Predators lose but see Stadium Series as 'big win for Nashville hockey'

NASHVILLE --The crowd was huge, the weather was perfect, the hockey hard-fought, and the entertainment electric.

The only disappointment for the Nashville Predators on Saturday at Nissan Stadium was the outcome as the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning won 3-2 in front of a sellout crowd of 68,619 at the 2022 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series.
It was the first outdoor home game for the Predators, who played in the 2020 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 1, losing to the Dallas Stars 4-2 at Cotton Bowl Stadium.
"It was pretty unbelievable, surreal coming out of the locker room and seeing the full stadium and our fans," captain Roman Josi said. "Every time something is going on here, they show up. The support is unbelievable.
"You wanted to win this game so bad for our fans. So that stinks, obviously, that we couldn't get a win for them. But obviously, we're very grateful for our fans. It's something we'll never forget."

The Predators thrilled the majority of the crowd -- which was the seventh-largest ever for an NHL game -- when they took a 1-0 lead at 8:20 of the first period on rookie forward Tanner Jeannot's 18th goal of the season. Tampa Bay responded with three consecutive goals, the last of which gave the Lightning a 3-1 lead at 11:31 of the third period.
But Nashville showed some fight.
Filip Forsberg's goal less than a minute later made it a one-goal game and seemed to give the Predators momentum. Nashville totaled six shot attempts in the final moments, but Tampa Bay goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy made saves on shots by Ryan Johansen, Jeannot and Josi.
"I think we were playing well in the third [period], after [Tampa Bay's] goal and even before that," Forsberg said. "After their goal, we were pushing, we're doing everything we can, throwing pucks at them. [Vasilevskiy] was playing really well in net and they were defending well. But yeah, if one of those bounces goes either way, we score at the end."
The game on Saturday marked the end of an emotional and eventful week for the Predators (30-19-4).
On Tuesday, they rallied after trailing 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3 to defeat the Florida Panthers 6-4 at FLA Live Arena. On Thursday at Bridgestone Arena, Nashville retired the No. 35 of Pekka Rinne, who played 15 seasons for the Predators and is their all-time leader in games played by a goalie (683), wins (369) and shutouts (60). Nashville defeated the Dallas Stars 2-1 in a shootout following the ceremony.
But the Predators couldn't extend their winning streak to three games against the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Lightning.
"We wanted to send people over to [the downtown district] happy tonight," Forsberg said. "I guess now at least a couple people will be -- the Lightning fans. But like I said, it was a great atmosphere, and I thought the game was hard-fought all the way to the end."
The Predators said that, despite the loss, they still might have delivered a memorable experience for all involved.
"I know we put on a pretty good show for all the fans, so I hope everybody enjoyed it," forward Colton Sissons said. "It was a big win for Nashville hockey, that's for sure."