Steven Stamkos scored 53 seconds into overtime to lift the Nashville Predators to a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
Stamkos finished with a goal and an assist for Nashville, which achieved its first three-game winning streak of the season. Ryan O’Reilly also notched a goal and an assist, and Roman Josi added a goal.
Brock Faber and Joel Eriksson Ek scored one goal apiece in a losing effort for Minnesota. The Wild earned one point in the standings by taking the game to overtime.
Predators goaltender Juuse Saros turned aside 30 of 32 shots to earn the victory. He made 11 saves in the first period, 10 saves in the second period and nine saves in the third period.
Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson allowed three goals on 29 shots to take the overtime loss.
The Predators capitalized on a rush into the offensive zone for the winning goal. Erik Haula carried the puck down the left side of the ice and spotted Stamkos streaking toward the net.
Haula zipped a pass to Stamkos, who quickly tipped a shot past Gustavsson for the winner. The sequence gave Stamkos 15 goals on the season and 597 goals for his career, three shy of his next career milestone.
Minnesota opened the scoring at the seven-minute mark of the first period. Quinn Hughes slid a pass to Faber, who blasted a one-timer from the high slot into the net.
A power-play goal by the Predators evened the score at 1-all with 5:32 to go in the first period. O’Reilly spotted a loose puck in front of the crease and punched it in.
Nashville pulled ahead 2-1 on another power-play goal with 2:53 left in the first period. Josi skated between the circles and ripped a wrist shot through traffic for the go-ahead goal.
The WIld bounced back in the first minute of the second period to even the score at 2. Saros denied Marcus Johansson’s initial shot, but Eriksson Ek tracked the rebound in front of the crease and swept it into the net.
–Field Level Media
