The Nashville Predators welcome Jared McCann, Matty Beniers, and the surprising Seattle Kraken to Bridgestone Arena in a game with plenty of playoff implications.

If someone had told the Nashville Predators fanbase on March 3 that a Preds team that traded four key players, is riddled with injuries, and looks a lot like a Milwaukee Admirals lineup was still in the postseason conversation, most fans would have been highly skeptical. Somehow this resetting roster has been able to put together performances that keep a playoff possibility alive, but that all could change in these next two games against the equally surprising Seattle Kraken. 

The 39-24-7 Seattle Kraken may be one of the biggest surprises in the NHL this season. The Seattle franchise that went 27-49-6 in its inaugural year finishing last in the Pacific and second to last in the Western Conference currently sits in first place in the wildcard race with a solid 85 points. The Kraken want two points tonight to stay ahead of the Winnipeg Jets while the Predators need the win to keep postseason hope alive.

Seattle Kraken

Jared McCann leads the Kraken offensively with 34 goals and 56 points. Young Matty Beniers, leading candidate for the Calder Trophy this season, has 19 goals and 49 points. Seattle's depth scoring from players like Daniel Sprong, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Jaden Schwartz and defenseman Vince Dunn contributes the team's 4th best goals for per game ranking in the league. 

Goaltending has been a challenge at times for the Kraken with both Martin Jones and Philipp Grubauer both earning under .900 save percentages so far this season. Grubauer left Saturday's game against the Edmonton Oilers and missed Tuesday night's overtime win over the Dallas Stars due to illness. Joey Daccord got the start in net against the Stars, so tonight the Predators will likely face Martin Jones who thwarted Nashville in their November 8th 5-1 loss to the Kraken. 

Nashville Predators

The Predators earned a gutsy win Tuesday night against the Buffalo Sabres, a much needed bounce back performance after the weekend's brutal 7-0 loss to the New York Rangers. The 7-3 win over the Sabres highlighted what this revamped Predators roster is capable of when both the veterans and the young players step up their games. Twenty-one year old Luke Evangelista recorded a four point game while Matt Duchene scored twice breaking his goal scoring drought that went all the way back to March 2. 

The Predators will still be without Filip Forsberg, Juuso Pärssinen, and Alexandre Carrier who are each out due to injury while Roman Josi is listed as day to day. Tuesday night's return of Ryan McDonagh to the blue line was a boost for a young Predators team who benefit from a veteran anchor on the ice. 

With one of the most difficult schedules down the stretch, it will be a long shot for the Predators to sneak their way into the postseason, but a win tonight over the Seattle Kraken will keep hope alive. 

Keys to the Game

1. Special teams - Tonight is a game that could be decided by special teams. The Kraken rank 24th on the power play. Seattle has struggled on the man advantage in March with just a 17% success rate in their last ten games and going 0/9 in their last four outings. Just to be safe, staying out of the box is Nashville's best bet.

Nashville was executing one of the top power plays in the league back in mid February but have cooled off on the man advantage lately, going 0/12 in their last five games. The power play generated solid chances against the Sabres on Tuesday, but players like Matt Duchene, Tommy Novak, and Phil Tomasino need to finish on those chances tonight if the Kraken spend time in the penalty box. 

2. Protect the net - The Predators will likely be without Roman Josi tonight, but Ryan McDonagh's return on Tuesday was a boost for the blue line. The Preds will need a strong performance in front of the net against a Kraken team that averages 3.5 goals for per game. Head coach John Hynes hasn't announced whether Juuse Saros or Kevin Lankinen will get the start in net tonight, but the Predators will need solid defensive play and a handful of big saves to keep the Kraken from running up the score. 

3. Foot on the gas - The Predators must play a full sixty minutes of hockey tonight. Tuesday night was a big win for the Preds over Buffalo, but after going up 6-1, the team took their foot off the gas and allowed the Sabres to score twice late. Prior to the game Tuesday, the Predators had only scored 3 goals in the second period in their last eleven games. Pushing for a full sixty minutes is what it will take to come away with two points tonight. 

How to Watch

Puck drop tonight at Bridgestone Arena is scheduled for 7:00 pm CST. Bally Sports South will broadcast the game and 102.5 The Game will have the radio call.