Following a statement win on Friday night in Colorado, the Nashville Predators will try for a perfect back-to-back road trip when they face the Vegas Golden Knights for a 9 p.m. CT puck drop tonight at T-Mobile Arena. This evening’s contest is the second of three meetings between the Preds and Knights this season; Nashville won in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve.
Ryan O’Reilly’s hat trick led the Predators past the Avalanche on Friday night as Colorado fell in regulation at home for the first time this season. The victory over the NHL’s best team was certainly satisfying, but now the Preds will shift their focus to another tough test against one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
“I think it should give us that belief,” O’Reilly said of Friday’s win. “When we're all pulling the rope together, five guys on the ice are working, communicating, we can compete with anyone. And tonight, that was a great team we beat… We’ve got a tough one tomorrow that we have to kind of shift the focus. But, I know for the group, you can kind of tell it's a confidence building win there. That’s something we can lean on.”
“Right from our goaltending out, it's just been superb,” Preds Associate Head Coach Luke Richardson said Friday night. “And I think we have trust in each other, right from the back all the way to the front right now, and our special teams are starting to really kick in, and that was very noticeable tonight as well. I'm just proud of what this group of guys have done, and they believed in themselves, and they've really taken to heart what the coaches have tried to implement… This is the best game plan for them, and they're really going out and executing it every night. So, it's fun to watch.”
Prior to Saturday’s game, the Preds recalled defenseman Andreas Englund from Milwaukee (AHL), but the defender did not dress against Colorado. Defenseman Adam Wilsby (lower-body, day-to-day) did not play on Friday, but blueliner Nic Hague returned to the Nashville lineup after missing Tuesday’s game due to illness.
The Good Guys:
In addition to O’Reilly’s seventh career hat trick, Michael Bunting, Filip Forsberg, Steven Stamkos and Michael McCarron also tallied on the night, and Juuse Saros made 39 saves in net for the win.
O’Reilly (16g-27a) continues to lead the Preds with 43 points, followed by Forsberg (17g-18a) with 35 points and Stamkos with 21 goals and 33 points. Saros is now 19-15-3 on the season; Justus Annunen is 4-5-1.
The Opposition:
The Golden Knights have won six straight games, including a dramatic 6-5 overtime victory over Toronto on Thursday night. Jack Eichel (17g-38a) leads Vegas with 55 points, followed by Mitch Marner (11g-38a) with 49 points and Mark Stone (17g-29a) with 46 points. Adinn Hill is 2-0-2 in net through six appearances; Carter Hart is 5-3-3.
Watch & Listen:
Coverage for this evening’s contest begins at 8:30 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.
