Game Day: Oilers vs. Preds Preview

The Nashville Predators prevailed on Tuesday evening over the San Jose Sharks, and they'll look for two more points in tonight's matchup against the Edmonton Oilers as a five-game homestand continues. This is the third and final meeting between Nashville and Edmonton this season; it's the first and only at Bridgestone Arena.
Defense was the core component for the Preds on Tuesday versus the Sharks - a 1-0 overtime win - as they began the homestand with 41 shots on goal. Ryan Johansen eventually got the game-winner, and goaltender Juuse Saros returned to the lineup Tuesday and proceeded to post his 18th career shutout in a satisfactory effort from the Preds.

"Great effort by the whole group," Johansen said following Tuesday's win. "We just stuck with it the whole time. [We weren't] getting any puck luck tonight. Nothing was easy, and we just had to keep pressing, keep playing. Juice was a stud, obviously. They had some chances, and when they did, he was there. Two points, that's all that matters."
"I really liked our team's game tonight," Preds Head Coach John Hynes said Tuesday. "I thought we came ready to play and played the game the right way. Credit to San Jose, they battled and they played hard and they didn't make it an easy night. I thought overall the style of game that we played with gives us the best chance to win night in and night out."
Saros returned to the lineup after missing Sunday's game due to a non-COVID illness, and defenseman Mark Borowiecki also played after leaving Sunday's contest with an injury. Preds defensemen Matt Benning, Ben Harpur and Jeremy Davies were scratched against the Sharks.
The Preds did not practice on Wednesday, but they are expected to hold a morning skate prior to hosting the Oilers.

The Good Guys:

Sixty minutes were not enough for either team to find the back of the net on Tuesday, but Johansen tallied at 3:18 of overtime - his 23rd goal of the season. Saros was stellar and stopped all 25 shots that came his way to record his NHL-leading 36th win on the season.
Preds Captain Roman Josi leads NHL defensemen and is 10th in the NHL in points this season with 87 (19g-68a). With his three-point effort on April 7 at Ottawa, he broke the franchise record for points in a season, previously held by Paul Kariya in 2005-06 (85).
Josi continues to lead his club in points with 87 (19g-68a), followed by Matt Duchene with 75 (38g-37a) and Filip Forsberg with 72 (38g-34a). Johansen has 57 (23g-34a), Mikael Granlund has 53 (9g-44a) and Tanner Jeannot has 41 (24g-17a). Saros is now 36-22-3 in net; netminder David Rittich is 5-3-2.

The Opposition:

The Oilers have won seven of their last 10 games, but they're coming off of a 5-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday evening. Connor McDavid leads his club - and the League - in points with 108 (42g-66a), followed by Leon Draisaitl with 102 (51g-51a) and Zach Hyman with 49 (24g-25a). Goaltender Mikko Koskinen is 25-11-4 in net; netminder Mike Smith is 11-9-2.

All-Time Meetings:

Nashville is 0-1-1 against Edmonton in 2021-22, earning a point in a shootout loss on Jan. 27 (3-2) and dropping the first matchup on Nov. 3 (5-2). The Predators are 0-4-1 in their last five games vs. the Oilers; they are 4-5-1 in their last 10; and 3-2-0 in their last five at Bridgestone Arena.
Nashville has won 14 of its last 20 games against Edmonton, with 13 of those wins coming consecutively from Oct. 29, 2014 to Oct. 20, 2018. During the streak, the Preds outscored the Oilers 40-15 and limited them to two-or-fewer goals 12 times, including five shutouts. Nashville has won at least nine in a row over Edmonton two separate times, with the first coming from Nov. 1, 2006 to Oct. 30, 2008. The Predators are 44-28-(3)-4 all-time against the Oilers, including a 22-14-(3)-0 record at Bridgestone Arena.

Notables Versus Edmonton:

Saros set the Preds franchise record for most saves in a shutout when he posted 46 vs. Edmonton on Dec. 14, 2017. In six career games vs. the Oilers, Saros is 2-2-1 with a 1.74 goals-against average and .954 save percentage. Johansen has 11 points (2g-9a) in his last 15 games against the Oilers dating back to March 14, 2016.
Forsberg has averaged nearly a point per game in his career vs. the Oilers, tallying 17 points (10g-7a) in 18 games. He became the second player in NHL history to score a "lacrosse-style" goal in Nashville's game against Edmonton on Jan. 14, 2020. Duchene owns 35 points (10g-25a) in 38 career games against the Oilers.
Edmonton native Matt Benning played four seasons for the Oilers from 2016-20, posting 61 points (15g-46a) in 248 games. Predators prospect Luke Prokop is an Edmonton native and currently plays for the WHL's Edmonton Oil Kings.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for tonight's 7 p.m. CT puck drop from Nashville begins at 6:30 p.m. 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 6 p.m. with Darren McFarland.