Jets and Predators games used to be quite exciting, but that was also when both teams were highly talented, confident in their abilities and at the top of the standings. Tonight was a prime example of how both teams have fallen off as it was a showcase of two clubs scared to lose and not being overly threatening on offense.

The @Nashville Predators manage to outlast the @Winnipeg Jets though by a 2-1 score as they still seemed to care about playing in the overtime session while the Jets checked out a little early.

Things start off well enough for the Jets as they get a few chances early on in the period and a goal less than three minutes in thanks to a hard charging @Mason Appleton.

Nashville settles in and starts to push back and pins the Jets at times in their own zone, but Winnipeg does a decent enough job of keeping things to the outside. There were mistakes made though – wouldn’t be a Jets game without them – and odd man rushes against that @Connor Hellebuyck had to be sharp on.

Hellebuyck couldn’t make up for all the mistakes though as a communication error between defense and goalie leads to multiple turnovers and a tie game.

The period ends with the Jets having more higher quality scoring chances, but the Predators with more shots on goal 15-9.

The second period is pretty much the same as the first period with only two major differences: One, the Jets were the team with a lot more offensive zone time and hemmed the Predators into their zone a handful of times, and two, no actual goals were scored.

The Jets out-shot the Preds 16-7 in the middle frame and had a 4-0 edge in high danger scoring chances, but couldn’t beat @Juuse Saros who was stopping everything he saw which thanks to the Preds at least keeping the front of their net clear, was everything.

The best chance the Jets had in the period was a @Patrik Laine penalty shot that also was stopped by Sarros.

Nashville owns the puck for most of the third period, interrupted by odd flurries of Jets scoring chances that are taken from distance. Neither team really drives the net hard so Saros and Hellebuyck continue to stop everything they are seeing. The game is being played at this point by two teams desperate to get even just a point in the standings and not wanting to take any real risks because of that. Shots end up being 12-9 in favor of Nashville, but we’re off to overtime as nothing gets settled.

Mercifully it doesn’t last long as the trio of @Blake Wheeler, @Mark Scheifele and @Josh Morrissey put forth maybe the worst effort I’ve seen three players put out in the history of NHL 3 on 3 overtimes. The Preds win the faceoff, get a couple of shots and then take the victory off a rush scoring chance that three blue pylons had a really good look at while they stood there doing nothing.

I’m pinning this all on that brutal overtime effort. For 1:11, Scheifele, Wheeler and Morrissey skated around like they wanted to be anywhere else on the planet other than Bell MTS Place and the Predators were all too happy to pass the puck around a bit, take a couple of shots and then score maybe the easiest one-timer they’ll have all season.

Beyond that, Jusse Saros was pretty good tonight, although after that first goal from Appleton the Jets didn’t exactly make it tough on him by driving the net or getting traffic in front.

Connor Hellebuyck stopped 34 of 36 shots and while the Jets continued to do a pretty decent job of clearing the front of the net on this night (at least that is trending the right way) Helle had some tough saves to make and kept the Jets in the game in the third period.

Off on the road for a game are the Jets head to St. Louis for a fourth and final meeting with the Blues this season. Puck drop is at 7 PM CST with the game on TSN 3 and TSN 1290