T.M. Selection: Tampa Bay Lightning.

I like the Tampa Bay Lightning to win this game against the Nashville Predators on Saturday. The Lightning have looked really good in their games lately. They have won 3/4 games of their previous 4 and they did slip up against the Red Wings during that time but their other 3 wins were very impressive and they have been scoring a lot of goals in those games too. They just slaughtered the Leafs on home ice 8-1 and they had a 7-4 win over the Jets in their game before the loss to the Red Wings. They are on home ice again here and the Predators haven't looked that great lately either, especially in their road games. The Predators have won 2/3 of their previous 3 games, both wins by just 1 goal, and they have played 5 games in a row on home ice. They lost the most recent road game they played in and they haven't looked great in road games lately, losing 4/5 of their previous 5 road games. Their most recent loss was at home to the Blues and they lost that game 8-3 after taking a 1-0 lead in the 1st period. The Lightning are coming off of some similar games where they destroyed the opposing team and I think they are going to do the same to the Predators on their home ice here since the Lightning have been getting really hot lately. The Lightning have already clinched a playoff spot this year but they are still fighting with the Bruins for 3rd place since 1 of those teams will have to land in the Wild Card. The Lightning have a 3 point lead over the Bruins and I think they are going to be motivated to keep their lead here. I like the Lightning to win this game.

T.M. Prediction: 6-2 Lightning.