After collecting a pair of wins on back-to-back nights, the Nashville Predators (3-5-0) will try for another when they face the Tampa Bay Lightning (5-3-0) tonight at Amalie Arena at 6:30 p.m. CT. Tonight’s contest is the first of two meetings between the clubs; the Preds will host the Bolts in Nashville the day after Thanksgiving.
The Predators began their season by losing their first five outings, but they’ve now won their last three, including a 4-3 victory in overtime against Columbus on Saturday night. Jonathan Marchessault tallied the game-winner as the Preds dug in to collect two more points in the second half of a back-to-back set.
“We came into the weekend, three games in four nights, those are tough games, especially on the road, with traveling and all that,” Preds defenseman Alexandre Carrier said following Saturday’s win. “It feels good to be back on the winning streak, but it’s early. It's only three [wins]. So, we’ve just got to keep building, keep trusting our system and trusting each other, and then we'll keep it going.”
Tonight, they’ll face the Lightning with the game carrying special significance for one member of the Preds. Steven Stamkos, who spent the first 16 seasons of his career in Tampa Bay and captained the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships, will return to Amalie Arena for the first time since signing with the Preds over the summer.
“I think, one, it’ll be nice to get over with, I think for all parties, just to get over that hump,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said on Stamkos returning to Tampa. “It'll be a special moment for Stammer and well deserved… It’s going to be hard, lots of emotion with our group. I hope we stay stable. I think we have a veteran group and a leadership group that's strong; seen all kinds of different things. So, I think we'll be able to handle it. It’s going to be one of those things that’s going to be really nice when it happens, but it'd be nice as our team, I think, to move forward once it goes and get past it.”
On Saturday, defenseman Dante Fabbro re-entered the Nashville lineup in favor of blueliner Marc Del Gaizo. Forwards Juuso Parssinen and Philip Tomasino were also scratched for Nashville.
The Preds shifted their forward lines on Saturday with Brunette moving Marchessault up with Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly, a different look as opposed to having Gustav Nyquist on the wing with Nashville’s top trio. Nyquist skated with Stamkos and Tommy Novak, while Colton Sissons centered Mark Jankowski and Luke Evangelista.
Last Time Out:
In addition to Marchessault’s OT winner, Forsberg, Cole Smith and Carrier also found the back of the net against Columbus. Rookie forward Zach L’Heureux recorded an assist for his first NHL point, and goaltender Scott Wedgewood made 25 saves to earn his first win as a member of the Preds.
The Good Guys:
Forsberg leads the Preds with four goals and eight points on the season, followed by Ryan O’Reilly (2g-5a) with seven points. Luke Evangelista (1g-4a), Roman Josi (5a), Marchessault (2g-3a) and Brady Skjei (2g-3a) all have five points apiece, while Tommy Novak has three goals and four points. Juuse Saros is 2-4-0 in net for Nashville with a .908 save percentage; Wedgewood is 1-1-0 in two starts.
The Opposition:
Tampa Bay is coming off of a 3-0 victory over Washington on Saturday night. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with eight goals and 14 points through eight games, followed by Brandon Hagel (6g-4a) and Anthony Cirelli (1g-9a) with 10 points apiece. Victor Hedman and Nick Paul have identical statlines with two goals and eight points each. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is 4-3-0 in net with an .896 save percentage.
All-Time Meetings:
Nashville is 19-18-(2)-5 all-time against Tampa Bay, including an 8-10-(2)-1 record on the road.
The Predators are 1-3-1 in their last five games against the Lightning; they are 3-6-1 in their last 10; and 1-4-0 in their last five at Amalie Arena.
The Predators split the regular season series last year one game apiece (1-1-0). Tampa Bay won the first game 5-3, which was the season-opener for both teams. Ryan O’Reilly scored in his first game as a member of the Predators.
Notables Versus Tampa Bay:
Steven Stamkos won two Stanley Cups (2020-21), two Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophies (2009-10 and 2011-12) and the Mark Messier Leadership Award (2022-23) with the Lightning. Drafted first overall in the 2008 NHL Draft by Tampa Bay, he played 16 seasons with the Lightning and was named captain in 2014. He is the Lightning franchise leader in games played (1,082), goals (555) and points (1,137).
Jonathan Marchessault played two seasons (2014-16) with the Lightning. Marchessault appeared in 47 games with Tampa Bay, posting 19 points (8g-11a) in those contests. He has 14 points (8g-6a) in 16 games against the Lightning.
Tampa Bay defenseman Ryan McDonagh was acquired from Nashville on May 21, 2024. McDonagh skated in 142 games with the Predators from 2022-24, tallying 52 points (5g-47a).
Luke Schenn won two Stanley Cups with Tampa Bay (2020-21) and played in 63 games for the Lightning across parts of two seasons from 2019-21.
Milestone Watch:
Luke Schenn is one point from 200 in his NHL career.
Tommy Novak is one point from 100 in his NHL career.
Filip Forsberg is five power-play goals from passing Shea Weber (80) for the franchise lead.
Watch & Listen:
Tonight’s contest will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+ and Hulu with Bob Wischusen, Ray Ferraro and Kevin Weekes on the call.
Max Herz and Hal Gill will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network, with pregame, postgame and intermission coverage beginning one hour before puck drop. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM. (El partido también se transmite en español por El Jefe en 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM y 810 AM.)
