Why Lightning fans are big Predators fans this week, and how Detroit’s unusual schedule favors Tampa Bay

by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
March 26, 2017

Welcome to the final two weeks of the NHL season. It’s not make-or-break time for the Tampa Bay Lightning, but what happens this week will go a long way toward determining whether or not the Lightning will still have a chance leading in to the final week.

And there are some things to keep an eye on that will have an impact and could work in Tampa Bay’s favor, including why Lightning fans need to be big Nashville Predator fans this week.

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Tampa Bay has a four-game week, which starts on Monday against Chicago 7:30 p.m EDT, NBCSN, 970-AM, tblpowerplay.com, which won’t be an easy game for the Lightning. Though Tampa Bay has been able to matchup well with the Blackhawks recently during the regular season, including a 5-2 victory on Jan. 24 in Chicago, the Blackhawks are coming in with a bit of anger on their mind after being shellacked by the Florida Panthers 7-0 on Saturday.

No doubt Chicago captain Jonathan Toews will have the attention of his team for the game after the Blackhawks suffered its worst loss since a 9-2 setback to Edmonton on Nov. 19, 2011, and first 7-0 loss since falling to San Jose on Feb. 14, 2001.

The Blackhawks might be in a comfortable position and not in any real danger of falling out of the top spot in the Western Conference, but no doubt Chicago would much rather be playing as there is a uncomfortable feeling.

”If we continue to play like that and think we’re going to turn it on come playoff time, we’ve got another thing coming,” Toews told the Chicago Sun Times. “You can’t let a score like that affect your confidence, or affect your overall game and what you’re going to do in the next game.

“But there has to be some sense of urgency, some sense of pride. We can’t let that complacency creep into our game.’’

So Monday will be difficult game for Tampa Bay, which will once again play without defenseman Jason Garrison, who was injured in Thursday’s game at Boston. Tyler Johnson, who skated on his own before practice on Sunday but looked cautious on his skates and will miss his ninth consecutive game with a lower body injury suffered on March 9.

#tblightning's Tyler Johnson skates by himself before the team practice in Brandon pic.twitter.com/7k18j2VTCp

— LightningShout (@LightningShout) March 26, 2017

And no, since I’m sure plenty are asking the question as they read this, Steven Stamkos is not ready to return. Don’t expect to see Stamkos the rest of this week, either, thought that is not 100-percent certain as he recovers from knee surgery. Stamkos continues to skate with the team and is a full participant in all drills and does not look as if he’s too far off, so if Tampa Bay still finds itself in contention during the final week of the season, his status will need to be closely monitored.

So about the positives for this week that I referenced in the opening couple of paragraphs, here they are.

First, the Detroit Red Wings, who come to Tampa on Thursday for the fifth and final meeting between the teams this season, have an unusual week before coming to Amalie Arena as Detroit will be playing a fourth game in five days.

That’s obviously not a normal week for NHL teams, and is actually not allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. But because there was an issue with the ice at PNC Arena in Raleigh back on Dec. 19, that game had to be postponed. The makeup date is this week.

So, after the players agreed to the change, the Red Wings will play three games in three days, which started on Sunday with Detroit’s overtime win against Minnesota in the afternoon. The Red Wings will now face the Hurricanes on consecutive nights in Raleigh, Monday and Tuesday, before arriving in Tampa.

The Lightning, meanwhile, will be relatively rested and will play just one game in five days before facing the Red Wings. That should prove to be a big advantage for Tampa Bay as it looks to stay in playoff contention.

And about being big Predators fans this week? Well, as it turns out, Nashville could end up having the biggest impact on the Eastern Conference playoff race, which is why Lightning fans might want to pull out some Preds’ gear and cheer for the Western Conference foe.

Nashville’s next three games look like this – Monday, at New York; Tuesday at the Boston and Thursday at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs. If the Predators pull off a sweep of those three games, the window for the Lightning cracks open more with a realistic chance of breaking through and in to the top eight.

Tampa Bay starts the week three points behind the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and four points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, which currently hold the No. 3 spot in the Atlantic Division.

Nashville continues to battle for a playoff spot, though appear to be in good position holding the No. 3 spot in the Central Division, 10 points clear of the Los Angeles Kings. But positioning is in play for the Predators, who still have a chance to catch Minnesota for home ice advantage in the first round. The Predators are also being pushed by St. Louis, which is one point behind, and Calgary in the wild card standings.

Nashville, by the way, also still has a second game left against the Islanders, which head to Nashville on April 4. So of the eight games left on the schedule for the Predators, half of them come against teams Tampa Bay is directly battling with for a playoff spot.

Of course, all of that becomes moot if the Lightning can’t take care of themselves in the final two weeks. With a four-game homestand this week, it presents a perfect opportunity for Tampa Bay to do just that, with games against Chicago and Detroit before weekend back-to-backs against Montreal and Dallas, respectively, on Saturday and Sunday.

Not an easy week, by any stretch, but there are a lot of positive factors pointing in Tampa Bay’s favor if things fall the right way. So while hanging on every shift with the Lightning this weeks, Tampa Bay fans should pull out their yellow pompons and cheer on the Predators, as well.

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