The Nashville Predators look to regain their footing against Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid, and a dangerous Edmonton Oilers team.
The Nashville Predators find themselves in a difficult place just nine games into the 2022-2023 season after a very rocky start. Tonight the 3-5-1 Preds will face off against a 6-3 Oilers team that has found its groove early. Nashville is in need for a strong performance, but tonight will be an uphill climb against a team that has had Nashville's number in recent seasons.
The Oilers have won 7 of the last 9 games and outscored the Predators 34-17 since 2018. While Connor McDavid is always a threat, it was Leon Draisaitl who gave Nashville the most trouble last season scoring 5 goals and 6 points in three games against the Preds.
The Oilers are riding a four game winning stream after starting their season 2-3. McDavid has already earned two hat tricks in nine games and collected 18 points. Draisaitl is not far behind with 16 points, and Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have eleven goals between them.
Goaltender Jack Campbell will start in net for the Oilers tonight. Although he has struggled at times in his six games where he has earned a somewhat disappointing .888 save percentage, the offensive production of the Oilers have helped him earn four wins in those six starts.
Nashville will change up the lineup tonight hoping to find a magic combination that will get the team back on track. Head coach John Hynes will reunite Mikael Granlund with last season's leading goal scorers Filip Forsberg and Matt Duchene. That top line needs to produce tonight if the Preds hope to stay competitive against the Oilers' firepower. Kiefer Sherwood and Eeli Tolvanen, two recent healthy scratches, return to the lineup as well.
Any chance of a Predators win tonight will rest heavily on goaltending, so expect to see Juuse Saros in net for Nashville. After another of his somewhat notoriously slow season starts, Saros has looked strong in net the last two games. Saros recorded a .941 save percentage against the Capitals in Saturday night's loss and a .943 save percentage against the Blues. Like it or not, success rests on the goaltending in tonight's game.
Special teams could also play a big part in the outcome of tonight's match up. The Oilers are second in the league in power play success, and Connor McDavid is a large reason why. McDavid has netted 5 power play goals in nine games this season. While Nashville currently ranks sixth in the kill, the team cannot afford to give the Oilers the man advantage.
Nashville's power play ranks near the bottom of the league in success. If Nashville hopes to keep this game competitive, the power play is going to need to do more than pass around the perimeter as they have in recent games and be willing to work hard in front of the net to get any rebound opportunities Campbell may cough up.
The Predators need to turn the tide of the early season around, but tonight's matchup will be a challenging game in which to right the ship. The top line and Juuse Saros will need to step up significantly and the defense will need to lock down Draisaitl and McDavid if the Predators hope to leave Edmonton with two points.