Predators’ Stamkos has quiet night in debut

Steven Stamkos had a quiet night in his official debut as a member of the Nashville Predators.

The 34-year-old forward went pointless in the Predators’ 4-3 season-opening loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

He finished the game with three shots, two hits and a 44.4 faceoff percentage over 22:51 of ice time. He also recorded two penalty minutes after getting called for hooking Stars defenceman Thomas Harley in the first period.

His best play of the night came in the final seconds of the third period when the Predators pulled their goalie for an extra skater. Stamkos’ one-timer struck the post, coming close to tying the game.

After 16 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Stamkos joined the Nashville Predators on a four-year, $32-million contract in free agency on July 1.

Across 1,082 career games with the Lightning, Stamkos recorded 555 goals and 582 assists for a total of 1,137 points.