The Preds will look to not turn three consecutive early leads into three consecutive overtime losses tonight in Minnesota — hopefully by turning a lead into a win instead.
The Nashville Predators
It’s been a rough year for the Preds. Despite adding several high-profile goalscorers this offseason, and having several talented offensive players already on the roster, they haven’t been able to turn those ingredients into a finished product.
They just can’t score goals — their 56 total are tied for last in the league with the Anaheim Ducks, who’ve played two fewer games, and they’re just above dead last in the league in the standings, with only the Chicago Blackhawks (who’ve also played fewer games) below them.
Juuse Saros has been trying to give them a chance to win every night, but they just haven’t taken him up on the offer. He’s turning in an above-average performance with a massive workload, but unless he’s planning on scoring some himself, it’s just not enough.
The Minnesota Wild
Scoring won’t be easier for the Preds tonight, as the Minnesota Wild are still a defensively elite team. They don’t score a ton themselves, but they stifle their opponents’ offense and stop the shots that do get through.
Marc-André Fleury, in his one last year before retirement, has been fine, but young Filip Gustavsson looks like an early Vezina frontrunner; he’s turning in a great performance even behind a great defense and has a league-leading .929 sv% to show for it — numbers that suggest the easier goaltending of last decade. The Wild also played last night, managing a smooth win over the Hawks, and Fleury was in net for that, so the Preds can expect to see Gustavsson today.
Kirill Kaprizov continues to dazzle. He’s the exception to the Wild’s perfectly adequate offense; he’s put up 36 points, including 22 assists, in the 22 games he’s played. Kaprizov (14G) and Matt Boldy (11G/13A), are the only Wild players currently in double digits there, and Marco Rossi (7G/11A) is the only other player with double digits in assists.
Still, you only need to score enough goals, and the Wild have absolutely been doing that. They’re second in the Central and third in the league — second, by points percentage — behind just the Winnipeg Jets. It’s going to be a tough game for the Preds, but it’ll be extremely satisfying if they can make it a win.
How to Watch
The game airs at 7PM Central on FanDuel Sports Network South and 102.5 The Game, or you can brave the wintry wilds (plural! it’s plural in modern usage!) of St. Paul to watch the game in person.