Paul nets two power-play goals as Lightning edge Predators 5-3

Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, entering the final season of a $68 million, eight-year contract, had an assist. Tampa Bay general manager Julien BriseBois has said the salary-cap challenged team won’t begin talks on a new deal until after the season.

Novak had a power-play goal at 8:48 before Paul made it 4-3 on a man-advantage goal 2:04 later. Kucherov added an empty-netter.

Parssinen scored 11 seconds into the third period before goals 42-seconds apart by Paul, on the power play, and Hagel put the Lightning up 3-2 at 3:07.

Kucherov scored the lone first-period goal as Tampa Bay had a 13-2 shot advantage.

O’Reilly tied it at 1 during the second period as Nashville outshot the Lightning 14-5.

Nashville centre Cody Glass took a point shot by teammate Tyson Barrie off the helmet with six minutes left in the second but returned in the third period.

DICKIE V AT THE RINK

College basketball icon Dick Vitale was among a group of Tampa Bay area sports legends taking part in a ceremonial puck drop.

Vitale, on social media Tuesday, said he will have two scopes within the next five days to determine if his 35 radiation treatments “wiped out” his vocal cord cancer.

ALSO SEEN

Hall of Famers joining Vitale on the ice were the NHL’s Phil Esposito and Dave Andreychuk, the NFL’s Derrick Brooks and Ronde Barber, and MLB’s Wade Boggs and Fred McGriff.

Nine-time Stanley Cup-winning coach Scotty Bowman watched from the press box. The 90-year-old Bowman saw his first NHL game in 1937 when his father, a Montreal Maroons fan, took him to see a game against the Canadiens.

UP NEXT

Predators: Host Seattle on Thursday night

Lightning: Play at Detroit on Saturday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL

Mark Didtler, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Paul nets two power-play goals as Lightning edge Predators 5-3

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