After collecting a big two points against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday, the Nashville Predators will turn their attention toward the Windy City for a rematch against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.
Nashville will enter the United Center with their work cut out for them, as the Blackhawks look to climb out of a three-game skid and shut down their Central Division rival. Then, of course, there’s No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard, who has lived up to the hype as a lethal offensive threat and leads his club in points (20) and goals (11).
Still, in their first meeting against the Hawks this season, the Predators kept the 18-year-old phenom to a single assist as forward Cole Smith scored twice for his second career multi-goal game to seal a 4-2 victory for the home team.
If Nashville can duplicate that effort against Chicago on Tuesday, they'll exit United Center with another two points and their second win in as many games.
The action starts at 7:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast on Bally Sports South, 102.5 The Game and El Jefe Radio. Here's everything you need to know:
LAST TIME OUT
On Sunday evening, the Predators came out of their first back-to-back set of the season in winning fashion after defeating the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 at KeyBank Center.
Filip Forsberg and Yakov Trenin scored for Nashville just 74 seconds apart, with Colton Sissons and Smith assisting on Trenin’s game-winning goal.
In his first start since Thursday, Nov. 30, Juuse Saros made 34 saves against Buffalo, his most in a victory this season.
The Predators went 0-for-1 on the power play and were untested on the penalty kill. Sunday was the first time Nashville has not allowed a power play opportunity since March 2, 2023 against the Florida Panthers.
THE GOOD GUYS
Forsberg leads the Predators in points (28) goals (13) and assists (15). Ryan O’Reilly is second in points with 21 (11g-10a) and Roman Josi third with 17 (5g-12a).
Saros is 9-10-0 and holds a 3.05 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage after 19 games with Nashville this season. Kevin Lankinen is 3-2-0 with a 3.04 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage in seven outings.
The Predators sit sixth in the Central Division with a 12-12-0 record.
THE OTHER GUYS
The Blackhawks will enter Tuesday’s contest eager to get back on track after dropping their last three games - most recently in a 4-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.
Connor Bedard leads the Hawks in points (20) and goals (11) and is tied for the lead in assists with Philipp Kurashev (9).
Petr Mrazek is 5-8-0 with a 3.42 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage after 14 games. Arvid Soderblom is 2-8-0 with a 3.71 goals-against average and a .883 save percentage after 10.
The Hawks are eighth in the Central Division with a 7-16-0 record and a 3-6-0 record at United Center.
ALL-TIME MEETINGS
The Predators are 66-51-(4)-12 all-time against the Blackhawks, including a 29-28-(1)-9 record on the road. This is the second of four matchups between Nashville and Chicago in 2023-24; it is the first of two at the United Center.
Nashville went 2-1-0 against Chicago last season, with both of its victories coming at the United Center. The Predators earned a 4-2 win on Dec. 21, 2022, which saw Roman Josi pass David Legwand for the most points in franchise history.
The Predators have earned at least a point in 24 of their last 28 games against the Blackhawks (20-4-4), holding Chicago to two-or-fewer goals 24 times in that span. This will be the 134th time the Predators and Blackhawks clash in the regular season, Nashville’s most games played against a single opponent.
NOTABLES VS. CHICAGO
- Juuse Saros is 10-3-2 with a 2.06 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and one shutout in 16 career appearances vs. the Blackhawks.
- Kevin Lankinen played the first 69 games of his NHL career with Chicago from 2020-22. He went 25-29-11 and posted a 3.23 goals-against average and .901 save percentage for the Blackhawks. He faced Chicago for the first time on Nov. 18 and earned the win, stopping 29 of 31 shots.
- Dante Fabbro (April 6, 2019) and Tommy Novak (Dec. 17, 2021) both scored their first career NHL goals against Chicago.
- Former goaltender and current European Development Coach and Scout Pekka Rinne scored his first career NHL goal on Jan. 9, 2020 at Chicago.
- Spencer Stastney is a product of the Chicago Mission youth hockey program.
- Predators prospect Ryan Ufko won the USHL’s Clark Cup with the Chicago Steel in 2020-21.
- Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones was drafted fourth overall by the Predators in 2013; he skated in 199 games for Nashville from 2013-16, tallying 63 points (15g-48a).
- Blackhawks defenseman Jarred Tinordi played in 35 games with the Predators from 2019-21.
MILESTONE WATCH
- Andrew Brunette is one game from 100 as a head coach in his NHL career.
- Colton Sissons is three assists from 100 in his NHL career.
- Roman Josi (163) is four goals from passing Shea Weber (166) for the third-most in Predators history.
- Kevin Lankinen is five games from 100 in his NHL career.
LINE ‘EM UP
Below are Nashville’s line combinations from Sunday’s game against Buffalo:
Forsberg - O'Reilly - Nyquist
Sherwood - Pärssinen - Evangelista
Trenin - Sissons - Smith
Jankowski - McCarron- Tomasino
McDonagh - Josi
Lauzon - Fabbro
Stastney - Schenn
Saros
Lankinen
Scratch: Barrie, Foudy, Carrier (Week-to-Week, Upper Body)
IR: Glass, Novak
WATCH & LISTEN
Coverage for Tuesday’s game begins at 7 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on Bally Sports South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic and analyst Chris Mason will have the call on the television side. The game can also be streamed live on Fubo; click here for a 14-day free trial.
Pete Weber and Hal Gill 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.
