Stamkos opened the scoring at 40 seconds and added a power-play goal in the first two minutes of the second period as Nashville took an early three-goal lead. Tyson Jost and Ryan O’Reilly also scored for the Predators, who won their third straight and fourth in six games. Justus Annunen made 39 saves and improved to 8-9-2.
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With his second goal of the game, Stamkos, 36, broke a tie with Brendan Shanahan and took sole possession of seventh place in the NHL with 238 career power-play goals. Phil Esposito is sixth overall with 246 goal man advantage. Stamkos has 33 goals and 55 points this season.
Shea Theodore scored for Vegas, which lost its third straight and sixth time in eight games. Akira Schmid stopped 16 shots.
Vegas carried the game throughout the game, outscoring Nashville 40-20. But the Predators took advantage of their shots with leads of 3-0 and 4-1 in the second period. The Golden Knights had a 20-4 shot advantage in the first period and a 10-5 advantage in the scoreless third.
Stamkos scored in the first minute after Ryan O’Reilly won a faceoff and made a perfect assist in the slot.
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Stamkos scored his 33 of the season on the power play at 1:24 of the second, with assists to Filip Forsberg and Erik Haula. Tyson Jost made it 3-0 with the Predators’ third shorthanded goal of the season at 11:56. O’Reilly has other scarce team scores this season.
Theodore got Vegas on the board at 13:10 of the second with a power-play goal before O’Reilly restored a three-goal lead for Nashville with a power-play marker at 14:53, on a deflection of a Stamkos shot.
Next
Golden Knights: At the Dallas Stars on Sunday.
Predators: At the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl