The old magic is still there for Steven Stamkos, who lit up the scoreboard with three goals to power the Nashville Predators past the Ottawa Senators 5-3 on Thursday night.
The win couldn’t have come at a better time for Nashville, snapping their two-game losing streak and pushing them to their 24th victory this season.
At 35 years old, Stamkos showed he’s still got plenty left in the tank. This was his second hat trick of the season – and the 16th of his impressive NHL career.
“It’s always special when you can put three in the net,” Stamkos said after the game. “But honestly, getting the win was what we needed most tonight.”
The veteran forward has been on quite a tear this year. He’s already notched 24 goals in just 50 games, proving last season’s dip in production was just a temporary setback.
That’s quite the bounce-back from last year, when he managed only 27 goals across a full 82-game schedule – his lowest total in a healthy season since 2017-18.
His first hat trick this season came in spectacular fashion back on December 11, when he went even better and scored four times.
Now in his 18th NHL season, Stamkos has only recorded three multi-goal games this year. But when he gets hot, he really gets hot.
The way he’s playing, he’s on pace to blow past last season’s numbers. Not bad for a guy who’s been in the league since George W. Bush was president.
