The Nashville Predators conclude a two-game trip tonight in St. Louis when they face the Blues at Enterprise Center for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop. This evening’s contest is the first of three meetings between the division rivals in the month of December; the Preds topped the Blues, 7-2, last week in Nashville.
A pair of rematches from the previous week for the Preds began in Colorado on Saturday night with a 4-2 loss against the Avalanche. Despite the result against the League’s best team, the Predators were still pleased with elements of their game, and they’ll look to continue that tonight in St. Louis.
“It was a game that could have been had,” Preds Head Coach Andrew Brunette said following Saturday’s loss. “We had some really good opportunities to tie the score, but it didn't happen, and we really liked our overall game. There were no passengers. It's kind of been a little bit of the pattern we've had for the last two or three weeks, and we'll continue to do that moving forward.”
“Obviously, we [had] a really good game against them [on Thursday], so they'll be waiting for us,” Preds forward Jonathan Marchessault said of facing the Blues. “It's on us to be able to match that intensity and being ready, right off the bat, for them. They're going to be energized. They're a good team, same situation as us. So it's going to be a good battle for us.”
Forward Cole Smith and defenseman Justin Barron both remain on Injured Reserve and did not play on Saturday. Forward Tyson Jost returned to the Nashville lineup against Colorado; the Preds did not have any healthy scratches.
Nashville did not practice on Sunday but it is expected to hold a morning skate today before facing the Blues.
The Good Guys:
Marchessault and Tyson Jost found the back of the net for the Preds on Saturday, while Justus Annunen made 37 saves in the loss. Ryan O’Reilly (10g-14a) continues to lead his club with 24 points, followed by Luke Evangelista (4g-19a) with 23 points and Filip Forsberg (11g-11a) with 22 points. Steven Stamkos has 12 goals on the season; Michael Bunting and Matthew Wood have eight apiece. Juuse Saros is 11-10-3 in net; Annunen is 1-5-1.
The Opposition:
The Blues followed their loss to the Preds with a 3-2 victory over Chicago on Friday. Robert Thomas (7g-16a) leads St. Louis with 23 points, followed by Dylan Holloway (8g-9a) with 17 points. Jordan Kyrou - who is injured - and Jake Neighbors also have eight goals apiece. Jordan Binnington is 7-8-5 in net; Joel Hofer is 5-6-2.
All-Time Meetings:
The Preds are 65-52-(4)-13 all-time against the Blues, inclduingin a 29-31-(1)-6 mark on the road. Nashville is 5-5-0 in the last 10 versus St. Louis and 2-3-0 in the last five at Enterprise Center. Nashville has won 18 of its last 32 games against St. Louis – including 16 of its last 29 – and has scored at least four goals in 14 of those wins.
Notables Versus St. Louis:
Ryan O’Reilly played 327 games for St. Louis from 2018-23, recording 269 points (97g-172a). He won the 2019 Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe with the Blues.
Blues forward Matt Luff recorded six points (3g-3a) in 23 games for the Predators in 2021-22.
Nashville Assistant General Manager, Milwaukee Admirals General Manager and Director of Player Development Scott Nichol played the final two seasons of his NHL career with St. Louis from 2011-13, skating in 110 games.
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. 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.
