The Nashville Predators are almost done with their northern road trip, and I for one will be glad to see it end — it’s been a string of losses, some close and some not-so-close.
The Ottawa Senators
It has, at least, been a rough season for the Sens as well — but then, the same is true of the Canadiens, who shut the Preds out on Thursday.
Tim Stützle (10G/20A), Brady Tkachuk (13G/16A), and Drake Batherson (9G/18A) are the runaway scoring leaders, with a steep falloff from Batherson’s 27 points to Josh Norris and Claude Giroux’s 17. However, they don’t have a monopoly on goals — Norris has scored 11, while Adam Gaudette has the hottest hand in the league, with a team-second 12 goals despite only having taken 33 shots on net.
Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot continue to drive possession and scoring chances for their team, combining good defense with good offense in a way that makes them stand out from the rest of the roster.
Meanwhile, Linus Ullmark and Anton Forsberg have struggled in goal behind a good defense at even strength and an okay-ish one while shorthanded. The penalty kill has also suffered as a result, while the power play has found considerably more success despite not looking that great on paper.
How to Watch
The game airs at 6 PM Central on FanDuel Sports Network South and 102.5 The Game.