The Nashville Predators look to erase a two-game skid and inch closer to a postseason berth on Tuesday when they host the Boston Bruins at Bridgestone Arena.
Liking much about their even strength play in Saturday’s 7-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the Predators know they’ll need to tighten up the smaller areas of their game to get back to their winning ways on Tuesday.
“There were some aspects we can learn from and get better at,” Predators Head Coach Andrew Brunette said. “We put ourselves in a tough position, killing [penalties] for what felt like half the game, and then obviously on the other side, the power play kind of had trouble carrying any momentum for us. In saying all that, you leave the rink feeling pretty good about yourselves, even though I thought we did some things that were uncharacteristic at different times… Little things that earlier in the year we were doing and then we went through a stretch where we weren’t ‘t doing. But we’re not perfect, and we’ll learn from it and move on.”
Nashville will have their work cut out for them right from the get-go on Tuesday as they face a Boston team that’s amassed 101 points on the campaign – half of which came as visitors.
“Boston is obviously one of the best teams in the League,” Predators Captain Roman Josi said. “It’s always fun to play them. They’re a great team, they play a playoff style kind of hockey and they’re playoff tested. They’re wrapping it up going into the postseason, too, so it’s going to be a good game.”
Puck drop is at 7 pm CT, with the game set to broadcast on Bally Sports South, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio.
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LAST TIME OUT
Four different Predators skaters scored and Kevin Lankinen made 35 saves, but Nashville ultimately fell to the Colorado Avalanche, 7-4, at Ball Arena on Saturday.
The Predators went 3-for-6 on the penalty kill and 0-for-5 on the power play.
Gustav Nyquist extended his point streak to eight games (5g-7a) factoring in Cole Smith’s opening goal, then earned his 16th multi-point performance of the season with a goal of his own in the second period.
Mark Jankowski scored his sixth goal of the season and second in his last three outings.
Dante Fabbro returned from injury for his first game since March 10 and recorded a goal and a shared game-high six shots over 18:18 of ice time.
Filip Forsberg established a career-high nine-game point streak (8g-9a) with an assist on Nyquist’s second-period goal.
Ryan McDonagh exited the game after receiving a game misconduct for an illegal check to the head against Ross Colton at 3:11 of the second period. The call was the first match penalty of McDonagh’s career.
The result saw Nashville conclude their two-game road trip empty-handed and their season series against Colorado at 2-1-0.
THE GOOD GUYS
Forsberg leads the Predators in goals (41) and points (84); he is ninth and tied for 13th among all NHL skaters in each respective category and has recorded 31 points (16g-15a) in his last 20 games.
Josi leads his club and is sixth among NHL defensemen in assists (57). Nashville’s captain has additionally scored the joint-most goals among League blueliners (19).
With Lankinen receiving the start on Saturday, Juuse Saros is likely to get the nod on Tuesday.
Saros is 32-22-4 after 58 appearances, with a 2.83 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage.
Since Feb. 17, the Predators have accumulated the joint-most points (34) and wins (16) in the NHL, scored the most goals per game (4.1) and allowed the third-fewest goals per game (2.4).
Nashville holds the Western Conference’s first Wild Card spot with 90 points and a 21-15-1 record at Bridgestone Arena.
THE OTHER GUYS
Nashville is the fifth stop on a six-game road trip the Bruins have split at 2-2-0 thus far.
David Pastrnak leads the Bruins in points (102), goals (45) and assists (57) and is tied for fifth among NHL skaters in the first two categories.
Jeremy Swayman is 24-8-8 in 41 appearances, with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage. Linus Ullmark is 19-9-7 in 36 appearances, with a 2.64 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage.
Boston is first in the Atlantic Division with 101 points and a 20-8-9 record on the road. The Bruins punched their postseason ticket for the eighth consecutive season on Thursday, the longest active playoff streak in the NHL.
ALL-TIME MEETINGS
The Predators are 15-17-(1)-3 all-time against the Bruins, including a 10-8-(0)-0 record at Bridgestone Arena. This is the second and final matchup between Nashville and Boston in 2023-24; it is the first and only at home.
Nashville is 0-1-0 against Boston this season, falling, 3-2, at TD Garden on Oct. 14, the third game of its campaign. The Predators are 1-3-1 in their last five games against the Bruins; they are 4-5-1 in their last 10; and 2-3-0 in their last five at home.
Boston is the only team that Nashville has never had a transaction with since the 1998 NHL Expansion Draft, in which the Predators selected center Mike Sullivan.
NOTABLES VS. BOSTON
- Josi has six goals and 12 points in 19 career games against Boston.
- Fabbro played three seasons of collegiate hockey for Boston University from 2016-19, appearing in 111 games while posting 80 points (22g-58a), the most among team defensemen in that span.
- Lauzon was drafted by Boston in the second round (52nd overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft. He played in 76 games for the Bruins from 2018-21.
- Predators Assistant General Manager and Director of Scouting Jeff Kealty played college hockey at Boston University. Kealty helped lead the Terriers to four consecutive Frozen Four appearances and the 1995 NCAA title.
- Predators Defense Development Coach Rob Scuderi won an NCAA title at Boston College in 2001; Forward Development Coach Nathan Gerbe was named NCAA Tournament MVP en route to Boston College’s title-winning team in 2008.
- Predators Senior Advisor David Poile graduated from Northeastern University; Assistant General Manager/Director of Hockey Operations Brian Poile is a Boston College alumnus.
- Predators prospects Alexander Campbell (Northeastern), Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (Northeastern), Cole O’Hara (UMass Amherst) and Ryan Ufko (UMass Amherst) all play or played college hockey in Massachusetts.
MILESTONE WATCH
- Forsberg is three goals away from passing the Predators single-season record (43) and five points from 600 in his NHL career.
- Nyquist is one assist from 300, three goals from 200 and four points from 500 in his NHL career.
- Luke Schenn is three points from 200 in his NHL career.
- Luke Evangelista is four games from 100 in his NHL career.
- Tyson Barrie is four assists from 400 in his NHL career.
- Jason Zucker is five goals from 200 in his NHL career.
WATCH & LISTEN
Coverage for Tuesday’s game begins at 6:30 pm CT with the Predators LIVE! Pregame show on Bally Sports South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley and Hal Gill. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic, analyst Chris Mason and rinkside reporter Kara Hammer will have the call on the television side.
Pete Weber and Jay More will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network, with pregame, postgame and intermission coverage by Max Herz beginning one hour before puck drop. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM. (The party is also broadcast in Spanish by El Jefe on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM.)
