Steven Stamkos delivered the kind of moment that used to send Tampa Bay Lightning fans into a frenzy. On Saturday, it did the opposite.
Stamkos scored his first career goal against his former team late in the third period, tying the game at four and setting up a 5-4 shootout win for the Nashville Predators. He then buried the only shootout goal of the night, giving Nashville its first shootout victory of the season and turning a familiar name into the final dagger for Tampa Bay.
The Lightning had chances to put the game away, and they kept letting them slip. Tampa Bay built three separate one-goal leads and watched every one disappear.
That has become a theme over the last three games. A 4-2 lead against Utah vanished in an overtime loss.
A four-goal edge against Winnipeg shrank to one late in the third. Against Nashville, Conor Geekie’s fourth goal of the season gave the Lightning a 4-3 lead before Stamkos answered at the 7:27 mark of the final period.
Nikita Kucherov, coming off the news that he would not sign an extension with Tampa Bay, was all over the first three Lightning goals. He assisted on each of them, and two of those helpers set up leads the Lightning later surrendered.
The game opened with a back-and-forth feel right away. Reid Schaefer put Nashville ahead midway through the first period with his first goal of the season, but Tampa Bay answered two minutes later. John Carlson sent a shot-pass toward the net, Charle-Edouard D’Astous got a piece of it while crashing the crease, and Adam Edstrom tipped it past Justus Annunen to even the score.
The second period started with the Lightning striking first again. Just 18 seconds in, Carlson got a shot on goal and Jake Guentzel redirected it into the net for Tampa Bay’s go-ahead tally. Nashville needed less than a minute to respond, though, as Edstrom finished a two-on-one rush by chipping the puck inside the far post.
A few minutes later, Kucherov and Brayden Point connected with Victor Hedman. Kucherov took the pass from Point and quickly sent it back to Hedman, who was driving through the slot. The captain finished it for his third goal of the season and gave Tampa Bay its second lead of the night.
Nashville pushed back hard from there. The Lightning had trouble clearing the puck, and the Predators kept piling on chances. With 18 seconds left in the period, Ryan McDonagh’s clearing attempt was knocked down, the puck worked around to Jayden Struble, and he slipped a wrist shot under Andrei Vasilevskiy’s blocker on the short side to tie it again.
Tampa Bay found another answer from an unexpected source. Scott Sabourin, playing in just his second game of the season, forced Nashville to send a pass behind its own net. Jeff Viel picked it off and fed Conor Geekie, who snapped home his fourth goal of the season for a 4-3 Lightning lead.
That advantage lasted only four minutes. Filip Forsberg found Stamkos on a cross-ice pass, and Vasilevskiy made the first save with a sprawling blocker stop. The rebound came right back to Stamkos, and he finished the second chance to tie it.
Vasilevskiy ended with 29 saves, including several important stops in the third period as Nashville controlled much of the play late. Annunen made 22 saves and may have had his best in overtime, using his glove to deny J.J. Moser’s backhand from the slot.
The shootout brought more missed chances before Stamkos finished it. Forsberg was stopped by Vasilevskiy, while Pontus Holmberg and Ryan O’Reilly missed the net for Nashville.
Annunen turned away Brayden Point’s usual direct attempt, and Vasilevskiy denied Jonathan Marchessault. Jake Guentzel then failed to beat the Nashville goaltender, opening the door for Stamkos to end it with a backhand winner.
In Other News...
Kucherov Just Made Tampa Bays Biggest Problem Even Harder To Ignore
Nikita Kucherovs trade request has turned into one of the more uncomfortable storylines around the Lightning, and now the star winger has finally spoken publicly about why it happened. He made clear the issue was not money, but the way things had been handled, pointing to poor communication and a lack of respect as the reasons the request was made. For a team built around long-term relationships and continuity, that kind of rift is hard to ignore.
Kucherov also said he and general manager Julien BriseBois had only two conversations over the past four months, a detail that only sharpens the sense of distance between player and front office. He added that BriseBois told him he would be free to leave as an unrestricted free agent on July 1, even as Kucherov stressed that he remains committed to Tampa Bay for this season and appreciative of the organization. The season goes on, but the larger issue hanging over the Lightning clearly is not going away anytime soon. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Suddenly Face A Kucherov Situation They Cant Ignore
Trade chatter around the league has a way of changing the temperature for everyone involved, and Nikita Kucherovs situation has put the Lightning right in the middle of it. The veteran winger is still playing while the process unfolds, but the fact that his name is now tied to ongoing discussions gives Tampa Bay another front office storyline to monitor as the season moves on.
There are already other moving pieces in the mix, with Detroits Simon Edvinsson and Dylan Larkin both part of active trade conversations and multiple teams said to be interested across the board. For Tampa Bay, the bigger issue is not just the noise around Kucherov, but what happens if the situation keeps stretching toward the deadline without a resolution, leaving the Lightning to navigate a storyline that could shape their roster plans for the final stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Lightning Unveil A New Tampa Look Fans Will Definitely Debate
The Lightning are giving their look a fresh jolt this season with a new Hometown Remix uniform that leans hard into Tampa style. The all-black design with blue accents has a Gasparilla-inspired feel, a sharp departure that is sure to get people talking whenever it hits the ice.
There is also a local touch built into the jersey that nods to one of the citys more recognizable details, even if it is easy to miss at first glance. Tampa Bay has already lined up a slate of Saturday home dates for the new sweater, giving fans plenty of chances to decide whether this one belongs in the regular rotation. [Read more 🡒]