Vegas Golden Knights (5-2-0, 10 pts.) vs. Nashville Predators (2-1-2, 6 pts.)
7:45 p.m. CT | Bridgestone Arena | Buy Tickets
Watch: Scripps Sports/The Spot - Nashville 28; PredsTV App (in-market); ESPN+ (out-of-market)
Listen: 102.5 The Game, Preds Radio Network; El Jefe
Live Stats: GameCenter
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A three-game homestand begins tonight for the Nashville Predators when they host the Vegas Golden Knights for a 7:45 p.m. CT puck drop at Bridgestone Arena. This evening’s contest is the first of three meetings between the two foes this season; the Preds will visit Nevada next month before hosting Vegas again later this season.
A three-game road swing through eastern Canada saw the Predators collect four out of a possible six points last week, including a 3-2 shootout loss to Ottawa on Saturday. Now, Nashville will look to build on the good and improve other areas of their game with the defending Western Conference champions in town.
“I think just keep building on what we did last game,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said following Monday’s practice of what he’d like to see from his group this week. “[Saturday] one of our most complete games. Just being a little bit more on our toes in your face; I think we showed that against Dallas, and we showed that in stretches in Toronto and Montreal a little bit. But, doing that for 60 [minutes] is always what a coach is always trying to get to. So, if we can stack more minutes on, the better will be. [Tonight will] be a big challenge for us, a big week. Every week is a big week for us right now.”
“It’s a big week,” Preds Captain Roman Josi said Monday. “We’ve got a lot of home games, and Vegas has been a top team in the League…and they're off to a good start again, and a really good team. So, I think it's a great test for us.”
The Predators added a piece to their back end on Friday night when they acquired defenseman Jayden Struble from Montreal in exchange for a second-round pick. Struble made his Preds debut on Saturday in Ottawa and impressed with six hits in over 19 minutes of ice time.
“I loved his game,” Brunette said of Struble’s debut. “I really thought he controlled gaps with his feet, and in his battles, he won most of his battles where he's physical and on top of things. I thought he fit in really well with [Adam Wilsby on a pair]. It's a one-game viewing that we had, but I'm very impressed with him.”
Nashville’s lines and pairings remained unchanged from Saturday’s game during Monday's practice, including Struble paired with Adam Wilsby. Rookie Vitali Pinchuk made his NHL debut Saturday and recorded an assist on Ross Colton’s goal. Pinchuk continued to center Colton and Alex Kerfoot on Monday as well.
Forward Mavrik Bourque, who did not play Saturday and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, practiced on Monday, as did goaltender Justus Annunen, who remains on Injured Reserve. Brunette referred to both players as “day-to-day” following Monday’s practice and said they would continue to be evaluated.
Last Time Out:
Pinchuk’s assist on Colton’s goal was Nashville’s first of the evening, and Jonathan Marchessault tallied on the power play later in the opening period. However, Ottawa scored once and then tied the game with less than two minutes to play in regulation before prevailing in a shootout.
Goaltender Matt Murray got the start for Nashville - his first NHL action in almost three years - and made 18 saves through overtime in the loss.
Stamkos leads the Preds with three goals and seven points, followed by Josi (1g-5a) with six points, and then Kerfoot (1g-3a) and Forsberg (4a) with four points each. Juuse Saros is 2-1-1 in net with a .915 save percentage through four games.
All-Time Meetings:
The Preds are 11-10-(0)-3 all-time against the Golden Knights, including a 6-4-(0)-2 mark at home. Nashville is 6-4-0 in the last 10 versus with Vegas and 4-1-0 in the last five meetings at Bridgestone Arena.
Jonathan Marchessault played 514 games for Vegas from 2017-24, recording 417 points (192g-225a). He won the 2023 Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe with the Golden Knights.
Nic Hague was selected by Vegas in the second round (34th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft. He played 364 games for Vegas from 2019-25, recording 83 points (20g-63); he won the 2023 Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights.
Nashville Notables:
Per NHL Stats, Steven Stamkos (1a) and Roman Josi (1a) extended their season-opening point streak to five games, the first Predators skaters to do so since three players in 2019-20: Filip Forsberg (6 GP), Matt Duchene (5 GP) and Ryan Johansen (5 GP). Forsberg and Marek Zidlicky (6 GP in 2003-04) are the only players in team history to extend their run to six games.
Stamkos (36 years, 245 days) became the eighth-oldest player in NHL history to record a season-opening point streak of at least five games. The last older player to post a run of that length was Chris Pronger (5 GP in 2011-12 at 37 years, 8 days).
The Predators power play ranks fourth-best in the league, operating at 31.6 percent (6-for-19). Steven Stamkos (2), Nils Hoglander (1), Matthew Wood (1), Ryan O’Reilly (1) and Jonathan Marchessault (1) have scored for Nashville with the man advantage.
Watch & Listen:
New this season, Preds fans can watch all locally broadcast Predators games on The Spot – Nashville 28 (WNPX) over the air with an antenna or on cable and satellite distributors serving the Predators territory.
Predators fans within the team’s TV viewing area can also stream 81 locally broadcast games for just $74 – less than $1 per game.
Nashville’s games will be streamed on the Nashville Predators App, which is available on the following devices:
- iOS/Android
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Roku
- Web via PredsTV.com
The season pass also includes access to on-demand game replays and exclusive content, such as “Inside Smashville,” a weekly magazine show that launches Friday, Oct. 2 on The Spot – Nashville 28 and Predators streaming platforms.
In addition to 81 of the team’s regular-season games being available on The Spot – Nashville 28 and via the Nashville Predators App stream, the remaining three contests will be exclusively broadcast on ESPN+.
Click here for more information on streaming and viewing options.
Fans may also listen on 102.5 The Game, the Preds Radio Network and El Jefe Radio.
