After dropping a contest to the Coyotes on Thursday evening, the Predators look to improve some parts of their game and get back into the win column.
Nashville Predators
The Predators had their butts handed to them by the Coyotes on Thursday, dropping the game 2-5. Juuse Saros was the victim of multiple Coyotes power plays and Nashville couldn’t get shots on Darcy Kuemper.
Filip Forsberg did not skate on Thursday, but he could return to the lineup tonight against the Panthers.
While it’s not time to panic yet, the Predators’ penalty kill has been atrocious. It’s one thing to improve from nearly dead-last in the League to a competent power play, but the penalty kill is a minor cause for concern at this time.
Florida Panthers
We last saw the Panthers in multiple preseason tilts. With one of the NHL’s best netminders in Sergei Bobrovsky, the Panthers should be a relatively competitive team this season. They played last night against Colorado and face Nashville on the second night of a back-to-back. They are 2-2-2 as of Friday morning.
Mike Hoffman (yes, that Mike Hoffman) leads the team in points with 8 (5 goals, 3 assists). Evgenii Dadonov has 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists) and Jonathan Huberdeau has 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists).
Offseason pickup Noel Acciari has fit right in with Florida. The center has 2 goals on the season. They also added Brett Connolly (from Washington) and defender Anton Stralman (from Tampa Bay).
In net, Bobrovsky has put up less-than-stellar numbers. He has a .870 Sv% over 5 games with a 3.89 GAA. With this being the second game of a back-to-back, the Predators might face Sam Montambeault in net.
Florida’s new head coach is Joel Quenneville.
Reasons to Watch
- College football in Tennessee is a joke, so watch the Predators instead!
- I’m keeping a close eye on Daniel Carr. After clearing waivers earlier in the week, Carr remained with the team to fill in for the injured Filip Forsberg. Can Carr find his scoring touch at the NHL level? Once Forsberg is healed, Carr might end up in Milwaukee. /
Tonight’s Theme Song
Tonight’s Drink of Choice
While scrolling social media during work, I came across cat wine. This non-alcoholic, organic wine is made specially for cats. I really don’t know what else to say here. Treat your cat?
How to Watch
Tonight’s game is at a more normal hour – 7:00 Central. You can watch on Fox Sports-TN or catch the radio call on 102.5 The Game.