NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In an exciting matchup on Tuesday night, Steven Stamkos made a significant impact by scoring twice and providing an assist, propelling the Nashville Predators to a 5-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Filip Forsberg contributed with one goal and an assist, while Justin Barron and Ryan O’Reilly added to the scoreline for the Predators, who bounced back from a two-game losing streak. Justus Annunen showcased his skills in net, making 19 saves throughout the game.
On the other side, Pavel Dorofeyev had an impressive outing, netting his first career hat trick for the Golden Knights. Ilya Samsonov, despite the loss, managed to make 18 saves for Vegas, which has now dropped three out of its last four games.
Nashville started strong, quickly establishing a 4-0 lead, but they had to fend off a determined effort from the Golden Knights as the latter controlled much of the game’s second half without being able to level the score.
Stamkos opened the scoring at the 9:44 mark of the first period, and he struck again on a power play at 8:41 of the second period, marking his first three-point game since joining the Predators.
Dorofeyev answered back in the second period, scoring two goals, one at 9:12 and another at 14:02. He completed his hat trick with 4:41 left in the third, narrowing the gap to just one goal for Vegas.
Currently, Dorofeyev leads the Golden Knights with 19 goals and has enjoyed a burst of momentum with five goals and an assist over his previous two matches. O’Reilly’s empty-net goal with only 1.5 seconds remaining solidified the Predators’ win.
Takeaways from the game include the fact that the Golden Knights, after a poor first period, showed resilience but ultimately fell short in their comeback attempt. For the Predators, the offensive firepower displayed is what they had hoped for when they acquired Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault during the offseason, especially as Nashville had been struggling offensively, averaging only 2.4 goals per game before this match, the lowest in the NHL.
A pivotal moment came when Barron scored Nashville’s third goal at 5:29 of the second period, marking his first with the team as he unleashed a powerful one-timer.
Notably, Nashville was aggressive in the first period, registering 10 shots on goal before the Golden Knights managed their first shot, which was a long-range effort from Shea Theodore with just 2:35 left in the opening frame.
Looking ahead, the Golden Knights will travel to Carolina for their next game on Friday, while the Predators will welcome the Chicago team on Thursday.
