A three-game homestand continues for the Nashville Predators tonight as they host the Anaheim Ducks for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop at Bridgestone Arena. This evening’s contest - which comes in the midst of Ford Military Appreciation Week - is the third and final meeting between the two clubs this season.
After a four-game win streak, the Preds have now lost each of their last three outings, including a 4-1 defeat against St. Louis on Tuesday. Now, Nashville will turn their attention to getting back to what brought them recent success and making sure they’re ready to go from the opening faceoff.
“I think the position we're at right now, I was hoping for us to be a little bit more emotionally attached to the game to start,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said following Tuesday’s loss. “I understand coming off a trip, these games sometimes are hard to get up for, but we came out flat when they came out like they wanted to play. And in this League when you're not ready to play, it's a hard League. It took us a while to get into the game, and then by the time we got into it, obviously, that third goal is too late for us to really have a big chance. When you get down 3-0 in this League, it's hard enough.”
The Predators held an optional practice on Wednesday in Nashville as a tight schedule rolls on that will see them play seven games over the final 12 days of March.
The Good Guys:
Brady Skjei scored the lone goal for the Predators in their loss to the Blues on Tuesday. Filip Forsberg continues to lead the Preds with 25 goals and 60 points, followed by Jonathan Marchessault (19g-29a) with 48 points. Steven Stamkos has 22 goals and 43 points on the season; Ryan O’Reilly has 16 goals and 42 points. Juuse Saros, who took the loss on Tuesday, is 16-27-6 in net; Annunen is 14-9-1.
The Opposition:
The Ducks have dropped four of their last five outings, including a 4-3 OT loss in Dallas on Tuesday night. The Anaheim victory in that stretch was a 2-1 win over the Preds in Orange County last Friday. Troy Terry (18g-32a) leads the team with 50 points, followed by Frank Vatrano (20g-21a) and Mason McTavish (18g-23a) with 41 points apiece. Lukas Dostal is 20-18-6 in net; Ville Husso is 1-6-2.
All-Time Meetings:
The Predators are 39-35-(2)-11 all-time against Anaheim, including a 25-13-(2)-3 mark at home. Nashville is 6-4-0 in their last 10 against the Ducks and 3-2-0 in the previous five outings at Bridgestone Arena.
Nashville has played Anaheim three times in the postseason and is 3-0 in those series. The Preds reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history after defeating Anaheim, 4-2, in the 2017 Western Conference Final. Nashville has earned at least one point in 16 of its last 22 games against Anaheim (13-6-3).
Notables Versus Anaheim:
Steven Stamkos has recorded 19 points (9g-10a) in 20 career games vs. Anaheim.
Filip Forsberg has 28 points (10g-18a) in 26 career games against Anaheim, including eight multi-point outings. He became the first player in Predators history to record multiple five-point games when he notched two goals and three assists on March 21, 2022 at Anaheim.
Ryan O’Reilly has recorded 34 points (13g-21a) in 47 appearances against Anaheim in his career, including points (2g-1a) in his past three outings vs. Anaheim. The 34 points are tied for the sixth-most he has recorded against a single franchise.
Colton Sissons has 13 points (5g-8a) in 23 career meetings with Anaheim. He notched a hat trick in Game 6 of the 2017 Western Conference Final against the Ducks to help send the Predators to the Stanley Cup Final.
Milestone Watch:
Steven Stamkos (577) is one goal from passing Mark Recchi (577) for the 22nd-most in NHL history.
Ryan O’Reilly is two goals from 300 in his NHL career.
Filip Forsberg (353) is four assists from passing David Legwand (356) for the second-most in franchise history.
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.)
