Tampa Bay Lightning vs Nashville Predators — Recap

📰Game Recap

Nashville defeated Tampa Bay 5-4 in a shootout after a back-and-forth contest where the Predators erased three one-goal deficits. The Predators outshot the Lightning 33-26, maintaining offensive pressure throughout the game. SportsFBI's model, which had leaned toward a Tampa Bay victory at 70%, did not reflect the final outcome.

The scoring began in the first period when Reid Schaefer, assisted by Alexander Kerfoot and Nick Perbix, gave Nashville a 1-0 lead at 11:14. John Carlson, with assists from Nikita Kucherov and Charle-Edouard D'Astous, responded for Tampa Bay at 13:38 to tie the game at 1-1. The second period saw a flurry of goals. Jake Guentzel put Tampa Bay ahead 2-1 just 18 seconds in, assisted by John Carlson and Nikita Kucherov. Adam Edstrom quickly tied it for Nashville 27 seconds later at 0:45, with assists from Brady Skjei and Nick Perbix. Victor Hedman regained the lead for Tampa Bay at 3:23, assisted by Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. Jayden Struble leveled the score again at 19:42 for Nashville, with Adam Wilsby and Filip Forsberg assisting, making it 3-3 heading into the third. Conor Geekie put Tampa Bay in front for the final time in regulation at 3:31 of the third period, assisted by Jeffrey Viel. Steven Stamkos, assisted by Filip Forsberg and Ryan O'Reilly, tied the game at 4-4 at 7:27, setting the stage for overtime.

Neither team scored in the overtime period despite the continued offensive exchanges. The Predators ultimately secured the win in the shootout. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 29 saves on 33 shots for Tampa Bay, while Justus Annunen stopped 22 of 26 shots for Nashville. Nikita Kucherov led all scorers with three assists for Tampa Bay, while John Carlson contributed a goal and an assist. For Nashville, Filip Forsberg recorded two assists, and Nick Perbix also had two assists. Nashville's record now stands at 4-4-5, and Tampa Bay's record is 8-3-1.