Will Filip Forsberg Continue His Scoring Streak Against the Montreal Canadiens Tonight?

Tonight the Nashville Predators welcome the Montreal Canadiens to Bridgestone Arena to kick off 2023 hockey in Smashville. The Predators are coming off an overtime loss on New Years Eve to the Vegas Golden Knights in which Filip Forsberg earned his ninth career hat trick to tie the game with just :05 seconds remaining. The Habs enter Bridgestone Arena after a brutal 9-2 loss to the Washington Capitals on December 31. Despite Montreal's five game losing streak, this is not a team the Predators can afford to overlook.

The 15-19-3 Canadiens have an exciting young forward core led by Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Kirby Dach. The three young top liners have combined for 41 goals so far this season. Last year's first round draft pick, Juraj Slafkovsky has jumped in the lineup for Montreal and is slowly finding his NHL game. 

Defense has been a struggle for the Canadiens, and December saw the Habs give up four or more goals to their opponents in eight different games. Montreal averages 3.73 goals against per game, 28th worst in the league. The Predators will face Sam Montembeault in net tonight. Montembeault has struggled in his last five games, averaging just .880 save percentage in that stretch and averaging 3.23 goals against average in his twelve games this season. 

For once in what feels like forever, the Nashville Predators actually hold the advantage when it comes to special teams. While the Preds rank 28th on the power play, the Habs sit below them at #30. Nashville also performs better on the penalty kill. While the Predators still have a long way to go to climb in the standings when it comes to special teams, they have recently improved both on the power play and kill. 

1. Give the puck to Filip Forsberg. Forsberg is coming off a hat trick game, a three game stretch in which he racked up 7 points, and a week of play that earned him the NHL's First Star of the Week. Fil is feeling himself on the ice, and the Predators need to let him ride this wave. It would be surprising if Forsberg didn't find the back of the net at least once tonight against a struggling Habs defense. 

2. Contain Montreal's top line. Caufield, Dach, and Suzuki may be young, but they are young and hungry and can score goals. Caufield is coming off a two goal game against the Capitals, and while the Canadiens as a whole are struggling offensively right now, it may not take much to spark a big game from those three. 

3. Use this game to get Nashville players going. There are still too many Preds players who haven't hit their offensive stride yet this season. Tonight's game could be a chance for Matt Duchene to get back on the scoresheet and players like Tanner Jeannot, Mikael Granlund, and Cody Glass to add to their offensive numbers. 

With another challenging month of games against some of the top teams in the league, Nashville needs to leave Bridgestone Arena with two points in a regulation win. The team has been gaining momentum offensively and on special teams, and the matchup against Montreal is a good opportunity to continue that upward trajectory.

The Predators will faceoff against the Canadiens at 7:00 pm CST at Bridgestone Arena. The game will be broadcast on Bally Sports South, and 102.5 The Game will have the radio call.