Despite Result, Preds Grateful for Stadium Series, Praise Nashville Fans

Tanner Jeannot and Filip Forsberg scored power-play goals, but the first outdoor NHL game in Tennessee history didn't go the home team's way as the Nashville Predators fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-2 on Saturday night at Nissan Stadium.
Jeannot scored on the man advantage in the opening 20 minutes, but the Lightning tallied two power-play goals of their own in the second stanza, and Steven Stamkos put Tampa Bay up by two midway through the third. Forsberg gave the Preds life again when he converted less than a minute later, but a final flurry didn't yield the desired result as Nashville saw their two-game win streak come to an end.
However, despite the result, this wasn't a night the Predators are about to forget anytime soon.

A sea of navy and Gold jerseys, mixed with a smattering of Tampa Bay blue and white, provided a raucous atmosphere never before seen in Tennessee. The scene was unmistakably Nashville - neon, fireworks, performances by country music superstars Dierks Bentley and Miranda Lambert, just to name two - all in front of 68,619, the seventh-largest crowd in NHL history.
"It was awesome," Preds Captain Roman Josi said of the overall atmosphere. "It was pretty unbelievable and surreal coming out of the locker room and seeing the full stadium. And our fans, I mean, it's unbelievable. Every time there's something on hockey, something going on here, they show up and the support is unbelievable. We wanted to win this game so bad for the fans. Obviously we couldn't get a win for them, but we're very grateful for our fans. It's something we'll never forget."
"I really liked the way our guys played," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. "I thought it was a highly competitive game, and I think special teams were a big factor. But I thought overall, the organization did a great job with the event and it was fantastic for the city of Nashville, for Nashville Predators fans to again celebrate hockey in the state, and I thought our guys should be proud of the way they played. It was a hard-fought effort. Unfortunately, we didn't find a way to win the game, but the guys can walk out of here proud of the work that we put in."
That first strike from Jeannot provided the first true audible storm from the crowd, a sound that simply can't be attained in a normal arena with less than 20,000. But with over three times that number?

"It was amazing," Jeannot said of the night. "There was a lot of anticipation going into this game, and everyone was really excited. To get that first goal like that and have the crowd kind of erupt, it was amazing. I'm going to remember it for the rest of my life, for sure. It was a great experience, and I'm really happy for it. I wish we had a better outcome, but it was really fun."
Saturday night brought a conclusion to a historic week for the Predators franchise that included retiring Pekka Rinne's No. 35 on Thursday night. Rinne remained in Nashville to participate in the remaining festivities, including dropping the ceremonial puck at the stadium and tossing a catfish immediately following to send the crowd into a frenzy.

From there, the Predators and Lightning put on a show with a playoff-like feel, including a pair of scraps and physicality fit for two rivals battling for supremacy in a one-of-a-kind spectacle.
And while the score didn't fall in the home team's favor, Smashville still showed out to put the 2022 NHL Stadium Series in the running for one of the best outdoor games in League history.

"Being here and seeing just how hockey has grown…and is such a big part of the culture here in the city of Nashville and the state of Tennessee, it's been great," Hynes said. "The organization has done a great job building a strong, competitive team. I think the players have done a great job of doing things like community service and the relationships that they have with the fanbase is special. When you look at this type of event around the city, like the buzz around the city and the things that were put on by the city and by the organization, it was fantastic. And when you look at the turnout, it's really special."
"Just the fans, it was unbelievable," Josi said. "It's a full house, and it seemed like everyone from the fans and the whole city was so excited about this game. And like I said, our fans are so supportive every time. They're amazing at Bridgestone [Arena], but they haven't been at an event like this [in Nashville]. It's a full building, and there's so much support from the city. We're so grateful for it, and that's definitely a game that we will never forget."