Nashville Predators Schedule: Bruins, Stars & Kings Await in the Week Ahead
A 0-2-1 record wasn't what the Nashville Predators were hoping for last week, and things don't get any easier as we look ahead to this week's upcoming battles. Despite the league shutdown for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day, they're still looking at a trio of tough opponents, including two recent champions.
Monday vs Boston Bruins
Annual contenders for Stanley Cup championships, the Boston Bruins are probably the NHL's best representative of the "pugnacity & truculence" style of hockey. This year they've loaded up for a run at the Cup with veteran wingers Jarome Iginla and Loui Eriksson, but the real guy to watch is hulking forward Milan Lucic, the kind of bruising goal scorer every hockey fan would love to have on their team.
At 24-10-2, the Bruins lead the Atlantic Division, going for their fourth division title in the last six seasons. They've won 8 out of 11 games coming into tomorrow's action, having just beaten Buffalo at home last night.
Friday @ Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars Lose Another Defenseman
Dallas Stars Lose Another Defenseman
The Stars have settled into the mushy middle of the Central Division with a 17-12-6 record, a step ahead of the Predators and Jets but well back of the leaders. That does represent a marginal improvement over their last two seasons, and it will be interesting to see how the team continues to evolve over the course of the season, given the amount of change which took place there over the summer.
At 3-3-1 in their last seven, Dallas is simply battling their way through a devastating assortment of injuries to their defensemen, but at least they have a guiding star up front (pun fully intended):
Saturday vs Los Angeles Kings
The 2012 Stanley Cup champs may be the hottest team in the league right now, with a 9-1-0 record of late which has them surging past San Jose in the Pacific Division. While familiar names like Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter & Justin Williams lead the way for the toughest defensive team in the league, the surprising story in La-La Land is the rise of rookie goalie Martin Jones, who has stepped into the breach after injury struck down #1 netminder Jonathan Quick and rattled off wins in his first eight games.
So how will the Preds fare this week? Vote in the poll, and sound off in the comments below!
How many points will the Preds earn this week?
| 0 | 16 |
| 1 | 10 |
| 2 | 41 |
| 3 | 12 |
| 4 | 4 |
| 5 | 4 |
| 6 | 6 |