The NHL’s Christmas break has concluded, and the Nashville Predators are bringing a three-game win streak into St. Louis to face the Blues tonight at Enterprise Center for a 7 p.m. CT puck drop.
This evening’s contest is the third meeting between the division rivals this month, and the Preds have defeated the Blues twice already, including a four-goal game from Steven Stamkos in the first contest and a hat trick from Filip Forsberg in the second outing.
Tonight’s meeting with the Blues begins a six-game trip away from home - seven including a victory in Minnesota two days before Christmas - as the Predators look to collect points and work their way back up the Western Conference standings, something they’ve done in recent weeks with wins in 10 out of their last 14 outings overall.
“We're starting to believe here,” Stamkos said Tuesday following his overtime winner in Minnesota. “This group has obviously gone through a lot of adversity the past year and a bit. We didn't have the start that we wanted to this season, but the growth is there and guys are starting to believe. And it's a funny thing - when you start rolling, you get some confidence. You have fun coming to the rink every day. It makes a big difference.”
Nashville’s lineup remained unchanged on Tuesday with Jonathan Marchessault still day-to-day with a lower-body injury. The Christmas break afforded the Predators three days off, but they are scheduled to hold a morning skate today in St. Louis before facing the Blues tonight.
The Good Guys:
Ryan O’Reilly and Roman Josi both tallied on the power play before Stamkos added the OT winner for a 3-2 victory in Minnesota on Dec. 23. Stamkos is now just three goals away from 600 in his NHL career with his most recent marker coming in his 1,200th game.
O’Reilly, the former Blues centerman, continues to lead the Preds with 32 points (11g-21a) followed by Filip Forsberg with 16 goals and 29 points. Luke Evangelista has 20 assists and 25 points; Stamkos has 15 goals and 22 points. Juuse Saros is 14-11-3 in net; Justus Annunen is 2-5-1.
The Opposition:
The Blues went into the Christmas break with a 4-1 loss to Tampa Bay and have alternated losses and wins in their last seven outings overall, including a pair of defeats against the Preds. Robert Thomas (9g-18a) leads the Blues with 27 points, followed by Justin Faulk (10g-10a) with 20 points and Pavel Buchnevich (5g-14a) with 19 points. Jordan Binnington is 7-9-6 in net; Joel Hofer is 7-7-2.
All-Time Meetings:
The Preds are 66-52-(4)-13 all-time against the Blues, including a 30-31-(1)-6 mark on the road. Nashville is 6-4-0 versus St. Louis in the last 10 games and 3-2-0 in the last five at Enterprise Center. Nashville has won 19 of its last 33 games against St. Louis – including 17 of its last 30 – and has scored at least four goals in 15 of those wins, including the two contests this season.
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.
Milestone Watch:
Steven Stamkos played in his 1,200 NHL game on Dec. 23 at Minnesota. He is three goals from 600 in his NHL career.
Barry Trotz recorded his 200th career game as an NHL general manager on Dec. 23 at Minnesota.
Erik Haula is two assists from 200 and five games from 800 in his NHL career.
Jonathan Marchessault is five assists from 300 in his NHL career.
The Predators are five games from 2,100 as a franchise.
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.
