Nashville The crowd was huge, the weather was great, the match was tight, and the entertainment exceeded expectations.
The only disappointment for the Nashville Predators on Saturday at Nissan Stadium? The result.
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The Predators lost 3-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in front of a crowded stadium with 68,619 fans in the 2022 NHL Stadium Series of the Naval Federal Credit Union.
It was the first away game for the Predators, who played in the Winter Classic at Cotton Bowl on January 1, 2020. The Dallas Stars defeated them 4-2 in that match.
“It was amazing and even surreal to get out of that locker room and see the whole stadium and our fans,” the Nashville captain said. roman jose. “Every time something happens here, they show up in droves. Their support is incredible.
“We wanted to win this match badly for our fans. It’s a shame we didn’t win them. But of course we are very grateful to our supporters. It’s something we will never forget.”
The Predators filled most of the crowd – the seventh-largest team in NHL history – when they took a 1-0 lead at 8:20 in the first half thanks to their 18th goal of the season. junior striker Tanner Guinot. Tampa Bay responded with three consecutive goals, most recently giving the Lightning a 3-1 lead at 11:31 of the third inning.
But Nashville will not give up.
The point of Philip Forsberg Less than a minute later, he pulled one back to 3-2 and seemed to give the Predator some wings. Nashville had six shot attempts in the closing moments of the period, but the Tampa Bay goalkeeper Andrei Vasilevsky prevail against Ryan JohanssonJanot and Josie.
Video: TBL @NSH: Forsberg stitches the needle in AN
“I thought we played really well in the third half after the Tampa Bay goal and even before that,” Forsberg said. After their goal, we continued to attack and did everything we could to score by making several shots. Vasilevskiy was good in goal, and their team defended well. With a positive leap, we would have scored a goal late in the game. »
Saturday’s game was an action-packed weekend for the Predators (30-19-4).
On Tuesday, they came back from behind 1-0, 3-1, 4-3 to defeat the Florida Panthers 6-4 at the FLA Live Arena. On Thursday at Bridgestone Arena, the 35th player for former goalkeeper Becca Raine, who spent 15 seasons with Nashville and is the organization’s captain in games played (683), won (369) and closed (360), retired. Nashville defeated the Dallas Stars 2-1 in a post-concert shoot.
But the Predators were unable to extend their winning streak to three over Lightning, who have won the Stanley Cup in the past two years.
“We wanted to get people back downtown happy tonight,” Forsberg said. At least a few people will be – Barq fans. But like I said, the atmosphere was great, and I thought the match was really intense until the end. »
Despite the loss, the Predators are confident that it provided an unforgettable experience for everyone who was there.
“We presented a show to the fans, so I hope it will be liked by everyone,” the striker said. Colton Seasons. “It was a big win for hockey in Nashville, that’s for sure.”
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