After a loss to the Red Wings yesterday afternoon, the Nashville Predators will look to get back in the win column tonight when they face the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 6 p.m. CT puck drop at Nationwide Arena. This evening’s contest is the second and final meeting of the season between the former division rivals; the Preds beat the Jackets back on Opening Night.
The Predators came out of the Olympic Break with a win over the Blackhawks last Thursday, but they’ve since dropped an overtime decision in Dallas on Saturday before yesterday’s 4-2 loss to Detroit. Now, Nashville will be eager for another chance at two points tonight with just two games remaining before Friday’s Trade Deadline.
“The thing for us this year after our bad start was to win the week,” Preds winger Jonathan Marchessault said following yesterday’s loss. “The last two games, we won the week. We got three out of four, and today we started a new week, and we lost the first one. We're going back on the road, and we’ve got to find a way to win a hockey game and keep us in that race.”
Preds defenseman Adam Wilsby did not play on Monday and is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. Justin Barron joined the lineup as a result, and Ozzy Wiesblatt was Nashville’s lone healthy scratch.
The Good Guys:
Marchessault and Filip Forsberg both tallied for Nashville yesterday afternoon, while Juuse Saros took the loss in net.
Ryan O’Reilly has 21 goals and continues to lead the Preds with 58 points, followed by Forsberg with 26 goals and 49 points. Steven Stamkos has 30 goals and 46 points, while Luke Evangelista has 37 assists and 45 points. Saros is now 21-18-6 in net; Justus Annunen is 6-7-2.
The Opposition:
The Blue Jackets lost a four-goal lead in the third period last night against the Rangers, but they still prevailed with a 5-4 overtime win in New York. Defenseman Zach Werenski leads Columbus with 20 goals and 65 points, followed by Kirill Marchenko with 22 goals and 50 points. Elvis Merzlikins, who played last night, is 12-9-1; Jet Greaves is 18-12-7.
All-Time Meetings:
The Preds are 71-24-(1)-8 all-time against the Blue Jackets, including a 27-18-(0)-5 mark on the road. Nashville is 6-3-1 in their last 10 versus Columbus but just 1-3-1 in the last five in Ohio.
The Predators’ all-time point percentage of .726 against the Blue Jackets is their highest against any single opponent in the NHL; Nashville’s 71 all-time wins vs. Columbus are the second-most versus a single franchise in team history (Chicago – 74).
Watch & Listen:
Coverage for this evening’s contest begins at 5:30 p.m. CT with the Predators LIVE! pregame show on FanDuel Sports Network South, hosted by Lyndsay Rowley. Play-by-play announcer Willy Daunic and Chris Mason will have the call on the television side. Max Herz and Hal Gill will call the game on 102.5 The Game and the Predators Radio Network.
