The Nashville Predators earned their third straight win Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche, with Steven Stamkos scoring the overtime winner and moving into a tie for fifth place on the NHL’s all-time power-play goals list.
Stamkos’ one-timer in overtime came on a power play he helped earn moments earlier, drawing a hooking penalty against Devon Toews.
Toews entered the penalty box, and 16 seconds later, Roman Josi found Stamkos with an open pass for his signature one-timer, just outside the left faceoff circle.
The 3-2 victory moved the Preds’ regular season record to 2-0 against the Avs, giving Nashville an early advantage over its Central Division rivals.
Stamkos Moves to 5th All-Time
With Thursday night’s power-play game-winner, Steven Stamkos moved past Phil Esposito into a tie for fifth all-time in power-play goals.
Stamkos is now tied with Luc Robitaille at 247, and he will continue working his way up the all-time list.
Every player above him is already retired, except No. 1 Alex Ovechkin, of course.
After signing a four-year deal in 2024 following his departure from Tampa Bay, Stamkos has found a new home in Nashville.
Since joining the Preds in 2024, Stamkos hasn’t lost a step, leading the team in goals since signing and coming off a 42-goal season last year.
He should be in a great spot to climb the all-time power-play goals list, needing only eight more to reach fourth, and 19 more to break into the top three in NHL history.
Pinchuk Makes His Own History in Win
In even more exciting news for the Preds, Vitali Pinchuk made history of his own in the win, scoring his first NHL goal.
It was an impressive goal, too, as Pinchuk scored on a backhand from a near-impossible angle to the side of the net.
After the game, Stamkos gave the rookie props when speaking about his performance in the win.
“Way nicer than a lot of guys’ first NHL goals,” Stamkos said when asked about it. “I’m sure he’ll remember that for a long time. I thought that was his best game by a mile… He was making plays.”
Pinchuk brings even more hope to a team on a three-game winning streak, recording a goal and an assist through just seven games for the Preds.
Playing alongside veterans like Forsberg, Stamkos, Josi, and O’Reilly should continue to help the 24-year-old develop offensively as he works on the Preds’ fourth line.
Predators’ Steven Stamkos Reaches Historic NHL Milestone With Overtime Winner