"They're huge games, and we all know that," Preds Captain Roman Josi said following Saturday's loss. "Every game is huge. Tonight was a huge game, and I thought we kind of got away from our identity a little bit tonight in the first. We've just got to get back to playing to our identity for 60 minutes, and it's going to be really important against Chicago."
Nashville did not practice on Sunday, but they are scheduled to hold a morning skate today at Bridgestone Arena. Predators forward Matt Duchene returned to the lineup on Saturday after missing 22 games due to injury, and defenseman Erik Gudbranson made his Preds debut after being acquired from Ottawa one week ago.
Update: Following the morning skate, Preds Head Coach John Hynes said Nashville will stick with the same lineup tonight as they iced on Saturday in Carolina. There were no additional updates on any of Nashville's injured players.
The Good Guys:
Josi scored the lone goal in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Hurricanes, and Juuse Saros made 45 saves, including 23 in the opening period alone, in net for Nashville.
With Filip Forsberg remaining one of the many Preds still injured, Josi continues to be the team's active leader in scoring with 28 points (6g-22a), including 20 points (4g-16a) in his last 22 appearances dating back to Feb. 23. Josi is followed by Viktor Arvidsson with 24 points (10g-14a), Calle Jarnkrok with 20 points (11g-9a) and Mikael Granlund with 18 points (11g-7a). Saros is 15-9-0 on the season; Pekka Rinne is 9-12-1.
The Opposition:
The Blackhawks have won three of their last four games, including a 4-0 victory over Detroit on Saturday night. Patrick Kane leads the Hawks with 56 points (15g-41a), followed by Alex DeBrincat with 43 points (22g-21a) and Dominik Kubalik with 29 points (14g-15a). Kevin Lankinen is 16-12-4 in net for Chicago this season, while Malcom Subban is 5-5-1.
All-Time Meetings:
The Predators are 58-50-(4)-10 all-time against the Blackhawks, including a 33-22-(3)-3 record at Bridgestone Arena. The Preds have earned at least a point in 14 of their last 17 games against the Blackhawks (12-3-2). Nashville has limited Chicago to two-or-fewer goals in 15 of their last 17 meetings.
On Jan. 9, 2020, the Preds defeated Chicago, 5-2, at the United Center in a game that featured goaltender Pekka Rinne's first career goal and John Hynes' first win as Nashville head coach. This will be the 123rd time the Predators and Blackhawks clash in the regular season, Nashville's most games played against a single opponent.
Notables Versus Chicago:
Mikael Granlund has 25 points (7g-18a) in 36 career contests versus the Blackhawks. Mattias Ekholm has a goal and seven assists in his last 13 games vs. the Blackhawks. He's recorded 14 points (2g-12a) and a +18 rating in 34 career games against Chicago.
Ryan Johansen has 23 points (6g-17a), including six multi-point games, in 38 career regular-season meetings with the Blackhawks. Viktor Arvidsson has recorded a point in five of his last 11 contests against Chicago (4g-2a), including his record-breaking 34th goal of the 2018-19 season on April 6, 2019, the most in a single season in Preds history.
Luke Kunin leads the Preds in points against the Blackhawks this season with four (1g-3a) in five games.