NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Paul Stastny’s 700th career point was certainly dramatic.
Max Pacioretty tied the game with less than a second left in regulation and Stastny scored at 1:52 of overtime to give the Vegas Golden Knights a 4-3 comeback victory over the Nashville Predators on Wednesday night.
Mark Stone, Reilly Smith and Pacioretty each had a goal and an assist for Vegas, which snapped a three-game losing streak. Malcolm Subban made 31 saves for his first win of the season.
“It was pretty exciting to win a game like that,” Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. “We needed something like that for our team tonight. Score late like that and then win it in overtime, it’s huge for our team.”
Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene both contributed a goal and an assist for Nashville. Ryan Ellis also scored and Roman Josi added two assists.
In overtime, Nate Schmidt intercepted Calle Jarnkrok’s pass attempt and went in on a 2-on-0 break on Predators goalie Juuse Saros. Schmidt fed a cross-ice pass to Stastny, who buried a one-timer for the winner.
The goal was Stastny’s 700th NHL point. He and his father, Peter, are the third father-son duo to each have at least 700 points, joining the Hulls and the Howes.
"We kind of never gave up,” Stastny said. “The spirit on the bench was always the same. We always stuck with it. Sometimes it takes that last second.”
Nashville appeared to have a regulation victory in hand, but Pacioretty scored with 0.3 seconds remaining in the third period and Subban pulled for an extra attacker to send the game to overtime.
“We had everybody on board tonight,” Pacioretty said. “We’ve had situations like this before where we’ve had a game that we want to rally behind, and this is definitely one of them.”
Early in the third and with the game tied at 2, Duchene wired a wrist shot from the high slot inside the near post for his seventh goal of the season.
Stone scored the first goal of the game at 7:33 of the opening period.
From the goal line to the right of the Nashville net, Pacioretty used a soccer-style kick to direct the puck to Stone in the lower part of the left circle. From there he was able to beat Saros high to the glove side.
Smith made it 2-0 at 6:22 of the second.
A pass from Schmidt sent Smith in on a breakaway as he slipped behind Predators defenseman Dante Fabbro. From the slot, Smith beat Saros with a backhand between the pads.
Granlund halved the Vegas lead 39 seconds later.
Josi drove the puck down the right side and found Granlund in the low slot, where his quick redirection beat Subban through the legs.
Granlund has seven points in his last seven games.
“I think he’s been probably one of our most noticeable players,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. “The production is coming now, but he’s working so hard every game. It’s hard not to notice him out there and the things that he does.”
Ellis tied it 2-all at 11:25 of the second.
Deep in the Vegas zone, Josi’s pass came to Ellis on the right side. After drawing Subban his way with a fake, Ellis switched to his backhand and slid the puck into the open net.
“It would have been nice to keep this little streak we got going, especially after the negative streak we had there,” Ellis said. “It happens, and we’ve got to move past it.”
Saros made 26 saves in his third consecutive start.
NOTES: Nashville C Kyle Turris was a healthy scratch for the fifth consecutive game. ... Vegas is 1-1-2 when tied after two periods. ... The Golden Knights are 2-4-1 against Central Division opponents. ... Vegas hasn’t scored a power-play goal in its last four games. ... Subban is 3-1-0 in his career against Nashville.
UP NEXT
Golden Knights: Host the Arizona Coyotes on Friday.
Predators: At the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.
