Predators at Lightning
Two somewhat disappointing teams suffering from similar problems with inconsistency and injuries meet Thursday night when the Nashville Predators visit the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nashville won back-to-back games once since Thanksgiving after a lackluster effort in the 2-1 overtime loss to Montreal on Tuesday while the Lightning followed a win with a loss for the seventh time in the last eight tries the same night.
Winnipeg jumped to a three-goal lead in the second period and held on for a 6-4 victory over Tampa Bay, which is 4-2-1 during a stretch of eight games in which seven are at home. “We just didn’t defend,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper told reporters. “We thought about one net only and once you do that, that’s it. Next thing you know it’s 4-1, and that’s a long way to come back.” Tampa Bay has been without captain Steven Stamkos (knee) for seven weeks and the Predators are missing All-Star defenseman P.K. Subban (back), who scored twice in the 3-1 victory over the Lightning on Nov. 21. Nashville followed up a 4-0 win at St. Louis on Friday by getting outshot 43-23 against Montreal and GM David Poile told The Tennessean: “I think our team has not lived up to expectations. We’ve been off as a team. … We’ve got to figure it out.”
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Tennessee (Nashville), FSN Sun (Tampa Bay)
ABOUT THE PREDATORS (16-14-7): Coach Peter Laviolette told reporters the only reason his team, which will be without Subban (17 points) for at least another 2-to-3 more weeks, was able to rescue a point Tuesday was the heroics of goalie Pekka Rinne. The Predators need more from leading goal scorer James Neal (14), who has been kept off the scoresheet for five consecutive games but owns 17 points in 16 career contests against Tampa Bay. Center Ryan Johansen has six points in six games and leads the team with 27 while Filip Forsberg boasts five goals in the past seven contests.
ABOUT THE LIGHTNING (19-16-4): Right wing Nikita Kucherov recorded eight points in four games since returning from a lower-body injury, including a pair of power-play tallies in Tuesday’s setback. Kucherov has 38 points overall – three better than defenseman Victor Hedman, who notched two goals while setting up 16 others in the last 15 games and entered Wednesday one assist behind Sidney Crosby for the league lead with 28. Brian Boyle (lower-body) missed Tuesday’s contest before sitting out practice Wednesday, but fellow forward Cedric Paquette (upper-body) is back skating with the team.
OVERTIME
1. Tampa Bay C Matthew Peca notched his first NHL goal Tuesday, collecting five shots and two points in his first four games since being recalled.
2. The Predators won three straight on the road after a 3-9-2 start to the season away from home.
3. The Lightning are third in the league on the power play (23.8 percent) after converting four times in 10 tries over the last two games.