Stamkos scores twice on power play, Predators defeat Canucks

VANCOUVER -- Steven Stamkos scored twice on the power play for the Nashville Predators in a 5-3 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Sunday.

Roman Josi had a goal and an assist, Filip Forsberg had two assists and Zachary L'Heureux scored his first NHL goal for the Predators (6-10-3), who had lost the first three games (0-1-2) of a five-game road trip. Juuse Saros made 24 saves.

It was the first time Nashville had scored more than three goals in a road game this season. The Predators had scored two goals or fewer in each of their previous six road games (0-3-3), including a 2-0 loss at the Calgary Flames on Friday.

“We needed a response for sure, especially after the last game,” Stamkos said. “We know we have the talent, it's just, whether it's posts or bad luck or not being in the right spots, it's just been a combination of things that haven't gone our way so far this year, especially offensively. So, sometimes you need a game where you get four or five goals and feel good about yourselves and just build on it.”

Elias Pettersson scored his fourth goal in five games, Danton Heinen had two assists and Kevin Lankinen made 16 saves against his former team for Canucks (9-5-3), who were coming off a 4-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday.

Vancouver is 3-4-3 at home this season and has allowed at least five goals in five of those 10 games.

“We really pride ourselves on our play without the puck,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said. “It seems on the road (6-1-0) we're a little bit better. ... Too many goals at home.”

Center J.T. Miller only played two shifts in the third period and finished with 11:41 of ice time, his lowest in six seasons in Vancouver.

“He wasn't one of the guys I thought could get us back in the game,” Tocchet said.

L’Heureux gave Nashville a 1-0 lead at 5:28 of the first period. Cole Smith whiffed on a spinning backhand shot in the slot, but the puck went right to L’Heureux, who shot into an open net at the right of the crease.

“Unreal,” said the 21-year-old, who was playing in his 14th NHL game. “Been working a long way and been close to a month now I've been here and hasn't come, so obviously happy to get it out of the way and keep going.”

Aatu Raty tied it 1-1 at 11:34. He won a face-off back to Erik Brannstrom, whose rising point shot he then redirected down below the legs of Saros for his first goal of the season.

“It means a lot,” Raty said. “Good shot from [Brannstrom] and happy to tip it.”

Pettersson put Vancouver ahead 2-1 with a power-play goal at 9:51 of the second period, one-timing a return feed from Quinn Hughes under Saros' glove from the top of the right circle.

Stamkos tied it 2-2 with his own power-play goal at 12:17, scoring on a wrist shot from above the left circle past the glove of a screened Lankinen.

Josi then put the Predators in front 3-2 at 14:21. Shortly after Canucks forward Kiefer Sherwood lost the puck on a breakaway, Josi roofed a one-timer over Lankinen’s glove from the right face-off dot.

“It was gutsy,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said. “Second (period) we kind of got to our game a little bit and showed a little bit how we can play.”

Stamkos made it 4-2 with his second power-play goal at 19:38, this time taking a cross-ice pass from Jonathan Marchessault at the left face-off dot and sending a wrist shot back the other way over the glove of Lankinen as he moved to his right.

“I tried to pull it a little bit and maybe get him to come across and go back against the grain,” Stamkos said. “Just having more of a mentality when I get pucks not to overhandle it or look for a different play. Let’s get some shots on net. Maybe that is part of the problem why we haven't been scoring is we've been looking for the better play, and sometimes shooting the puck is the best play.”

Stamkos' first power-play goal was his 218th in the NHL, moving him ahead of Mike Gartner and Jaromir Jagr for 11th in League history.

“Just hearing those names, it's obviously pretty cool as a hockey fan in general to move past Hall of Fame quality players,” Stamkos said.

Sherwood scored against his former team to cut it to 4-3 at 14:00 of the third period. He beat Saros glove side with a quick shot off the rush from the top of the circles.

“I like the effort in the third,” Tocchet said. “So, that's a good positive.”

Nashville had only generated one shot on goal in the third period before Gustav Nyquist scored into an empty net from his own end at 19:39 for the 5-3 final.

“I'd like to be on our toes a little bit more, but we'll grow into that,” Brunette said.

NOTES: Predators forward Tommy Novak played 12:40 in his return after missing six games because of an upper-body injury. With Novak back in the lineup, Nashville changed three of its forward lines, leaving only the fourth line (Smith-Michael McCarron-L’Heureux) intact. Nyquist moved up to the top line, and Stamkos dropped to the third.