Jonathan Marchessault had his first defining moment for the Nashville Predators on Saturday, scoring in overtime to give his new team a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

According to Marchessault, it’s time.

“(I) have to help my team win a hockey game,” he said afterward. “I haven’t done much of that at the moment.”

Last season, Marchessault scored 40 goals for the Vegas Golden Knights before signing a five-year, $27.5 million contract with the Predators over the summer.

But he had scored just once in Nashville’s first seven games, which he said contributed to the team’s disappointing start.

“New environment, new team, new linemates… there is a period of adjustment but now we have almost ten games behind us and it is time for me to improve. Help my team win hockey games,” he said.

Marchessault did that against Columbus. After being moved to the top line with Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly, he skated with zeal throughout the game, often finding pucks to pass to Forsberg near the goal crease. Despite being held under control during regulation time, he found space in overtime and fired a shot past Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov, giving the Predators a 4-3 victory.

“I didn’t come here to make a big change, there was always a good basis here. I just want to jump in and win hockey games,” Marchessault said.

Brunette said his decision to put Marchessault at the helm was not an easy one, knowing that Gus Nyquist was a big part of the line’s production last season. But seeing Marchessault perform well even in 3-on-3 overtime shows there are signs of things to come.

“He worked and it wasn’t easy for him,” Brunette said. “Reaching this goal is huge for us. It was good that he scored one, hopefully he feels a little better.”

Marchessault, who now has two goals and three assists in eight games, isn’t necessarily worried about his own performance. Ultimately, he just wants to win.

“If I hadn’t helped my team and we had won, that would be fine with me. But if we lost and I didn’t help my team produce something, I will take some responsibility.”

After starting the season 0-5, the Predators have won three straight. They next face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday (6:30 p.m. CT, ESPN+/Hulu), in what will likely be an emotional return for forward Steven Stamkos, who signed with the Predators after 16 seasons with the Lightning.

“It will be a special and well-deserved moment for (Stamkos),” Brunette said. “I’m sure he’ll be a little nervous at first, but we have a strong veteran group so they’ll handle it.”

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Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at [email protected]. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our exclusive Predators Instagram page @tennessean_preds.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why it was time for Jonathan Marchessault to commit to the Predators