The Nashville Predators will play an emotional game back at home today for the first time since the tragic shooting Monday at The Covenant School.

There are several important hockey storylines going into today's game at Bridgestone Arena between the Nashville Predators and the St. Louis Blues. A very different Predators roster somehow still finds itself in a wildcard conversation. The Nashville power play is struggling to score while the penalty kill is executing well. Will any of the injured veterans return to the ice? 

None of those storylines matter much today. 

When the Predators take the ice at Bridgestone Arena, the team will be mindful of the playoffs, power play adjustments, and who is available at puck drop. But the team also knows this game is about more than sixty minutes of hockey.

On Monday Nashville became the latest in a list of communities shattered by a school shooting. The tragedy at The Covenant School resulted in the deaths of three 9 year old students and three staff members and has devastated six families, a school, and the entire Nashville community.

Even though the team has been on the road since Monday, the events at home have weighed heavily on them all. The Predators played an emotional game Tuesday night in Boston coming away with a surprising win, and then lost Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

"I think it was really emotional for our guys," Head Coach John Hynes said of the two games.

"I think you'd look at the effort and finding a way to win that [Boston] game. I think it was really emotional for our guys and maybe we weren't at our best the other night [in Pittsburgh] to recover from that." 

"It is special for the guys to come back to Nashville in front of our own fans," Hynes went on to say.

Ryan McDonagh understands that today's game goes beyond just earning two points in the standings. 

"We have a job as the Nashville Predators hockey team to go out there and represent our city", McDonagh said. "You just try to give a little bit of inspiration to the community."

The Predators players will arrive in "Smashville Strong" T-shirts that will be autographed and auctioned off to raise money to support The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee via Caring for Covenant Fund. The team will also wear helmet stickers and patches in support of the school and families for the remainder of the regular season, and these jerseys will be signed and auctioned off to raise funds as well. 

The team hopes to do what they can off and on the ice to provide support and perhaps a small moment of joy in a week marred by grief and heartache.

"I know we're going to come out ready," Kiefer Sherwood shared, "Because we want to give our city something to kind of rally around. But I think the spotlight needs to be on the heroes and supporting the families that were affected."

The Nashville Predators organization are asking fans to show their support for the victims and families of The Covenant School shooting by wearing red and white to the game today - The Covenant Schools colors.