Nashville goalie Juuse Saros stopped 37 shots and Ryan O'Reilly scored a power-play goal in the third period to lift the host Predators to a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets in the season opener for both teams on Thursday.
While Brady Martin became just the second 18-year-old to play for the Predators, it was the thirty-somethings who got Nashville its first two points of the season. Besides O'Reilly, 34, the Predators also got a goal from Michael Bunting, 30. Erik Haula, 34; Filip Forsberg, 31; and Roman Josi, 35; tallied assists.
Dimitri Voronkov scored for Columbus, which got 29 saves from Jet Greaves.
The Blue Jackets outshot the Predators 38-31, but Columbus also committed five penalties that resulted in four power-play chances. It was the final one that led to O'Reilly's