Stamkos Haunts Old Club as Predators Edge Lightning 5-4 in Shootout

Former Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos haunted his old team as the Nashville Predators rallied to beat the Lightning 5-4 in a shootout on Saturday. Stamkos tied the game 4-4 with a power-play goal at 7:27 of the third period, then scored the only goal of the shootout in the fourth round, beating Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy under the right arm with a backhander. Nashville goaltender Justus Annunen made 22 saves and denied all four Lightning shooters in the one-on-one session, in what was his first shootout appearance in his 83rd NHL game, an NHL record. The win was Nashville's first in six overtime contests this season and gave the Predators a much-needed lift after a string of close defeats. For Stamkos, the decisive moment against the franchise he once captained was a reminder of his enduring quality in the biggest moments. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, will rue letting a lead slip late in regulation before falling in the shootout, as the Lightning continue to search for consistency in a tightly packed Eastern Conference race.