Tommy Novak scored a power play goal, but a power play goal by the Lightning in overtime gave Tampa Bay the preseason win.
Tommy Novak scored a power play goal, but a power play goal by the Lightning in overtime gave Tampa Bay the preseason win.
The Nashville Predators welcomed the Tampa Bay Lightning to Bridgestone Arena for the Predators' first home game of the preseason. Tonight was also the first time new additions Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Schenn took the ice as Nashville Predators and marked the return of Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi after both missed the final stretch of last season due to injuries.
The Tampa Bay Lightning opted to rest many of their top players in tonight's game. Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Victor Hedman were not on the roster, and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy sat out while Matt Tomkins took his place in net. Former Predator Austin Watson, who signed a PTO with the Lightning, suited up for Tampa Bay..
The first period saw some of Nashville's veterans shaking off a little rust and dust. One veteran who was sharp early was Juuse Saros who stopped a breakaway chance by Mikey Eyssimont at 3:20, earning Nashville's net minder a "Juuuuse!" call of appreciation from the crowd at Bridgestone Arena. In the second half of the opening period, Filip Forsberg got his chance on a breakaway, but Lightning goaltender Tomkins made the save.
At 12:23 the Predators were whistled for the first penalty of the game for a too many men infraction. Brunette started the penalty kill with Luke Schenn, Cole Smith, Ryan McDonagh, and Ryan O'Reilly. A cycle of Preds took their turn on the kill during the two minutes, and Nashville effectively handled off the penalty.
Phil Tomasino took his shot on a breakaway chance, but Tomkins made the save on that opportunity. With less than two minutes remaining, Michael McCarron and Austin Watson dropped the gloves for a brief spat. The period ended with Nashville leading 11-8 in shots on goal but a 0-0 score on the board.
The second period began with a trip to the penalty box for Roman Josi who was whistled for a hook. Juuse Saros came up with the save on a Lightning two on one chance, and Nashville successfully killed off the penalty. The Predators got their first chance on the power play at 6:02 as Mitchell Chaffee was called for interference. The power play generated just a handful of opportunities and couldn't convert on the man advantage.
At 10:56 Cody Glass headed to the penalty box for a hooking call, and less than a minute later Maxim Groshev split defenders Marc Del Gaizo and Ryan O'Reilly on a quick pass up the ice to score at 12:43. The teams headed into the second intermission with Tampa Bay leading 1-0.
Nashville got an early chance on the power play as Nick Perbix headed to the penalty box at 3:11 for a hold. The Predators power play unit set up in the offensive zone, and at 4:16 Tommy Novak buried a shot from the circle to tie the game.
Yaroslav Askarov started the third period in net in net for Saros. Waltteri Merela was called for an interference penalty at 6:02, giving the Predators their second power play chance of the final period. WIth eight seconds remaining in the Merela penalty, Shawn Element joined his teammate in the box for hooking. Nashville's best chance on Element's penalty was a pass from Luke Evangelista to Denis Gurianov in the slot, but Gurianov couldn't find the back of the net.
Asakrov made his biggest save in the first half of the period as Tyler Motte brought the puck down the slot for a shot. Shawn Element headed back to the penalty box at 12:47 for another interference call, but the power play couldn't convert on the man advantage. Two Predators late period power plays at 16:26 and 18:37 didn't net Nashville any goals, and the game headed to overtime.
Cody Glass was called for a trip at 2:47 in overtime, and the Lightning played a man up. A deflection by Tyler Motte ended up in the back of the net giving the Tampa Bay Lightning the overtime preseason win.