Game Day: Islanders vs. Preds Preview

A pair of rested hockey teams will get together today for an afternoon matinee as the Nashville Predators host the New York Islanders for a 12:30 p.m. CT puck drop at Bridgestone Arena. This afternoon's contest is the first of two meetings between the clubs this season; the Preds will visit Long Island in December.
Both the Preds and Isles have enjoyed a rare lull in the schedule over the past week; Nashville last played on Tuesday, a 3-1 win over San Jose, and the Islanders have been off since Sunday, a 2-0 victory over Vegas.
The Predators have taken advantage of that break with a pair of practice sessions to bookend a day for rest and recovery, and they'll try to push their win streak to three games as former Predators Head Coach Barry Trotz and the Islanders come to town.

"We practiced on Wednesday… and I think it was important with the amount of games we just had, [to have] a mental refresh [on Thursday]," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said Friday. "We had a good practice today; it was intense, and we worked on a lot of things that we want to do, and I thought the players were fresh coming off the day off and were excited to play. So, two good work days and then one off day, we think would get us mentally and physically ready to play [today]."
On the ice, the Predators intend on continuing to build off of their past two wins and three games in total that have seen them score five power-play goals and 12 goals overall. Nashville will be tested by an Islanders team that hasn't allowed a single goal in their past two outings with points in four-straight games overall.
"They're a team that is really good defensively… so it's going to be a tight one," Preds defenseman Alexandre Carrier said. "If we continue to build our game in our defensive zone, if we take care of the puck, we manage it in the neutral zone, then they won't have as much opportunity to create. So, after that, offensively if we stick to our game, it's going to come. We're going to create just by making smart plays in the neutral zone and stuff like that, so it's going to be a fun one."
The Predators were joined by goaltender David Rittich during Friday's practice, the first time the netminder had been on the ice with his team since being placed on the NHL's COVID list on Oct. 16. Because of the downtime, Hynes said Friday there will be, "A little bit of a progression for him to get back ready to play," but added Rittich's return was certainly a welcome sight.

The Good Guys:

Matt Duchene, Filip Forsberg and Mikael Granlund all tallied in Nashville's 3-1 win over San Jose on Tuesday, and goaltender Juuse Saros made 28 stops on the night. Preds Captain Roman Josi leads the team in scoring with nine points (3g-6a) through seven games, followed by Forsberg (3g-3a), Granlund (2g-4a) and Ryan Johansen (3g-3a) with six points apiece. Saros carries a 2.56 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage through six starts thus far.

The Opposition:

The Islanders have shutout their opponents in their last two outings, and Josh Bailey (1g-3a) leads the team in scoring with four points. Both Mathew Barzal and Oliver Wahlstrom have three goals each, while Brock Nelson (2g-1a) and Anthony Beauvillier (2g-1a) have identical stat lines. Ilya Sorokin has started all six of New York's games and is 3-2-1 with a .933 save percentage.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 18-8-(0)-3 all-time against the Islanders, including a 10-4-(0)-1 record at Bridgestone Arena.
Nashville and the New York Islanders last met on Feb. 13, 2020, a 5-0 shutout victory for the Predators on home ice. In the first game between the two teams during the 2019-20 season, the Predators scored eight goals for the seventh time in franchise history en route to an 8-3 win on the road.
The Preds have earned at least a point in eight of their last nine meetings with the Islanders (7-1-1), including wins in five straight. Six of the Preds' nine wins at home over the Islanders came during a winning streak that stretched from Feb. 13, 2003-Oct. 12, 2013.

Notables Versus New York:

Mattias Ekholm owns a six-game point streak vs. the Islanders (2g-6a) that dates back to Oct. 28, 2017. He has 10 points (2g-8a) in 13 career games against the Islanders. Filip Forsberg has 11 points (6g-5a) in 12 career games against the Islanders, including points in four of his last five games (4g-2a).
Roman Josi is on a three-game point streak (1g-2a) vs. New York. He recorded five (5a) of his eight career points (2g-6a) against the Islanders in a four-game span from Feb. 19, 2015-March 17, 2016 and scored the game-winning goal in overtime vs. New York on Feb. 5, 2018.
Nick Cousins has nine points (4g-5a) in 10 career meetings with the Islanders, including a three-point outing (2g-1a) on Jan. 22, 2018. Luke Kunin scored his first career NHL goal on Oct. 26, 2017 vs. the Islanders (Thomas Greiss).
Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz was the first-ever head coach in Predators history. He went 557-479-(60)-100 in 1,196 games as head coach of the Predators from 1998-14.

When You Go:

The plaza perimeter opens at 9:30 a.m. CT this morning, and Arena doors open at 10:30 a.m. ahead of today's 12:30 p.m. puck drop.
Kids attending today's game against New York can go trick-or-treating around the Bridgestone Arena concourse. Trick-or-treating starts at 10:30 a.m. and concludes at puck drop. The first 5,000 kids in attendance at Saturday's game will receive a free reflective Nashville Predators trick-or-treating tote!

The Predators Foundation is hosting a food drive with Second Harvest before today's game. Drop off any of the items listed in the tweet below at Arena doors, or purchase items from our Amazon Wish List.

All guests aged 12 and older attending tonight's game will be required to show proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR or antigen test administered by a healthcare professional within 72 hours prior to the event that includes their name and the date of the test.
Fans attending the game are encouraged to use the CLEAR Health Pass
to provide easy proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test and offer safer and faster fan entry into events held at the venue.
The CLEAR Health Pass - Bridgestone Arena's preferred vaccine verification method - is a free mobile app that securely houses COVID-19 vaccination and test information. Predators fans and all Bridgestone Arena attendees ages 18 and older are encouraged to utilize the CLEAR Health Pass app to make entry into the venue as smooth as possible. All Bridgestone Arena entrances, including the two main ones at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Broadway and Demonbreun Street, will accept the CLEAR Health Pass for venue access.
Anyone unable to use the CLEAR Health Pass
must follow all Bridgestone Arena entry protocols
.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage this afternoon's 12:30 p.m. CT puck drop from Nashville begins at 12 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 11 a.m. with Darren McFarland. For broadcast information and channel locations throughout the country,
click here
.