WALDRON GRAIN & FUEL

12/11 23:05 CST Predators center Steven Stamkos scores 4 goals in win over Blues Predators center Steven Stamkos scores 4 goals in win over Blues NASHVILLE, Tenn (AP) --- Steven Stamkos rediscovered his scoring touch with a four-goal outing on Thursday night, and it's no coincidence that the Nashville Predators' trajectory is suddenly pointing up. After a slow start to the season, Stamkos now has eight goals in his past eight outings, which coincides with the Predators going 6-2 over that stretch following a 7-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. "I'm going to have to remember what I ate for breakfast. When you get to my age sometimes you forget," said the 35-year-old, who opened the season with four goals in his first 22 games. "Sometimes you feel the legs are feeling light and tonight, when you score one early in the game, I think that's the feeling you have. And it was nice to contribute in a big win for our group." The four-goal outing was the second of Stamkos' 18-year career. He previously scored four times in 7-4 win at Edmonton on Dec. 14, 2023, while with the Tampa Bay Lightning. And he became just the fourth Predators player to score four times, joining Filip Forsberg and Rocco Grimaldi, who did so in 2021, and Eric Nystrom (2014). Stamkos opened the scoring 8:22 in by batting in his own rebound on a two-on-one break. He made it 2-0 less than three minutes later by converting a rebound in front after Jordan Binnington stopped Roman Josi's initial shot from the blue line. He then completed his 15th career hat-trick with a shot from the high slot that deflected in off the skate of Blues defenseman Justin Faulk 12:06 into the second period. And his fourth goal made it 6-2 and came 3:27 later, when Josi's shot deflected onto Stamkos' stick in front, from where he backhanded it in behind Binnington. The No. 1 pick in the 2008 draft is also closing in on becoming the 22nd player to reach the 600-goal plateau. Stamkos now has 594 career goals, leaving him seven short of matching Jari Kurri. "It's a little surreal, to be honest, when you look at the history of this league and how many great players there's been," he said of the milestone. What mattered more was the win. In his second season in Nashville, Stamkos was part of the Predators 2024 offseason major spending spree that failed to pan out with the team missing the playoffs last season. Nashville (12-14-4) followed by getting off to a slow start to this season before its recent run inching the team closer into contention. "It hasn't quite worked out the way that we wanted to in terms of the success we've had as a team. But we're rolling right now," said Stamkos. "I think we're playing some hockey that people probably expected us to play, and expected of ourselves. And we want to keep that going." ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl