Game Day: Everything You Need To Know Ahead of Nashville Predators’ Matchup vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Oct 26, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Nashville Predators center Jonathan Marchessault (81) skates with the puck as Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley (55) defends during the third period at Bridgestone Arena. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
The Nashville Predators wrap up a five-game homestand, their longest of the 2025-26 season, when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday evening at Bridgestone Arena.
The game will start 15 minutes earlier than the usual 7 Pm CT home start time to accommodate staggered start times with all 32 NHL teams in action.
This is the first of two games between the Preds and Lightning during the 2025-26 season. The Predators will travel to Tampa Bay on March 29 for the final matchup between the two clubs.
The Predators dropped both games last season to the Lightning in overtime. Nashville lost the first matchup, 3-2, on Oct. 28. It was Steven Stamkos’ first game back in Tampa Bay since signing with the Preds.
In the second meeting, the Predators fell, 3-2, on Nov. 29, with Roman Josi scoring both Preds goals.
The Preds had their two-game winning streak snapped Sunday with a 3-2 loss at the hands of the Dallas Stars.
After Jonathan Marchessault (3) and Spencer Stastney (1) gave Nashville a 2-0 lead, Dallas stormed back with three unanswered goals from Oskar Back (1), Wyatt Johnston (6) and Mikko Rantanen (4).
Justus Annunen made 25 saves in the loss.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Tuesday night’s matchup with the Lightning.
Game Day
Who: Nashville Predators (4-4-2) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (3-4-2)
When: 6:45 Pm CT at Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
TV: FanDuel Sports Network South
Radio: 102.5 The Game
Lines (BetMGM
Lightning
-1.5 (+145)
O 6 (-110)
-160
Predators
+1.5 (-175)
U 6 (-110)
+135
The Preds held a morning skate on Tuesday. Practice lines were:
Forsberg-O’Reilly-Wood
Jost-Stamkos-Marchessault
Bunting-Haula-Evangelista
Smith-McCarron-Wiesblatt
Skjei-Perbix
Wilsby-Hague
Stastney-Barron
Saros.
Player Status
Nashville: Preds captain Roman Josi is week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Jonathan Marchessault returned to the lineup on Sunday after being day-to-day with a lower-body injury, while Fedor Svechkov and Nick Blankenburg were healthy scratches.
Tampa Bay: Nick Paul is on LTIR and listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury.
Max Crozier is day-to-day with a lower-body injury.
Penalty-Kill Home Streak Ends
Nashville had its perfect streak of not allowing a power-play goal from an opponent at home stopped Sunday against the Stars.
After defenseman Nic Hague was whistled for delay-of-game when the puck went over the glass, Mikko Rantanen scored what proved to be the game-winner at 10:44 of the third period.
Nashville was the last remaining team in the NHL to concede a power-play goal at home this season, killing off its first 22 opportunities at Bridgestone Arena.
Coming into Tuesday’s game, the Preds’ penalty-kill unit is still among the best in the NHL at 88.9% (4-of-36), good for sixth in the NHL.
The power play, which has struggled all season, went 1-for-2 on Sunday and is currently 31st in the NHL at 9.7% (3-for-31).
Preds Leaders
Ryan O’Reilly leads the Preds with five goals and nine points, followed by Filip Forsberg (3-4-7) and Jonathan Marchessault (3-2-5).
Juuse Saros is 4-2-2 in net for the Preds with a 2.68 goals-against average and .909 save percentage. He has a .969 save percentage while on the penalty kill, the seventh-highest in the NHL.
Current Streaks
O’Reilly picked up an assist on Sunday to extend his point streak to five games (3g-4a). He is one game away from tying his longest point streak as a Predators player (twice in 2023-24).
O’Reilly has recorded 22 points (9g-13a) in 31 career games against the Lightning. He has points in three of his last four games against Tampa Bay (3g-2a), including two multi-point games.
Scouting The Lightning
The Lightning come into Nashville having won both of their games over the weekend, including a 2-1 victory in overtime against Vegas on Sunday. They picked up their first consecutive wins of the 2025-26 season after Saturday and Sunday’s victories.
The Lightning are 23rd in the NHL on the power play at 16.1% (5-of-31). On the penalty kill, they rank fourth at 90.3% (3-of-31).
Jake Guentzel leads Tampa Bay with 10 points (4-6-10), followed by Nikita Kucherov with eight points (3-5-8) and Victor Hedman (eight assists).
Andrei Vasilevskiy is 1-3-2 in net on the season with a 3.00 GAA and .892 SP; Jonas Johansson is 2-1-0 with a 3.04 GAA and .913 SP.
All-Time Meetings:
The Predators are 19-18-9 all-time against Tampa Bay, including an 11-8-5 mark at home.
Nashville is 2-5-3 in their last 10 overall against Tampa Bay but 2-1-2 in their last five meetings at Bridgestone Arena.
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