Game Day: NHL Stadium Series, Lightning vs. Preds Preview

The 2022 NHL Stadium Series has arrived, and it's time to take things outside.
The Nashville Predators are looking to cap off a special week with two more points in the first outdoor NHL game in Tennessee history at Nissan Stadium tonight against the Tampa Bay Lightning. This is the first of two meetings between Nashville and Tampa Bay this season; they will play again on April 23 at AMALIE Arena.
After winning a 2-1 shootout thriller against Dallas on Pekka Rinne's jersey retirement night, the Preds are now on a two-game roll and are looking to carry that momentum into this evening's matchup - a contest that carries a bit more meaning than the average regular-season game.

The anticipation is high, but the Preds are ready to embrace the challenge as a monumental week comes to a conclusion.
"We all knew this was going to be a big week for us… and there's a lot of things that are happening outside of the actual game," Preds forward Mikael Granlund said. "There's a lot of friends and family and all kinds of stuff going on. So, for everybody, it's really good. You enjoy it, try to take as much as you can, because these types of games don't happen often. That's something you've really got to enjoy, but at the same time, when it's time to play, we've got to go out there and play and try to get those two points. If we can make that happen tomorrow night, it'll be a really good week."
"These are memories of a lifetime, and we're all fortunate enough to be in the National Hockey League and not everyone gets to get the opportunity to play these games - but, at the same time, we also clearly know that there are certain times that we have to be focused on," Hynes said. "It's just understanding that there are times you can enjoy it, but it is also about performance for all of us and making sure that our preparation times are right. When it's time to perform, it's not about nostalgia. That's going to be a hockey game that we've got to coach and play to win."
The Preds recalled defenseman Matt Tennyson from Milwaukee (AHL) on Friday and placed forward Nick Cousins on Injured Reserve (lower body). Defenseman Mark Borowiecki has missed the past two games and is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

The Good Guys:

Philip Tomasino was the lone Predator to tally in regulation on Thursday evening against the Stars. Mikael Granlund capped the historic night off with the winning goal in the shootout, and Juuse Saros stopped all four skaters he faced. The Predators moved to 7-4 in overtime/shootouts this season (5-2 in OT; 2-2 in shootouts).
Preds Captain Roman Josi (14g-39a) continues to lead the Preds in points with 53, closely trailed by Matt Duchene (23g-23a) with 46 and Filip Forsberg (26g-18a) with 44 points. Granlund (8g-32a) has 40 points, Ryan Johansen (13g-23a) has 36 points, and rookie sensation Tanner Jeannot (17g-14a) has 31 points. Saros is now 25-15-3 in net with a .924 save percentage.

The Opposition:

Tampa Bay has won four of their last five including a 5-3 victory over the Oilers on Wednesday evening. Steven Stamkos (24g-32a) leads the Lightning in points with 56, followed by Victor Hedman (11g-39a) with 50 points and Alex Killorn (16g-28a) with 44 points. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is 27-8-4 in net.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 18-14-(2)-4 all-time against the Lightning, including a 10-7-(0)-3 record at home. The Predators are 2-3-0 in their last five games vs. the Lightning; they are 3-6-1 in their last 10; and 1-3-1 in their last five at home.

Notables Versus Tampa Bay:

Colton Sissons notched his first career regular-season hat trick on Jan. 5, 2017 vs. Tampa Bay and became the first player in NHL history to score at least three goals in a game with his second being an empty-netter and his third being scored on a goalie.
Ryan Johansen has 14 points (2g-12a) in his last 14 contests against Tampa Bay, a run that included a six-game point streak from Jan. 5, 2017-Oct. 26, 2019. Roman Josi has 17 points (4g-13a) in 20 career games against the Lightning, including eight points (2g-6a) in his last eight contests.
Matt Duchene owns 20 points (10g-10a) in 23 career contests vs. Tampa Bay; including the postseason, he is averaging a point per game against the Lightning, posting 27 points (13g-14a) in 27 games.
Alexandre Carrier (March 3, 2021) and Tanner Jeannot (April 13, 2021) both scored their first career NHL goals against Tampa Bay.

Preds Outdoor Hockey History:

A total of 11 current Nashville skaters have appeared in at least one outdoor NHL game: Matt Duchene (1g-1a-2pts in 3gp), Mikael Granlund (2gp), Philippe Myers (2pg), Roman Josi (2a in 1gp), Dante Fabbro (1g-0a-1pt in 1gp), Filip Forsberg (1a-1pt in 1gp), Nick Cousins (1gp), Mattias Ekholm (1gp), and Ryan Johansen (1gp). Predators goaltender David Rittich made 43 saves for the Flames in the 2019 NHL Heritage Classic at Mosaic Stadium - the most by a goaltender in outdoor NHL game history.
Matt Duchene (1g-1a-2pts) and Roman Josi (2a) factored on both Predators goals during the 2020 NHL Winter Classic, which were scored in the opening 7:36 of the first period. The only players to factor on each of a franchise's first three all-time outdoor NHL game goals are Steve Staios with Edmonton (2003 HC) and Martin Havlat with Chicago (2009 WC).
Dante Fabbro represented Canada in the first outdoor game in World Junior Championship history, in front of 44,592 fans at New Era Field in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Dec. 29, 2017. He also skated outdoors with the Boston University Terriers in a 5-3 win against the UMass Minutemen at Frozen Fenway 2017.
Mikael Granlund, who played four seasons in the Finnish Elite League before reaching the NHL, skated outdoors with HIFK during the 2011 Talviklassikko at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Finland. Granlund opened the scoring 23 seconds into the first period and got a second goal to guide HIFK past Jokerit.
Filip Forsberg played 10 regular-season games with Leksands IF in 2010-11, which included their outdoor game against Mora IK at Villa Långbers Arena in Leksand, Sweden, on Feb. 26, 2011.
John Hynes was head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the 2013 AHL Outdoor Classic at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pa. The Penguins earned a 2-1 overtime win against the Hershey Bears.

Watch & Listen:

The 2022 NHL Stadium Series is set for a 6:30 p.m. CT start on TNT in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada. Pete Weber and Hal Gill will broadcast on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network. For broadcast information and channel locations throughout the country, click here.