The Nashville Predators end their long, two-week road trip up north by visiting the Winnipeg Jets for their first Central Division matchup of the season.
Nashville Predators (5-7-0)
The Nashville Predators are coming off one of their most staggering losses of the early season, squandering a 2-0 first period lead by giving up four unanswered goals against the Calgary Flames. Despite the lead and relatively close score, the game was never in control by the Nashville Predators. The stats recap for the game shows that the Predators were outplayed in nearly every aspect of the game.
You can see the full-size, interactive game stats here.
Despite the score, Filip Forsberg was everywhere during the game, and despite not getting on the scoresheet, he and linemate Ryan O’Reilly are still showing strong after their combined four goals and seven points against Edmonton.
Despite the veterans making impressive efforts on the scoresheet, however, nobody has been as consistent and productive as the kids – including Tommy Novak, Luke Evangelista and Keifer Sherwood. Novak sits at 2nd on the team in goals (six, including a team-leading four power play goals), and third in points with 10. The combination was active in the loss to Calgary, with all three registering a point on Keifer Sherwood’s first period goal.
On the backend, head coach Andrew Brunette said before the game that there is a chance for the return of injured defenseman Ryan McDonaugh, who would be missing his third straight start if he’s not active tonight. The timetable was less clear regarding Cody Glass and Luke Schenn, but Brunette mentioned that Glass is “getting close”.
In net, it looks like Juuse Saros will get the start – the young Finn has started the large majority of Nashville’s games so far this season, and he’s struggled somewhat from his usual elite performance under the new system and the mass exodus of players during the offseason.
Winnipeg Jets (6-4-2)
The Jets are coming off two impressive outings on the road, getting victories at the Arizona Coyotes (5-3) and St. Louis Blues (5-2). Among the scoring leaders in those games, four players had games of three or more points: Alex Iafallo (4 assists vs STL), Mark Scheifele (1 goal, 2 assists vs STL), Kyle Connor (2 goals, 1 assist vs STL) and former Nashville Predators Nino Niederreiter (3 goals vs ARI).
Kyle Connor leads the team in both overall goals (eight) and points (12, tied with Mark Scheifele) and also is tied for the lead in power play goals (2). All four of the above players are currently shooting at 15% or higher, meaning it might not be sustainable, but for the time being, they are scoring and don’t show signs of stopping anytime soon.
In net, Winnipeg stalwart and elite goaltender Connor Hellebuyck gets the night off, with Lauren Brossoit getting just his third start of the season, his first since October 28th where the Jets lost to Montreal 4-3 in the shootout.
Projected Lines
Nashville
Filip Forsberg — Ryan O’Reilly — Gustav Nyquist
Kiefer Sherwood — Tommy Novak — Luke Evangelista
Yakov Trenin — Jusso Parssinen — Colton Sissons
Liam Foudy — Michael McCarron — Cole Smith
Roman Josi — Dante Fabbro
Jeremy Lauzon — Alexandre Carrier
Marc Del Gaizo — Tyson Barrie
Juuse Saros
Winnipeg
Kyle Connor — Mark Scheifele — Alex Iafallo
Cole Perfetti — Vladislav Namestnikov — Nikolaj Ehlers
Nino Niederreiter — Adam Lowry — Mason Appleton
Morgan Barron — David Gustafsson — Rasmus Kupari
Josh Morrissey — Dylan DeMelo
Brenden Dillon — Neal Pionk
Dylan Samberg — Nate Schmidt
Laurent Brossoit
How to Watch
The game airs at 7PM Central on Bally Sports South and 102.5 The Game.