Stamkos, O'Reilly, Saros Lead Preds to Victory Over Stars

Steven Stamkos and Nils Hoglander scored power-play goals, and the Nashville Predators defeated the Dallas Stars by a 2-1 final on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result gives the Preds their first win of the young season, and a satisfying one at that. 

A pair of tallies on the man advantage - coupled with a 29-save performance from Juuse Saros - delivered two points off an improved showing compared to Thursday’s opener. 

“It was just a much better overall effort,” Stamkos said. “We talked about starting the same way as last game, just without the penalties, and for the most part we did that and got a couple early power plays and capitalized. That was the difference in the game… It was a much better game in terms of possessing the puck in the offensive zone, which led to sustained pressure and helped wear them down.”

“Well earned,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “I really liked our energy and liked our start. I thought we learned a little bit from two nights ago… I thought [Ryan O’Reilly] put a masterclass on today of how to win puck battles and how to [do it without] a stick. I thought he was exceptional, and everybody pulled tonight. So, it was a big win, much needed, and still some things to work on. But, it's a better feeling here.”

After the Stars took a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the contest, the Preds went to work on the man advantage. 

First, Matthew Wood made a diving play in the neutral zone to swat the puck across ice to Filip Forsberg, and No. 9 then found Roman Josi, who left a pass for Ryan O’Reilly before the centerman dished a feed to Stamkos for a one-timer to finish off a masterful sequence. 

The goal was career tally No. 625 for Stamkos and tied him with Joe Sakic and Jarome Iginla for 17th all-time in NHL history. 

“It's cool when you hear those names,” Stamkos said. “Those are guys that certainly, as a Canadian kid growing up, watching those guys play… I wore 19 as a kid because of Joe Sakic and Steve Yzerman. Never in your wildest dreams do you think you're going to be sitting here and tied with them for goals. But at the same time, you just go with the flow, right? I do anything I can to continue to try to score goals and help our team win, and it's just neat to hear some of the names.”

Nashville’s first power-play goal of the season came less than five minutes into the opening period, and later in the frame, Jack Ahcan’s shot was tipped home by Hoglander for his first with the Preds and a 2-1 lead through 20 minutes. 

“It's just funny how that kind of works out,” Ahcan said of his assist in his first game as a member of the Preds. “Just a simple shot to the net, kind of bounces around, bangs around, hits [Hoglander], goes in; sometimes the puck’s lucky on your side. Feels really good to get that done. I'm just happy to play well and get the win for the team.”

That score held into the final frame, and as the Stars continued to press, Saros and the Preds found ways to keep the visitors off the scoresheet - including a prolonged shift that saw O’Reilly forced to play without a stick for a majority of the time. 

“That was chaotic,” O’Reilly smiled. “I broke my stick, went to the bench, and then come to the play, and then [Nic Hague] breaks his stick, and I gave it to him. So, it was not how you want to draw it up. It was a little, let's say chaotic, a little scrambly there… We’ve got to make it a little tougher on them, but all in all, it's a big [win].”

“I never worry when he's on the ice,” Brunette said of O’Reilly. “I mean, it's a luxury for me to be able to coach him… Those big moments, there's a reason he's a Stanley Cup champion and a Conn Smythe winner and a World Champion… I think he had three puck battles that he won against a really good team, one of the best teams in the League, some of the best offensive players in the League, and he just put a masterclass on how to do that, how to close a game out, how to will yourself to win those battles, and how to will yourself to be in position. Even without a stick, he wasn't out of position. I've been very fortunate to have him on my side here.”

The Preds all felt that way on Saturday night, and with O’Reilly’s heroics, combined with a strong showing throughout the lineup, they’ll now head to eastern Canada next week with a win to build off in the first road trip of the young season. 

“The things we did well tonight, the way we managed the puck and we hounded and were hard on our D, that's going to be kind of a staple of our game,” O’Reilly said. “That's something that as we go on the road, we want to have that. I think areas to clean up, playing with a lead, and we got a little put on our heels there at the end, and maybe not as much communication as we need. But again, it's one of the first couple games, and it's something we’ll adjust to and be better at the next one and have a more wholesome game.” 

Notes: 

Prior to Saturday's game, the Preds announced that goaltender Justus Annunen is day-to-day. Annunen did not dress and was replaced by Matt Murray, who backed up Saros after being recalled from Milwaukee earlier in the day. 

Defenseman William Trudeau made his NHL debut on Saturday night and recorded one shot and two hits in 12:15 of ice time. Blueliner Jack Ahcan made his Preds debut as Nashville elected to dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen on the night. 

“I thought they were both good,” Brunette said of Trudeau and Ahcan. “With Jack…I thought he used his feet when he was out there. It was good to see them, and I thought William, for his first NHL game, seemed pretty dialed in. I didn't think he was too nervous, and I thought he played to what we think his identity can be.”

Forward Reid Schaefer and defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin served as healthy scratches for Nashville. 

Per NHLPR, Steven Stamkos became the third active player to score in at least 500 NHL games. The only others to achieve the feat are Alex Ovechkin (706) and Sidney Crosby (529). 

Stamkos passed Gordie Howe (126) for the seventh most game-tying goals in NHL history. The only others with more are Alex Ovechkin (155), Wayne Gretzky (139), Dave Andreychuk (137), Joe Sakic (132), Jaromir Jagr (129) and Brett Hull (128). 

Stamkos scored his first career goal against Casey DeSmith – the 162nd different goaltender he has scored against. Only five players have scored on more netminders: Alex Ovechkin (189), Jaromir Jagr (178), Patrick Marleau (177), Sidney Crosby (171) and Mark Messier (164). 

With their first two-game homestand of the season complete, the Preds will head to Toronto on Monday to start an eastern Canada swing that will see them face the Maple Leafs on Tuesday before stopping in Montreal on Thursday and Ottawa next Saturday.