The Nashville Predators will conclude a two-game road trip tonight when they face the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center for a 6 p.m. CT puck drop. This evening’s contest is the second and final meeting between the two clubs this season; the Preds defeated the Canes in Nashville two days before Christmas.
After a 5-2 victory over Toronto on Saturday night, the Predators concluded their back-to-back set with a 4-1 loss in St. Louis on Sunday evening. Now, they’ll look to build on what was overall a pair of solid efforts as they face one of the League’s top teams tonight in Raleigh.
“We do so many good things and just can't find a way to score,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said following Sunday’s loss. “ I think everybody's obviously been frustrated, but we're still putting an effort in. We're still creating chances. We're still getting to the net…at times, maybe a little bit perimeter, but I think with what we have right now, we're around it. Hopefully by the end of the year, some pucks go in.”
The Predators did not practice on Monday following their back-to-back games over the weekend. Nashville’s lineup remained unchanged in both of those outings with Jakub Vrana and Jordan Oesterle serving as healthy scratches.
The Good Guys:
Filip Forsberg, who scored Nashville’s lone goal against the Blues on Sunday, has three tallies in his last two games and leads the club with 28 goals and 65 points. Jonathan Marchessault has 19 goals and 49 points, while Steven Stamkos has 23 goals and 45 points. Former Hurricanes defenseman Brady Skjei has nine goals and 25 points in his first season with the Preds. Juuse Saros is 17-27-6 overall in net; Justus Annunen is 14-11-1.
The Opposition:
The Hurricanes have won nine of their last 10 outings, including a 5-2 victory in Anaheim on Sunday night. Sebastian Aho has 26 goals and 65 points on the season, while Seth Jarvis has 27 goals and 53 points. Former Preds forward Mark Jankowski, who was dealt to Carolina at the Trade Deadline, has six goals in seven games with his new club. Pyotr Kochetkov is 25-12-3 in net for the Canes; Frederik Andersen is 11-5-0.
All-Time Meetings:
The Predators are 21-20-(1)-4 all-time against Carolina, including an 8-11(1)-3 mark on the road. Nashville is 6-4-0 in the last 10 meetings with the Hurricanes and 2-3-0 in their last five in Raleigh.
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.
Brady Skjei skated in 302 games for the Hurricanes in the past five seasons, notching 135 points (43g-92a). Skjei established a career high in points with the Hurricanes last season, leading team blueliners with 47 (13g-34a).
Notables Versus Carolina:
Steven Stamkos has recorded 51 points (23g-28a) in 59 career games against the Hurricanes. He has 10 points (4g-6a) in his past eight games against the Hurricanes.
Filip Forsberg owns eight goals and 17 points in 23 career meetings with Carolina. He recorded a season-high three assists in the first contest against Carolina this season.
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 .920 save percentage, 2.73 goals-against average and one shutout in 16 career games against the Hurricanes.
Milestone Watch:
Juuse Saros is one win from 200 in his NHL career.
Ryan O’Reilly is two goals from 300 in his NHL career.
Filip Forsberg (355) is two assists from passing David Legwand (356) for the second-most in franchise history.
Watch & Listen:
Coverage for this evening’s contest begins at 5:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic and analyst Chris Mason will have the call on the television side.
Max Herz and Hal Gill will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network. 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.)
