Preds Prevail Over Lightning in Clash Between League's Best

In arguably their toughest test through 20 games this season, the Preds placed in their top percentile.
Ryan Johansen posted a goal and an assist, as the Nashville Predators defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning by a 3-2 final on Monday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result is Nashville's second consecutive victory overall, and it gives them a season sweep over the team with the second-best record in the League.
It was also career victory No. 319 for Preds goaltender Pekka Rinne, a mark that tied him with Miikka Kiprusoff for the most wins by a Finnish-born goaltender in NHL history.
Overall, not bad for a Monday.

"We were really good early on in the game, and for the most part controlled the events on the ice," Rinne said. "They had a big push back in the third… but whenever you play a top team like that, they're going to get some chances and I thought we measured up against them really well."
After Victor Hedman gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead in the opening period, Kyle Turris tallied his second power-play goal in as many games to even the score after 20 minutes of play.

Then, it was Filip Forsberg who sniped home his 13th of the season to give the Preds their first lead of the night, and four minutes later, Johansen put forth a masterful display of hand-eye coordination as he tipped a Craig Smith shot past goaltender Louis Domingue to give Nashville a two-goal advantage after two.

"It's been good," Forsberg said of his line's play. "We want to contribute every night on the score sheet. We had a couple good looks last game, but it didn't go our way. We had two big goals in the second there to get the team going and that's what we are here for."
Nikita Kucherov ensured there would be furious finish in the third when he pulled the Bolts to within one with over 16 minutes to play, but Rinne was up for the challenge, turning aside 12 Lightning shots in the final frame.
And, for good measure, defenseman Mattias Ekholm pulled a loose puck off the goal line with 10 seconds left to clinch the 15th triumph for the Predators in just 20 tries this season.
"I could have lived without the last one," Ekholm joked. "I was just trying to keep it out of the net, and it worked out. I was a good night for us; we played a fast-paced game. It was two great teams going at it, and we got the last punch. We were battling hard all night."

Battle of the Best:
Twice this month, the Predators and Lightning have faced one another with the two best records in the NHL.
And on both occasions, those residing in Nashville have been victorious.
"They're a really good hockey team over there," Forsberg said. "They have some fire power over there, and they can hurt you. But we battled through it; guys worked hard and did an unbelievable job at the end. Pekka tonight saved us. This game was 3-2, but I think it was a better game than the one we played against them earlier."
Indeed, a glance at the score from that first meeting on Nov. 1, a 4-1 Nashville win in Tampa Bay, might lead one to believe that win was just as satisfying. However, Laviolette stated after Monday's effort that initial outing was not indicative of how he wants his team to play.
On the second try, the bench boss liked what he saw.

"We played a much better game than we did down in Tampa even though we got the win," Laviolette said. "When that game was over, we met the next day as a group to talk about the standard of play we want here and that first game was not it. We relied way too much on our goaltender and chances were lopsided in Tampa's favor. We wanted to play a better game than we played down there and we know they're one of the top teams in the League. It was a good game and a good match up."
No matter the juncture of the season, an opportunity for their Preds to test themselves against another member of the League's upper echelon is always appreciated.
"We have 82 games in the year and obviously all of those won't be as special," Ekholm said. "But, when it's [No. 1] versus [No. 2] or we're playing a really good opponent, I feel like everybody is bringing their A-game… It was just two good teams going at it, and it was huge for us to get the win."

Notes:
With two helpers on Monday night, Preds defenseman Mattias Ekholm recorded his 100th career assist in the NHL.
Pekka Rinne is now 9-0-1 in his career against Tampa Bay.
Nashville's 74.1 face-off win percentage (40-of-54) was the second-highest in franchise history.
Overall, the Preds have earned a point in 11 straight (9-0-2) and 14 of their last 15 games (12-1-2) against the Lightning. Nashville has picked up a point in nine consecutive home games against Tampa Bay (7-0-2).
Nashville's three-game homestand concludes on Wednesday night as they host the Blues before heading to St. Louis for another meeting 48 hours later to conclude Thanksgiving week.