Less than 24 hours after an impressive showing against Toronto, the Nashville Predators are right back at it tonight against the St. Louis Blues for a 5 p.m. CT puck drop at Enterprise Center. This evening’s contest is the third of four meetings between the divisional foes this season - and the second of three between the two clubs over a 10-day span.
The Predators snapped a four-game skid last night with a 5-2 victory over the Maple Leafs. Now, they’ll look to replicate that effort as they start a two-game road trip tonight.
“Games like that can kind of swing momentum for us,” Preds forward Luke Evangelista said following Saturday’s win. “You could really feel the atmosphere in the building. We [were] down early and then kind of [came] back, and the building was alive. We have to capitalize off wins like this. We’re not quitting at this point in the season just because of where we are. We're trying to build something here for next year and looking to capitalize off of a game like this, for sure.”
Forward Jakub Vrana and defenseman Jordan Oesterle were healthy scratches for Nashville on Saturday. The Preds will not hold a morning skate prior to facing the Blues.
Last Time Out:
Evangelista recorded three points (1g-2a) and Filip Forsberg tallied twice to lead the Preds past the Maple Leafs. Michael Bunting scored his first goal as a member of the Predators, Kieffer Bellows also found the back of the net and Juuse Saros earned the win.
The Good Guys:
Forsberg continues to lead the Preds with 27 goals and 64 points, followed by Jonathan Marchessault (19g-30a) with 49 points and Steven Stamkos with 23 goals and 44 points. Former Blues centerman Ryan O’Reilly has 16 goals and 42 points on the season. Saros is now 17-27-6 in net; Justus Annunen is 14-10-1.
The Opposition:
The Blues have now won five in a row, including a 4-1 victory over Chicago last night at home. Jordan Kyrou leads the club with 29 goals and 60 points, followed by Dylan Holloway with 23 goals and 57 points. Robert Thomas (18g-39a) also has 57 points. Jordan Binnington is 22-21-4 in net; Joel Hofer is 14-7-3.
All-Time Meetings:
The Predators are 64-50-(4)-13 all-time against the Blues, including a 29-30-(1)-6 mark in St. Louis. Nashville is 5-4-1 in their last 10 meetings with the Blues and 2-2-1 in their last five at Enterprise Center.
Nashville has won 17 of its last 29 games against St. Louis – including 15 of its last 26 – and has scored at least four goals in 13 of those wins. The Predators advanced to the Western Conference Final for the first time in franchise history in 2017 after defeating the Blues in the second round, 4-2.
Notables Versus St. Louis:
Steven Stamkos has recorded 22 points (8g-14a) in 22 career games against the Blues. He has 11 points (2g-9a) in his last nine games against St. Louis.
Filip Forsberg has produced at a point-per-game rate against St. Louis in his career, recording 20 goals and 25 assists in 40 meetings with Nashville’s Central Division rival.
Ryan O’Reilly played 327 games for St. Louis from 2018-23, recording 269 points (97g-172a). He won the 2019 Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy with the Blues.
Milestone Watch:
Juuse Saros is one win from 200 in his NHL career.
Ryan O’Reilly is two goals from 300 in his NHL career.
Filip Forsberg (354) is two assists from passing David Legwand (356) for the second-most in franchise history.
Watch & Listen:
Coverage for this evening’s contest begins at 4:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic and analyst Chris Mason will have the call on the television side.
Max Herz and Hal Gill will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network. 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.)
