Nashville Predators weather Lightning storm in Tampa

In a battle between the top two teams in the NHL, the Nashville Predators traveled to Tampa and were caught in a storm. They survived.

Storms can be devastating. High winds, hail, pouring rains causing floods. But, one of the most dangerous aspects of a storm is lightning. On average, 100 bolts of lightning hit the Earth every second. Each bolt can contain 1 billion volts of electricity. People who are struck by lightning do survive more often than not. As for the Nashville Predators, they lived to see another day after last night’s storm.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are one of the most skilled teams in the NHL. Their 42 total goals rank in the top 10 in the league, and their power play is in the top 5 with 12 goals. Yet, during even-strength play, they are middle of the pack and had a +1 goal differential going into last night.

Nashville traveled to Tampa with the most points in the league based on their strong 5v5 play. They are the league’s best in goals for at even-strength, and second in goals allowed.

Numbers never lie, unless they do

The final score of the game was not indicative of the action. While the Nashville Predators ultimately won 4-1, the numbers show a massive storm took place.

Most of the game was played at 5v5, with only a few penalties to go around. The first period belonged to the Predators. They led the shot-sharing metrics with a 51.28% CorsiFor rating and a 52.94% FenwickFor rating. This created 5 high-danger opportunities, leading to 2 goals. The first was a tip-in from Kyle Turris. Ryan Johansen made an amazing pass to Roman Josi for the second goal, give Nashville a 2-0 after 20 minutes.

The rest of the game belonged to the Lightning. They constantly pressured Nashville gaining extended time in their offensive zone. Tampa outshot the Predators 25 to 8 during 5v5 combined in the final 40 minutes. The Predators were second to nearly every free puck on the ice, and when they did gain it, their possession was as fleeting as hopes for a Titans playoff appearance. At the end of the game, the Lightning led shot-share metrics by nearly 25-percentage points. According to

Corsica Hockey

, Tampa should have won the game 3-2.

Nashville won the game for two reasons. The first is Pekka Rinne. Even after missing time, Rinne stopped 42 of 43 shots. It was the most action he faced all season. He was quick, followed the puck well, and stopped every change possible.

Secondly, the defense around the net was solid. Nashville blocked 13 shots, giving up their bodies to keep Rinne clean. Several times Ryan Ellis and other dropped to the ice to force the Lightning to chance their shot angle or deflect passes. The Predators limited Tampa to 8 high-danger chances all game, even though they accumulated 43 shots.

Brayden Point has his way with the Predators, but other key players found chances difficult. Predators Ellis and Josi shut down nearly every opponent except Point. J.T. Miller only found success in getting shots away when P.K. Subban was on the ice.

Next. Preds meeting high expectations. dark

Only three Predators held a 50% of higher Corsi rating on the evening. Six forwards were below 40%. Needless to say, the Nashville Predators played on their heels from most of the game. The only stat that matters is 2 points, which the Predators earned with the victory.

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