Nashville forward Steven Stamkos will try to cap what has already been a December to remember as he attempts to join the 600-goal club when the Predators face the slumping Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday afternoon in Las Vegas.
Stamkos scored two third-period goals in a 98-second span — the 598th and 599th of his career — to rally Nashville to a 4-3 victory over the Utah Mammoth on Monday in Salt Lake City.
It was the sixth game-winning goal of the month for Stamkos, tying an NHL record for most game-winners in a month shared by Johan Franzen (March 2008), Brian Propp (October 1982), Mike Bossy (March 1982), Bernie Geoffrion (December 1960) and Jean Beliveau (January 1960). It was also the 98th career game-winning goal for the No. 1 overall pick of the 2008 NHL Draft by Tampa Bay, tying Bobby Hull and Guy Lafleur for 11th place all-time.
Stamkos, who also tied Mike Fisher’s team record of game-winning goals in four straight victories, can become the 22nd player in league history to score 600 goals and the first since Sidney Crosby accomplished the feat on Nov. 23, 2024.
Stamkos, who has scored five goals in his last five games, snapped a shot from the slot through the pads of Utah goalie Vitek Vanecek off a Ryan O’Reilly pass from below the goal line with 6:43 remaining to give the Predators their fourth win in five games.
“It was nice to get a couple (Monday) in a big situation, and to get a win makes it that much more special,” Stamkos said. “It wasn’t our best game. It wasn’t pretty but we had a chance to grind out a win and find a way. Sometimes you get rewarded when you put your head down and work hard, and we’ve been doing that a lot more lately than we had previously, and we’re seeing some results.”
Nashville, coming off a dismal 68-point campaign, has bounced back from a 6-12-4 start to the season to hit the .500 mark (17-17-4, 38 points) and is just three points out of a wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
Vegas, meanwhile, has lost five of its last six games (1-3-2) and comes in off a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Monday. The Golden Knights fell behind 5-0 in the first 27 minutes, the third time in five games they trailed by four goals in a contest.
“Obviously, not a great start,” Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said. “Gave up a goal in the first minute of the first period and the first minute of the second period, and those put you right behind the eight-ball. … Once you get behind 5-0, you’re not coming back. Just felt like we were losing the 50-50 battles that we normally win.”
“Just got to be ready for the game,” added forward Ivan Barbashev, who had two assists. “The start wasn’t there.”
The Golden Knights could get a boost if center Jack Eichel, who has missed the last six games, returns from a lower-body injury. Eichel, who has scored 12 goals and a team-best 41 points, upgraded from a non-contact jersey to a regular jersey at Tuesday’s practice, and Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said he would be a game-time decision Wednesday.
–Field Level Media
