressuring the opponent and winning pucks along the boards, you need someone in the middle to move play forward. But if the center is too far up in the zone, turnovers happen. You need a good feel for spacing in the neutral zone, knowing when to attack and when to back off.
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Wood demonstrated this perfectly against the Sharks. With Marchessault along the boards in the neutral zone, Wood trailed the play, waiting for a loose puck. He found it, accelerated through the zone, then deked a Sharks defender to create the scoring chance.
“Sometimes when you come up to the NHL, you have a good stretch. The hardest thing is to find consistency in your game,” Marchessault said. “He’s super young, it’s his first year, but he’s doing great. He’s bringing that consistency right now. He’s been playing some big minutes for us. Making me and (Forsberg) connected out there.”
Can Matthew Wood stick at center for the Predators?
When the Predators drafted Wood at No. 15 overall in 2023, most assumed he would translate best as a wing in the NHL. He played center some in college at Minnesota, but wing seemed a better fit for a 6-foot-4, 202-pound shooter.
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Despite that, the Predators tinkered with Wood at center during the preseason. Against the Florida Panthers on Sept. 21, he centered a line with Forsberg and 18-year-old Brady Martin. That line looked lethal, but disappeared when Wood went down with a lower-body injury.
After recovering from his injury, Wood returned to wing in November, scoring six goals and four assists in his first 11 games of the season. At this point, a move to center seemed impractical. The Predators were in last place in the Western Conference and Wood was playing well. Why disturb his rhythm?
But at the trade deadline in early March, the Predators sent veteran center Michael McCarron to the Minnesota Wild. That opened the door for Wood to get another look.
Since then, Wood has played every game at center, usually with Forsberg and Marchessault on the wings. All three have seen an increase in offensive production, with Wood scoring six goals and one assist in 10 games since the move. It also has coincided with a hot streak for Nashville, which has won seven of its past 10 games with Wood at center.
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ESTES: So these Nashville Predators aren’t finished after all
According to Marchessault, it’s a perfect fit.
“He’s going to have a long career ahead of him,” he said. “A lot of people would dream to have a big right-handed center like him and a goal scorer. I feel lucky to have him.”
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.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why rookie Matthew Wood can be the center the Nashville Predators need