The Nashville Predators will eat their eggs and drop the puck this afternoon when they host the Detroit Red Wings at Bridgestone Arena for a 1 p.m. CT start. Today’s contest is the second and final meeting between the two clubs already this season; the Preds were shut out in Detroit, 3-0, last Saturday.
That victory is the only win earned between the two teams this season; the Predators are 0-4-0 after falling to Edmonton by a 4-2 final on Thursday, while the Red Wings are 1-3-0 on the young season.
After a 7-3 loss to Seattle on Tuesday, there was more to like in Nashville’s game on Thursday against the Oilers. Even so, the Preds were unable to secure any points in the standings, but they know they’ve simply got to work their way out of this tough start to the campaign.
“We're not going to fracture and hit the panic button yet,” Preds forward Colton Sissons said following Friday’s practice. “We've got too much talent in here, too much character, and guys that have played too long [to panic]. We understand that teams, even great teams, go through stuff like this. It hasn't been easy, but we’ve got to have faith that [this adversity] is going to build us to be more resilient down the line.”
So, what’s most important for Nashville right from the opening puck drop today?
“To play to our identity,” Preds defenseman Brady Skjei said Friday. “We’ve talked a lot about playing faster and being more predictable, and I think just getting back to that style of hockey will make us feel better as a group. Obviously, a win is very important, but just playing with that speed and tenacity that this team plays with is probably the way we want to go forward. [Today’s] a good test for us, and it’s good to get another game against Detroit who beat us earlier.”
“Just get everybody involved into the game right from the get go,” Sissons said. “Keep things simple. Don’t make it difficult on ourselves, and just get to our forechecking game where we're feeling fast and looking fast and making it hard on the other teams and start wearing them out. If we do that, I think we'll be in a good spot.”
Update: The Preds have recalled defenseman Marc Del Gaizo from Milwaukee (AHL) ahead of today's game.
Last Time Out:
Jonathan Marchessault scored his first goal as a member of the Preds when he converted on the power play on Thursday night, and Filip Forsberg tallied his second of the season in the loss. Goaltender Juuse Saros made 33 saves for Nashville on the night.
The Good Guys:
Forsberg (2g-2a) leads the Preds with four points, followed by Marchessault (1g-2a), Ryan O’Reilly (1g-2a) and Roman Josi (3a) with three points apiece. Tommy Novak has found the back of the net twice in four games, while Luke Evangelista has a pair of assists. Saros is 0-3-0 on the season with an .878 save percentage.
The Opposition:
After defeating the Preds last Saturday, the Red Wings have lost twice to the New York Rangers this week and have been outscored 9-3 in those two outings. Lucas Raymond (4a) leads the Wings with four points, while J.T. Compher, Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat all have identical statlines with one goal and two assists each. Cam Talbot is 1-1-0 in net for Detroit; Alex Lyon is 0-1-0 in two appearances.
All-Time Meetings:
Nashville is 46-53-(4)-11 all-time against Detroit, including a 27-24-(2)-3 record at Bridgestone Arena.
The Predators are 10-4-1 in their last 15 games against the Red Wings, including six wins in a row from Feb. 23, 2021-Jan. 22, 2022, the franchise’s longest-ever win streak vs. Detroit.
Nashville is 6-2-0 in their last eight home contests against Detroit, outscoring the Red Wings, 24-11, in those contests.
On Feb. 28, 2009, the Predators defeated the Red Wings, 8-0, at Bridgestone Arena. It is tied for the highest margin of victory in a game in franchise history.
Notables Versus Detroit:
Steven Stamkos has tallied the second-most goals against the Red Wings of any active skater in the NHL with 23 (Alex Ovechkin – 24). He has scored a pair of goals against Detroit in four separate games and tallied three points in three different games against the Red Wings.
Jonathan Marchessault recorded a hat trick, for Vegas, against the Red Wings on March 9, 2024. His 11 career goals against Detroit are tied for the second-most he has scored against any NHL team.
Roman Josi has a team-high 28 points (3g-25a) in 39 career games vs. the Red Wings; Filip Forsberg has posted 22 points (10g-11a) in 23 career meetings with Detroit.
Juuse Saros is 8-3-1 with a 1.79 goals-against average, .934 save percentage and two shutouts in 13 career starts against the Red Wings.
Milestone Watch:
Luke Schenn played in his 1000th career NHL game on Thursday vs. Edmonton and is two points from 200.
Gustav Nyquist is two goals from 200 in his NHL career.
Tommy Novak is three points from 100 in his NHL career.
Watch & Listen:
Coverage for today’s game begins at 12:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on Bally Sports 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.)
