The Predators face off against the Golden Knights tonight. It’s a late puck drop.
Nashville Predators
The Predators responded mightily against St. Louis over the weekend. They laid a big fat stinker of a game against Dallas, and their leadership responded appropriately by putting the fire to their behinds. While Nashville isn’t a powerhouse team, they’re good enough to NOT play like they did against Dallas. We surely saw that against St. Louis, and while it’s a thrill to defeat Jordan Binnington, it seemed like a very complete game from the Predators. That was an excellent start on a 5-game road trip, but Vegas tonight will be another stiff challenge.
Juuse Saros looked like his normal, stellar self against St. Louis. It’s not a stretch to say that Saros has not been excellent this season, but all he needs are a few good games to regain confidence. Will we see him again tonight in net? Likely.
After Saturday’s contest, Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette said “I thought we put in a complete 60 minute effort. We haven’t done that for a while, we’ve kind of lost our game a little bit since the break. And tonight was the first sign of looking like us, so we’re going to build on it.”
Luke Schenn scored his first as a Predator on Saturday, Luke Evangelista scored his 10th of the season, and Ryan O’Reilly netted two goals. Evangelista has struggled a bit lately. I am curious to see if Denis Gurianov will remain with Nashville or be returned to Milwaukee. Egor Afanasyev was scratched alongside Tyson Barrie on Saturday, and Mark Jankowski has returned to Milwaukee.
Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights defeated the Sharks in a convincing manner on Monday, posting a neat shutout.
Mark Stone leads the Golden Knights with 16 goals and 36 assists. Jonathan Marchessault has 28 goals and 16 assists. The Knights find scoring all over the ice, and that’s the trademark of a team guaranteed to compete for a chance to repeat as Stanley Cup champions in the spring. The Golden Knights have made no significant roster moves lately, and I’m not sure what they’ll do as we get closer to the trade deadline. There’s not many holes they have to fill.
Goaltender Logan Thompson has a 2.68 GAA, and I’d expect him in net tonight. This is the second of three matchups against the Predators, and I’m sure the Knights are seeking to be dominant once more.
Keep Your Eye on This Guy
Gustav Nyquist has been fairly quiet lately, but you can count on his involvement in the play with linemates Filip Forsberg and Ryan O’Reilly. I’d like to see a really dominant game from Roman Josi; we haven’t seen a standout game from him this season.
Reasons to Watch
- The Golden Knights have a really neat arena
- Will Nashville respond after their U2 seats were cancelled by the coaching staff?
- Mark Stone breaks the Predators. Will that happen again tonight?
Tonight’s Theme Song
How to Watch
Puck drop is at 9:00 Central. Bally Sports has the broadcast and 102.5 The Game has the radio call. Get some coffee – it’s going to be a late one.