x

Already member? Login first!

Comments / New

Nashville Predators at Tampa Bay Lightning Preview: It’s Finally Here!

Sep 27, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators center Tommy Novak (82) scores during the third period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The NHL regular season is here! Let’s go.

Nashville Predators

The Predators begin this season with a lot of questions. There’s questions in the forward lineup, there’s a few less questions on defense, and pretty much the only place without questions is in goal. What kind of team hits the ice tonight? A youthful blend with some seasoned veterans? Or a slow, aging squad with some rookies mixed in for added interest?

Denis Gurianov has been assigned to Milwaukee, so we have a pretty good idea of what the lineup could look like. I don’t expect many surprises, but one of the questions regarding the blue line is how many minutes Luke Schenn can munch while roving around and protecting Roman Josi. It appears that Jeremy Lauzon has a little more resting on his shoulders this season, so I’ll be keeping an eye on him. I fully expect Josi to score one of the first goals of the season, and with him, this defensive corps can’t really go wrong. Other questions involve the durability of Filip Forsberg, the play of rookies Luke Evangelista and Jusso Parssinnen, and new additions Ryan O’Reilly and Gus Nyquist. What does all this look like on the ice in non-preseason action? I’m not sure, but let’s find out.

The Predators announced that the As will go to Ryan O’Reilly and Ryan McDonagh this season:

Tampa Bay Lightning

It probably feels like we’ve seen a lot of the Lightning lately, and that’s largely due to a lot of preseason contests against the Bolts.

Former Predator Tanner Jeannot should be on the ice tonight. We’re talking about a fan favorite who was traded for a bundle of high draft picks…will Jeannot try to make an immediate impact? I’d count on it.

The Lightning are not the team they were a few seasons ago when they were making a back-to-back Cup run. Mainstays like Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov are joined by lesser-known players like Michael Eyssimont, Gabriel Fortier, and former Penguin Conor Sheary. It’s not possible to keep a Cup contender “together” season after season, and it’s pretty interesting to look at Tampa Bay and see what has changed over a few years. The team is aging…Stamkos himself is 33 and he’s looking for a new contract.

The Lightning announced on Monday that they signed our old pal Austin Watson to a contract. He was with the Lightning on a PTO. Very well deserved.

Tampa Bay has a big liability in net. With Andrei Vasileviskiy on injured reserve after a recent surgery, they’ll have to count on some relative unknowns in net – Jonas Johansson and Matt Tomkins. Tomkins and current Admirals goalie Troy Grosenick fought back in 2020 prior to the Covid-19 shutdown:

Reasons to Watch

  1. It’s the first game of the 2023-2024 season
  2. Roman Josi and Juuse Saros
  3. Puck drop is at a very reasonable time

Keep Your Eye on This Guy

I’m keeping a close eye on Ryan O’Reilly. While he’s a newcomer, he’s been around the League, won some pretty impressive awards, and has his name on the Stanley Cup. Ryan O’Reilly might very well be a liability as he ages, but he’s going to be an important part of the team that GM Barry Trotz wants to build. He was brought here for a reason, and I think both GMBT as well as the coaching staff expect O’Reilly to be visible every night. The devil is in the details, and ROR was signed exactly for this reason.

Tonight’s Theme Song

Tonight’s theme song is “Tighten Up” by The Black Keys.

How to Watch

Tonight’s matchup appears on ESPN. Puck drop is a really reasonable time – 4:30 PM Central. 102.5 The Game, as always, will have the radio call.

I’m not sure what this season has in store for our Preds…it could be wild, bumpy, and crazy. Stick with us here at OTF and we’ll carry you through. You won’t find better gameday coverage and postgame analysis. As always, go Preds!

Talking Points