NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – Steven Stamkos found his scoring groove Thursday night, netting four goals to lead the Nashville Predators to a 7-2 win over the St. Louis Blues, a performance that mirrors the team’s recent upswing. After a slow start to the season, Stamkos now has eight goals in his last eight games, while the Predators have gone 6-2 over that stretch.
The 35-year-old center, who scored just four goals in his first 22 games, joked about his newfound consistency: “Sometimes you feel the legs are feeling light, and tonight, when you score one early, that’s the feeling you have. It was nice to contribute in a big win for our group.” This four-goal night marked only the second of Stamkos’ 18-year career, his first coming in a 7-4 win over Edmonton in December 2023 while with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He also became the fourth player in Predators history to score four goals in a game, joining Filip Forsberg, Rocco Grimaldi, and Eric Nystrom.
Stamkos opened the scoring 8:22 into the first period by batting in his own rebound on a two-on-one break. He added a second goal less than three minutes later, converting a rebound in front after Roman Josi’s initial shot was stopped by Jordan Binnington. His third goal, which completed his 15th career hat-trick, came 12:06 into the second period with a deflection off Blues defenseman Justin Faulk. Just over three minutes later, Stamkos completed the four-goal performance, redirecting another Josi shot past Binnington to make it 6-2.
The former No. 1 overall draft pick is also closing in on the 600-goal milestone, currently sitting at 594 career goals, just seven shy of tying Jari Kurri for 22nd all-time. “It’s a little surreal when you look at the history of this league and how many great players there have been,” Stamkos said.
More important than personal milestones, however, was the team’s victory. Now in his second season with Nashville, Stamkos was part of a major offseason spending push in 2024 that did not yield playoff success last year. The Predators (12-14-4) had a sluggish start this season but now appear to be gaining momentum. “It hasn’t quite worked out the way we wanted in terms of team success. But we’re rolling right now,” Stamkos said. “I think we’re playing some hockey that people expected of us, and we want to keep that going.”