It’s a Central Division showdown tonight at Bridgestone Arena!
Nashville Predators
It’s assumed that Kevin Lankinen is well enough to back up Saros tonight as Yaroslav Askarov has been returned to Milwaukee. I doubt Lankinen gets the start against his former club, but he’s posted some nice numbers against the Blackhawks this season. “Lankinen played the first 69 games of his NHL career with Chicago from 2020-22. He went 25-29-11 and posted a 3.23 goals-against average and .901 save percentage for the Blackhawks. He faced Chicago for the first time on Nov. 18 and earned the win, stopping 29 of 31 shots.” Juuse Saros has great numbers against the Hawks, and I’d expect him between the pipes tonight.
Here’s another fun stat about Nashville vs. Chicago: “This will be the 135th time the Predators and Blackhawks clash in the regular season, Nashville’s most games played against a single opponent.” It really does seem like Nashville has faced down Chicago quite often, but perhaps we’re remembering joyful playoff memories like 2017.
Chicago Blackhawks
The Hawks are…not good…this season, but rookie sensation Connor Bedard is everything they’ve hoped for and some. He’s about half a season away from being awarded the “C” for Chicago, and he’ll be leading this team into possible relevancy in the coming seasons. He’s a dynamic to watch, and I’m hoping he does not try for a “Michigan” goal against Juuse Saros tonight. “No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard leads the Hawks in points (33), goals (15) and assists (18). Bedard additionally leads all NHL rookies in each category.” It’s a weird thing seeing your #1 pick (and rookie) leading the team, but that’s exactly what young Bedard is doing….he’s just 18 years old. That’s a lot to shoulder.
The Hawks are dealing with a ton of injuries. Tyler Johnson, Taylor Hall, Taylor Raddysh, Joey Anderson, Andreas Athanasiou, and Seth Jones are all injured. Remember that Hall was brought in to play with Bedard, and now Bedard’s most frequent linemate is veteran forward Nick Foligno.
We will also see Colin Blackwell and Jarred Tinordi back in the Music City tonight.
Reasons to Watch
-With one assist or goal tonight, Roman Josi will become the highest-scoring defenseman in Nashville Predators history. From the Preds game preview: “Roman Josi (166) is one goal from passing Shea Weber (166) for the most by a defenseman and the third-most among all skaters in Predators history.”
-Connor Bedard
-Recover from the holidays with a good old fashioned hockey game!
Keep Your Eye on This Guy
The obvious choice is Connor Bedard, but I’m looking for Luke Evangelista to build a bit in the early part of 2024 and post some points tonight.
Tonight’s Theme Song
How to Watch
It appears that Bally Sports South has the TV broadcast and 102.5 The Game has the radio call. Puck drop is at 7:00 Central.