Game Day: Preds at Blues Preview

After defeating the Stars last night in Dallas, the Nashville Predators will conclude their six-game road trip tonight in St. Louis against the Blues. This evening marks the first meeting between the two Central Division rivals since February 2020 and the first of four tilts for the Preds and Blues this season.
The Predators have collected seven of a possible 10 points through five games on their current excursion thus far with wins over Calgary, Vancouver and Dallas. Now, the Preds turn their attention to another top team in the Central, and they'll look to finish one of the more successful road trips in franchise history with one more triumph.

"What I've liked is we seem to be finding a consistency with our game right now," Preds center Ryan Johansen said following Wednesday's win in Dallas. "Obviously, the start of the season, the first chunk of games - we were kind of all over the place, doing good things, kind of sloppy at times - and I'm just gradually seeing a consistent team game from throughout our lineup and guys being on the same page. It's a hard thing to do, and we're finding ways to get better as we're going along here, and that's encouraging."
Preds defenseman Alexandre Carrier left Wednesday's game after blocking a shot up high, and Predators Head Coach John Hynes offered a few words following the contest.
"I don't have [an update] other than he's doing well," Hynes said of Carrier. "He's going to travel with us to St. Louis, and then we'll evaluate further. But he's up and moving and doing well, and we'll see where he's at tomorrow. But, he's going to stay with us, and we'll see what happens and what he looks like tomorrow."
If Carrier can't play tonight in St. Louis, defensemen Ben Harpur or Mark Borowiecki (upper body, day-to-day) could be options to replace him in the lineup. Forwards Mathieu Olivier and Michael McCarron, who were both recalled from Milwaukee on Tuesday, played in Dallas on Wednesday night, their season debuts. The Predators scratched forward Rocco Grimaldi as well as Harpur and Borowiecki.

The Good Guys:

Ryan Johansen, Tanner Jeannot, Matt Duchene and Colton Sissons all tallied during Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Stars. Jeannot also added an assist, and Juuse Saros made 25 saves in net for the Preds.
Predators Captain Roman Josi continues to lead the club with 12 points (4g-8a), followed by Duchene (6g-5a) and Mikael Granlund (2g-9a) with 11 points each. Johansen and Jeannot both have five goals apiece, and Philip Tomasino has found the back of the net on three occasions. Saros is now 6-4-1 on the season, but goaltender David Rittich could make his Predators debut tonight in the second half of a back-to-back. Nashville signed Rittich in the offseason after Pekka Rinne retired, but Rittich has not played yet this season due to time spent on the NHL's COVID list.

The Opposition:

The Blues sit second in the Central Division with eight wins and 17 points through 11 games, including a 3-2 shootout win over the Jets in Winnipeg on Tuesday night. Jordan Kyrou leads St. Louis in scoring with 12 points (3g-9a), followed by David Perron (6g-5a) and Vladimir Tarasenko (4g-7a) with 11 points each. Brandon Saad has four goals for the Blues, while Ivan Barbashev, Brayden Schenn and Pavel Buchnevich have three apiece. Jordan Binnington is 9-6-2 with a .928 save percentage on the season.

All-Time Meetings:

The Predators are 58-44-(4)-12 all-time against the Blues, including a 26-27-(1)-5 record on the road. Nashville and St. Louis last met on Feb. 16, 2020 at Bridgestone Arena, a 2-1 victory for the home team.
Nashville has won 11 of its last 16 games against St. Louis - including nine of its last 13 - and has scored at least four goals in seven of those wins. Nashville won five in a row over St. Louis from Nov. 24, 2017-Nov. 21, 2018.

Notables Versus St. Louis:

Roman Josi has 23 points (5g-18a) in 40 career meetings with the Blues. Ryan Johansen has points in five of his last eight games vs. St. Louis, recording two goals and four assists. He has 22 points (9g-13a) in 33 career games against the Blues.
Luke Kunin is a native of Chesterfield, Mo., and skated in the St. Louis Jr. Blues youth hockey program. Predators Assistant Coach Dan Hinote played three seasons with the Blues from 2006-09, posting 25 points (11g-14a) in 150 games.
Predators Assistant General Manager, Director of Player Development and Milwaukee Admirals General Manager Scott Nichol concluded his NHL career by playing two seasons in St. Louis from 2011-13, skating in 110 games.

Watch & Listen:

Coverage for tonight's 7 p.m. CT puck drop from St. Louis begins at 6:30 p.m. CT with the Predators Live! pregame show on Bally Sports South. Willy Daunic, Chris Mason and Lyndsay Rowley 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. For broadcast information and channel locations throughout the country,
click here
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