Sure, Steven Stamkos would have preferred to have his shot in the dying seconds of Thursday’s season opener against Dallas find the back of the net instead of the post.
Had the one-timer gone in, the game would’ve been tied at four all. The goal likely would've forced overtime, and it would’ve sent the Bridgestone Arena crowd into a frenzy, a group that was waiting for something special from No. 91 in Gold all night.
But the owner of 555 career tallies knows that’s not how hockey works all the time.
Seeing Stamkos score from that spot - the left face-off circle - where so many of his strikes have come from over the past 16 seasons would’ve been almost too perfect in his Predators debut.
Alas, it wasn’t meant to be. And as a disappointed, yet hopeful, Stamkos sat at his locker fielding questions just minutes after that puck struck metal, the Preds logo above him instead of that of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the veteran forward embraced the start of his new chapter.
“You hope in these situations you win, but you only get one first game with a new team,” Stamkos said. “I would have much preferred to win, but it was a great atmosphere out there, and a cool experience for my family. I’m looking forward to better results in the future, and it should be a good year.”
If Opening Night was any indication, this season for the Predators could indeed be superb.
Despite a 4-3 loss to the Stars that saw Nashville almost complete a comeback after entering the third period down by three goals, the Preds outshot Dallas by a 36-20 margin and bested one of the League’s top teams in a number of statistical categories, including faceoff percentage (65.5%), hits (14) and blocked shots (16) .
Although Stamkos was held off the scoresheet, he still finished with three shots on goal and 23:01 of ice time in his debut, second only to Preds Captain Roman Josi. The newcomer also arguably took the prize for loudest ovation from the Smashville faithful when he was introduced as a member of the Predators for the first time.
That energy was replicated on a number of subsequent occasions throughout the night when Stamkos went streaking down the ice or had a chance at the net mouth. The anticipation only grew when he wound up for his patented one-timer, a play that is sure to convert in due time, just like it did on so many occasions in Tampa.
And he almost brought the house down before the night was done.
“I mean, it's sky high,” Preds forward Filip Forsberg said when asked of the potential of Stamkos this season. “We’re fortunate enough to not have to play against him anymore… I thought he looked really good; a lot of shots, and one of those shots on the post there could have been a vintage goal to tie that game. But he's going to be huge for us.”
“It wasn’t going to come right away, but I think he had some good looks,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said of Stamkos. “He did the things that make him special, didn't get rewarded for it, but it’ll be a little bit of a process… But yeah, I thought him and [fellow newcomer Jonathan Marchessault] were really good down the stretch. You can see how competitive they are.”
That competitiveness has served Stamkos well throughout his career, and it’s only a matter of time until the Preds begin to reap the rewards of landing a player of his caliber over the summer.
The signs of greatness were there on Thursday, and if Stamkos has any say in the matter, he’ll be adding to that 555 total soon enough with a new logo on his chest.
“I just tried to embrace the moment,” Stamkos said. “I had the whole family here tonight and saw the kids [during] warmups, so that was cool. It was a great atmosphere, and obviously we would hope for a little better result for the fans. But like I said, we worked, and that's going to be the identity of this team. We’ll get some better bounces if we keep that up.”
