How Nicolas Hague, Steven Stamkos reversed roles in Predators' win

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Nicolas Hague and Steven Stamkos played huge roles in the Nashville Predators' 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Jan. 3.

But probably not the way you'd think.

With the game tied 3-3 late, Hague launched a shot that beat goaltender Dustin Wolf, giving the Predators a 4-3 lead with 29 seconds left. Then, at the other end, Stamkos blocked a shot by Rasmus Andersson with 4 seconds left to preserve the win.

Stamkos, with 600 career goals, blocked a shot. Hague, with 518 career blocked shots, scored a goal.

"Everyone gets fired up for a moment like that," Hague told reporters after the win. "That time of the game, (a block) is almost bigger than scoring a goal."

Stamkos was left reeling after the block, limping on the ice as the Predators (19-18-4, 42 points) celebrated at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Hague, obviously, can relate.

"I'm sure he's going to feel it tomorrow," he said.

The win was the Predators' sixth in eight games, pulling them back into fourth place in the Central Division. It was also their fourth win on the current seven-game road trip, which concludes Jan. 6 in Edmonton.

"It's never going to be easy for us, it hasn't been all year," Hague said. "Tonight's another example of that. I'm really proud of the group, the way we stick together. Keep pushing for that next goal."

Nicolas Hague heating up for the Nashville Predators

When Predators general manager Barry Trotz acquired and signed Hague during the summer, he did so to get "younger and bigger" on the back end. The Predators sent 32-year-old Colton Sissons and 28-year-old Jeremy Lauzon to Vegas to add 26-year-old Hague to their defense.

Though Hague started the season on injured reserve, he has been a good fit on the blue line. In 32 games, he has two goals, eight assists, 30 blocked shots and 49 hits while skating more than 19 minutes per game.

He also has showed he's willing to dole out punishment when it's warranted, which he did against the Flames.

In the first period, a fight broke out between Nashville's Cole Smith and Calgary's Ryan Lomberg, then another between Michael McCarron and John Beecher. While the officials were settling things down between McCarron and Beecher, Beecher snuck one final shot on McCarron. The blow landed hard, knocking McCarron to the ice and to the locker room.

Both served two minutes for roughing and 10-minute misconduct penalties, but the Predators didn't believe Beecher's punishment was enough. When Beecher returned to the ice in the second period, Hague immediately challenged him to a fight, landing several right hooks.

"We never back down," Hague said.

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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: How Nicolas Hague, Steven Stamkos reversed roles in Predators' win

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