The Nashville Predators will continue their four-game homestand tonight when they host the Edmonton Oilers at Bridgestone Arena for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop.
The Preds are in search of their first victory of the season after dropping their first three outings, and they’ll take on an Oilers squad that found their first victory of the season on Tuesday after they lost three straight to begin the campaign.
For Nashville, playing as a cohesive unit remains a focus, and as Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said Wednesday, the group is working hard, but perhaps not doing so together shift after shift.
“As a whole, we can all pull the rope a little better, and it's every guy,” Brunette said following team meetings on Wednesday morning. “I’d be completely lying if [I said] it’s one or two guys, or if it's the new guys or the young guys or the old guys. I think none of us are really pulling it together. We're kind of pulling it on our own little program here, a bit at times, and we're looking for an easier way out than a hard way. And we know that from experience, the only way you get out of this is usually the hard way.”
Predators defenseman Luke Schenn is slated to appear in his 1,000th NHL game tonight. Schenn holds the NHL record for all-time hits by a blueliner (3,668), and by reaching the milestone, he’ll join a group that includes just five percent of all players who have ever appeared in the League.
Last Time Out:
Michael McCarron, Tommy Novak and Brady Skjei all found the back of the net for the Preds during Tuesday’s 7-3 loss to Seattle. Skjei’s goal was his first as a member of the Predators, and Novak’s tally was his second of the season. Juuse Saros made 28 saves in net during his second start of the campaign.
The Good Guys:
Filip Forsberg leads the Preds with three points (1g-2a), while Novak is the only member of the club with multiple goals through three games. Ryan O’Reilly has a goal and an assist thus far, while Jonathan Marchessault and Luke Evangelista each have a pair of helpers. Saros is 0-2-0 on the season with an .855 save percentage.
The Opposition:
Edmonton defeated Philadelphia in overtime on Tuesday by a 4-3 final to earn their first win of the season after an 0-3-0 start. Connor McDavid hasn’t found the back of the net yet, but he does lead the Oilers with four assists. Leon Draisaitl has a pair of goals, including Tuesday’s OT winner, and Jeff Skinner has a goal and two assists through four games. Stuart Skinner is 1-2-0 in net with an .845 save percentage in three starts.
All-Time Meetings:
Nashville is 46-33-(3)-4 all-time against Edmonton, including a 23-17-(3)-0 record at Bridgestone Arena.
Tonight marks the first of three contests between the two clubs this season. The teams will meet later this month on Oct. 31 at Bridgestone Arena and then wrap up the series on Nov. 14 at Rogers Place.
The Predators dropped the 2023-24 regular season series to the Oilers, 1-2-0. Nashville’s victory was on Nov. 4 at Edmonton by a score of 5-2; Ryan O’Reilly notched a hat trick in the win.
The Predators have a record of 16-10-1 in their past 27 contests with the Oilers, including an 8-5-0 mark at Bridgestone Arena.
Notables Versus Edmonton:
Steven Stamkos has tallied 16 goals in 19 career games against the Oilers, tied for the 10th-most of any active skater in the League.
Ryan O’Reilly has recorded 36 points (16g-20a) in his career against Edmonton, including his fifth career NHL hat trick as part of a four-point game (3g-1a) on Nov. 4 at Edmonton.
Filip Forsberg has tallied 24 points (12g-12a) in 25 career games against the Oilers. He became the second player in NHL history to score a “lacrosse-style” goal in Nashville’s game against Edmonton on Jan. 14, 2020.
Juuse Saros set the Nashville franchise record for most saves in a shutout when he posted 46 vs. Edmonton on Dec. 14, 2017. In nine career starts vs. the Oilers, Saros is 3-5-1 with a .916 save percentage and two shutouts.
Oilers forward Viktor Arvidsson was selected by Nashville in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft and played the first 385 games of his career with the Predators, posting 239 points (127g-112a). His 127 goals are the seventh-most in franchise history.
Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm was selected by the Predators in the fourth round (102nd overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft and played the first 719 games of his career with Nashville, recording 268 points (62g-206a).
Milestone Watch:
Luke Schenn one game from 1,000 and two points from 200 in his NHL career.
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 tonight’s game begins at 6:30 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.)
