The Nashville Predators host their first preseason game tonight giving Nashville a first look at several potential regular season combinations.
The Nashville Predators welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning to Bridgestone Arena tonight for a preseason game that will feature plenty of experience on the Predators bench. Veterans Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi will play in their first preseason game of 2023-24 along with free agent signings Ryan O'Reilly and Luke Schenn.
It has been a 228 days since FIlip Forsberg last skated at Bridgestone Arena after taking an awkward fall after a hit from Rasmus Ristolainen on February 11 in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Forsberg needed help getting off the ice and despite the best efforts of Forsberg and the medical staff, the Predators' second leading scorer could not get back to the ice to help the team make a late season push for a wild card spot in the playoffs.
Forsberg's recovery was slow, but he was finally able to return to the ice this summer and work on his shooting and with Nashville's skating coach.
"That's been the biggest improvement I've been trying to do," Forsberg said at training camp. "The skating part is something that I put an emphasis on, trying to be able to get smoother out there. Hopefully that'll pay off in the season."
Roman Josi also left late last season with a concussion, leaving a game on March 18. Josi, too, tried to push through to get back on the ice in late April but wasn't able to heal enough to help the team late in the season.
Tonight will also be the first chance to see Predators' free agent signings Luke Schenn and Ryan O'Reilly, two players that new General Manager Barry Trotz was excited to bring to the organzation.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will not be starting many of their top players as Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Victor Hedman are not expected to play. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is also not on tonight's roster for the Lightning.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm CT at Bridgestone Arena. The game will be streamed live at www.nashvillepredators.com and 102.5 The Game will have the radio call.
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