Predators at Golden Knights preview

PREDATORS (29-18-4) at GOLDEN KNIGHTS (29-18-4)
10 p.m. ET; NBCSN

The Golden Knights finished 51-29-18 in their inaugural NHL season in 2017-18 and reached the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Washington Capitals in five games.
Vegas has alternated losses and wins in their its five games following a season-long seven-game winning streak. Marc-Andre Fleury is expected to start and tie Mike Vernon (782) for 19th place on the NHL's all-time games played list among goalies.
Center Ryan Johansen is expected to return for the Predators after serving a two-game suspension for high-sticking Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele during a 5-1 loss on Jan. 17. Johansen is Nashville's leading scorer with 42 points (eight goals, 34 assists).
The Predators are 2-3-1 in their past six games after going 5-0-1 in their previous six.

Players to watch

Predators forward Viktor Arvidsson has eight points (seven goals, one assist) in his past seven games.
Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty has five points (two goals, three assists) in his past four games.

They said it

"I felt like it was such an accident … but then you watch the replay, and it looks pretty bad. I understand and paid my dues. And now I'm just excited to get back out there." -- Predators center Ryan Johansen on returning from his two-game suspension
"I'm hoping tonight will be a great game. Nashville played a spirited game the other day in Colorado (a 4-1 win at the Avalanche on Monday). We're getting ready for a big game. After you lose a game, you want to win the next one." -- Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant

Predators projected lineup

Filip Forsberg -- Ryan Johansen -- Viktor Arvidsson
Kevin Fiala -- Colton Sissons -- Craig Smith
Calle Jarnkrok -- Nick Bonino -- Austin Watson
Ryan Hartman -- Colin Blackwell -- Rocco Grimaldi
Roman Josi -- P.K. Subban
Mattias Ekholm -- Ryan Ellis
Dan Hamhuis -- Matt Irwin
Pekka Rinne
Juuse Saros
Scratched: Anthony Bitetto, Yannick Weber, Frederick Gaudreau
Injured: Zac Rinaldo (undisclosed), Miikka Salomaki (upper body), Kyle Turris (lower body)

Golden Knights projected lineup

Brandon Pirri -- William Karlsson -- Jonathan Marchessault
Max Pacioretty -- Paul Stastny -- Alex Tuch
Oscar Lindberg -- Cody Eakin -- Ryan Carpenter
Tomas Nosek -- Pierre-Edouard Bellemare -- Ryan Reaves
Brayden McNabb -- Nate Schmidt
Shea Theodore -- Deryk Engelland
Nick Holden -- Colin Miller
Marc-Andre Fleury
Maxime Lagace
Scratched: Valentin Zykov, Jon Merrill
Injured: Reilly Smith (undisclosed), Erik Haula (lower body), William Carrier (undisclosed), Malcolm Subban (illness)

Status report

Smith was a non-contact participant for the second straight day.

Stat pack

Forsberg is two goals from becoming the first player in Predators history with five 20-goal seasons. He, Smith and Patric Hornqvist each have four. … Stastny has 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in his past 12 games. … Tuch has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in his past 12 games.