Lightning’s Nick Paul logs 2 power-play goals vs. Nashville Predators

TAMPA — With so many new faces, the Lightning go into the season testing out a lot of things early. Among those is placing center Nick Paul on the team’s star-filled, top power-play unit.

Paul, who went through a major scoring drought to end last season, already plays an important role centering the third line and as a penalty-killing forward.

But he’s a natural fit for the net front on the power play. He’s the rare combination of a big body who can handle his stick in traffic.

And through one game, the Nick Paul experiment seems to work.

Paul scored two power-play goals, including the winner with 9:08 remaining to give the Lightning a 5-3 win in Tuesday’s season opener against the Predators.

The Lightning found themselves unraveling early in the third period, their offense stagnant and suddenly down by a goal 11 seconds in when Juuso Parssinen scored.

Tampa Bay then regrouped, and also took advantage of its fortune, tying the score when Paul scored a power-play goal in a crowd in front of the net at the 2:25 mark to tie it at 2

Brandon Hagel then beat Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros after he was awarded a penalty shot, snapping a shot off Saros blocker and under the bar for a 3-2 lead over the Predators.

That lead didn’t last after Tommy Novak beat Lightning goaltender Jonas Johansson nearside on a wrister above his blocker on the power play 8:48 into the period.

Paul’s go-ahead score came while cleaning up a rebound in front on Mikhail Sergachev’s shot on goal. Nikita Kucherov, who opened scoring in the first period, also closed out scoring with an empty-netter, assisted by Paul and Sergachev.

This story will be updated.

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