Ellis Returns as Preds Fall to Lightning

The Predators were unable to solve Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy on Saturday night, as Nashville fell to Tampa Bay by a 3-0 final. The result sees Nashville's three-game winning streak come to an end, as they move to 1-6-0 against the Lightning on the season, but the Preds still own the fourth spot in the Central Division with 45 points.
Preds goaltender Pekka Rinne made his first start in six games, and although he made 30 saves of his own, Vasilevskiy turned aside all 36 pucks thrown his way.
However, despite the score, the Predators continued playing to their identity that has brought them so much recent success, and that was especially apparent to a familiar face who made his return on Saturday night.

"I felt better than expected, and the team as a whole, it's like night and day," Preds Associate Captain Ryan Ellis, who was back for Nashville after missing 20 games due to injury, said. "When I got hurt, every night was a battle, and we were working, but nothing was happening for us. Tonight, I mean, it felt like years past where we were just buzzing in the O-zone, making good plays, getting chances, and obviously we didn't connect on any…but it felt, one, good to be back, but two, I think the way the team played, it was definitely not the result, but the identity was there."

"We had a pretty good 60-minute effort tonight," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. "We played lots to our identity and how we want to be able to play to be able to have success. That's the unfortunate part was we didn't get any reward for it, but now it's about moving on and getting ready for Dallas [tomorrow]."
Despite holding an 18-5 advantage in shots after the first 20 minutes, the Predators found themselves trailing the Lightning on a goal from Ross Colton. In the second stanza, Tampa Bay got a bounce and Erik Cernak got credit for a tally that found its way past Rinne for a 2-0 advantage after two periods.
The Predators registered 10 more shots in the final frame, but Yanni Gourde finished the night off with an empty-netter late in regulation to hand Nashville just their third loss in their last 14 tries.
Ellis was gone for all of those outings and then some, but as he watched games from afar while recovering from injury, he began to notice a change in his club. Ellis truly got to experience that shift firshand on Saturday night, and the associate captain was inspired by what he saw.
"Absolutely," Ellis said when asked if he could sense a change. "I just haven't really gotten to skate with them much either, so I wasn't able to really sense it during the week, but in the game itself, guys were just making plays, guys were holding onto the pucks and [we were] working hard. It was fun to be out there with them, and I think we deserved better…but it was a great team effort.
"Guys are working, bounces are starting to happen, chances are created and it's been a joy to watch, and tonight, it was a joy to be a part of."
Ellis and the Predators will now turn their attention to a Sunday-night matchup with the Dallas Stars, a crucial meeting in the race for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Central Division, with just five points separating the two clubs and three games in hand for the Stars.
"The most important thing is when you're in these situations, you can't get too high, you can't get too low," Hynes said. "We played a pretty good game. Obviously, wasn't good enough to find a way to win it, but you really have to turn the page. Our focus now is not to sit and dwell on this when we've got a big game tomorrow. We've got a tough team coming in here to play, and we've got to make sure that we're ready for Dallas."

Notes:
Ellis logged two shots and two hits in 19:43 of ice time in his return to the lineup. He also had a goal taken off the scoreboard after an offside review.
On Friday, the Predators announced forward Eeli Tolvanen (lower-body) and defenseman Dante Fabbro (upper-body) were week-to-week with their respective injuries. Forward Mathieu Olivier will miss 4-6 weeks with a lower-body injury.
Forwards Rem Pitlick and Michael McCarron reentered the lineup on Saturday, in addition to Ellis on the backend.
The Predators conclude their back-to-back weekend on Sunday night (at 7 p.m. CT) when they host the Dallas Stars at Bridgestone Arena before facing the Lightning once again on Tuesday in Nashville (at 7 p.m.).