A two-game homestand concludes tonight for the Nashville Predators as they welcome the New York Islanders to Bridgestone Arena for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop. This evening’s contest is the second and final meeting between the two clubs this season, and it’s also the last outing against an Eastern Conference opponent for the Preds on the campaign.
Just five games remain in the regular season for the Predators, and while the scoreboard hasn’t fallen their way in the past six tries, Nashville continues to put forth largely satisfactory efforts. Now, they’ll look to continue to build their game with just over one week to play.
“[These are] the dog days of the season, when you're in the spot we're in, and we’ve got to find a way to bring energy into the rink,” Preds forward Michael McCarron said following Sunday’s loss. “There's a lot of young guys in here that are fighting for jobs next year, and a lot of us that want to create a good culture in here, and it starts with some good work and a good attitude coming in every day. I know it's cliche, but coming here with a bad attitude, it's only going to get worse. So, [we’ve] just kind of got to show up every day and do your job, so to say, and try to have fun with it.”
Predators forward Matthew Wood made his NHL debut on Sunday night in Nashville’s 2-1 loss to Montreal, and the rookie was impressive in his first showing.
“It was a great opportunity, and really, really fortunate that I was able to experience that,” Wood said. “I think after the first period, I was a lot less nervous, and it was fun.”
Nashville held a practice with limited participation on Monday with Jonathan Marchessault (lower body, day-to-day) among the participants. Nashville scratched forward Jakub Vrana against the Canadiens, while both Colton Sissons (week-to-week) and Marchessault (day-to-day) remained out with lower-body injuries. Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette remains away from the team to tend to family matters.
