GAME DAY: Jets vs. Preds, February 27

The Nashville Predators will conclude their four-game homestand tonight when they welcome the Winnipeg Jets to Bridgestone Arena for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop. This evening’s contest is the fourth and final meeting between the division rivals this season; the Preds beat the Jets in November before dropping a pair of outings in Winnipeg.

After returning from the two-week break with a win over Colorado, the Preds have dropped their last two decisions, including a 4-1 loss to Florida on Tuesday night. In addition to the result, the Predators also lost Captain Roman Josi to injury after he took a hit in the second period. Josi did not practice on Wednesday and is still being evaluated, but the blueliner is currently listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

No matter who is in the lineup for the Preds tonight, however, they know they’ve got another tough test, this time against a Jets team that has been one of the top clubs in the League throughout the season.

“Just play with pride…no matter what happens throughout the rest of the year,” Preds forward Michael McCarron said following Tuesday’s loss. “I think you always have to have strong leadership in the locker room, strong commitment, and continue to just try to get better. As a team, I don't think we've really played too many full 60 minute games this year. I think it's been a real challenge for us. It's been a grind, mentally and physically. I think we can come up, find a way to play 60 full minutes and make our fans proud no matter the outcome of the game. They just want to see you work hard and compete and play to the best of your ability. If we can do that on [tonight], I think we'll be happy with ourselves.”

Forward Kieffer Bellows made his Nashville debut on Tuesday and registered one shot and two hits in 6:40 of ice time. Mark Jankowski did not dress for the Predators on Tuesday and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Defenseman Jake Livingstone was a healthy scratch.

Update: The Preds have recalled defenseman Marc Del Gaizo from Milwaukee and reassigned defenseman Jake Livingstone to the Admirals.

The Good Guys:

McCarron scored the lone goal for Nashville on Tuesday night, and Juuse Saros made 21 saves in the loss.

Filip Forsberg continues to lead the Preds with 21 goals and 53 points on the season, followed by Jonathan Marchessault with 18 goals and 45 points. Josi has 29 assists and 38 points from the backend, Ryan O’Reilly has 14 goals and 34 points, while Steven Stamkos has 17 goals and 33 points on the season. Saros is now 12-24-6 in net; Justus Annunen is 13-8-0 overall.

The Opposition:

The Jets have now won 11 straight games after defeating Ottawa by a 4-1 final last night. Kyle Connor has 31 goals and leads Winnipeg with 73 points, followed by Mark Scheifele with 33 goals and 66 points. Gabriel Vilardi has tallied 26 times and has 54 points; Nikolaj Ehlers has 18 goals and 51 points on the season. Connor Hellebuyck got the win last night and is 36-7-2 in net; Eric Comrie is 6-7-1 overall.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 31-22-(1)-7 all-time against the Jets franchise, including a 19-9-2 mark at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville is 2-2-1 in their last five versus Winnipeg and 3-0-2 in the last five meetings at home.

Notables Versus Winnipeg:

Filip Forsberg has picked up at least one point in 16 of his last 27 contests against the Jets and has posted 26 points (8g-18a) in 40 career games vs. Winnipeg.

Steven Stamkos has tallied 60 points (33g-27a) in his career against the Winnipeg Jets franchise. He’s tied with Sidney Crosby for the second-most by an active skater in the NHL vs. Winnipeg. It is the third-most points he has recorded against a single franchise and the second-most goals (33). In his last 10 games against the Jets, he has nine points (4g-5a).

Jonathan Marchessault has 16 points (11g-5a) in 22 career games against Winnipeg. The forward has scored seven goals in his last seven games against the Jets, including a hat trick on Nov. 2, 2023.

Milestone Watch:

Steven Stamkos is two assists from 600 in his NHL career. Stamkos (572) is two goals from passing Mike Bossy (573) for the 23rd-most in NHL history.

Tommy Novak is three games from 200 in his NHL career.

Ryan O’Reilly is four goals from 300 in his NHL career.

Jonathan Marchessault is five games from 700 in his NHL career.

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.)