Stamkos Reaches Milestone in New Year’s Eve Matchup
In a memorable New Year’s Eve matchup, Steven Stamkos reached a significant milestone in his NHL career by netting his 600th career goal, leading the Nashville Predators to a 4-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. This achievement, realized during the opening period of the game, added to Stamkos’s tally of 18 goals for the current season, marking his ninth against the Golden Knights since their establishment in the league in 2017.
Nashville’s Road Trip Success
The win was pivotal for Nashville, who are currently on a challenging seven-game road trip. This marked their 12th victory in 17 games, and notably pushed their record to 18-17-4, placing them above the .500 mark for the first time since a brief stint early in the season.
Comeback Performance
The Predators began the game slowly, falling behind 2-0 to the Golden Knights. However, a sudden offensive outburst saw them spring into action in the latter part of the first period, scoring three unanswered goals within five minutes to take a commanding 3-2 lead. Contributions to this comeback included goals from Nick Perbix, Reid Schaefer, and Michael Bunting — the latter’s goal marked a milestone for former Knight Erik Haula, who achieved his 200th career assist.
Goalkeeping and Player Highlights
Justus Annunen stood tall in goal for Nashville, making 29 saves throughout the game. Meanwhile, for Vegas, the situation remains increasingly dire, as they suffered their sixth loss in seven games, ending their four-game homestand with a disappointing record of 1-2-1. Player Mark Stone, who was named to Canada’s Olympic roster earlier in the day, managed to score his tenth goal of the season in this contest, while Ben Hutton added another.
Upcoming Challenges
As play continues, Nashville’s next challenge will be against Seattle on Thursday, while Vegas will travel to St. Louis for a game on Friday.
