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Steven Stamkos' heroics were 'extra special' for Roman Josi, Predators
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- Steven Stamkos' heroics were 'extra special' for Roman Josi, Predators
For nearly 40 minutes, it looked like the Nashville Predators were going to spoil Roman Josi's 1,000th game with a flop against the Ottawa Senators .
The Predators couldn't get out of their own way in the defensive end and had few chances to cut into a three-goal lead by the Senators.
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That changed late in the second period when Steven Stamkos took over .
Stamkos' power play goal with just over a minute left in the second period put the Predators within striking distance heading into the third. Then Jonathan Marchessault followed with a transition goal to cut the deficit to one goal with 11 minutes left in regulation.
Then, more heroics from Stamkos. First a game-tying, one-timer goal on the power play, then a late rebound goal to complete the hat-trick and set up a dramatic 5-3 win for Nashville (24-22-4, 52 points) against the Senators (23-20-7, 53 points) on Jan. 22 at Bridgestone Arena.
"I didn't like the way I played in the first half, or the way the group played, but we responded and that's what matters," Stamkos said. "It's a good feeling ... and to do it on (Josi's) night tonight is extra special. Anytime you have milestones and you win, you feel good."
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Predators motivated to win for Roman Josi 's milestone
Everyone in the building knew what was at stake for Josi, the first player to appear in 1,000 games entirely with the organization. And if they didn't, all they had to do was watch warmups, when all 20 members of the Predators came out wearing No. 59 for warmups to honor their captain.
"It's one of those games where you're really happy for Roman," Stamkos said. "He means so much to this organization and locker room. Not only as a player, but as a pillar in the community. Such a great friend off the ice. We wanted to do it for him and I'm glad it worked out."
Predators coach Andrew Brunette has seen many 1,000 game milestones − even played in his own as a member of the Minnesota Wild in 2011 − but had a hard time recalling one more enjoyable.
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"Very few like that. In this building, the comeback, and for (Josi) to play a big part of it for his 1,000th game," Brunette said. "I've seen a lot, and this was as special as they come. Extremely happy and you could tell the guys were ecstatic that we were able to pull it through for him."
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Josi skated a season high 29:03, plus recorded an assist on Stamkos' game-tying goal. He had four shots, one block and two takeaways.
"It was a pretty special day," Josi said. "I'm so grateful to be able to play here for so long. I'll remember a lot of moments from today, it was cool."
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Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com . Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1 . Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds .
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Steven Stamkos' heroics 'extra special' for Roman Josi, Predators
