Nashville Predators Refuse to Quit, Shock Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1

The Nashville Predators earned a decisive victory on Monday afternoon over the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 4-1.

This current long road trip for the Predators has them with a record of 2-2-1 after this upset win over the defending Stanley Cup champs. All things considered, that’s a five-game stretch you can live with.

The Preds were aggressive early and often in one of their best games of the year by far. Let’s talk about it!

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PREDS FIGHT HARD. LITERALLY.

The Predators came out swinging in the most literal sense possible as they showed speed and aggression against a Tampa Bay team known for both. Ben Harpur challenged “tough guy” Patrick Maroon to a boxing match not three minutes into the 1st period.

Two minutes later, the Preds failed to overcome Tampa’s 4th-best penalty kill, generating only one shot on goal.

The Lightning earned a power play with seven minutes left in the 1st period, but the Preds showed up in a huge way, stealing the puck twice and putting massive pressure on Tampa Bay goaltender Curtis McElhinney.

With one minute remaining in the period (thanks, Paul!), Pekka Rinne lost his footing and almost allowed a Lightning goal. Dante Fabbro made an unbelievable heads-up play to clear the puck mere inches away from the net, keeping the game scoreless.

The Preds dominated the 2nd period as Eeli Tolvanen scored four minutes in, Viktor Arvidsson scored on the power play nine minutes in, then Calle Jarnkrok scored a short-handed goal 12 minutes in. Rinne also made many incredible saves to sustain the 3-0 Nashville lead into the 2nd intermission.

The Predators were not done yet, as Mathieu Olivier dropped his gloves vs. Maroon (yes, again) not three seconds into the 3rd period.

After much fast physical play, Tampa Bay finally scored their lone goal at the halfway mark of the 3rd period.

Tampa Bay pulled their goalie with 3:30 left in the game. Rinne continued making ridiculous saves despite an onslaught from the Lightning. The game finally ended with Mattias Ekholm burying an empty-net goal from the blue line with 20 seconds remaining, securing the 4-1 victory for the Predators.

Jarnkrok ended with 4 points (1 G, 3 A), a career-high. Rinne stopped 38 shots for .974 SV%.

TAKEAWAYS: DAVID VS GOLIATH

This game is why I will never give up on the Preds. They are gritty, they are determined, and they just don’t quit. They’re Rocky Balboa. They’re Carol Danvers. They’re Rudy.

The Preds have always been underdogs. Against the Lightning, they fought like they were backed into a corner, and even a relentless attack from Tampa, one of the best teams in the NHL, couldn’t stop them.

For much of the season, the Preds have struggled to figure out who they really are. Today, I believe they did just that. Let’s hope we see more of this type of play going forward.

The Nashville Predators will take on the Florida Panthers on Thursday, March 18th at 7:00 pm CST.