The Nashville Predators return to Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday looking for their fifth-straight win and the first in their three-game season series against the Vancouver Canucks.
The home team will certainly have their work cut out for them against the highest-scoring team in the National Hockey League, and will look to ice an improved effort from their last two meetings against Vancouver in late October.
“It’s going to be a good test for us,” Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “I think it’ll be a good measuring stick of where we’re at right now… I didn’t like our home game, but I liked our road game against them. That was a good hockey game and I’m expecting the same [Tuesday].”
To be certain, Nashville has lately proven a dangerous contender themselves. Since Nov. 15, they’ve led the NHL in points (26), wins (13) and point percentage (.813), while Juuse Saros has led all League netminders in wins (10) and save percentage (.933) in the same span.
“There's a lot of confidence,” Predators Captain Roman Josi said. “I think even before, when our record may not have been as great, we felt like we had some good games and we knew what we had to do and how we needed to play. And it seems like we can just put it together more often right now and play more consistently. And obviously when you’re winning, the feeling is good and the confidence level is high.”
LAST TIME OUT
On Saturday, the Predators extended their win-streak to four games after a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals.
Colton Sissons scored his 10th goal of the season on the power play, Philip Tomasino notched the game-winner on an impressive breakaway move and Yakov Trenin recorded his seventh of the year to give his team some extra insurance before the final buzzer.
Saros made 21 saves and established a career-long win streak (6) in the process. With his 161st career win, Saros additionally tied former Predators netminder Tomas Vokoun for the second-most wins in franchise history.
Josi and Filip Forsberg extended their point streaks to four games after assisting Sissons’ PPG. Cole Smith registered an assist and a team-high six hits as his team earned their 13th win in the last 16 games.
Nashville went 1-for-3 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.
THE GOOD GUYS
Forsberg leads the Predators and is tied for the ninth-most points among all League skaters with 36. The veteran forward additionally leads his club and is tied for fifth among League skaters in goals (16). Josi and Forsberg share the team lead in assists with 20 each; Josi is additionally ninth among League defenseman in helpers.
Saros is 14-10-0 after 24 games, with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. Backup netminder Kevin Lankinen is 4-3-0 after 9 games, with a 3.28 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage.
The Predators are fourth in the Central Division with 36 points, an 18-13-0 overall record and an 11-6-0 record at Bridgestone Arena.
THE OTHER GUYS
Vancouver has no shortage of offensive production, and currently lead the NHL in goals for, with 120 in 32 games.
Those numbers have come from J.T. Miller, Elias Petterson, Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser, who are each producing at more than a point-per-game pace.
Miller leads his Canucks and is third among NHL skaters in points and assists (15g-30a-45pts), Boeser leads his club in goals and shares a League-high with Toronto’s Auston Matthews (23), while Hughes shares the club lead in assists with Miller. Hughes additionally holds the most points of any NHL blueliner with 39.
Goaltender Thatcher Demko is 16-7-0 after 23 games, with a 2.34 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. Demko leads the League in wins and shares the League lead in shutouts (3).
Backup netminder Casey DeSmith is 5-2-2 after 10 games, with a 2.48 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage.
The Canucks additionally have the sixth-best power play in the League, with a 25.4 percent success rate.
They are currently second in the Pacific Division with a 21-9-2 overall record and a 9-6-1 road record; they are 7-2-1 in their last 10 outings.
ALL-TIME MEETINGS
The Predators are 35-41-(2)-7 all-time against the Canucks, including a 19-17-(1)-6 record at Bridgestone Arena. This is the third and final matchup between Nashville and Vancouver in 2023-24; it is the second and final at home.
The Predators are 2-2-1 in their last five games against the Canucks; they are 4-5-1 in their last 10; and 2-3-0 in their last five at home. Nashville is 0-2-0 against Vancouver in 2023-24, dropping a 3-2 decision at Bridgestone Arena on Oct. 24 and falling 5-2 at Rogers Arena on Oct. 31.
Nashville went 2-0-1 in three games against Vancouver last season, with all three contests requiring at least overtime. The Predators won the first two meetings in a shootout and earned a point in the third and final game between the two teams in a shootout loss.
NOTABLES VS. VANCOUVER
- North Vancouver native Colton Sissons has 11 points (7g-4a) in 22 career games against the Canucks.
- Dante Fabbro hails from Coquitlam, B.C., and has one goal and two assists in 11 career games vs. Vancouver.
- Tyson Barrie is a native of Victoria, B.C. He has 27 points (6g-21a), including two game-winning goals, in 43 career meetings with the Canucks.
- Josi has points in seven of his last 11 games (1g-6a) against Vancouver. He also has 16 points (1g-15a) in his last 20 games vs. the Canucks and posted a six-game point streak (7a) against Vancouver from Jan. 10, 2017-Dec. 13, 2018.
- Luke Evangelista scored his first two career NHL goals on March 6, 2023 at Vancouver. He became the second player (Jordan Gross) in Predators history to score his first two career NHL goals in the same game.
- Alexandre Carrier skated in his first career NHL game on Jan. 17, 2017 at Vancouver.
MILESTONE WATCH
- Saros is one win (161) from passing Tomas Vokoun for sole possession of second place in Predators history.
- Sissons is two assists from 100 in his NHL career.
- Tommy Novak is two games from 100 in his NHL career.
- Josi (165) is two goals from passing Shea Weber (166) for the most by a defenseman and the third-most among all skaters in Predators history.
- Lankinen is three games from 100 in his NHL career.
- Barrie is five games from 800 in his NHL career.
LINE ‘EM UP
Below are Nashville’s line combinations from Saturday’s game against Washington:
Forsberg - O'Reilly - Nyquist
Pärssinen - Novak - Evangelista
Trenin - Glass - Sissons
Smith - McCarron - Tomasino
McDonagh - Josi
Lauzon - Carrier
Barrie - Schenn
Saros
Lankinen
Scratches: Fabbro, Sherwood (upper body, day-to-day)
WATCH & LISTEN
Coverage for Tuesday’s game begins at 6:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on Bally Sports South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic, analysts Chris Mason and Hal Gill and rinkside reporter Kara Hammer will have the call on the television side. The game can also be streamed live on Fubo; click here for a 14-day free trial.
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.
