The Nashville Predators have posted the roster for tonight’s game at Washington (6:00 p.m. Central on 102.5 The Game), and things are starting to look more and more like the regular season with each passing game:
Forwards
Mike Fisher, Nick Spaling, Craig Smith, Rich Clune, Simon Moser, Eric Nystrom, Matt Hendricks, Patric Hornqvist, Paul Gaustad, Colin Wilson, Taylor Beck & Gabriel Bourque
Defense
Seth Jones, Ryan Ellis, Kevin Klein, Mattias Ekholm, Joe Piskula & Victor Bartley.
Goal
Left out are Pekka Rinne, Shea Weber, Viktor Stalberg (injured), Filip Forsberg (injured), Matt Cullen, David Legwand & Roman Josi.
On the Washington side, the story of note is the new guy playing center for the Capitals these days:
…veteran winger Martin Erat will also get a look-see as a center. He’ll man the middle for the remainder of the preseason, and he’ll be flanked by the same wingers Fehr had: Jason Chimera and Joel Ward.
“Adam is going to play [Erat] at center the next few games,” says McPhee. “He thinks that’s a real good spot for him and I would agree with that. He’s a real clever player as well; real responsible defensively. He might be a real good fit at center ice. I think we know what he is. We might actually get more out of him playing him at center.”
For more on the Caps, make sure to head over to Japers’ Rink, one of the very finest team-oriented hockey blogs in captivity. While we ponder former Predators like Erat and Ward, Caps fans will look longingly at Matt Hendricks.
Make sure to join us later on for the Game Thread!
More from On the Forecheck:
- Rich Clune Season Preview: Is the Statue Ready Yet?
- Wednesday’s Dump & Chase: Preds Hit the Road, Take “Entertainment Tax” to D.C.
- Viktor Stalberg Injury: Winger Out 3-4 Weeks
- Nashville Predators 2, Tampa Bay Lightning 1: Pekka Perfect Again
- Nashville Predators Drop to #38 in ESPN’s Ultimate Team Ranking/