Tampa Bay at Nashville

Tampa Bay is hot, but this is the end of a five-game road trek. Tampa Bay is dealing with major depth problems, with star center Steven Stamkos (right knee) out for four months, plus they had to scratch left winger Brian Boyle and defenseman Anton Strelman due to upper-body injuries the last game. That forced coach Jon Cooper to utilize a lineup with seven defensemen and only 11 forwards. The Lightning are 22-53 away against a team with a home winning percentage of greater than .600. Nashville is a strong team, #10 in the NHL in goals scored, sixth on the power play. The Predators are on a 9-2 run at home, the home team has won six of seven when these teams clash, with Tampa Bay losing five in a row here. Make it six in a row! Play Nashville.