Nashville is coming off a surprise win over Boston, but they will need another strong performance against Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Tonight the Nashville Predators take the ice at PPG Paints Arena to take on the 36-28-10 Pittsburgh Penguins. Both the Predators and Penguins are involved in the playoff wildcard conversation, although Nashville is still on the outside looking in while Pittsburgh is in but looking over their shoulder as the regular season winds down.
The last time these two teams met the Predators were in the midst of a major transition. The Predators front office made it clear on February 28 that they were headed in a new direction after trading away Nino Niederreiter, and Tanner Jeannot. The same day these teams met Poile made it clear that the team was headed in a different direction by trading veteran defenseman Matias Ekholm. Two days later the Preds traded Mikael Granlund to Pittsburgh in exchange for a second round pick in the 2023 draft.
Mikael GranlundSince Granlund's trade, the Predators have gone a surprising 8-5-2 with a team pieced together with just a handful of veterans and a whole lot of call ups from Milwaukee. The fact that Nashville still has a slim chance to sneak into a wildcard spot bodes well for this team in the future. But what will it take to be successful tonight against Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins?
Keys to the Game
Stay out of the box. Nashville's penalty kill has been excellent recently, but there's no reason to repeatedly test an effective Pittsburgh power play. The Penguins rank 13th in the league on the man advantage, but this month the Pens have been even more successful than their season average. They set up quickly and execute cross ice passes efficiently. After giving up five power play chances to Boston, hopefully the Predators can clean up their game and stay away from the penalty box.
Get shots on goal. Pittsburgh has struggled this season with goaltending despite Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith each having above .900 save percentages. They've had great performances but are inconsistent game to game. Between shaky goaltending and an aging defense, Pittsburgh is allowing teams to put up 3.27 goals against per game.
Luke Evangelista tries to get a shot past Tristan Jarry.Tonight the Predators need to get bodies in front of the goalie and put pucks on net. Getting shots on goal has been a challenge for the Predators recently. In their last ten games, Nashville averages just 24.5 shots on goal. That's a far cry from Pittsburgh's season average of 34.39. Tip ins, rebounds, and greasy goals in front of the net will be important tonight, but that all starts with getting a shot on goal.
Play sixty minutes of good hockey. The Penguins are a team that an opponent should never count out. They came back from a 3-0 deficit against the Detroit Red Wings before a sloppy third period doomed the Pens comeback. The Predators can't take their foot off the gas if they want to keep up with Pittsburgh's offense.
Nashville will also want to keep this game to regulation. Pittsburgh's had success in overtime recently so wrapping this contest up in sixty minutes would be best for the Predators.
How to Watch
The Predators take on the Penguins tonight at 6:00 pm CST. Bally Sports South will have the broadcast while 102.5 The Game will provide the radio call.
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