The Nashville Predators need two points tonight against one of the top teams in the league, the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Nashville Predators need two points tonight against one of the top teams in the league, the Carolina Hurricanes.
With the Calgary Flames win last night over the Winnipeg Jets, the Nashville Predators find themselves still in reach of a wildcard spot in the playoffs if - and it is a big if - they can find ways to win their last five games against some very tough opponents. That includes tonight's game against the 50-18-9 Carolina Hurricanes who are looking to lock up the top spot in the Metropolitan Division.
Rod Brind'Amour's Hurricanes come to Bridgestone Arena looking for their fourth win in a row after the Canes defeated a pesky Ottawa Senators team on Tuesday night in overtime. Martin Necas scored the overtime game winner, adding to the career season he's having. Stefan Noesen and Jesper Kotkaniemi each collected two points in that last outing. The Texan and Finn are both having career seasons of their own for Carolina.
The last time these two teams met back on January 5, the Predators won 5-3 but it was no easy night for goaltender Juuse Saros who made a franchise record 64 saves to help the Predators win. Five different Predators scored in that outing, but tonight two of those goal scorers won't be on the ice for Nashville - Filip Forsberg and Mattias Ekholm.
Keys to the Game
1. Another stellar Saros performance. The teams that have been able to pull out wins over the Hurricanes lately had one important thing in common - outstanding nights from their goaltenders. Juuse Saros didn't have his best outing Monday against Dallas, a game in which the Stars scored five goals. Tonight the Predators will need vintage, well rested, and dialed in Saros. The Hurricanes generate a lot of shot chances. In their last five games they average 37.2 shots on goal, so Saros will need to be at the top of his Vezina nomination worthy game tonight against this offense.
2. Offense up and down the lineup. The Predators are facing a Canes team that ranks second in the league in goals against per game. With solid goaltending from Antti Raanta and Frederik Andersen and an outstanding top four defensive group, Nashville will need players up and down the lineup to create offensive chances. Tommy Novak, Luke Evangelista, and Cody Glass have been scoring recently, but tonight would be a good night for O zone pressure from players like Michael McCarron, Mark Jankowski, and Yakov Trenin.
3. Finish on the power play. Carolina is the second best team when it comes to the penalty kill, but Nashville is going to need to find a way to score on any man advantage chance they get. The Preds have looked good on the power play in recent games and have scored two goals on four chances against the Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday, but the Hurricanes are next level on the kill. Nashville will need to manage the puck wisely on the power play and get shots on net while staying mindful of the fact that the Hurricanes are tied for third in the league when it comes to shorthanded goals. Special teams will need to adhere to head coach John Hynes' motto of playing "smart not safe".
How to Watch
Tonight the Predators will play their second game this week on ESPN+ and Hulu. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm CST, and 102.5 The Game will have the radio call.
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