Gourde, Lightning defeat Predators in overtime

NASHVILLE -- Yanni Gourde scored at 1:45 of overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 4-3 win against the Nashville Predators at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday.
Gourde got a pass from Vladislav Namestnikov and beat Predators goaltender Juuse Saros for his 16th goal of the season.

WATCH: [All Lightning vs. Predators highlights]
The Lightning (33-12-3) won 2-0 against the Chicago Blackhawks in the first game of their back-to-back set on Monday.
"We almost beat ourselves there in the first 10 minutes," Lightning forward Steven Stamkos said. "It's not easy coming in. We played Chicago last night, and then you come in here and this is one of the toughest buildings to win in. They're one of the best home teams, and they took it to us there for the first 10 minutes. [Lightning goaltender Louis Domingue] played great, made some huge saves and really calmed us down.
"I think the second period, for the majority, we really held some play and calmed down. You never know when you're going to get that goal, so we stuck with it and it was nice to see us get rewarded."

The Predators (28-11-7) had their five-game winning streak end.
"A little bit better execution throughout the game, and especially at the end, and I think we win that game, but give them credit," Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis said. "They didn't quit. Playing a back-to-back, it's a hard thing to do to come in here. They didn't quit, and I think it was a good game overall for both teams."
Stamkos tied the game 3-3 with 2:12 remaining in the third period on a one-timer from the left face-off circle. He took a pass from Slater Koekkoek and beat Saros for his 18th goal.
"I was just shooting the puck as hard as I could short side there," Stamkos said. "Great play by [Chris Kunitz] to get puck to [Koekkoek], and he kind of faked it and slid it over. Definitely came off the stick really nice. It was good to see us get rewarded. Things kind of weren't going our way with that one call on the goal. It was a big gut-check for our team with some of the adversity we're facing right now that can really swing momentum."
Kunitz gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead at 6:24 of the first period off a turnover by Viktor Arvidsson. Kunitz got the puck in the slot and beat Saros with a slap shot for his seventh goal.

"It was all about our compete," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "It was about nothing else but our compete. I think we got that goal early and thought 'Oh, this could be not the night we expected.' But they're a [heck] of a team over there. They just keep coming at you."
Ellis tied the game at 1-1 at 7:28 on the power play. He took a slap shot from the point that got through traffic and beat Domingue for his third goal.
Arvidsson gave the Predators a 2-1 lead at 9:11 on an odd-man rush. He received a pass from Pontus Aberg and beat Domingue for his 14th goal.
Namestnikov tied it 2-2 at 10:48 on an odd-man rush. He got a pass from Stamkos and beat Saros for his 16th goal.
P.K. Subban gave the Predators a 3-2 lead on the power play with 50 seconds remaining in the second period. He received a pass from Mattias Ekholm and beat Domingue for his 11th goal.

Goal of the game

Stamkos' goal at 17:48 of the third period.

Save of the game

Domingue's save on Roman Josi at 6:42 of the first period.

Highlight of the game

Gourde's goal at 1:45 of overtime.

They said it

"It was honestly one of the toughest first periods I've ever been a part of. They were coming. But we blocked shots. Sometimes they made plays on the back door and then I was diving, everybody was diving, and we were making blocks. It was just an awesome effort." -- Lightning goaltender Louis Domingue
"We realize how tight not only our division is but the playoff race is. Each game is important, no matter if it's game 20, 30, 40. Each game is as important as the last. I think this group, going through the process that we did last year, the steps we took, we didn't take any game for granted here in the playoffs. It's kind of followed over into this year." -- Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis

Need to know

The Lightning improved to 10-1-0 against the Central Division this season. … Ekholm returned to the lineup after missing one game with an illness. … Subban has 10 points (four goals, six assists) in the past 10 games. ... Domingue made 30 saves and Saros made 27.

What's next

Lightning: At the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN1, SUN, NBCSP, NHL.TV)
Predators: At the New Jersey Devils on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FS-TN, MSG+, NHL.TV)