While most locker rooms are quiet and almost mournful after a loss, the Nashville Predators were in an expectedly chipper mood on Tuesday night.

Even though the Predators lost 4-3 in overtime to the Winnipeg Jets at Bridgestone Arena, by acquiring at least one point from the game, they clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Predators (45-29-5, 95 points) will finish no lower than the second wild-card position in the Western Conference.

The Predators last made the playoffs in 2022, when they lost in four games to the Colorado Avalanche, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. Since then, Nashville made a change at both general manager and coach, with Barry Trotz stepping in for David Poile and Andrew Brunette replacing John Hynes.

Now the Predators' surprisingly season turns to the first playoff opponent. They most likely will face one of three teams in the first round: the Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars or Edmonton Oilers.

With three games remaining, Nashville is still battling with the Vegas Knights (42-27-8, 92 points) and the Los Angeles Kings (41-26-11, 93 points) for the top wild-card position. The second wild-card team will play the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in the first round, and the first wild-card team will face the No. 2 seed.

According to Playoff Status, the Predators have a 50% chance of playing Vancouver, a 25% chance of playing Dallas, and a 22% chance of playing Edmonton.

The schedule for the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs likely will be released on April 18, with games set to begin April 20.

Here's the best reactions from Predators players and coach Andrew Brunette.

Ryan O'Reilly

"(Making the playoffs) is the first thing on the checklist. It's a huge accomplishment. We're proud as a group. Guys worked hard for this. Of course, it would have been nice to win (the game), but we showed great resilience tonight, we stuck with it. But yeah, to get in the playoffs, that's the first step, and something to be proud of for sure."

Michael McCarron

"I know tonight didn't go the way we wanted... but we had a lot of heart. I've never been on a team that doesn't quit until the end of the game. It's good to get that point tonight, definitely feels good that we're headed to the playoffs."

Tommy Novak

"It's really special. No one really pegged us to be in this position. But we've done a great job and continue to get better throughout the season. It just feels really good to be in (the playoffs)."

Luke Evangelista

ESTES: The playoff-bound Nashville Predators weren't very good at this rebuilding thing

"There was a lot of outside noise coming into this season, with some of the moves that were made. But honestly, in the room, we never had a doubt that we were a good team. You look at the moves, we've had a bunch of star players to start the year. A bunch of experienced guys with Stanley Cups, so we were confident going into the year."

Andrew Brunette

"I'm proud of the process we believed in. The confidence that we had. We don't always get rewarded for it, but we did tonight. It was a big point to get, especially for the home crowd. It would have been nice to give them a win, but I like the resiliency our group showed."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What Nashville Predators said about making Stanley Cup playoffs