Entering Saturday nights outdoor game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators, the focus was on the stars for both teams. Which would show up? It took time but the Bolts star players, led by captain Steven Stamkos, outdueled those for the Predators in a close 3-2 win.
Game Recap
The intensity was on display early, as Ryan Johansen hit Erik Cernak high. He was originally assessed a five minute major but after review it was downgraded to two minutes. While it was clear Johansen left his feet and got Cernak’s head, the league officials in Toronto deemed it to be incidental contact and not a malicious play.
Regardless, that didn’t sit well with the Lightning. They fought harder, both literally and figuratively.
After Tanner Jeannot beat Andrei Vasilevskiy to give the Predators a 1-0 lead on a power play, Pat Maroon dropped the gloves with Michael McCarron. That sparked the Lightning who scored three straight goals over a 30 minute span.
Matt Benning’s late first period penalty proved costly, as the Bolts power play came to life. Brayden Point took a pass from Nikita Kucherov and beat Predators goalie Juuse Saros to tie things up at one. Stamkos was given the secondary assist, his first in a three point night.
Not long after, Johansen and Pierre Eduoard-Bellemare dropped the gloves, marking the games second fight. They both were assessed five minutes for fighting.
Less than 10 seconds later, Jeannot tried to goad Jan Rutta into taking a penalty and ended up in the box himself. A minute into the opportunity, Kucherov scored to give the Lightning a 2-1 lead. Victor Hedman and Stamkos got the assists on that goal.
From there, the Lightning kept their foot on the gas. A heads up play by young defenseman Cal Foote kept the puck in the offensive zone, leading to Stamkos’ goal that made it 3-1 midway through the third period.
A hooking penalty on Hedman a minute later proved costly though, as Filip Forsberg beat Vasilevskiy glove side to make it 3-2.
Despite the Predators late push, the Bolts held on for the win in their first ever outdoor game.
Game Notes
- The Lightning notched the first win for a Tampa team at Nissan Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 0-4 against the Titans.
- Attendance for this game was over 65,000. At least 20,000 of those were Bolts fans.
- This marked the Lightning’s first time participating in an outdoor game.
- With the victory, the Lightning sit at 74 points, one behind the Florida Panthers for first place in the Atlantic Division.
Next Up
After enjoying a night experiencing all that Nashville has to offer, the Lightning will fly home to begin a three game home stand. That starts with the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night, March 1. Puck drop is set for 7pm EST.