Steven Stamkos showed his prowess on the power play, scoring twice to lead the Nashville Predators to a 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday night. The win marked a turnaround for the Predators, improving their season mark to 5-10-3 and snapping their three-game losing streak. It also ended their away struggle, registering their second away win of the season.
Zachary L’Heureux celebrated his first NHL goal, while Roman Josi and Gustav Nyquist – who scored off guard – added to Nashville’s tally. Providing solid defense, Juuse Saros stopped 24 shots.
Canucks Troubles Continue Despite Goals From Raty, Pettersson, and Sherwood
Vancouver’s attack came from Aatu Raty, Elias Pettersson, and Kiefer Sherwood. However, despite their efforts and 16 saves from former Predator Kevin Lankinen, the Canucks could not avoid defeat, slipping to a 9-5-3 season record.
The Predators’ offensive drive started early, when L’Heureux collected a loose puck and fired it past Lankinen at 5:28 of the first period.
Key Takeaways from the Predators-Canucks Showdown
The Predators have had a challenging history against the Canucks, losing all three regular-season contests in 2023-24 and losing in the first round of the playoffs after a six-game battle.
On the other hand, the Canucks continued a troubling trend of giving up the opening goal – for the 10th time in their last 11 games. Their record at their home ground, Rogers Arena, stands at a disappointing 3-4-3, with consecutive victories remaining elusive.
Revolution: Stamkos’ goals and Josi’s quickfire
The Predators found themselves trailing 2-1 in the second period but made a dramatic comeback with back-to-back goals in just 2:04. Stamkos ended his five-game scoring drought, taking a delay-of-game penalty against Nils Hoglander. Josi then scored another goal, 11 seconds after Saros had amazingly denied Sherwood’s rebound attempt.
The Predators will wrap up a five-game road trip in Seattle on Wednesday night, while the Canucks will wrap up a six-game homestand against the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.
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