The Predators kick off the final quarter of the season with a tough home game against a talented Lightning team at the top of the Eastern Conference. The only appealing element of tonight's contest for Nashville is that Steven Stamkos is still out to recover from his broken leg. Bishop will likely be between the pipes and his sub-2 GAA doesn't bode well for a Nashville team that struggles to score. If the Predators can shut down Martin St. Louis, the Lightning's leader in all scoring categories, they will have to worry about the return of Valtteri Filppula, a familiar foe that always gave them problems during his time in Detroit.
Still, the Predators have a lot to play for and a talented roster that always seems to come into its own at the end of the season. Shea Weber and Roman Josi are both coming off strong Olympic campaigns and will bolster a defense that will likely prove more formidable now that Mike Del Zotto has had time to settle in Nashville. Trotz recently stated that Carter Hutton is still the starting goaltender, but his 7.09 GAA against the Lightning is a bit concerning. If the play in front of him improves as it should, I expect we will see that number decrease substantially. It will be up to Nashville's forwards and powerplay lines to keep up with the scoring of the Lightning. Tampa Bay averages 5-6 penalties a game and Bridgestone usually affords its fair share of frustration penalties. If the Preds can stay out of the box, shut down St. Louis and the other scorers, and the special teams can convert I think Nashville can pull this one out.
Prediction: Nashville 4, Tampa Bay 3
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