GAME DAY: Lightning vs. Preds, October 28

The Nashville Predators conclude a season-long five-game homestand tonight when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning at Bridgestone Arena. This evening’s contest comes with a special 6:45 p.m. CT puck drop to accommodate staggered start times with all 32 NHL clubs in action.

The Preds and Bolts get together following Nashville’s back-to-back set over the weekend that saw them beat Los Angeles on Saturday in a shootout before falling to Dallas by a 3-2 count on Sunday evening.

Now, the Predators will look to conclude the homestand with a victory, and with two wins and two losses in their own building over that stretch, they’d certainly prefer to finish with one more victory in front of their home fans.

“I like the vibe, I like the feeling with the group,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said Sunday on what he’s seen from his team through the season’s first 10 games. “I think they've been really positive, even last night and a night like tonight, they're sticking together and they're kind of all in together. They're sort of calling each other out. They're trying to hold each other accountable. They all want it, and again, it's not a matter of will, but those little stretches - we're trying to nip that, clean that up a little bit, but I find the energy has been great.

“It's a group that seems to really pull for each other and [understand] where we are. They've been really positive. So, the first 10 for me have been really good. I thought we left a few points on the table here and there… So, you feel good where we are, and we're still building. I think we’ve got to stack some games where I thought we did some things, but not that 60-minute game we talked about and something that we can build off of.”

Fedor Svechkov and Nick Blankenburg were scratched for Nashville on Sunday. Preds Captain Roman Josi remains week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

The Predators did not practice on Monday following their weekend back-to-back, but they are scheduled to hold a morning skate today.

The Good Guys:

Jonathan Marchessault scored on the power play, and Spencer Stastney added his first goal of the season in Nashville’s 3-2 loss to Dallas on Sunday. Goaltender Justus Annunen made 25 saves in the loss.

Ryan O’Reilly leads the Preds with five goals and nine points, followed by Filip Forsberg (3g-4a) with seven points and Marchessault (3g-2a) with five points. Cole Smith has three goals on the season; Erik Hauala, Michael Bunting and Nick Perbix have two tallies each. Juuse Saros is 4-2-2 in net for Nashville.

O’Reilly picked up an assist on Sunday to extend his point streak to five games (3g-4a). He is one game away from tying his longest point streak as a Predators player (twice in 2023-24). O’Reilly has recorded 22 points (9g-13a) in 31 career games against the Lightning. He has points in three of his last four games against Tampa Bay (3g-2a), including two multi-point games.


The Opposition:

After dropping four straight, the Lightning won both of their games over the weekend, including a 2-1 victory in overtime against Vegas on Sunday. Jake Guentzel (4g-6a) leads Tampa Bay with 10 points, followed by Nikita Kucherov (3g-5a) and Victor Hedman (8a) with eight points each; Anthony Cirelli (5g-2a) and Brayden Point (2g-5a) have seven points apiece. Andrei Vasilevskiy is 1-3-2 in net on the season; Jonas Johansson is 2-1-0.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 19-18-(2)-7 all-time against the Lightning, including an 11-8-(0)-5 mark at home. Nashville is 2-5-3 in their last 10 overall against Tampa Bay but 2-1-2 in their last five meetings at Bridgestone Arena.

Notables Versus Tampa Bay:

Steven Stamkos won two Stanley Cups (2020-21), two Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophies (2009-10 and 2011-12) and the Mark Messier Leadership Award (2022-23) with the Lightning. Drafted first overall in the 2008 NHL Draft by Tampa Bay, he played 16 seasons with the Lightning and was named the captain in 2014. He is the Lightning franchise leader in games played (1,082), goals (555) and points (1,137).

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).


Jonathan Marchessault played two seasons (2014-16) with the Lightning. Marchessault appeared in 47 games with Tampa Bay, posting 19 points (8g-11a) in those contests. He has 15 points (8g-7a) in 18 career games against the Lightning.


Filip Forsberg has posted 18 points (8g-10a) in 24 games against the Lightning. He recorded a six-game point streak against Tampa Bay (3g-5a) from Feb. 26, 2022-Dec. 7, 2023.


Tampa Bay defenseman Ryan McDonagh was acquired from Nashville on May 21, 2024. McDonagh skated in 142 games with the Predators from 2022-24, tallying 52 points (5g-47a).

Milestone Watch:

Michael Bunting is three goals from 100 in his NHL career.

Ryan O’Reilly is three power play goals from 100 in his career.

Steven Stamkos (228) is four power play goals from passing Dino Ciccarelli (232) for the 10th-most in NHL history.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for tonight’s contest begins at 6:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley and Hal Gill. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic, analyst Chris Mason and rinkside reporter Kara Hammer will have the call on the television side.

Voice of the Predators Pete Weber and Jay More will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network, with pregame, postgame and intermission coverage by Max Herz beginning one hour before puck drop. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM. (El partido también se transmite en español por El Jefe en 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM y 810 AM.)