GAME DAY: Flames vs. Preds, December 2

The Nashville Predators begin their December schedule tonight when they host the Calgary Flames for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop at Bridgestone Arena. This evening’s contest is the second of three meetings between the two clubs this season; the Preds beat the Flames last month in Nashville.

After a pair of victories on the road, the Predators returned home with a 5-2 loss to Winnipeg on Saturday night. Now, they’ll look to start the new month with another win against the Flames.

“The last two games [before Saturday], we strung together a couple big wins, especially on the road,” Preds forward Luke Evangelista said following Saturday’s loss. “We’ve got to play the way that we played in those two. We were desperate, we played a complete 60, we battled to the very end and it’s kind of our identity. We’ve got to be desperate right now.”

The Predators practiced on Monday and were joined by forward Jonathan Marchessault, who had missed the last two games with a lower-body injury. Forward Michael McCarron and defenseman Justin Barron were both absent from Monday’s practice and are now both considered day-to-day with lower-body injuries.

The Good Guys:

Nick Blankenburg and Luke Evangelista tallied for the Preds on Saturday, and Justus Annunen took the loss in net. Evangelista has seven points in his last four outings, and Blankenburg has scored in three of his last four games.

Ryan O’Reilly (8g-10a) leads the Preds with 18 points, followed by Filip Forsberg (9g-8a) and Evangelista (4g-13a) with 17 points apiece. Juuse Saros is 7-9-3 in net; Annunen is 1-4-1.

The Opposition:

The Flames have alternated wins and losses on their five-game trip that concludes tonight, including a 1-0 OT loss on Saturday in Carolina. Nazem Kadri (5g-16a) leads the Flames with 21 points, followed by Rasmus Andersson (5g-13a) with 18 points on the backend. Dustin Wolf is 6-12-2 in net; Devin Cooley is 3-2-2.

All-Time Meetings:

The Preds are 44-29-(4)-13 all-time against the Flames, including a 24-14-(1)-8 mark at home. Nashville is 6-4-0 in their last 10 versus Calgary and 3-2-0 in their last five at Bridgestone Arena.

The Predators have only lost seven times in regulation to the Flames since Dec. 15, 2015 (15-7-6) and have picked up at least one point in 30 of their last 41 games (22-11-8).


Notables Versus Calgary:

Filip Forsberg leads all Nashville skaters with 14 goals in 29 career games against the Flames. He paced the Predators with four points (4a) in the 2024-25 season series vs. Calgary.


Ryan O’Reilly has 30 points (11g-19a) in 47 career games against Calgary, including a hat trick on Jan. 4, 2025. He became the 10th Predators player to record multiple hat tricks, a list topped by Forsberg.


Milestone Watch:

Steven Stamkos is one point from 1,200 in his career.

Filip Forsberg is two points from 700 in his NHL career.

Luke Evangelista is four games from 200 in his career.

Giving Tuesday:

Celebrate Giving Tuesday with the Nashville Predators Foundation and click here to donate and support the Preds community charitable efforts. If you’re coming to the game, visit the Preds Foundation area on the main concourse outside of Section 106/107 to see the game night auction, and for a $30 donation, select a Foundation Night mystery puck. To place a bid in the auction, text "PREDS" to 76278. The auction closes at the start of the 3rd period. Also, stop by a number of stations on the main concourse and visit non-profit organizations tied to Preds players’ initiatives to learn more.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for tonight’s contest begins at 6:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley and Hal Gill. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic, analyst Chris Mason and rinkside reporter Kara Hammer will have the call on the television side.

Voice of the Predators Pete Weber and Jay More will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network, with pregame, postgame and intermission coverage by Max Herz beginning one hour before puck drop. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM. (El partido también se transmite en español por El Jefe en 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM y 810 AM.)