The Nashville Predators didn’t get the storybook ending in Steven Stamkos’ emotional return to Tampa Bay, but they did come away with a valuable point in the standings in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Lightning Monday at Amalie Arena.
Stamkos, the No. 1 overall pick by Tampa Bay in the 2008 NHL Draft, spent 16 seasons with the Lightning before signing a four-year, $32 million contract with the Predators when free agency opened July 1. He is Tampa Bay’s all-time leader in games played (1,082), goals (555) and points (1,137). Monday’s contest marked his return to Amalie Arena for the first time as a member of the visiting team.
For the third consecutive game, the Predators dug themselves out of a 2-0 hole to tie the score at 2-2 in the second period. For the second consecutive game, Nashville’s comeback effort led to overtime; but this time, they weren’t able to complete the comeback and had to settle for one point to bring them to 3-5-1 on the season.
How the Predators Lined up vs. Tampa Bay
Forsberg-O’Reilly-Marchessault
Stamkos-Novak-Nyquist
Jankowski-Sissons-Evangelista
L’Heureux-McCarron-Smith
Josi-Fabbro
Lauzon-Carrier
Skjei-Schenn
Saros
Wedgewood
Extra: Tomasino, Pärssinen
(The Predators announced Monday afternoon that defenseman Marc Del Gaizo had been assigned to the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals.)
Game Summary
The Lightning dictated the pace of play in the first period, and the Predators struggled to shut down any plays defensively. According to Natural Stat Trick, the high danger chances for in the first period were 6-1 in favor of Tampa Bay.
As a result, the Lightning took an early 2-0 lead on goals from Brayden Point and Mitchell Chaffee. After Stamkos was honored with a video tribute during the first TV timeout of the first period, Point gathered the puck along the boards, drove to the net and deked around Roman Josi to score. Then, with less than a minute left in the period, Point made a stretch pass to Chaffee, who capitalized on a defensive lapse by Nashville and buried the puck in a wide-open net to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
Related: WATCH: Steven Stamkos Talks Emotional Return to Tampa Bay
After a successful offside challenge took what would have been Tampa Bay’s third unanswered goal off the board, Nashville began to show signs of life in the second period. Midway through the frame, Ryan O’Reilly punched home a rebound on the power play to bring the Predators within one.
Gustav Nyquist scored in transition in the final minutes of the period, firing a quick shot past Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to tie the game at 2-2. Stamkos assisted on both goals for his first multipoint game as a member of the Predators.
A scoreless third period gave way to the 3-on-3 overtime period, when Nick Paul scored for the Lightning at the 3:22 mark to secure the victory with a 3-2 final.
Key Takeaways
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Juuse Saros was exceptional for Nashville, turning aside 24 shots and bailing the Predators out with some big saves at key moments in his first appearance since being named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week for his stellar performances in the Predators’ wins over the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks.
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The Predators won the special teams game, going 1-for-4 on the power play while successfully killing all three penalties. Nashville’s PK unit is tied with the Dallas Stars’ for first place among all NHL teams at 93.1%.
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Nyquist now has goals in three of his last four games, scoring at even strength against Boston and recording a shorthanded goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Up Next
The Predators will return home to host the Edmonton Oilers Thursday at Bridgestone Arena. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast exclusively on Hulu/ESPN+ in the United States.
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