After falling yesterday on Long Island, the Nashville Predators will look to get back into the win column tonight as they finish a back-to-back set in New York against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden for a 6 p.m. CT puck drop. This evening’s contest is the second and final meeting of the season between the two clubs; the Preds shut out the Rangers in Nashville back in December.
Following a win over NHL-leading Winnipeg on Thursday, the Predators fell to the New York Islanders by a 7-4 final on Saturday afternoon in a game that saw Nashville down 3-0 after the first period. Tonight, the Preds will emphasize a better start and an improved effort overall if they want to find success against the Rangers.
“Just show up on time,” Preds forward Colton Sissons said Saturday of what the Preds need to do differently on Sunday against the Rangers. “We can't be snoozing in the first period, especially on the road. [The Islanders are] fighting for their lives over there. We’ve got to learn from that.”
Prior to Saturday’s game, the Predators recalled forward Jake Lucchini and Spencer Stastney from Milwaukee (AHL). Lucchini made his Nashville debut Saturday and registered one shot in 13:20 of ice time.
During the game, the Predators dealt forward Gustav Nyquist to Minnesota in exchange for Minnesota’s own second-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. In connection with the trade, Nashville agreed to retain 50 percent of Nyquist’s salary.
The Predators placed Captain Roman Josi on Injured Reserve and labeled him week-to-week with an upper-body injury. Stastney and Mark Jankowski (day-to-day) were scratched for Nashville.
The Good Guys:
Cole Smith tallied twice, and Marc Del Gaizo scored his first NHL goal in Saturday’s 7-4 loss to the Islanders. Sissons also found the back of the net and added two helpers, and Del Gaizo recorded an assist when Smith tipped in one of his shots from the point. Goaltender Juuse Saros took the loss for Nashville.
Filip Forsberg continues to lead the Preds with 22 goals and 54 points, followed by Jonathan Marchessault with 18 goals and 45 points. Ryan O’Reilly has 14 goals and 36 points; Steven Stamkos has tallied 17 times and has 33 points. Saros is now 13-25-6 in net; Justus Annunen is 13-8-0 overall.
The Opposition:
The Rangers recorded a pair of wins before finishing the month of February with a 3-2 loss to Toronto on Friday. Artemi Panarin leads the club with 23 goals and 59 points, followed by Adam Fox with 43 assists and 48 points. J.T. Miller, acquired last month from Vancouver, has 14 goals and 45 points on the season. Igor Shesterkin is 20-21-2 in net for the Rangers; Jonathan Quick is 8-5-2.
On Saturday, the Rangers acquired defenseman Calvin de Haan, former Predators forward Juuso Parssinen, a conditional second-round pick and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Ryan Lindgren, Jimmy Vesey, and the rights to unsigned draft pick Hank Kempf.
All-Time Meetings:
The Predators are 17-17-(1)-2 all-time against the Rangers, including a 10-8-(1)-0 mark on the road. Nashville is 5-5-0 in their last 10 meetings, but 4-1-0 in their last five at Madison Square Garden.
Notables Versus New York:
Steven Stamkos has recorded 43 points (19g-24a) in 43 games against the Rangers in his career. He has points (8g-10a-18pts) in 11 of his last 15 matchups with the Rangers.
Brady Skjei was drafted by the New York Rangers in the first round (28th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft. He played his first four seasons in the NHL with New York, posting 112 points (25g-87a) in 307 games.
Jonathan Marchessault has posted 17 points (10g-7a) in 19 career games against the Rangers. He has recorded nine points (8g-1a) in his last six games against the Rangers, including a hat trick performance on Jan. 26, 2024.
Rangers Head Coach Peter Laviolette spent parts of six seasons as head coach of the Predators from 2014-20, going 248-143-60 in 451 games. New York Assistant Coaches Phil Housley (2013-17) and Dan Muse (2017-20) also spent time in Nashville on Laviolette’s staff in the same positions.
Milestone Watch:
Tommy Novak is one game from 200 in his NHL career.
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.
Kieffer Bellows is two games from 100 in his NHL career.
Jonathan Marchessault is three games from 700 in his NHL career.
Ryan O’Reilly is four goals from 300 in his NHL career.
Watch & Listen:
Coverage for this evening’s game 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.)
