Tonight the Nashville Predators will face a new “modified Central Division” rival: the Tampa Bay Lightning. This Predators team is still looking to solidify a team identity, and what better opportunity to test their mettle than against the reigning Stanley Cup champions? What are the Preds up against tonight? Let’s take a look.
The Lightning
Tampa Bay comes into this contest with a 3-2-0 record. Despite their early schedule being affected by opponents’ COVID outbreaks, the Lightning have put together a solid start to their 2021 season. The defense, headed by Norris Trophy finalist Victor Hedman and with Andrei Vasilevskiy in net, has played well defensively, with the exception of their loss to Columbus Blue Jackets (in which they allowed 5 goals).