Schaefer, Wiesblatt Score First NHL Goals, Stamkos Reaches Milestone as Preds Beat Flames

Reid Schaefer and Ozzy Wiesblatt each collected a souvenir on Tuesday night.

Both rookies scored their respective first NHL goals - and Steven Stamkos recorded his 1,200th NHL point - as the Nashville Predators defeated the Calgary Flames by a 5-1 final at Bridgestone Arena.

Schaefer also added his first career fighting major, and on a night full of milestones, the Preds had plenty to celebrate following one of the more inspiring wins in recent memory.

“[The energy and contributions from the young players] is great,” Stamkos said. “I mean, you need that. You need that to be a good team in this League, contributions from everybody. Obviously, guys are getting a little more opportunity each and every day because of the way that they're playing, and it's great to see them get rewarded. But, you need that throughout the course of the year to be a good team. So, we’ve got to build on that, because it was great to see.”

“There were a lot of special nights for a bunch of different people,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “That's what makes the game great. Obviously, to cap it off of the win makes it even better. So, I think for [Schaefer] and for Ozzy, being around the game as long as I have, we all remember our first ones, and everybody in the bench always gets excited when they know somebody has their first one. Especially in both cases, with Ozzy, everything he's gone through, to see him score, I think the bench erupted. It was probably the biggest eruption we've had all year. So, [I’m] happy for them.”

With his family in the building, Schaefer’s first in the NHL came early in the opening period as the 6-foot-5 winger went to the net and deposited a rebound into the twine to give his club a 1-0 lead.

“It’s pretty special, honestly,” Schaefer said. “Having family in the building too just makes it more special. It was a lot of fun… Honestly, I kind of blacked out [after scoring]. It went in the net and I was like, ‘Oh, what do I do here?’ But, [it was] a pretty cool moment.”

In the second stanza, Nashville’s offense went to work. First, Ryan O’Reilly found Luke Evangelista on an odd-man break, and No. 77 wrapped around the net to get Flames goaltender Devin Cooley out of position before feeding Stamkos for a wide-open net. The goal gave Stamkos his 1,200th point in the NHL, just the sixth active player - and 53rd in League history - to reach the milestone.

“It’s cool, it's special,” Stamkos said. “I think you enjoy it more in a win, and you get to celebrate a little bit. But…it's more of a thing that you kind of look back on when your career is over. When you're in it, you're just trying to do what you can to help, but you certainly have a moment of appreciation and gratitude to everyone that's helped you achieve that, whether it's your family, your friends, your teammates, your coaches, everyone. When you're lucky enough to play in the League as long as I have, it's pretty special.”

Jonathan Marchessault then put the Preds up by three before Michael Bunting found Wiesblatt in front to get the rookie his first NHL marker. And on his way to the bench, Wiesblatt pointed to the heavens in honor of his late brother, Orca, a moment the scrappy winger was thrilled to finally experience.

“Just thinking, ‘It's about time,’” Wiesblatt smiled. “I feel like I've been all over it lately, and I've had so many chances this year to score, I've been robbed a ton. So, it's just a relief for me. I've thought about pointing to the sky for my brother for a while now, and just a cool feeling. And obviously, that one's for him, so just a huge relief for me.”

Bunting added one of his own early in the final frame, and although Calgary broke Juuse Saros’ shutout bid late in regulation, the goaltender still made 27 saves on the night to help Nashville to a satisfying victory

And on an occasion that won’t be forgotten anytime soon, the kids stole the show - especially the one who has dealt with family tragedy and channeled it into giving the rest of the Wiesblatts something to cheer about.

“I know they're proud of me,” Wiesblatt - whose brother, Oasiz, plays for Nashville’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee - said of his family. “They don't [have] to tell me that, and it's really cool. Hopefully making my family proud every day, and I do the best I can. And my little brother's playing awesome hockey in Milwaukee right now, too. So, super proud of him and how he's developing. It's just super cool, honestly.”

“Obviously, a touching moment for him and his family, and what they've had to endure this year has been difficult for them,” Stamkos said of Wiesblatt. “You can't even describe the feeling I'm sure that they've had. I think that was a very special moment in a trying year for their family, and we felt the energy on the bench. I'm sure, if you had a video camera on the bench, it was probably the biggest celebration of the year. How hard he's worked, what he's gone through, and to be honest, probably should have about ten [goals] the way he's played this year, and it's a testament to him. He just continues to go to the tough areas on the ice to utilize that speed and tenacity and the skill that he has. It was great to see him finally get rewarded.”

Notes:

Preds defenseman Nick Perbix did not play Tuesday and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Center Michael McCarron (day-to-day, lower body) and defenseman Justin Barron (day-to-day, lower body) were also out of the lineup.

Per NHL PR, Ozzy Wiesblatt joined Reid Schaefer as the second Predators player to score his first NHL goal on Tuesday. It is the fifth game in franchise history to feature multiple players score their first career goal with the franchise. The others: Jan. 9, 2020 (Colin Blackwell & Pekka Rinne), March 27, 2014 (Calle Jarnkrok & Colton Sissons), Oct. 15, 2008 (Patric Hornqvist & Ryan Jones) and Jan. 8, 2004 (Simon Gamache & Andrew Hutchinson).

Steven Stamkos scored his 589th goal to register his 1,200th career point. He owns the fifth-most goals in NHL history at the time of the milestone point behind Brett Hull (656), Alex Ovechkin (653), Mike Gartner (636) and Dino Ciccarelli (608).

Stamkos scored his 93rd career game-winning goal. He tied Sergei Fedorov and Joe Nieuwendyk for 15th on the NHL’s all-time list.

Nashville will now head to South Florida to face the Panthers on Thursday before taking on the Hurricanes in Raleigh on Saturday night.