Preds Score Six Again, Defeat Lightning in Nashville

Six different Nashville skaters found the back of the net - and 13 players registered at least one point - as the Predators defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning by a 6-1 final on Saturday night at Bridgestone Arena. The result moved the Preds to 2-1-1 through four preseason games, and in the first exhibition contest in Nashville since 2019, the home team didn't disappoint.
One goal in the first period, three more in the second and a final two in the third - plus 16 saves from goaltender Juuse Saros - gave the Predators their second consecutive six-goal game against the Lightning.

"It went well," Preds defenseman Alexandre Carrier said of the night. "We gave a good effort, [and there] were a lot of penalties, so it was hard to keep a good rhythm, but I think we battled hard. Juice as always was great, and it was a good win."

"First and foremost, it was nice to play a home game, and the crowd was good," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. "They really cheered the guys on, and it was nice to be back in Bridgestone [Arena] again for a new year. And then I felt overall, I liked a lot of things that we did 5-on-5, and we got a lot of work on the special teams, particularly the penalty kill… I thought that there was an identity to the way that we played with, [and there's] a lot of respect for the way the players are working and competing. I think tactically, structurally, it's much more fluid. It's there, and you can see we're playing in some pretty strong five-man units and things are natural, which is good, and our special teams are getting work. So generally, you take that away with the individual player evaluations, I think it was a good night."
The Predators held a 1-0 lead after one period of play thanks to Carrier's first of the preseason just 1:46 into the contest. Tommy Novak found Carrier in the slot, and the defenseman went upstairs on Lightning goaltender Brian Elliott to finish the play.

After killing four penalties in the first half of the second frame, Preds forward Michael McCarron found Mathieu Olivier in front of the net, and the winger deked around Elliott to put Nashville up by two. Tampa Bay cut the lead in half less than three minutes later, but the Predators didn't wait long before countering.

At the 18:51 mark, Nick Cousins potted a pass from Rocco Grimaldi to finish off a 2-on-0 and restore the two-goal lead. Then, on a power play of their own, Mikael Granlund found Luke Kunin in the left circle, and No. 11 in Gold snapped a shot into the twine to give Nashville a 4-1 lead through 40 minutes.

Philip Tomasino got in on the party on the power play when he completed a nifty passing play from Carrier in tight at 11:11 of the third, and Rocco Grimaldi finished the night when he blasted a shot home with less than four to play in regulation.
"[Cousins], he made a nice pass to me, and then I was all alone, and I thought I was going to shoot it for another goal," Carrier said of Tomasino's goal. "And then I heard Tomasino right behind screaming, like, 'Hey! Hey!' And so I just gave it to him and he scored, so it was cool."

"Special teams were huge for us today, especially in our penalty kill," Tomasino said. "We had a lot of penalties in the second period, so that was huge for us. I think our penalty kill was really good today, and I know for myself, I was pretty nervous. This was kind of my first game with a lot of fans here, so it was fun for me to get out there and play. It was an awesome team effort tonight for sure."
As the Preds have progressed through Training Camp, Hynes and his staff have simply looked for their players to improve day by day. Saturday's effort wasn't perfect, but as was the case in the previous three exhibition outings, the Predators again played to that identity Hynes has preached, and the participants are noticing the benefits of doing so.

"We're working hard in training camp, we're battling, everyone's pushing each other, so I think it shows on the ice, too, how competitive we are," Carrier said. "That's how we finished last season, and I think we wanted to come back the same way for preseason and then into the [regular] season."
With the preseason over halfway complete, the Predators have two more tune-ups remaining - both against Carolina - and the first meeting comes Tuesday. The goal of the exhibition slate remains to get better as a team, but the wins don't hurt either, and the Preds will be looking for three straight victories as they continue to make progress in a traditional camp once more.
"The big one, too, is the player evaluation," Hynes said of a normal camp. "I think in the last two camps, by now we might have been getting ready to play the first game that mattered, where now we still have two more exhibition games, another two weeks of practice situations like that, so it's certainly a beneficial thing."

Notes:
Saros, Granlund, Roman Josi and Mattias Ekholm all made their 2021 preseason debuts for the Preds. Josi skated with Dante Fabbro, while Ekholm was paired with Philippe Myers. Granlund, Kunin and Tanner Jeannot started as a trio on Saturday night, as did Cody Glass, Tomasino and Eeli Tolvanen.
Cousins led the Preds with three points on the night (1g-2a), while Grimaldi (1g-1a) and Carrier (1g-1a) each had a pair.
Ekholm and Granlund served as alternate captains on Saturday night alongside Josi, who of course, wore the 'C.'
Nashville's preseason schedule continues on Tuesday night when they travel to Carolina, and the exhibition finale comes next Saturday night when the Hurricanes visit Bridgestone Arena.