Nick Paul tapped in a goal 3:22 into overtime as the Lightning spoiled Steven Stamkos’ two-assist return to Tampa Bay by beating the Nashville Predators 3-2 on Monday night.
Paul kept the puck alive with hard work in the offensive zone and sent it over to Jake Guentzel, who then returned it to Paul to put past goaltender Juuse Saros (24 saves) for the winning tally and a personal six-game point streak.
Brayden Point had a goal and an assist and Mitchell Chaffee scored as Tampa Bay improved to 4-1-0 at home. Guentzel two assists, giving him 500 career points. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 35 saves.
Ryan O’Reilly and Gustav Nyquist scored for Nashville as the Predators earned a point in their fourth straight game.
Stamkos, who spent his first 16 NHL seasons with the Lightning before joining Nashville this season, notched his first two assists for the Predators in his Tampa Bay homecoming.
The Lightning showed a tribute to Stamkos’ stellar Tampa Bay career on the jumbotron during the game’s first stoppage just over six minutes in.
The 34-year-old former captain, misty eyed, hopped over the boards, raised his stick in acknowledgement to the fans and skated a small lap at center ice as the blue-clad Lightning stood and clapped for their ex-star center.
“It was pretty special, obviously, pretty emotional, maybe a few tears,” Stamkos said during the second intermission. “Looking back on the amazing memories. You do that early then you focus on the game.”
Point, who scored 46 goals last season, dangled his way in the first period past Roman Josi, going forehand-backhand before flipping in his sixth tally at 9:49 to open the scoring.
In the frame’s final minute, Chaffee raced down a loose puck, bore down on Saros and lifted his third goal home for a 2-0 lead at 19:24.
Early in the second, the Lightning’s Nikita Kucherov appeared to net his team-leading ninth, but Nashville challenged that the right winger brought the puck in offside. After a short review, the goal was overturned.
On the visitors’ second power play, O’Reilly cleverly controlled a puck with his skate and wrapped in his third goal from the low slot at 10:19 to trim the lead in half.
The Predators tied it 2-all when Brady Skjei sent a long pass to Stamkos during a bad Lightning line change. Stamkos then slid his second assist to Nyquist for his third goal with 80 seconds left in the period.
–Field Level Media
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