Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Nashville Predators Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 29th 2024

Preview and Prediction

After only securing four victories in 13 games during the month of November, the Nashville Predators are hoping to snag a Black Friday bargain that will earn them two points.

In their second matchup against former teammate Steven Stamkos, the Predators will play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday afternoon to conclude their season series.

Both teams are looking to bounce back from disappointing losses on Wednesday that left a sour taste the night before Thanksgiving.

For Nashville, it was a simple task: hold off the Philadelphia Flyers in the final seconds of their home game and head into the holiday with a win, setting them up for a strong performance against the Lightning.

Unfortunately, that did not happen.

With a 2-1 lead and the opposing net empty, the Flyers' Morgan Frost scored the tying goal with only 12 seconds remaining on the clock.

Philadelphia's captain, Sean Couturier, who assisted on the equalizer, sealed the deal in overtime with a similar shot past goaltender Juuse Saros.

"We've shown some resilience, but we've had too many games like this," said Nashville coach Andrew Brunette of his team, which has a record of 4-6-3 this month. "The details are crucial, and we missed a few of them.

"Friday will be a big test for us."

With defenseman Jeremy Lauzon out with an injury, the Predators called up Adam Wilsby and Nick Blankenburg from their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, and added them to the lineup.

"I thought he played really well just as I expected from training camp," Brunette said of 24-year-old Wilsby's NHL debut. "He showed great mobility and was strong in battles for the puck. I thought both guys had a good game."

Two nights after scoring five goals in the first period of their home game against the Colorado Avalanche, the Lightning continued their impressive first-period scoring by putting two past Washington Capitals goalie Charlie Lindgren.

However, the Capitals, playing their fourth game without star player Alex Ovechkin (fractured fibula), fought back three times to tie the game before Tom Wilson scored the game-winning power-play goal with 3:26 left in regulation.

The Lightning struggled in the final period, giving up two one-goal leads and losing for the third time in four games (1-2-1).

Brayden Point recorded the fifth hat trick of his career, with the third goal coming in a bizarre fashion.

The center was the last player on his team to touch the puck before Lindgren accidentally backhanded it into his own net with no defenders in sight.

Lightning center Anthony Cirelli, who had a six-game goal streak, committed a double-minor high-sticking penalty late in the tied game, giving the Capitals a four-minute power play with 4:03 left in regulation.

Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper argued that the puck was offside when it entered the zone, but the play continued as normal and Cirelli soon committed the penalty.

"It's tough, but that's just how the rules are," said Cooper. "If a goal is scored, it'll be taken off the board. But a penalty committed does not get taken off the board.

"It's an unfortunate situation...but in the end, we have to kill it off and we didn't do that."

The Lightning won their first meeting against the Central Division team 3-2 in overtime on October 28 in Tampa.

PREDICTION

Tampa Bay Lightning

3

4

Nashville Predators

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Nashville Predators Recap NOV 29TH 2024