Steven Stamkos scored two power-play goals in the second period to lead the Nashville Predators to a 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Sunday.
Zachary L'Heureux opened the scoring for Nashville with his first goal of the season at 5:28 of the first period. Vancouver answered at 11:34 when Aatu Raty scored his first goal of the season on a tip-in to tie the game 1-1. Elias Pettersson gave the Canucks a 2-1 lead with a power-play slap shot at 9:51 of the second period.
Nashville swung the momentum with three straight goals to close the middle frame. Stamkos tied the contest 2-2 with a wrist shot on the power play at 12:17. Roman Josi delivered the go-ahead score with an even-strength slap shot at 14:21, and Stamkos struck again on the man advantage at 19:38 to build a 4-2 lead. Kiefer Sherwood trimmed Vancouver's deficit to 4-3 at 14:00 of the third period, but Gustav Nyquist sealed the win with an unassisted empty-net goal with 21 seconds remaining.
Juuse Saros stopped 24 of 27 shots to earn the win for the Predators, while Kevin Lankinen made 17 saves on 21 shots for the Canucks. Special teams played a major role in the outcome, with Nashville converting both of its power-play chances and Vancouver finishing 1 for 2 on the man advantage.
The victory improved the Predators to 6-10-3 on the season and gave them a 1-0 edge in the season series against Vancouver. The Canucks dropped to 9-5-3 with the loss.
