Coming off of a big victory against the Central Division rival Winnipeg Jets, the Nashville Predators are set to take on one of the more surprising teams of the 2021-22 season, the Detroit Red Wings.
The Red Wings are on the second half of a back-to-back, losing in overtime to the Dallas Stars 4-3 before traveling to the Music City. It was a valiant effort with some highlight-reel plays like Dylan Larkin’s ankle-breaking goal, but in the end, they couldn’t come out on top.
Dylan Larkin goes inside out on Klingberg (who ends up sprawling on the ice) and buries the goal to take the lead! What a highlight for both players. 😳 #LGRW pic.twitter.com/odgdkVA3UT
— Ryan Hana (@RyanHanaWWP) January 22, 2022
Before beating the Jets, the Predators were in a four-game losing slump. However, Roman Josi broke the franchise assist total in that win, Eeli Tolvanen was able to get on the scoresheet, Juuse Saros played spectacularly, and Tanner Jeannot put in an empty-net goal to help his Calder case.
Speaking of the Calder, this is the second matchup between Calder Trophy candidates. Jeannot has slowly but surely made his way into the conversation after a superb scoring streak and some incredible physical displays. Meanwhile, Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, and Alex Nedeljkovic all have staked their cases in the conversation as well. Raymond and Seider were viewed as the leaders of the race. Then, Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim Ducks also made an impression, and to some, took the lead in the race. I wrote an article detailing all of this, and in particular, Jeannot’s case here.
Nedeljkovic played against the Stars last night, so the Predators will probably be seeing Thomas Greiss, who they didn’t see in their first matchup with the team this season. Greiss has a 6-7-1 record, 3.36 goals-against average, and a .894 save percentage on the season. He was solid for the team last season, so it’s been hard to see a somewhat fall from grace for the 36-year-old goaltender.
Tyler Bertuzzi is another player to watch on the Red Wings. He leads the Red Wings with three goals, six assists, and nine points in his last five games. In total, on the season, he has 35 points in 33 games, and he’s tied for the team lead in goals with 19. He has been one of the go-to guys for offense this season, and the Predators will need to be aware of his position on the ice at all times.
This game can be viewed on Bally Sports South and listened to on 102.5 The Game.
That’s all from me, everybody. Go Preds!