The Nashville Predators look to hold their position in tonight’s match against the San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks have struggled badly this year, and were the first team eliminated from playoff contention (it’s still a short list, though nobody has yet clinched a playoff spot either). Almost nothing has gone right for them as a team–they’ve combined an anemic offense with bad shooting luck, and a disastrous defense with subpar goaltending. Their power play is actually fine, but their penalty kill is not.
With Mackenzie Blackwood, their 1A goalie, injured, and Kaapo Kähkönen, their 1B goalie, traded to the New Jersey Devils, Magnus Chrona and Devin Cooley have been seeing the ice lately. Cooley has only played one game this season, and 23-year-old Chrona has had an understandably wobbly start to his season. In a very limited sample size, neither has cracked the .870 sv% mark.
Mikael Granlund leads the team with 44 points, especially respectable given that he’s only played 54 games. His 34 assists are far and away the team’s highest, while Fabian Zetterlund is the goals leader–and second among current players in points–with 18 (and 32 points).
The Sharks have had several high-scoring games this season, but unfortunately for them not enough. They’ve given up ten goals twice, in consecutive games in early November to finish off an eleven-game losing streak, and have scored six four times. It’s been a disheartening season for the Sharks and their fans.
The game airs at 7PM Central on Bally Sports South and 102.5 The Game.