Stamkos Wins It in Overtime as Predators Beat Avalanche 3-2 on Fathers' Trip

A mile above sea level, with their fathers watching from the stands, the Nashville Predators found a way to win again. Steven Stamkos scored on a power-play one-timer from the left circle in overtime on Thursday night, lifting Nashville to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena and giving the Predators their third straight victory, all of them against some of the best teams in the league. The goal was the 247th power-play goal of Stamkos's career, moving him past Phil Esposito and into a tie with Luc Robitaille for fifth-most in NHL history, and it came on a night when just about everything about the trip felt like it was breaking Nashville's way. Ross Colton, back in Denver for the first time as a visitor after his years with the Avalanche, pounced on a loose puck in front early in the first period to give Nashville a 1-0 lead. Then came the moment of the night for a rookie: Reid Schaefer found Vitali Pinchuk down low, and Pinchuk lifted a backhand into the top of the net for his first NHL goal and a 2-1 lead through 20 minutes. "I am so excited because we won and I scored," Pinchuk said afterwards. "It is what I want. We played good, and today we had a great PK, great play by 'Big Juice'." Colorado pushed back the way good teams do. The Avalanche scored the only goal of the second period to level it at 2-2, and the score held through a third period in which both teams traded chances. Nashville killed a huge penalty late in regulation, and then, in the extra frame, Stamkos drew a penalty of his own after having taken one late in the third, sending the Predators to the power play. "You get a power play in overtime, it is obviously a great opportunity," Stamkos said. "I had a few chances earlier on the power plays, and did not get quite the shots that I wanted, and that one felt really good coming off the stick." Justus Annunen, the former Avalanche goaltender, made 30 saves in the Nashville net, and the win pulled the Predators within a point of Colorado in the standings. It was also the second time in less than two weeks that Nashville has beaten the Avalanche, and the third straight win over one of the league's top teams after victories over Tampa Bay and Carolina. "It just feels like we are building some momentum in terms of how we want to play our game," Stamkos said. "All four lines are rolling. The D is playing great. Our goaltenders are playing great. Special teams have been great. I mean, it is just a recipe for success." Head coach Andrew Brunette agreed, praising a team that attacked rather than waited. "I thought we came out where we attacked, we did not wait for them to get to us, and that was a close hockey game," he said. "And it came down to a huge kill at the end of regulation and a big power-play goal in overtime." Roman Josi added another quiet milestone on the night, moving into 22nd in NHL history in assists by a defenceman with 592. The Predators return home now for a Saturday matinee against St. Louis, and they will do it with their fathers in tow and a winning streak that suddenly feels like something more than a hot week.