Coyotes vs. Preds, Stanley Cup Qualifiers, Game 2: What You Need to Know

The Nashville Predators will look to even their best-of-five series with the Arizona Coyotes, as the two face off in Game 2 this afternoon (1:30 p.m. CT) from Edmonton. Today's contest is the first half of a back-to-back set between the Preds and Yotes, a pair of days that will prove to be pivotal in this Stanley Cup Qualifier round.

Nashville rallied in the third period of Game 1 on Sunday afternoon, but they weren't able to even the score, as Arizona came away with a 4-3 victory to take a 1-0 series lead. Today, the Preds are intent on playing disciplined hockey, while getting off to a fast start this afternoon.

"[In Game 1], the first five minutes of the game, I thought we managed the puck well, we were able to get in the offensive zone, and we had some good shots," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said. "We were playing fast, and we were in control of the game up to that point… But we took some ill-advised [penalties], and those have got to be better. We addressed it, players understand it and we'll move forward."

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Preds goaltender Juuse Saros started Game 1 - the first postseason start of his career - and made 33 saves in the loss. Hynes said Monday the Preds would finalize their goaltending decision for Game 2 later that afternoon but declined to name a starter for today's contest.

The Predators moved to 9-11 all-time in Game 1 of a postseason series, and Nashville's 20 third-period shots were tied for its second-most in single period in team playoff history.

Last Time Out:

Filip Forsberg scored twice for the Predators in Game 1, and Ryan Ellis also tallied in the loss. Ryan Johansen recorded an assist to tie Ellis for the most postseason assists in franchise history (25). Roman Josi picked up two assists for his eighth career postseason multi-point game, the third-most in Preds history. Josi also skated in his 72nd career postseason game, passing Mike Fisher for sole possession of first place among skaters in team history.

Forsberg's performance was his fifth career multi-goal playoff game. He also became the first player in Predators history to score at least two power-play goals in a postseason game. Forsberg's five multi-goal postseason games are the most in Nashville history; J-P Dumont sits second with three. Since making his postseason debut in 2015, Forsberg's 25 goals are the sixth-most among all NHL skaters.

Forsberg and Josi are tied for the team lead in scoring after Game 1; Matt Duchene also added an assist in his first postseason game as a member of the Preds.

The Opposition:

Christian Dvorak, Michael Grabner, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Clayton Keller all scored for Arizona in Game 1, while Phil Kessel and Taylor Hall each had a pair of assists. Darcy Kuemper got the win in net by stopping 40 Nashville shots - a postseason career high for the goaltender.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for this afternoon's contest from Edmonton begins on FOX Sports Tennessee with Predators Live! at 1 p.m. CT. Willy Daunic, Chris Mason, Lyndsay Rowley and Kara Hammer have the call on the television side, while Pete Weber and Hal Gill will broadcast on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network. Pregame coverage on the radio begins at 12:30 p.m. with Darren McFarland. The game may also be seen on NHL Network in the United States and Sportsnet in Canada. For broadcast information and channel locations throughout the country, Video: NSH Recap: 3rd-period rally falls short in Game 1.

Streaming Info:

Video: NSH Recap: 3rd-period rally falls short in Game 1 (only active during the game broadcast window).

Video: NSH Recap: 3rd-period rally falls short in Game 1 on the Fox Sports Go App or Video: NSH Recap: 3rd-period rally falls short in Game 1