NHL: Stamkos hits 40

Steven Stamkos scored his 40th goal on April 11 and pushed Nashville past Minnesota 2-1 with an assist on the winner. (nhl.com) The goal came at 15:01 of the first period on a wraparound at the left post, and Stamkos then set up Matthew Wood’s goal at 6:34 of the second. Justus Annunen stopped 21 of 22 shots for Nashville at Bridgestone Arena. (nhl.com) Michael McCarron scored at 6:54 of the third to cut the lead to 2-1, but Nashville held on. Jesper Wallstedt made 20 saves for Minnesota, which dropped its second straight game. (espn.com) The win kept the Predators alive in the Western Conference wild-card race with two games left. NHL.com’s recap said Nashville stayed one point behind the Los Angeles Kings for the second wild card, while ESPN’s update later Saturday listed the gap at three points after a Kings win over Edmonton. (nhl.com) (espn.com) Stamkos reached 40 goals for the eighth time in his 18 National Hockey League seasons. Nashville’s team site said he also became the third player in franchise history to hit the 40-goal mark. (nhl.com) Roman Josi returned for Nashville after missing the April 9 game against the Utah Mammoth with an upper-body injury. Josi said the Predators treated the game as a “must-win,” and Stamkos called it “a huge win for our group.” (espn.com) (nhl.com) Minnesota had already been locked into third place in the Central Division and will face the Dallas Stars in the first round. Coach John Hynes rested Joel Eriksson Ek, Mats Zuccarello and Jared Spurgeon, saying lineup decisions and team habits still mattered before Game 1. (nhl.com) Nashville’s next chance to keep the chase going came Monday at home against San Jose. Stamkos had already done his part by giving the Predators one more meaningful week. (espn.com)