Carolina Hurricanes (12-2-2, 26 pts.) vs. Nashville Predators (5-4-5, 15 pts.)
7 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 season-long, five-game homestand concludes tonight for the Nashville Predators when they host the Carolina Hurricanes for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop at Bridgestone Arena. This evening’s Hockey Fights Cancer contest is the second of two meetings this season between the clubs; the Preds will visit the Canes two days into the new year.
Soon-to-be Hockey Hall of Famer Pekka Rinne is also in town, and the Preds will host a sendoff for the beloved former goaltender during tonight’s game ahead of Monday’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Toronto.
The Predators got back in the win column after a Halloween thriller that ended with a 5-4 shootout victory thanks to efforts from Steven Stamkos and Justus Annunen. Now, the Preds will face the defending Stanley Cup Champions - a team that has won four straight - with a chance to collect points in four out of their five outings on the homestand.
Nashville’s roster will also look a bit different tonight following Sunday’s trade that saw the Preds acquire forward Shane Wright from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for forward Matthew Wood. Wright practiced with the Preds on Monday alongside Filip Forsberg and Nils Hoglander, and the 22-year-old is very much looking forward to his debut with his new club.
“Super excited, really looking forward to being here and being part of this group,” Wright said Monday of the trade. “I think I'm just overall excited to be part of the team. Nice to be able to get here, get a practice in before tomorrow's game, but really excited to be here.”
Selected fourth overall in the 2022 NHL Draft, Wright recorded 19 goals and 44 points in 2024-25, and the Preds are intrigued by the intangibles Wright can bring to the lineup, namely his speed and skill, at the center ice position.
“I'm hoping he could be a top-six forward that brings a lot of pace through the middle of the ice,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said of his hope for Wright. “He’s responsible defensively, from what I've been told, and solidifies the center ice position for our group; that’s kind of my hope. That's something we're going to push to do. We still believe he's a young player that probably needs a little bit more confidence, needs a little bit more belief for him to take that next step, and hopefully we can get it to that step from here.”
The Preds went back to 12 forwards and six defensemen on Saturday with Nic Hague, Ilya Lyubushkin and Vitali Pinchuk serving as healthy scratches. Nashville practiced on Monday after an off day on Sunday.
Last Time Out:
Reid Schaefer, Adam Edstrom and Jayden Struble scored for the Preds through the first 40 minutes on Saturday before Stamkos tied the game in the third period against his former team. After OT solved nothing, Stamkos scored the winner in the shootout, while Annunen stopped all four Tampa Bay shooters for a 5-4 win.
Per NHL Stats, Stamkos scored his 246th career power-play goal to tie Phil Esposito for sixth on the NHL’s all-time list. The Predators scored three game-tying goals in a game for the first time since a 4-3 win at Utah on Dec. 29, 2025.
Filip Forsberg now leads the Preds in scoring (5g-12a) with 17 points, followed by Stamkos with eight goals and 16 points. Ryan O’Reilly (7g-8a) and Roman Josi (1g-14a) have 15 points apiece, while Edstrom also has five goals. Annunen is 2-1-0 in net; Juuse Saros is 3-3-4 on the season.
All-Time Meetings:
The Preds are 22-22-(1)-4 all-time against the Hurricanes, including a 13-10-(0)-1 mark at home. Nashville is 5-5-0 in the last 10 versus Carolina and 2-3-0 in the last five meetings at Bridgestone Arena.
Preds defenseman Brady Skjei skated in 302 games for the Hurricanes from 2020-24, notching 135 points (43g-92a). Skjei established a career high in points with the Hurricanes in 2023-24, leading team blueliners with 47 (13g-34a).
Jack Drury was selected by the Hurricanes in the second round (42nd overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. He played 153 games for Carolina from 2021-24, recording 46 points (15g-31a).
Nashville Notables:
The Predators’ power play ranks fifth in the NHL, operating at 31.9 percent (15-for-47). Ryan O’Reilly (4), Steven Stamkos (4), Filip Forsberg (3), Jonathan Marchessault (2), Nils Hoglander (1) and Matthew Wood (1) have scored for Nashville with the man advantage.
The penalty kill ranks fourth in the League (88.9 percent); Nashville is the only team in the League with both special team units in the top five of each category.
Stamkos’ goal on Saturday against Andrei Vasilevskiy was the first time he’s scored on the goaltender, marking the 166th different netminder he has scored on (regular season and playoffs), and he passed Mark Messier for the fifth-most in NHL history.
Milestone Watch:
Roman Josi sits tied (Doug Wilson) for the 23rd-most assists by a defenseman in NHL history after passing Ryan Suter on Thursday vs. Washington. He is two points from passing Sergei Gonchar for sole possession of the 22nd-most. Josi is five goals from passing Larry Robinson and tying Zdeno Chara for the 23rd-most all-time by a blueliner.
Steven Stamkos is one power-play goal from passing Phil Esposito and moving into a tie with Luc Robitaille for the fifth-most in NHL history.
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.
