Lightning 4, Predators 3 (OT)
TAMPA, Fla. -- A minute away from their third straight goal, the Tampa Bay Lightning tied the game with 26 seconds to play, then won just 1:04 into overtime, with center Tyler Johnson's goal giving Tampa Bay a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators on Friday night at Amalie Arena.
Tampa Bay (30-20-4) tied the game on center Steven Stamkos' 22nd goal of the season, then won it on Johnson's eighth of the year on the first shift of 3-on-3 overtime. Nashville (25-22-8) had the game all but wrapped up until the Lightning scored after pulling goalie Ben Bishop.
The Lightning were within a minute of losing their third game in a row when Stamkos tied the game with 26 seconds remaining, firing a shot past Predators goalie Pekka Rinne after the Lightning had pulled goalie Ben Bishop for an extra attacker in the final minute. Stamkos, who had just one goal in his previous 11 games, regained a share of the team lead with his 22nd goal of the season.
Nashville, which lost the lead in the second period on two goals in two minutes, jumped back ahead with two goals in four minutes in the final period. Left winger Filip Forsberg put Nashville ahead 3-2 when he came in wide, got Lightning goalie Ben Bishop in a low posture and flipped the puck over his back for his 18th goal of the season with 12:14 remaining. Tampa Bay mustered only four shots in the final period, despite a power play in the final three minutes including time with the goalie pulled.
The Predators tied the game early in the third period, with defenseman Roman Josi feeding a beautiful pass to right winger James Neal, who beat Bishop wide for his team-best 20th goal of the season with 15:59 left.
Tampa Bay came into the night 21-1 when leading after two periods, while Nashville was 2-16-3 when trailing after two. The Lightning hadn't lost three straight games in regulation since October, putting them in the middle of a large logjam in the Eastern Conference standings.
The Lightning took a 2-1 lead into the third period after scoring two goals in a span of 1:45 midway through the second period.
Right winger J.T. Brown tied the score on his seventh goal of the season, getting a shot off on a rebound in front of the net with 11:38 left in the period.
Less than two minutes later, Lightning goalie Ben Bishop got an assist on the go-ahead goal, with his pass to defenseman Nikita Nesterov setting up right winger Nikita Kucherov for his 22nd goal of the season.
Kucherov moved past center Steven Stamkos for the team lead in goals.
Kucherov, watched closely by a Predators defenseman, had his shot initially blocked by Nashville's Pekka Rinne, but he poked the puck through the goalie's legs for a 2-1 lead with 9:53 left in the second period.
Nashville had jumped out to a 1-0 lead, scoring with 10:20 left in the first period on a shot by center Mike Fisher, who beat Bishop for his eighth goal of the season.
Nashville outshot Tampa Bay 11-9 in the first period, with neither team getting a power-play opportunity until nearly five minutes into the second period.
NOTES: With veteran D Jason Garrison out 3-5 weeks with a lower-body injury, the Lightning called up D Slater Koekkoek from Syracuse, though he was a healthy scratch on Friday along with C Jonathan Marchessault. That meant D Matthew Carle, frequently a healthy scratch, was dressed and filling in on the blue line for the Lightning. RW Erik Condra dressed as the final forward. ... The Predators had D Petter Granberg and LW Austin Watson as their scratches. ... Lightning RW Ryan Callahan played in his 600th career game and Predators D Mattias Ekholm played in his 200th. ... The Lightning opened a four-game, seven-day homestand. The Predators continue a two-game, back-to-back swing through Florida, facing the Panthers on Saturday before returning home for three games.