GAME DAY: Kraken vs. Preds, March 6

The Nashville Predators return home tonight to host the Seattle Kraken for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop at Bridgestone Arena. This evening’s contest is the third and final meeting between the two clubs this season; the Preds have fallen to the Kraken in each of the first two outings.

After dropping a weekend back-to-back in New York, the Predators concluded their three-game trip with an impressive 6-3 victory in Boston on Tuesday night. Now, Nashville will look to keep that momentum up and build off of a new-look forward unit that found chemistry across all four lines.

“It feels really good,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said following Tuesday’s win. “We haven't had too many great feelings, especially on the road. Hopefully we can grab this one and build it and try to find some joy on Thursday and continue through the process of enjoying the game a little bit. We've put so much pressure on ourselves all year, so a night like tonight feels good. Get some rest, and we've got an opportunity on Thursday to feel even a little bit better about ourselves.”

Predators forward Mark Jankowski returned to the lineup on Tuesday after missing four games due to injury. Forward Jake Lucchini and defenseman Justin Barron were healthy scratches against the Bruins.

On Wednesday, the Predators reassigned forward Kieffer Bellows to Milwaukee. Forward Zach L’Heureux took part in Tuesday’s morning skate in Boston but did not play against the Bruins. The Preds did not practice on Wednesday.

Last night, the Predators acquired forward Michael Bunting and Pittsburgh’s fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from the Penguins in exchange for forward Tommy Novak and defenseman Luke Schenn.

Update: The Preds have recalled forward Ozzy Wiesblatt from Milwaukee (AHL).

Last Time Out:

Steven Stamkos recorded a goal and two helpers - including his 600th career assist - in Nashville’s triumph over the Bruins. Ryan O’Reilly tallied twice and had an assist, while Tommy Novak, Jonathan Marchessault and Jankowski also found the back of the net. Juuse Saros made 18 saves in net to earn the win.

Stamkos became just the second player from the 2008 NHL Draft class to reach the 600-assist milestone, and he recorded his 105th career three-point game, which is the sixth-most by an active player behind Sidney Crosby (185), Alex Ovechkin (138), Connor McDavid (133), Evgeni Malkin (117) and Patrick Kane (110).

The Good Guys:

Filip Forsberg leads the Preds with 22 goals and 55 points, followed by Marchessault with 19 points and 46 points. O’Reilly now has 16 goals and 39 points on the season; Stamkos has 18 goals and 36 points. Predators Captain Roman Josi, who has 38 points, remains on Injured Reserve with an upper-body injury. Saros is now 14-25-6 in net; Justus Annunen is 13-9-0 overall.

The Opposition:

Seattle started the month of March with a win over Vancouver before falling to Minnesota, 4-3, on Tuesday night. Jared McCann (15g-29a) leads the team with 44 points, followed by Chandler Stephenson (10g-31a) with 41 points and Jaden Schwartz (19g-19a) with 38 points. Joey Daccord is 21-16-3 on the season; Philipp Grubauer is 5-15-1 overall.

On Wednesday, the Kraken traded winger Oliver Bjorkstrand and center Yanni Gourde to the Tampa Bay Lightning in a three-way deal that also involved Detroit for a pair of first-round draft picks, a second-round pick, and forward Michael Eyssimont.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 4-7-0 all-time against Seattle, including a 2-3-0 mark at home. Bridgestone Arena hosted the Kraken in the franchise’s first-ever NHL game on Oct. 14, 2021, a 4-3 loss for the Predators. Seattle is the fifth franchise to join the NHL after Nashville’s inaugural season (1998-99), along with Atlanta/Winnipeg, Minnesota, Columbus, Vegas and Utah.

Notables Versus Seattle:

Jonathan Marchessault leads all NHL skaters in goals against the Kraken with nine in 14 games. He has also added four assists in those contests.

Filip Forsberg leads the franchise in points against Seattle, posting nine points (3g-6a) in nine games.

Seattle forward Eeli Tolvanen played 135 games for Nashville from 2018-22, tallying 51 points (25g-26a). He was selected by Nashville in the first round (30th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft. Tolvanen scored Nashville’s first-ever goal against Seattle on Oct. 14, 2021.

Milestone Watch:

Steven Stamkos recorded his 600th career NHL assist on March 4 at Boston. Stamkos (573) is one goal from passing Mike Bossy (573) for the 23rd-most in NHL history.

Jonathan Marchessault is one game from 700 in his NHL career.

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

Juuse Saros is four wins from 200 and four games from 400 in his NHL career.

Colton Sissons is five goals from 100 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.)