Predators surge toward playoff contention fueled by Stamkos' milestones and surging offense, closing in on a crucial Wild Card berth.
The Nashville Predators' climb from worst to a playoff contender continues as their 4-3 win over the Utah Mammoth on Monday puts them three points outside of a playoff spot.
Nashville has 38 points and sits at 17-17-4 on the year, winning 11 of its last 16 dating back to Nov. 26.
When Monday's final was official, the Predators were one point out of a final Wild Card spot, but with San Jose defeating Anaheim, 5-4, the gap widened to three points. The Sharks, who started off the year 0-4-2, are also in the midst of a complete turnaround.
However, the hill that Nashville continues to climb is a little more impressive. This was a team that was six games below .500 on Nov. 24 and fresh off an 8-3 loss to the Florida Panthers, the most goals the Predators had given up in a game since April 1, 2025, in an 8-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Steven Stamkos, who scored two goals and totaled three points in Monday's win, has been central in the Predators' turnaround effort. In the first month of the season, Stamkos had just four points (three goals, one assist) in 17 games.
That total slowly began to climb, reaching 16 points (11 goals, five assists) in 13 games in December, and 10 points in the last seven games.
Stamkos, in this run, has eclipsed a significant career milestone and is on the brink of another. In a 5-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Dec. 2, Stamkos recorded his 1200th career point, becoming the 53rd player to surpass that margin in NHL history.
"This is the time of year that can really propell your season or sink you in a hole that is tough to get out of," Stamkos said. "We know the way the schedule is right now and we need to collect as many points as possible."
On Monday, Stamkos scored career goals 598 and 599, on the brink of becoming just the 22nd player ever to record 600 goals. He is only one of three active players to have 599 career goals alongside Sidney Crosby (645) and Alexander Ovechkin (912).
After an arrival to Nashville that fell short during the 2024-25 season, Stamkos has seemingly delivered on the promise made when he was acquired a year and a half ago.
Ryan O'Reilly continues to be a force for the Predators, netting 34 points in 38 games and has had a point in all but two games in December, scoring 16 points (three goals, 13 assists) in 13 games.
Filip Forsberg has had a similar month, recording 13 points (seven goals, six assists) in 13 games. He has 30 points (16 goals, 14 assists) in 38 games this season.
The Predators will need some help from the Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning to jump into the Wild Card spot, but the most they can do is win.
"We want to enjoy the win, they're hard to come by in this league," head coach Andrew Brunette said. "We'll reassess. A little bit of summer hockey-ness here and we need to tighten up after the break. We'll work on those tomorrow. We know what we have ahead of us."
They have a primary matchup next against the Vegas Golden Knights, who are second in the Pacific Division and have lost five of their last six. A win would put them over the Edmonton Oilers for the top spot in the division and get them out of this rut that they are in.
A lot is at stake for both teams, both in different spots, but are eager to move up the standings.