GAME DAY: Hurricanes vs. Preds, December 23

The Nashville Predators are set to conclude their four-game homestand tonight as they welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to Bridgestone Arena for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop. Tonight’s contest is the final outing before the NHL’s holiday break begins and the first of two meetings this season between the Preds and Canes.

Nashville saw their overtime fortunes turn on Saturday afternoon when they defeated the Los Angeles Kings by a 3-2 final in the extra session. The Predators have points in all three games of their current homestead and have won three of their last five outings with improved play continuing to be the norm. Now, they’d love nothing more than to head into the Christmas holiday with two more points to their credit.

“It's good for the confidence of everybody,” Preds forward Zach L’Heureux said following Saturday’s win. “I think we've been on kind of a hotter streak lately; we're playing better. Obviously it was huge to get that win. We're really motivated, one game before Christmas, and we want to close out this homestand on the right side.”

Preds Captain Roman Josi returned to action on Saturday after missing four games with a lower-body injury. Forward Juuso Parssinen and defenseman Justin Barron were scratched for Nashville on Saturday.

Last Time Out:

L’Heureux and Jonathan Marchessault tallied in regulation before Nick Blankenburg played the role of hero as he recorded his first career overtime winner as the Preds topped the Kings. Justus Annunen made 22 saves in his first home start as a member of the Preds, while Filip Forsberg added two assists for the third straight game.

The Good Guys:

Forsberg leads the Preds in scoring with 26 points (9g-17a), followed by Josi (7g-17a) with 24 points and Marchessault (10g-11a) with 21 points. Steven Stamkos (9g-10a) and Ryan O’Reilly (7g-12a) have 19 points each. Juuse Saros is 7-14-6 in net for Nashville; Annunen is 8-5-0 overall on the season.

The Opposition:

The Hurricanes have won three of their last four games, including a 3-1 victory over the New York Rangers yesterday afternoon. Martin Necas leads Carolina with 14 goals and 44 points on the season, followed by Sebastian Aho with 34 points (9g-25a) and Shayne Gostisbehere with 27 points (6g-21a). Jack Roslovic has 14 goals to his name; Andrei Svechnikov has 12 tallies. Pyotr Kochetkov, who started yesterday, is 14-6-0 in net; Dustin Tokarski is 1-0-0 in his lone start for Carolina.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 20-20-(1)-4 all-time against the Hurricanes, including a 12-9-(0)-1 record at Bridgestone Arena.

The Predators are 3-2-0 in their last five games against the Hurricanes; they are 5-5-0 in their last 10; and 3-2-0 in their last five at home.

Nashville picked up its first-ever victory as an NHL franchise on Oct. 13, 1998 in a 3-2 win over Carolina. Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette scored the franchise’s first goal at 5:12 of the first period.

Notables Versus Carolina:

Brady Skjei skated in 302 games for the Hurricanes the past five seasons, notching 135 points (43g-92a) in his time with Carolina. Skjei established a career-high in points with the Hurricanes last season, leading team blueliners with 47 (13g-34a). Additionally, he averaged 21:17 of ice time – the second-most in his career. Skjei recorded a career-high nine points (1g-8a) in 11 games to help the Hurricanes reach the Second Round of last season’s playoffs.

Steven Stamkos has recorded 50 points (22g-28a) in 58 career games against the Hurricanes. He has nine points (3g-6a) in his past seven games against the Hurricanes.

Juuse Saros made 64 saves in Nashville’s win at Carolina on Jan. 5, 2023. It was the most saves in a game in franchise history, the most by an NHL goaltender since 1990 and tied for third-most in a game in NHL history. He owns a .919 save percentage, 2.79 goals-against average and one shutout in 15 career games against the Hurricanes.

Milestone Watch:

Filip Forsberg is three power-play goals (78) from passing Shea Weber (80) for the most in Predators history and is four goals from 300 in his NHL career.

The Predators franchise is four wins from 1,000.

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 Chase McCabe 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.)