The Predators hope to earn two valuable points towards a wildcard spot as they face off against Clayton Keller, Lawson Crouse, and the Arizona Coyotes.
The Nashville Predators continue their six game road trip tonight as they take on the 22-32-10 Arizona Coyotes at Mullet Arena. While the Coyotes are far outside of the playoff race in the midst of a rebuild, they are a team that has given playoff caliber teams plenty of trouble this season.
The Predators hold a 2-1 advantage in the three matchups so far this season. The Predators battled to get a shootout win on November 22 against former Predator Connor Ingram. The Preds dropped the February 13 matchup 4-2 giving the Coyotes their first road win in 19 games, but Nashville bounced back with a formidable 6-2 win almost two weeks later.
Both teams' rosters are looking a little different since the trade deadline. Arizona finally parted ways with Jakob Chychrun and also traded away Shayne Gostisbehere, Nick Bjugstad, and swapped Ritchie brothers. Meanwhile Nashville is without Nino Niederreiter, Mikael Granlund, Tanner Jeannot, and Mattias Ekholm since the trade deadline.
Goaltending has been steady for both Arizona and Nashville recently. Former Predators prospect Karel Vejmelka and former Preds goalie Connor Ingram have been a solid pairing for the Coyotes, each earning above .900 in save percentage. They do let in more goals against than Nashville's current tandem of Juuse Saros and Kevin Lankinen, but the goaltenders tonight may not be the main players to watch.
Players to Watch
Nick Schmaltz
Schmaltz is second in points for the Coyotes and is having himself another solid year. In the games against Nashville so far, Schmaltz has scored two goals and recorded an assist, and playing on a line with Arizona's leading goal scorer Clayton Keller continues to elevate his game. Schmaltz has 6 points in his last five games and seems to shine against the Predators.
Lawson Crouse
Lawson Crouse has 21 goals on the season and scored twice on the Predators in the February 13 win in Nashville including a power play goal. Although Crouse has struggled since losing line mate Nick Bjugstad - recording just three points in his last five games - he's a player who finds a way to have a strong performance against Nashville.
Roman Josi
Josi has flourished in the three matchups with Arizona so far this season scoring four goals and an assist in his time on ice. Arizona's struggling penalty kill has not been able to contain the Swiss blue liner when it comes to the man advantage as Josi score three power play goals on Arizona this season. If Nashville gets a chance on the power play tonight, brace yourself for some formidable shots from the blue line by Nashville's captain.
Cody Glass
Glass is coming off of mediocre performance against the Vancouver Canucks with new line mates John Leonard and Rasmus Asplund. Whether Nashville will get any of their injured players like Forsberg, Pärssinen, or Phil Tomasino back tonight remains to be seen, but Glass has played some strong hockey against the Coyotes this season. He score the shootout winner in November's 4-3 win, assisted on a textbook give and go goal with Matt Duchene in February, and scored a power play goal in teh 6-2 victory most recently.
How to Watch
The Predators take on the Coyotes tonight at 8:00 pm CST in Tempe. The game will be broadcast on Bally Sports South and 102.5 The Game will have the radio call.