Following a shutout victory to begin their four-game homestand, the Nashville Predators are set to host the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop at Bridgestone Arena. This evening’s contest is the first of two meetings between the 2017 Stanley Cup finalists this season; the Preds visit the Pens in February.
Nashville has victories in two of their last three outings, including a 2-0 triumph over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. After inconsistencies through the first two months of the season, the Predators have been largely pleased with their efforts across their last three games, and they’ll look to continue that improved play tonight.
“I thought today we looked like a team that's won a lot of games,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said following Tuesday’s win. “So, it's in us. The last three feel good. I like the positive energy. It's been a tough run for our group. We've had a hard time grabbing that consistency, so we're just trying to build it. I think the little bit of the identity of the last three games is something that we can hold onto and be proud of.”
“We’ve got to keep building," Preds forward Jonathan Marchessault said Tuesday night. "Obviously we had a really bad start, but that's in the past now. We look forward and we have three games before Christmas at home for our fans. So [we’re] definitely excited for that statement for us.”
The Predators did not practice on Wednesday. Prior to Tuesday’s game, Nashville reassigned forward Fedor Svechkov to Milwaukee of the AHL. Preds Captain Roman Josi (day-to-day, lower body) and blueliner Jeremy Lauzon (lower body, IR) skated on Tuesday morning, but neither has returned to the lineup yet.
On Wednesday night, Nashville acquired defenseman Justin Barron from the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for blueliner Alexandre Carrier. Barron, 23 (11/15/01), has appeared in 17 games for the Canadiens in 2024-25, recording one goal (Oct. 17 vs. Los Angeles), 20 blocked shots and 17 hits in 14:43 of average ice time. The 6-foot-2, 198-pound right-shot blueliner is in his third NHL season since debuting in 2021-22, totaling 31 points (13g-18a) in 111 career contests.
Last Time Out:
Adam Wilsby recorded his first career goal, and Juuse Saros made 25 saves for his third shutout of the season in Nashville’s 2-0 win over the Rangers. Marchessault also scored for the Preds, and Filip Forsberg added two helpers on the night.
Per NHL Public Relations, Forsberg recorded his 53rd career multi-assist game and moved within six contests of tying Martin Erat (59) for the second most in franchise history. Josi (108) leads the franchise.
The Good Guys:
Despite missing the past three games, Josi still leads the Preds (7g-16a) with 23 points, followed by Forsberg (9g-13a) with 22 points and Marchessault (8g-11a) with 19 points. Steven Stamkos has eight goals and 18 points on the season; Ryan O’Reilly has seven goals and 17 points. Saros is now 7-14-5 in net with a .911 save percentage; Justus Annunen is 7-5-0 overall this season.
The Opposition:
The Penguins have alternated wins and losses through seven games in the month of December, including a 3-2 overtime victory against Los Angeles on Tuesday night. Pittsburgh Captain Sidney Crosby (8g-23a) leads the club with 31 points, followed by Evgeni Malkin (7g-19a) with 26 points. Rickard Rakell has 14 goals and 24 points, while Bryan Rust owns 12 goals and 21 points. Former Preds forward Philip Tomasino has three goals in nine games since joining the Penguins. Goaltender Tristan Jarry is 6-4-2 in net this season; Alex Nedeljkovic is 5-5-3.
All-Time Meetings:
The Predators are 15-16-(2)-4 all-time against the Penguins, including a 10-6-(0)-3 record at Bridgestone Arena.
The Predators are 1-3-1 in their last five games against the Penguins; they are 3-5-2 in their last 10.
Nashville faced Pittsburgh in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final, falling in six games, 4-2. It was Nashville’s first-ever trip to the Cup Final.
Notables Versus Pittsburgh:
Steven Stamkos has 48 points (18g-30a) in 44 career games against Pittsburgh. Stamkos is riding a four-game point streak vs. Pittsburgh (4g-2a-6pts) and has found the scoresheet in 17 of the last 20 meetings (10g-16a-26pts).
Jonathan Marchessault has 14 points (5g-9a) in 13 career games against the Penguins.
Juuse Saros recorded his first career NHL win on Oct. 22, 2016 vs. the Penguins. He is 3-4-0 with a .925 save percentage in nine career games against Pittsburgh.
Penguins forward Philip Tomasino was selected by Nashville in the first round (24th overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. He skated in 159 games for the Predators from 2021-24 and posted 71 points (23g-48a).
Pittsburgh forward Cody Glass played in 121 games from 2021-24 for the Predators, totaling 49 points (20g-29a).
Penguins forward Anthony Beauvillier played the final 15 games for the 2023-24 season with Nashville, accumulating three points (1g-2a).
Defense Development Coach Rob Scuderi was an alternate captain on Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup-winning team in 2009.
Milestone Watch:
Ryan O’Reilly is one assist from 500 in his NHL career.
Luke Schenn is one point from 200 in his NHL career.
Filip Forsberg is three power-play goals (78) from passing Shea Weber (80) for the most in Predators history and is four goals from 300 in his NHL career.
The Predators franchise is five wins from 1,000.
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 Chase McCabe 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.)
