Nashville, TN – In a thrilling preseason matchup at Bridgestone Arena, the Nashville Predators emerged victorious with a 3-2 overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes. Rookie Joakim Kemell played the hero, scoring a power-play goal with just 16 seconds remaining in overtime.

The game was a hard-fought battle between the two teams, with both goaltenders putting on impressive performances. Juuse Saros made 23 saves for the Predators.

Carolina drew first blood at 9:38 of the first period when Jordan Martinook found the back of the net. Nashville responded later in the first when Jonathan Marchessault, assisted by Cody Glass and Luke Evangelista, scored a power-play goal at 13:28, tying the game 1-1.

Tyson Jost, who was recently claimed off waivers from the Hurricanes, gave the Predators a 2-1 lead at 4:59 of the second period, scoring against his former team. Jost put in his own rebound with a backhand at the right post.

The Hurricanes fought back in the third period, with Seth Jarvis evening the score at 2-2 at 14:57. The score remained tied, forcing the game into overtime.

The Predators capitalized on a late power-play opportunity in overtime after a penalty committed by the Hurricanes. With time winding down, Brady Skjei fed Kemell, who fired a one-timer from the left face-off circle that beat Pyotr Kochetkov. Kemell also contributed an assist in the game.

Kemell's game-winning goal was not the only highlight of his night. Earlier in overtime, he delivered a crushing hit on Hurricanes star Andrei Svechnikov, leading to a retaliatory penalty and putting the Predators on the power play. "That's one of the harder hits I've seen in hockey, to be honest with you,” Preds forward Ryan O'Reilly said. “In overtime, you never really see that. That was pretty special".

The Predators finished the preseason with a 3-2-1 record. The Hurricanes concluded with a 1-3-2 record.