Steven Stamkos delivered two goals and an assist as the Nashville Predators held off a late Vegas Golden Knights surge for a 5-3 victory on Tuesday night.
Filip Forsberg added a goal and an assist, while Justin Barron and Ryan O’Reilly also found the back of the net for Nashville. Justus Annunen made 19 saves to help the Predators snap a two-game losing streak.
Pavel Dorofeyev led the Golden Knights with his first career hat trick, and Ilya Samsonov stopped 18 shots. However, Vegas has now dropped three of its last four games.
Nashville stormed to a 4-0 lead before the Golden Knights mounted a comeback. Despite dominating the second half of the game, Vegas couldn’t complete the rally.
Stamkos scored at 9:44 of the first period and added a power-play goal at 8:41 of the second, marking his first three-point performance with the Predators.
Dorofeyev answered with two goals in the second period, at 9:12 and 14:02, and completed his hat trick with 4:41 left in the third, narrowing Nashville’s lead to one. Dorofeyev now leads Vegas with 19 goals and has tallied five goals and an assist in his last two games.
O’Reilly’s empty-net goal with 1.5 seconds remaining sealed the victory for the Predators.
Takeaways
Golden Knights: After a lackluster first period, Vegas showed resilience in clawing back into the game but couldn’t overcome the early deficit.
Predators: Nashville’s high-scoring effort showcased the potential envisioned when Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault were signed in the offseason. The Predators, who rank last in the NHL in goals per game, needed this offensive boost.
Key Moment
Barron’s one-timer at 5:29 of the second period made it 3-0, setting the tone for Nashville’s commanding lead.
Key Stat
The Predators registered 10 shots on goal before Vegas managed its first on Annunen, a simple dump-in by Shea Theodore from outside the blue line with just 2:35 left in the first period.
Up Next
- Golden Knights: Visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.
- Predators: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
