Forsberg, Afanasyev Lead Preds to Preseason Win Over Lightning

The Nashville Predators received two goals each from Filip Forsberg and Egor Afanasyev, who helped propel the team to a 6-2 win on the road over the Tampa Bay Lightning in preseason action Thursday night.
Forsberg and Afansyev both added an assist to give them three-point efforts on the evening, while Tommy Novak (1g-1a) and Ben Harpur (2a) chipped in with two points each in the victory.
"We played to our identity that we ended the year with last year," Predators Head Coach John Hynes said. "It was nice to build off the Florida games and to get rewarded on the scoresheet."

In the preseason lineup for the first time this year, Forsberg and Matt Duchene tallied for the Predators in the first period, getting Nashville off to a hot start against the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

Duchene's tally came off a rebound from Harpur at 3:38 of the first period to get the Predators on the board first. After Tampa Bay evened the score, Forsberg's wrister from the left circle beat Lightning goaltender Brian Elliott glove side to give the Preds a 2-1 lead with just 28 seconds to play in the opening period.
"It was fun to play again," Forsberg said. "It's been months since we've played, but I thought everybody played really hard throughout the whole game."

In the second period, Afanasyev, a second-round pick of the Predators in 2019, put on a show with back-to-back goals to extend the team's lead to 4-1.

"Egor looks really good, and the way he can shoot the puck, he has a knack for scoring," Hynes said. "He's a guy that even in practice catches your eye. He's really making a strong impression."
Forsberg extended the team's lead yet again after tucking in a rebound in front of the net with 17:15 remaining in regulation, but the Preds weren't done scoring. Tommy Novak,
who notched an overtime winner against Carolina during the 2021 NHL Prospect Showcase
in Tampa, put the team up 6-1 with a rebound tap-in off an Afanasyev shot.

David Rittich got the start in net and stopped six of seven shots on net in 29:28 played. Connor Ingram came in for Rittich midway through the game and turned aside 13 of 14 shots on goal in the win.
The Preds return to Bridgestone Arena for their first home game of the preseason against Tampa Bay on Saturday night. Tickets are available;
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