A five-game homestand continues tonight for the Nashville Predators as they welcome the Vegas Golden Knights to Bridgestone Arena for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop. This evening’s contest is the first of three meetings between the two clubs this season; the Preds and Knights will face each other once more each in Nashville and Vegas over the next three months.
The Predators began the current homestand with a 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday night in a game that saw Filip Forsberg tally on the power play and Nashville outshoot its opponents 33-16. However, the Preds were left disappointed in the final result as they look to get back in the win column tonight.
“I think the first two periods were great,” Forsberg said following Saturday’s loss. “We were playing really fast when they had eight shots…after two [periods], and they’re a team that's been playing really good hockey all year, and so there's a lot of positives. It's just kind of leaving the game up for grabs. You know, it's 1-1, instead of maybe 2-1 or 3-1, which it could have been and it [would have been a] completely different third period. And so I think there's certainly things to take, but at the same time, it's the same result.”
Defenseman Adam Wilsby, who remains on Injured Reserve with an upper-body injury, participated in Monday’s practice, but Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said Wilsby should still be considered week-to-week.
Blueliner Jeremy Lauzon and forward Cole Smith are both still on IR as well, and forward Luke Evangelista is expected to miss approximately four weeks with his lower-body injury.