Game Day: Jets vs. Preds Preview

After returning from the All-Star break with a loss in Dallas, the Nashville Predators are looking to get back in the win column this evening when they host the Winnipeg Jets for a special 6 p.m. CT puck drop at Bridgestone Arena. Tonight's contest is the third and final meeting of the regular season between the two division rivals; the Preds are 1-1-0 against the Jets this season after picking up a 5-2 win on home ice last month.
The Predators came back to tie the Stars three times during Wednesday's outing in Dallas, but Nashville ultimately fell by a 4-3 final in a game that left the visitors less than pleased. The Preds gave the Stars six power-play opportunities in the loss in an effort Head Coach John Hynes called "volatile" and "undisciplined."
Now, after a day off the ice and a Friday practice, the Predators are set for another chance to make things right.

"We definitely had some things that we knew we needed to work on coming out of that Dallas game, so today we just addressed everything in video, and we worked on those areas that we felt we needed to work on," Preds forward Tanner Jeannot said Friday. "We did a couple of things that we're thinking we're going to be expecting from Winnipeg, and we're just trying to get dialed in and ready for tomorrow night."
"The thing I really appreciate about our team is after games we have a real honest assessment of the team that we want to be," Hynes said Friday. "Win or lose, were we a hard team to play against, and did we play to the identity we want to play with? More importantly, were we consistent in that? Whether we win or lose the game, it's about making sure that we're doing the right thing. So, we had a really good day today and a good meeting. The guys were ready for practice, and now we've got an opportunity tomorrow to get right back out."
Defensemen Matt Benning (day-to-day, lower-body) and Mark Borowiecki (day-to-day, non-COVID illness) both missed Wednesday's contest; blueliners Philippe Myers and Ben Harpur made up Nashville's third pairing.

The Good Guys:

Eeli Tolvanen, Matt Duchene and Yakov Trenin all tallied for Nashville on Wednesday night in Dallas, and Juuse Saros took the loss in net. As of games played through Feb. 10, the Predators have seven skaters who have scored at least 10 goals, tied for the second-most among NHL teams. Nashville is one of just five teams to have five skaters with at least 34 points.
Preds Captain Roman Josi continues to lead the team in scoring with 46 points (13g-33a), followed by Duchene with 42 points (22g-20a) and Filip Forsberg with 39 points (24g-15a). Mikael Granlund has 32 assists and 38 points on the season, Ryan Johansen has 13 goals to go along with 34 points and Tanner Jeannot has tallied on 14 occasions.

The Opposition:

Winnipeg fell to the Stars by a 4-3 final in overtime on Friday night in Dallas. Kyle Connor, who represented the Jets in Las Vegas during All-Star Weekend, leads his club with 25 goals and 48 points, followed by Pierre-Luc Dubois with 34 points (19g-15a) and Mark Scheifele with 32 points (12g-20a). Connor Hellebuyck was in net last night for the Jets; he's 15-15-7 on the season, while Eric Comrie 4-2-1 in seven starts.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 27-17-(1)-4 all-time against the Jets franchise, including a 16-8-(0)-0 record at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville is 3-2-0 in their last five games vs. the Jets; they are 4-5-1 in their last 10; and 3-2-0 in their last five at Bridgestone Arena. Overall, Nashville has earned at least a point in eight of its last 14 games against Winnipeg (7-6-1).

Notables Versus Winnipeg:

Roman Josi tied the Preds franchise record for assists and points in a game with five on Feb. 27, 2018, at Winnipeg. He has 23 points (4g-19a) in 30 career games vs. the Jets. Ryan Johansen is averaging nearly a point per game in his career against Winnipeg, tallying 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points in 28 games. His nine points (3g-6a) in Nashville's 2018 Second Round series vs. Winnipeg were the second-most in a single series in team history.
Filip Forsberg recorded a five-game point streak (5a) vs. Winnipeg from March 13, 2018-March 1, 2019. He has picked up at least one point in eight of his last 16 contests against the Jets and has posted 17 points (3g-14a) in 30 career games vs. Winnipeg. Luke Kunin owns six points (3g-3a) in 11 career meetings with the Jets.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for tonight's 6 p.m. CT puck drop from Nashville begins at 5:30 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 5 p.m. with Darren McFarland. For broadcast information and channel locations throughout the country,
click here
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