After a dramatic finish to their five-game trip, the Nashville Predators return home tonight for another massive matchup with the Seattle Kraken and a 7 p.m. CT puck drop at Bridgestone Arena. This evening’s contest is the third and final meeting between the two foes; the Preds defeated the Kraken last week in Seattle.
With only 15 games to go in the regular season for Nashville, the Predators sit just two points behind Seattle for the final Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. That place in the standings is thanks in part to a 4-3 shootout victory in Winnipeg on Tuesday night that gave the Preds a much needed two points.
Suffice to say, tonight’s game against the Kraken carries significant weight in the postseason race, and the Predators would love nothing more than to return home and continue to keep pace.
“These are always tricky games after a long road trip,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said following Tuesday’s win. “It’s a little bit of a trap game. But hopefully we understand, and I believe we understand, the meaning of Thursday night's game against Seattle; a team that we're chasing. I think we'll be ready to go, but we’ve got to make sure our focus is sharp, because they are hard games to play.
“I'm proud of the group. I mean, it hasn't been easy. We've gone through all kinds of different things. It's been a little bit of a roller coaster ride in a lot of different ways, and we’ve stayed together. Credit to the veterans, they've hung in there, they've pushed the young kids, they've pushed each other, and they're hungry. I think they want to make a statement. And we're in this fight, and I expect us to continue to be in it.”
The Predators flew home from Winnipeg on Wednesday and did not practice. On Wednesday afternoon, the Preds announced a two-year, $1.75 million contract for winger Zach L’Heureux.
Nashville is also mourning the loss of longtime North American Amateur Scout David Westby. Click here to read more on a beloved member of the Preds family.
The Good Guys:
Erik Haula, Filip Forsberg and Matthew Wood tallied for the Predators in regulation on Tuesday, and Ryan O’Reilly scored the only goal of the shootout for Nashville. Goaltender Juuse Saros was excellent once more and made 36 saves through 65 minutes for his 24th win of the season.
O’Reilly (22g-39a) continues to lead the Preds with 61 points, followed by Forsberg with 29 goals and 55 points. Steven Stamkos has 31 goals and 51 points on the season, while Luke Evangelista has 39 assists and 48 points to his name. Saros is now 24-19-7 in net; Justus Annunen is 6-9-2.
The Opposition:
The Kraken had won two straight, but they dropped a 6-2 decision to Tampa Bay on Tuesday night in Seattle. Jordan Eberle leads the Kraken with 22 goals and 49 points, followed by Matty Beniers with 18 goals and 44 points. Bobby McMann, who was recently acquired from Toronto, has 23 goals in total on the season. Joey Daccord is 19-16-5 in net; Philipp Grubauer is 12-9-3.
All-Time Meetings:
The Preds are 6-8-0 all-time against the Kraken, including a 3-3-0 mark at home. Nashville is 5-5-0 in the last 10 meetings versus Seattle and 3-2-0 in the past five in Tennessee.
Ryan Ufko scored his first career NHL goal on March 10, 2026 at Seattle (Joey Daccord). Brady Skjei scored his first goal as a member of the Predators on Oct. 15, 2024 vs. Seattle. Ozzy Wiesblatt recorded his first career NHL point on March 6, 2025 at Seattle.
Nashville Notables:
Matthew Wood lit the lamp for the 15th time this season in the third period on Tuesday to give Nashville a 3-2 lead. He became the third-fastest skater (62 games) to score his first 15 NHL goals with Nashville, following Tanner Jeannot (48) and Filip Forsberg (52).
Ryan O’Reilly scored the game-deciding goal in the shootout, the 16th in his career, tying Phil Kessel and Alex Ovechkin for 10th-most in NHL history.
Juuse Saros stopped 36 shots on Tuesday; it was the eighth game this season he has stopped 35-or-more shots, the most of any netminder in the NHL.
Watch & Listen:
Coverage for this evening’s contest begins at 6:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley and Hal Gill. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic, analyst Chris Mason and rinkside reporter Kara Hammer will have the call on the television side.
Voice of the Predators Pete Weber and Jay More will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network, with pregame, postgame and intermission coverage by Max Herz beginning one hour before puck drop. The game will also be broadcast in Spanish on El Jefe which airs on 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM and 810 AM. (El partido también se transmite en español por El Jefe en 96.7 FM, 105.3 FM y 810 AM.)
