Game Day: Lightning vs. Preds Preview

The Predators began their three-game homestand with the Lightning, and they'll finish it tonight with one more contest against Tampa Bay. This evening's tilt is the eight and final meeting of the season between the two temporary division rivals; Nashville is 1-6-0 against the Bolts this season, including a 3-0 loss on Saturday night.
Despite being shut out over the weekend, there was plenty to like for the Preds in that loss to the Lightning, and Nashville got back in the win column with a 3-2 triumph in a shootout over the Stars on Sunday. The Predators have now won 12 of their last 15 games, and finding success against Tampa Bay would be a satisfying way to conclude their season series.
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"We're feeling good, an it's a simple recipe of how to have fun - you go out and come to the rink every day, you work hard, and obviously we love what we do, and we just have fun every single day," Preds center Ryan Johansen said following Sunday's win. "We're kind of getting back to the basics after a tough start and just coming in and putting our work boots on and working for each other and having fun… We've had each other's back since Day One, and that's come out here in the last 15 games or so. We've stuck together and dug ourselves out of a hole and worked ourselves into a good spot."

During Monday's NHL Trade Deadline
, the Predators acquired defenseman Erik Gudbranson from Ottawa in exchange for defenseman Brandon Fortunato and a seventh-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Gudbranson has appeared in 36 games for the Senators this season, posting three points (1g-2a) and 47 penalty minutes while serving as an alternate captain. The 6-foot-5, 217-pound blueliner led all Senators defensemen in hits with 92 and was third on his team in blocked shots with 51 this season, his first with the Ottawa organization.
Gudbranson will help add defensive depth to a Nashville blue line that continues to deal with injuries; Dante Fabbro, Mark Borowiecki, Alexandre Carrier and Luca Sbisa are the Preds defensemen currently out due to injury.
Predators General Manager David Poile added Monday none of Nashville's injured players are expected to return to the lineup this week.
Update: The Preds have recalled forwards Tanner Jeannot, Michael McCarron and Rem Pitlick from the taxi squad.

The Good Guys:
Ryan Ellis and Yakov Trenin scored in regulation, and Ryan Johansen converted in the shootout in Nashville's 3-2 win over Dallas on Sunday. Juuse Saros made 24 saves through 65 minutes - and three more on the breakaways - to collect his 14th win of the season.
Preds Captain Roman Josi is the healthy leader in scoring with 24 points (4g-20), followed by Viktor Arvidsson with 21 points (8g-13a) and Calle Jarnkrok with 20 points (11g-9a). Mikael Granlund (10g-7a) and Mattias Ekholm (5g-12a) both have 17 points apiece. Saros is 14-7-0 in net for Nashville; Pekka Rinne is 9-12-1.
The Opposition:
The Lightning have been waiting in Nashville to face the Preds again after their 3-0 win on Saturday, Tampa Bay's second-straight victory after a pair of losses. On Saturday, the Lightning acquired defenseman David Savard from Columbus, and he could make his debut with the team tonight.
Defenseman Victor Hedman leads the Bolts in scoring with 37 points (7g-30a), followed by Ondrej Palat with 35 points (12g-23a) and Steven Stamkos - who will miss tonight's game due to injury - with 34 points (17g-17a). Brayden Point also has 34 points on the season, including 16 goals. Andrei Vasilevskiy, who shut out the Preds on Saturday, is 25-6-1 in net.
All-Time Meetings:
The Predators are 17-14-(2)-4 all-time against the Lightning, including a 9-7-(0)-3 record at Bridgestone Arena. Overall, the Preds have earned a point in 14 of their last 20 games (11-6-3) and 17 of their last 24 games (14-7-3) against the Lightning.
This will be the eighth and final meeting between the two teams this season. The Predators are 1-6-0 against the Lightning in 2020-21, picking up a 4-1 win on March 15 in Tampa. Nashville's loss to Tampa Bay on Jan. 30 - the first matchup between the teams this season - was its first in regulation against the Lightning since Dec. 29, 2013, a 13-game span.
Notables Versus Tampa Bay:
Ryan Johansen has 12 points (2g-10a) in his last 13 contests against Tampa Bay, a run that included a six-game point streak from Jan. 5, 2017 to Oct. 26, 2019. Calle Jarnkrok owns 15 points (4g-11a) in 16 career games vs. Tampa Bay. He tallied a career-high four points (1g-3a) against the Lightning on March 15.
Roman Josi has 14 points (3g-11a) in 19 career games against the Lightning, including five points (1g-4a) in his last seven contests. Ryan Ellis has 12 points (4g-8a) in 17 career meetings with Tampa Bay and tallied a career-high three points (3a) on Nov. 21, 2016 vs. the Lightning.
Watch & Listen:
Coverage for this evening's 7 p.m. CT puck drop from Nashville begins at 6:30 p.m. CT with the Predators Live! pregame show on Bally Sports South hosted by Lyndsay Rowley and Terry Crisp. Willy Daunic, Chris Mason and Kara Hammer have the call on the television side, while Pete Weber and Hal Gill will broadcast on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network. Pregame coverage on the radio begins at 6 p.m. For broadcast information and channel locations throughout the country,
click here
.
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Streaming Info:
Listen to a Live Radio Feed
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Watch a Live Stream of the game
on the Fox Sports Go App or
Watch on NHL.TV
\As we transition to Bally Sports, one of our primary goals was to ensure that local fans and subscribers everywhere still get their teams whenever and wherever they want. The FOX Sports GO app will remain functional until the transition is complete. Once the Bally Sports app becomes widely available, the FOX Sports GO app will update to the all-new Bally Sports app. If a fan has updates enabled, the app will transition automatically; if not, they will need to manually update the app.