Tampa Bay Lightning (8-3-1, 17 pts.) vs. Nashville Predators (4-4-5, 13 pts.)
1 p.m. CT | Bridgestone Arena | Buy Tickets
Watch: Scripps Sports/The Spot - Nashville 28; PredsTV App (in-market); ESPN+ (out-of-market)
Listen: 102.5 The Game, Preds Radio Network; El Jefe
Live Stats: GameCenter
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The Nashville Predators are hoping for no tricks and all treats this afternoon when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 1 p.m. CT Halloween puck drop at Bridgestone Arena. Today’s contest is the first of two meetings between the clubs this season; the Preds will visit the Bolts shortly after Christmas.
Nashville’s three-game point streak came to an end on Thursday night with a 4-3 loss to the Capitals in a back-and-forth contest that could’ve gone either way. Now, the Preds will look to get back in the win column against a Lightning team that snapped a two-game skid with a 6-4 victory over the Jets on Thursday.
“We've put ourselves in a good spot in the standings, and obviously we'd like to flip some of those overtime games, but again, shot here, shot there [and it’s a different story],” Preds forward Ross Colton said following Thursday’s loss. “A lot of new guys in this room that are learning the system, and we're all buying in. The effort is there every night; it's just some mental mistakes. It's early on in the season and leadership's doing a great job of keeping everyone focused. There were definitely some positives to take from tonight. So, quick turnaround and an early game on Saturday.”
“We have some really good stretches, we’ve just got to put it together game after game for 60 minutes,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said Thursday. “I have a lot of confidence in this room. I know we have the right guys, and we need to show it. We need to get wins, and we understand that we're a winning business, and we understand that's what we need to do.”
The Predators practiced on Friday with limited participation. The Preds again dressed 11 forwards and seven defensemen on Thursday with Ilya Lyubushkin, Reid Schaefer and Vitali Pinchuk serving as healthy scratches.
Last Time Out:
Filip Forsberg tallied twice, and Colton also found the back of the net in the loss against Washington. Roman Josi recorded three assists on the night, and Juuse Saros made 25 saves in the loss.
All-Time Meetings:
The Preds are 19-20-(2)-7 all-time against the Lightning, including an 11-9-(0)-5 mark at home. Nashville is 1-6-3 in the last 10 versus Tampa Bay and 1-2-2 in the last five meetings at Bridgestone Arena.
Steven Stamkos was selected by Tampa Bay in the first round (first overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft. He played 1,082 games for Tampa Bay from 2008-24, recording 1,137 points (555g-582a), and captained the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020-21.
Nick Perbix was selected by Tampa Bay in the sixth round (169th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft. He played 220 games for Tampa Bay from 2022-25, recording 63 points (13g-50a).
Ross Colton was selected by the Lightning in the fourth round (118th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft. He played 190 games for Tampa Bay from 2020-22, recording 83 points (47g-36a). He scored the Cup-clinching goal against the Montreal Canadiens as a rookie in 2021.
Jonathan Marchessault played 47 games for Tampa Bay from 2014-16, recording 19 points (8g-11a).
Nashville Notables:
Roman Josi tallied three assists on Thursday to pass former teammate Ryan Suter for the 24th-most assists in NHL history by a defenseman.
Nashville’s power play ranks third in the NHL, operating at 31.8 percent (14-for-44). Ryan O’Reilly (4), Filip Forsberg (3), Steven Stamkos (3), Jonathan Marchessault (2), Nils Hoglander (1) and Matthew Wood (1) have scored for Nashville with the man advantage.
The penalty kill ranks fourth in the League (88.1 percent); Nashville and Toronto are the only two teams in the League with both special team units in the top five of each category.
Milestone Watch:
Nic Hague is one point from 100 in his NHL career.
Roman Josi sits tied (Doug Wilson) for the 23rd-most assists by a defenseman in NHL history after passing Ryan Suter on Thursday vs. Washington. He is two points from passing Sergei Gonchar for sole possession of the 22nd-most. Josi is five goals from passing Larry Robinson and tying Zdeno Chara for the 23rd-most all-time by a blueliner.
Steven Stamkos is two power-play goals from passing Phil Esposito and moving into a tie with Luc Robitaille for the fifth-most in NHL history.
Watch & Listen:
New this season, Preds fans can watch all locally broadcast Predators games on The Spot – Nashville 28 (WNPX) over the air with an antenna or on cable and satellite distributors serving the Predators territory.
Predators fans within the team’s TV viewing area can also stream 81 locally broadcast games for just $74 – less than $1 per game.
Nashville’s games will be streamed on the Nashville Predators App, which is available on the following devices:
- iOS/Android
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Roku
- Web via PredsTV.com
The season pass also includes access to on-demand game replays and exclusive content, such as “Inside Smashville,” a weekly magazine show that launches Friday, Oct. 2 on The Spot – Nashville 28 and Predators streaming platforms.
In addition to 81 of the team’s regular-season games being available on The Spot – Nashville 28 and via the Nashville Predators App stream, the remaining three contests will be exclusively broadcast on ESPN+.
Click here for more information on streaming and viewing options.
Fans may also listen on 102.5 The Game, the Preds Radio Network and El Jefe Radio.
