The Nashville Predators scored five straight goals to topple the Ottawa Senators after trailing 3-0 this Thursday at Bridgestone Arena. It was Predators captain Roman Josi's 1000th game in the NHL and in the organization.
Steven Stamkos scored a hat trick, Ryan O'Reilly reached the 50-point plateau, and Juuse Saros stopped 23 of 26 shots.
"The will to compete in the third period, you could say 'do it for Roman.' [I've] been part of a lot of thousand games...There's few that come to recollection of a like that in this building. To comeback and for him to play a big spot of it...I've seen a lot, it's about as special as they come."Andrew Brunette, Predators YT
Nashville [24-22-4] trailed in the opening period for the second straight game after rookie Stephen Halliday found the back of the net at 13:57 for his first goal in the NHL. It is also the second straight contest the Predators have allowed a rookie to record their first goal.
Ottawa [23-20-7] extended their lead to 2-0 at 5:41 after Ridly Greig got on a breakaway and slid it past Saros. Possession was in the Senator's favor with 11 recorded shots compared to the Predators' nine heading into first intermission.
"We've been struggling with our starts all year. It's just something that we're kind of aware [of] and we have to be more aware. It's just disappointing to always dig yourself a hole a little bit in the first period. It keeps us honest and we battled back a couple times this year doing that."Jonathan Marchessault, Predators YT
Nashville Predators have to mount another multi-goal comeback after lackluster 1st Period
The Predators looked more confident in the second period as they managed to hold off Ottawa for 11 full minutes. However, Ottawa found an opening at 9:14 and Brady Tkachuk, taking advantage of a goalie screen, tipped the puck above Saros to put the score at 3-0.
A powerplay gave Nashville the perfect opportunity to get on the board with Stamkos scoring his first of the night off a one-timer in front of goalie James Reimer.
In the third period, Jonathan Marchessault scored, his first since being injured back in December, off a breakaway pass from Michael Bunting.
Stamkos tied the game at three after scoring once again on the powerplay, this time one-timing it next to Reimer. With his 23rd goal of the year, he passes Marcel Dionne for ninth all-time in powerplay goals with 235, per NHL PR.
As if two weren't already enough, Stamkos scored his third to break the tie with 1:13 left in the third. Cole Smith closed it off with an empty netter with 27 seconds remaining to give Nashville a crucial win at home.
"It was fun. Obviously, it's so nice to get a win and I think the way we won, comeback win, the crowd got into it. It was just a fun atmosphere, fun game, and Stammer with the hattie. It was really nice."Roman Josi, Predators YT
Josi is the only player in Predators history to play 1000 games with the franchise alone, and what a way to mark that milestone with a team-wide performance leading to a big comeback.
"It's one of those games where you're really happy, especially for Roman. He means so much to this organization, to this locker room, not only as a player, but just as a pillar in the community and such a great friend off the ice. We wanted to do it for him. I'm glad it worked out."Steven Stamkos, Predators YT
There were a couple of other stats that made last night special. Fedor Svechkov suited up for his 100th NHL game. Fellow centerman Ryan O'Reilly extended his point streak to six games, recording a total of five goals and eight assists in that span. His three-point performance Thursday puts him at a point-per-game pace, something not seen in Nashville for a couple of seasons.
The Predators once again find themselves a point behind a wildcard spot. They'll have a chance to sneak in with a win in their final game of the homestand this Saturday at 2:30pm CST against the Utah Mammoth.