Game Day: Ducks vs. Preds Preview

After starting the month of November with eight of nine outings on the road, the Nashville Predators are thankful to return to Bridgestone Arena this week for a three-game homestand beginning tonight against the Anaheim Ducks.
The Preds are back after a two-game trip took them to Toronto and Montreal, and Nashville will look to get back into the win column after dropping consecutive contests for the first time since the first two games of the season in mid-October.

The most recent defeat came Saturday night against the Canadiens in a 6-3 loss that saw Matt Duchene record a hat trick in the third period. That effort wasn't enough to overcome a 5-0 deficit, however, but the Predators now view their homestand as a new opportunity to get back to the things that have made them successful more often than not this season.
"I just think we've got to reset here and we've got to make sure that we're coming back to the rink on Monday ready to learn from the experience of what it is, these last two games," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said Saturday night. "We've got to elevate our play in certain areas, and that'll be our focus in getting ready for Anaheim."
Predators forward Nick Cousins and Alexandre Carrier both returned from their respective injuries on Saturday night in Montreal, and while Filip Forsberg (IR, upper-body) was not on the road trip, Hynes said Saturday that Forsberg has been skating on his own and was progressing in a positive direction.

The Good Guys:

Duchene's hat trick was his first with the Preds and the fourth-fastest in franchise history as he accomplished the feat in just under a 10-minute span in the third period of Saturday's loss. Juuse Saros allowed five goals against the Canadiens and was pulled in favor of David Rittich who was perfect before Montreal added an empty-netter.
Duchene leads the club with 12 goals and 19 points, followed by Mikael Granlund (3g-15a) with 18 points and Roman Josi (6g-11a) with 17 points. Ryan Johansen (5g-6a) has 11 points on the season, and Tanner Jeannot has five goals and 11 points. Saros is now 7-6-1 in net with a .919 save percentage.

The Opposition:

The Ducks recently saw an eight-game win streak come to an end when they fell to the Carolina Hurricanes by a 2-1 final on Thursday in Anaheim. After a slow start, the Ducks are now 10-5-3 on the season and are near the top of the Pacific Division standings.
Troy Terry leads the club with 12 goals and 22 points, followed by Ryan Getzlaf (1g-18a) with 19 points and Adam Henrique (6g-9a) with 15 points. Trevor Zegras also has six goals for Anaheim, and Kevin Shattenkirk (4g-10a) has 14 points from the backend. John Gibson is 9-3-2 in net with a .926 save percentage.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 32-31-(2)-11 all-time against the Ducks, including a 22-11-(2)-3 record at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville and Anaheim last met on Jan. 16, 2020 at Bridgestone Arena, a 4-2 defeat for the home side that featured a shorthanded goal by Mikael Granlund.
Nashville has earned at least a point in nine of its last 11 games against Anaheim (6-2-3). The Preds have won seven of their last eight home games vs. the Ducks, including seven in a row from Oct. 22, 2015-Oct. 22, 2019.

Notables Versus Anaheim:

Roman Josi scored his first career NHL goal on Dec. 10, 2011 vs. Anaheim. He has 17 points (4g-13a) in 24 career regular-season games and is currently on a five-game point streak (1g-6a) against the Ducks.
Matt Duchene has four points (2g-2a) in his last five games against the Ducks. Colton Sissons has seven points (2g-5a) in 12 career meetings with Anaheim.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for this evening's 7 p.m. CT puck drop from Nashville begins at 6:30 p.m. CT with the Predators Live! pregame show on Bally Sports South hosted by Lyndsay Rowley and Terry Crisp. Willy Daunic, Chris Mason 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 6 p.m. with Darren McFarland. For broadcast information and channel locations throughout the country,
click here
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